STB interoperability: TRAI hopeful of ‘acceptable solution’ by year-end

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday said that it hopes to come up with an “acceptable” solution for set-top box (STB) interoperability by the year-end.

It said it is exploring solutions that will address concerns relating to security, piracy and practicality among stakeholders. With STB interoperability, a consumer can switch to a different service provider without changing the set-top box.

Unlike other developed markets, in India, the consumers are tied to their service providers as each set-top box is seen as an exclusive property of the DTH operator or the MSO.