Why Trai’s new paper may make DTH operators unhappy

MUMBAI: In a move that is likely to be challenged in the courts by the direct-to-home (DTH) players, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trau) has come out with a new set of recommendations for the sector, related to the platform services (PS) they offer to the subscribers.
In the new recommendations issued on Wednesday, Trai has capped the total number of platform services to 3% of the total channel carrying capacity of the DTH player, subject to a maximum of 15 such channels.
At present, Tata Sky alone has over 30 platform services, while Airtel Digital TV and Dish TV also have much more than 15 services.
Incidentally, most of the DTH operators had opposed any cap. In their response to the Trai’s paper, operators had highlighted that they provide pan-India services and need to cater to customers of varied tastes and languages.