Digital drive runs out of steam

KOLKATA: The transition of the cable television regime from analog to digital is full of stumbling blocks. While local cable operators complain that there aren’t enough set-top boxes, multi-service operators (MSO) deny this and claim that customer demand has fallen in the last two months.
The uncertainty raises fears that TV sets will go blank in lakhs of homes in Kolkata after October 31.The information and broadcasting ministry has already extended the deadline for digitization from July 1 to November 1 and is unlikely to give any more leeway.
“There is a lack of clarity on installations. Cable operators don’t have enough settop boxes and the MSOs are not able to meet demand. There are problems with the import and the inventory level is also not proper,” said Swapan Chowdhury, secretary of the Cable and Broadband Operators’ Welfare Association.
MSOs deny this. SitiCable director Suresh Sethia said he has enough inventory for customers. “I have 4.5 lakh set-top boxes and another 5 lakh are awaiting shipment. But for the last one-and-a-halfmonths, customers were not forthcoming and the demand for STBs has dropped,” Sethia said.
Despite a flurry of advertisements by the government, both in print and on TV, customers seem to be closing their eyes to the digital switch, say MSO officials. They fear they will be swamped by a last-minute rush. And with Puja round the corner, it will be difficult to get workers. They wish there was more cooperation from the government in the digitization process.
Sudip Ghosh, director of the MSO Manthan, said Kolkata ranks second, next only to Mumbai, in the pace of digitization. “Though demand plummeted for some time, it has started rising since last week. Of course, there was a crisis of set-top boxes, but we can now manage it,” he said. Since the boxes are shipped from distant places (China and Korea), there is sometimes a delay due to local issues or weather conditions.
Kolkata needs around 37 lakh set-top boxes. About 14 lakh set-top boxes have been installed and direct-to-home players have tapped 4 lakh households. It still leaves a gap of 19 lakh boxes.