TRAI recommends making digital set-top-boxes interoperable

Representative Image (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has in its recommendations on April 11 said that all set-top-boxes (STBs) for digital TV broadcasting services in India must support technical interoperability in principle.

It further said that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B Ministry) may include a suitable clause or condition in the permission for registration or rules mandating all DPO to facilitate interoperability for STBs procured by customers from the open market.

To bridge the technical and commercial constraints to universal STB, TRAI said interoperability shall be applicable within the DTH segment and within the cable segment respectively.

It said the Ministry may notify their conditions or amendments as per the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act, 1995 or through any other appropriate mechanism, and the ETSI TS 103 605 standards.

The paper also suggested the setup of a Coordination and Implementation Committee by the I&B Ministry having members Meity, TRAI, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and representatives of TV manufacturers. This committee may steer implementation and ensure adoption in a time-bound manner.

It prescribed that a six month period may be given to DTH operators and MSOs to adopt DVB CI Plus 2.0 standards (with USB CAM) as per the ETSI TS 103 605 standards from the date of I&B Ministry notifications.

“I&B Ministry may also coordinate with BIS so that suitable amendments are brought within this time frame,” it said.

As per the TRAI notification, specifications must also mandate TV manufacturers to provide all-digital television sets with minimum one open interface port based on DVB CI Plus 2.0 standards permitting simple connection of USB CAM to allow reception of television signals. They must also provide the digital television sets with built-in tuners to enable reception of television content through both satellite and cable platforms.

Presently the STBs deployed in the Cable TV networks are non-interoperable, i.e. the same STB cannot be used interchangeably across the different service providers. The recommendations have been placed on TRAI's website www.trai.gov.in

The regulator had on November 11, 2019 sought stakeholder response on the proposal after issuing a suo-moto consultation paper on ‘Interoperability of Set Top Box’. An open house discussion was conducted on January 29, 2020.

“TRAI has been engaging with the stakeholders for quite some time for introducing STB interoperability. Affordability of STB remains an important criterion and any suggested solution should not cause undue increase in price of STB. Ensuring proper content security, strong anti-piracy features and flexibility while keeping the STB costs reasonable are the main challenges for achieving STB interoperability,” it added.