Lok Sabha Question No. 2321 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-30
Subject: Digitisation of Broadcast Sector
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: DODDAALAHALLI KEMPEGOWDA SURESH, SAUGATA ROY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION D. NO.  2321 (TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.11.2016)

## DIGITISATION OF BROADCAST SECTOR

## 2321.     SHRI D.K. SURESH:

PROF. SAUGATA ROY:

## Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has prepared any roadmap for digitisation of broadcast
- sector;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether it is true that the demands for indigenous set-top boxes are on rise, if so,
- the details thereof; and
- (d) whether the Government proposes to promote indigenous manufacture of set-top boxes for cable/DTH TVs, and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE  MINISTRY  OF  INFORMATION  AND BROADCASTING {COL RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE (Retd.)}

- a)  &  (b):  Ministry  of  Information  and  Broadcasting  vide  its  Notifications  dated 11.11.2011 and 11.9.2014 laid down the phase-wise schedule for digitization of the Cable TV Networks across the country in four phases. The timeline for digitisation of cable TV services are as under:

Phase-I  :  Four  Metros  of  Delhi,  Mumbai,  Kolkata  and  Chennai  by  30th  October, 2012.

Phase-II: Cities with a population more than one million by 31st March 2013.

Phase-III: All other urban areas not covered under phase I & II by 31st December, 2015.

Phase-IV: Rest of India by 31 st  December 2016.

## PRASAR BHARTI

## (i) All India Radio

As far as All India Radio (AIR) is concerned, AIR has already adopted digital broadcasting technique by replacing 35 old outlived MW and 2 SW transmitters by under equal power DRM  transmitters. 2 old outlived SW  transmitters are replacement by equal power DRM transmitters.

The old outlived equipment of studios at 98 AIR centres have been replaced by digital equipment and old outlived equipment of studios at 29 AIR centres are also being replaced by digital equipment under 12 th  Plan.

In  addition  to  above,  31  AIR's  channels  are  available  on  Doordarshan's  DTH platform (DD Free Dish) and can be received by set top box throughout the country including  rural  and  border  areas.  13  AIR's  channels  are  also  available  on  internet platform.  AIR's  website  <allindiaradio.gov.in>  or  by  downloading  suitable  apps  on iOS/ Android/ Windows based mobile phones.

## (ii)  Doordarshan

Transmission in satellite mode  (DD  free  Dish)  is digital. Out  of 67 Doordarshan Studio centres, 24 are fully digital  and  39  are digital  except  Camera chains,  which  are  under  procurement.        Remaining  four  studios  are  yet  to  be digitized.

For  complete  digitization  of  its  terrestrial  network,  Doordarshan  has  planned establishment of 630 digital transmitters (HPTs-230, LPTs-400), in its Master Plan, to provide  the  present  level  of  coverage  as  being  provided  by  existing  analog transmitters.      63  digital  HPTs  have  been  approved  in  11 th   &  12 th Plan  as  part  of Digitalization scheme.    In  the  first phase,  16  digital  transmitters  have  been commissioned  and  another  3  digital  HPTs  have  been  installed  and  under  testing. Procurement action has been initiated for remaining 44 digital transmitters.

(c) & (d):   Set-Top Boxes (STBs) procured by Multi System Operators/Local Cable Operators are supplied by the indigenous manufacturers also.  As per data provided by the Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA), an  association  of  indigenous  manufacturers  of  STBs,  about  5%  of  the  total requirement of STBs during Phase I & II were met from indigenous STBs and during Phase  III  &  IV  the  demand  of  indigenous  STBs  increased  about  15%  of  total requirement.

Ministry  has  been  supporting  the  local  manufacturing  of  STBs  right  from  the beginning of digitization. For this purpose, a representative of Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) was included as a member of the Task Force constituted to steer the process of cable TV digitisation. At present, STBs are indigenously manufactured by about 10 companies in India and they have sufficient  installed  capacity  to  meet  the  demand.  They  can  even  scale  up  the capacity if there is a demand.  Further,  now  the STBs  are  also a part of Telecommunication Network. To facilitate this sector,  the  Department  of  Revenue, Ministry of Finance, vide their Memorandum dated 13 th  August 2014, extended the facility of Form 'C', under section 8(3) (b) of Central Sales Tax Act 1956, to STBs by including these in the definition of goods for use in the 'Telecommunication Network'.

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