NEW DELHI: Star India's long wait for the launch of a direct-to-home service in India looks finally to be coming to an end.

The decks have all but been cleared for the issuance of letters of intent (LoI) to two DTH applications pending with the information and broadcasting ministry. Space TV, the Tata Sons and Star group 80:20 joint venture and the Sun Group's proposed DTH platform Sun DirectTV

The newly appointed Information and Broadcasting secretary S K Arora confirmed today that his ministry would be issuing "in a day or two" letters of intent relating to the DTH licence of Space TV and Sun DirectTV. The scrutiny "process is complete" as all queries have been satisfactorily answered by the applicants, Arora said.

This ends a long and tortuous wait for Star in particular, which has been in quest of a DTH licence since 2002.

The LoI will be the first step en route for 'okaying' the DTH venture. With the LoI in hand, the applicants can formally go ahead.

The applicants have to deposit Rs 100 million on receiving the LoI, after which another set of clearances will fall in place.

It may be recalled that the earlier Space TV application had to be made afresh in 2003 as the government was of the opinion that the Indian partnership was more of a dummy.

Of course, no such issues confronted Sun TV supremo Kalanithi Maran in regard to his Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd.


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