(Updated on 27 December 2007 10:00 pm)
( 27 December 2007 7:00 pm)

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Authority of India (Trai) has recommended that the government must set a deadline for the rolling out of voluntary Cas (conditional access system) to 55 more cities, over a period of three years from October 2008.

"Voluntary Cas is perceived to be a non-starter unless the date from which addressability will be implemented is mandated, and unless the interconnection and tariff are also mandated for the initial roll out period," Trai has said.

The sector regulator has recommended in its detailed time plan that the government should announce the deadlines for 19 cities in the first phase, starting and ending 1 October 2008 till September 2009. Another 18 cities should come up between October 2009 and September 2010. The last phase should be from 18 October 2010 till September 2011.

This report is from an expert group constituted by the sector regulator.

The date of Cas roll-out should be mandated for 55 cities - state capitals and those with a population of one million and above.

The present Cas regulatory framework should also be extended to multi-system operators (MSOs) and cable operators in other cities, who want to implement it voluntarily, the report on 'Digitalisation and Introduction of Voluntary Cas in cable TV network' said.

While the existing regulatory framework in the specified 55 cities would be in place for one year, in case of those who are extending it to other areas it will stay for two years.

The report says that a detailed plan to implement Cas ought to include:

• Commercial framework for addressable cable platforms to ensure consumers are not burdened with unreasonable price fluctuations
• Standards of Quality to be strictly implemented to ensure defaulters are accountable for deficiency in services.
• Incentivising networks which have upgraded their networks and which are seeking to voluntarily implement Cas. This could be done by extending the Cas framework by the Regulator to such networks ahead of the Cas effective date.

The Trai says that the roadmap for implementation of Cas needs to be transparent, unambiguous with a definite effective date (the date for mandatory roll out of Cas) and a sun-set date (the date up to which a framework for regulatory protection would be available).

Also must are appropriate measures to incentivise networks to adopt Cas on voluntary basis before the effective date in order to ensure that all the stakeholders and implementing networks could work out their business plans.

A Uniform Regulatory Framework (URF) would need to be announced by Trai in advance and the time table for implementation at various levels, the report has suggested.

One single notification is to be issued covering all the 55 cities indicating respective "effective dates", as per the Trai report, which adds: "The earliest "effective date" should be one year from the date of notification, to give sufficient time to stakeholders to complete mutual negotiations and to enable Trai to take stock of the situation.

The other concern voiced in the report and hence the important suggestion is: "Since the process of implementation of Cas in remaining parts of three metros of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata is under consideration, there should, additionally, be a gap of at least six months between the earliest effective date notified for the identified 55 cities and the mandated date for roll out of the last phase for these three cities."

Meanwhile. Trai says that in order to promote digitalisation, no new cable operator or MSO should be permitted to get registration/permission for transmitting pay channels in analogue mode.

This restriction will apply to the 55 cities with effect from the date of notification containing the effective dates for these cities.

Six months before the effective date for a particular city, the regulator would hold consultations to review the preparedness and efforts of the service providers in implementing Cas.

If Trai is of the opinion that necessary agreements for interconnections and tariff have been successfully concluded on a voluntary basis in conformity with section 4A of the Cable Act (particularly with reference to the requirements of basic service tier and a-la-carte offering), it may determine that there ought not to be any further Regulatory intervention.

"This would mean that URF would not be applicable, except for Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations. However, in case of an inference by Trai that necessary arrangements for voluntary Cas are not in place then Cas would be implemented from the effective date along with the URF on mandatory basis, with a sunset period of one year to be notified in advance," the report says.

Trai has forwarded the report to the Information and Broadcasting ministry, along with comments of stakeholders, for consideration, the regulator said in a statement.