I&B Ministry
191 MSOs get 10 year licences under DAS for specified areas, 7 allowed to cover more areas
NEW DELHI: Pursuant to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) urging the Home Ministry to expedite security clearances if digital addressable system (DAS) deadline for phase III has to be achieved, the past 10 weeks have seen a quantum jump in the number of multi-system operators (MSOs) getting 10 year registration: from 169 as on 10 April to 191 as of 22 June 2015.
While there have been licences given, there are a few who have lost their licences. These include – SR Cable of Bangalore ceasing activity, and the Sun-owned Kal Cables of Chennai and Digicable Network India of Mumbai being refused security clearance.
Some others have had their areas modified. These include one in Maharashtra (JPR Channel of Mumbai to cover pan India), Madhya Pradesh (CAN Digital of Indore to also cover Bhopal and Indore), Barak Communication of Assam (to cover more areas in the state), Delhi Distribution Company (to cover Pan India), Technobile Systems of Haryana (to cover more areas in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Haryana and Rajasthan) and Sea TV Network of Agra, and Novabase Digital Entertainment of Delhi that have got revised licences.
Most of these MSOs had been given provisional permission earlier.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
