Applications
TRAI gives final deadline for filling CAFs, SMS
New Delhi: Multi System Operators (MSOs) can now collect duly filled consumer application forms (CAFs), along with choice of channels and services and entry of complete details in their subscriber management systems (SMS) in 38 cities covered under phase-II of DAS implementation, by 15 November.
Extending the deadline, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said ‘this is the last and final extension.’ The earlier deadline set by TRAI was 20 September.
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A meeting was held in TRAI with leading MSOs on 25 September to review the progress in this regard. The authority observed that there is still substantial pendency on this account. The MSOs cited the enormity and complexity of the task involved as the prime reason for the pendency and requested for an extension in the time -line for completion of the task.
The extension is being given to achieve full coverage by 15 November, and ‘with a view to minimise consumer inconvenience that could result from MSOs disconnecting set top boxes immediately’.
Consumers were requested by TRAI to cooperate and submit the CAFs, complete in all respect, to the respective cable operator/ MSOs in accordance with the revised deadline of 15 November, as ‘this is truly the very last opportunity’.
In event of failure to do so, MSOs will have no option but to switch off the signal to those consumers who have not submitted their CAF, otherwise such MSOs would be in breach of the law.
Applications
Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
