Deregulation of uplinking of satellite television channels within a month I&B ministry

The government on Friday said it would make satellite television channels free from uplinking within a month to make India an uplinking hub.

Addressing the India Space Congress then, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apoorva Chandra said that out of 898 TV channels broadcast in the country, 532 use foreign satellites for uplinking and downlinking their services.

He said that the uplinking and downlinking guidelines were last issued in 2011, and revising them was underway.

“The guidelines will be revised soon, perhaps within a month,” Chandra latterly told journalists.

He added that neighbouring countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan could also use India as a hub for uplinking their television channels.

Chandra said the government had approved USD 102 million( one million = 10 lakh) in remittances to foreign satellite operators in the last two years to give uplinking and downlinking services to TV channels.

“USD 102 million has been paid as remittances to foreign satellite companies. However, the foreign remittances will be much lower and give a huge occasion to Indian satellite companies,” he said if we’ve more Indian satellites.

Currently, many satellite television channels use Singapore as a hub for broadcasting their media, and the control of uplinking can help India emerge as a hub.

Chandra also said that state broadcasters Prasar Bharati and IIT Kanpur are developing a direct-to-mobile broadcast platform to increase the consumption of TV content on mobile.

“Mobile users can watch the channel directly. This will ensure effective spectrum consumption and be cost-effective for broadcasters,” he said, adding that direct-to-mobile broadcasting could be a reality within the next two to three years.

Chandra said TV viewership had remained stagnant at 200 million for the once many times while the mobile operation was on the upgrade.

The Secretary of Information and Broadcasting said that low Earth route satellites would be the key to expanding transmission through either broadband or data, and cost-effectiveness will be the key to the success of satellite dispatches.

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