Trai mulls 3-phase CAS rollout in 55 cities

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), in consultation with the cable and broadcast industry, has proposed a three-phase rollout of the conditional access system (CAS) in 55 cities between June 2008 and June 2011.

The first phase will begin from June 1, 2008, and cover 19 cities including Jaipur, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Noida, Navi Mumbai and Gurgaon, among others.

The second phase will be effective from June 2009 involving 18 cities while the last phase, which will also cover 18 cities, will come into effect from June 2010. CAS would be rolled out in 55 cities by 2011, with options for other cities to join in, a Trai source said.

"The phased rollout of CAS has been done so as to give ample time to set-top box manufacturers as well as cable operators and broadcasters to gear up," an industry source said.

However, discussions over tariff for pay channels in the 55 cities would be held later, the source added. Though CAS has been operational in the whole of Chennai since 2003, it was implemented on December 31, 2006, in parts of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata at a price of Rs 5 per pay channel.

According to Trai's proposal for CAS rollout in 55 cities, all multi-system operators and cable operators will have to mandatorily implement CAS for one year at a tariff fixed by the regulator after discussions with stakeholders.

"After one year, the pricing of pay channels will be left to the market forces," the industry source said.