Set-top box portability possible in near future: TRAI
New Delhi: TV viewers may very soon be able to switch their Direct to Home (DTH) or cable service providers without changing the set top box by the end of this year, informed TRAI’s Chairman R S Sharma.
Sudhir Gupta, Secretary in TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has issued a framework for DTH operators in India, which would bring cheers to TV viewers across the country. This framework is regarding DTH portability which will make it easier for consumers to switch operators without any hassles.
This is for the first time that such a directive has been issued with clear guidelines.
Sharma added that interoperability in a product should not come as an “after thought” but should be in place at the product planning stage itself.
“Open systems are going to be the future. Entire back-end of Aadhaar has been developed on open source software except biometric de-duplication system,” Sharma said.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman released a study on open ecosystem for devices in India, prepared by the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) and consultant firm KPMG, which showed that 89 per cent of mobile phones in the country work on open source operating systems.
Sharma cited interoperability as one of the key factors behind the success of the Indian mobile phone industry where no subscriber is required to buy a new phone if he wants to change his service provider.
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