The set top box lying in your living room is soon going to evolve in such a way that you won’t have to buy a new device, every time you switch your direct-to-home (DTH) operator.
This idea isn’t new, as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has been working to make it a reality over the past two years. Its efforts are most likely to bear fruit by end of 2019, as informed by RS Sharma, Chief, TRAI quoted in a report in The Hindu earlier this year.
Until now, people have heard about these developments, but a few weeks back, we came across one prototype set top box (STB) which is likely to be adopted by DTH players like Airtel, Tata Sky and Dish TV among others.
Also Read: Tata Sky Binge Service Review: Worth Going for a DTH-OTT Combo?
The C-DOT or the Centre for Development of Telematics has been working behind the scenes to come up with a product that can deliver on TRAI’s objective, that is, interoperability in the DTH sector.
This interoperability of the set top box will ensure that users can switch from Tata Sky to Dish TV, without having to buy company-specific boxes. TRAI, through its detailed consultation report on the subject has pointed out that replacing the STB also leads to electronic waste, which adds to the rising pollution issue in the country.
“C-DOT, the telecom technology development centre of the Government of India, in close coordination with TRAI, has developed a solution for interoperable STBs. In addition to this, they are working as knowledge partners to TRAI towards developing a framework for STB interoperability.” – TRAI report on STB interoperability
But the main role of this change is entrusted to the chip-based card, which brings the STB to life. C-DOT framework is based on an operator-specific detachable smart card approach. This card is similar to the SIM card one uses in mobile phones, with the exception of the networks they are tuned to work on.
Both TRAI and C-DOT have worked on a model that is interoperable, yet, has been configured in such a way where only a few parties can adopt this methodology.
The STB is not to be tied to any specific service operator and at the same time, it cannot be a fully generic configurable platform with the superset capabilities and the total software configuration, given the constraints of equipment being based in customer premises.
The change in set top boxes is going to affect how a person gets hold of the device for their household. Using a chip-based DTH box, will ensure that a user can get everything activated, after due clearances, just with a one-time password (OTP), shared only with the assigned user and the assignee DTH operator.
An interested user will be required to send an SMS and fill out an application form, the regulatory body has mentioned.
Source:- yahoo
Share:
