Hacked  By  r4dBlack

THIMPHU: A stumbling block to introducing direct to home (DTH) TV in Bhutan has been removed with the Indian government agreeing to facilitate the use of Indian satellites and downlinking Bhutan Broadcasting Services corporation (BBSC), the country’s only TV channel, in the DTH-TV package. The secretary of information and communication ministry, Dasho Kinley Dorji, said the condition was that DTH could come in only if there is BBSC. “BBSC is a prime channel and for that a licensed operator would have to pay in India to downlink (uplink) BBS, which the Indian government will facilitate,” he said. Using DTH sets are still considered illegal, although the government had regularised it since November 2008. “The technology has changed and it’s inevitable, but what the government wants to do is license DTH operators,” said Dasho Kinley Dorji.

A Bhutaninfo-com and media authority (BICMA) official, Wangyel Dorji, said that they are still waiting for individuals to come forward and get the license. “Regularising DTH doesn’t mean that every individual is now allowed to use a dish set, but we instead want to license a Bhutanese DTH service provider,” he said.

At least two Bhutanese companies are known to be interested in DTH services with Indian partners - Reliance and Bharti Airtel, according to sources in the government. “There are several details to be worked out. For instances, how do we avoid satellite dishes sticking out of every window, so that it doesn’t affect the aesthetic beauty of the place,” he said.

Downlinking would take place in Delhi and costs about Nu 200,000 annually, excluding various other fees the licensed DTH operator might have to pay.

BBSC at present pays Nu 6.3mn annually for satellite space. With the nationwide expansion on satellite in 2006, BBSC TV’s footprint covers 40 other Asian countries. The Indian government had funded Nu 18mn for the use of satellite in 2008.

DTH TV is completely digital with high picture and stereo sound quality, and has gained popularity in the urban centres and in parts of Bhutan where there are no cable providers.

Cable operators, after the government regularised DTH in principle, requested BICMA to develop a proper system, which will balance the services of the cable as well as DTH TV systems. Information and communication minister, Lyonpo Nanda Lal Rai, said that the government is looking for a platform where both cable and DTH operators can survive.

Meanwhile, cable operators say that BICMA has recently restricted airing of about 20 channels, including sports, news, movie and music channels. A corporate employee, Tenzin, said that Bhutan is now a democracy where viewers should have a say in what they want to watch. “The public should be consulted before a group of people decide what can be aired. Some of the good sports channels are out now,” he said.

A BICMA official said that if there is going to be a restriction on the content of cable television, there would also be restrictions on DTH television services. “The issue of content will be there even with DTH,” he said.

Dasho Kinley Dorji also said that content is important and that it should be at least regulated, not banned or controlled. “Content must not be restricted at random, it should be studied to see what is good and bad content,” he said.

How long would it take to launch DTH TV service by a licensed operator is however another story.