Interoperability of set-top boxes not feasible

Set-top box (STB) interoperability is not feasible in the Indian market as the existing STBs deployed by the distribution platform operators (DPOs) are non-interoperable, and deploying new interoperable STBs will be a costly affair, say industry experts. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), in its recent recommendations to the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB), reiterated that all STBs in India must, in principle, support technical interoperability.

STB interoperability is the ability to change a service provider without changing the STB. Currently, customers have to purchase a new STB every time they want to shift to a new service provider. "There are two types of interoperability: technical and commercial. Technical interoperability without commercial interoperability is not feasible because the STBs remain the property of the DPOs," said a top official with a TV distribution company, on condition of anonymity.

This is not the first time Trai has made a recommendation in favour of STB interoperability. The discussion on STB interoperability has been going on since 2010, when the regulator first floated a consultation paper on the issue. "STB interoperability is a dead horse that the regulator keeps flogging. At a time when consumers have the option of moving to internet-enabled content delivery, the regulator is talking about a legacy issue that has not been implemented to this day," said the India head of an international content security firm.

The executive added that STB interoperability has not succeeded even in developed markets like the US and Europe. STB interoperability is not possible between cable TV and direct-to-home (DTH) segments since both types of DPOs use different modulation standards, he noted.

In 2020, Trai issued recommendations stating that USB port-based common interfaces must be mandatory for all digital TV sets in India. The regulator stated that interoperability will provide freedom to customers besides reducing e-waste since there are 54 million unused STBs in the DTH segment only.

In the past, the DPOs stated that there is no common solution architecture for STBs as the use of different conditional access systems (CAS), compression, encryption, middleware, and electronic program guides (EPG) made the STB a DPO proprietary.

Media consultant and former Dish TV executive Rajiv Khattar believes that STB interoperability can be implemented provided the DPOs demonstrate the willingness to do so.