Reduced channel rates to come into effect from December 31
31 Aug 2006
Mumbai: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's tariff order, fixing a ceiling on the maximum monthly charge of Rs5 per channel per subscriber (excluding taxes), under the controlled access system (CAS), would come into effect from December 31.
The
ceiling on the maximum retail price of any pay channel
whether new or existing would be Rs5 per channel per
subscriber per month TRAI said in a statement. The
individual pay channel prices are to be fixed by the
broadcasters within this ceiling
The Trai ruling says that all pay channels must compulsorily
be offered on a la carte basis and that bouquets can
be offered with discounts in addition to the a la
carte offer.
Subscribers
can choose between two schemes. Under the first scheme,
a subscriber has to pay a refundable deposit of Rs999
and Rs30 per month for the set-top box.
Under the second scheme, a subscriber will have to
pay Rs45 per month for the set-top box and a refundable
security deposit of Rs250.
This
order is applicable in CAS notified areas of Mumbai,
Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. The minimum period of
subscription to a pay channel should be at least four
months and the broadcasters will
be required to serve a month's notice to their subscribers
before converting any free-to-air channel to pay channel
or vice versa.