05/12/2015
To:
The Regional General Manager
PEMRA, Balochistan
Quetta
Subject:1. Conversion of Cable Networks from Analog to Digital Technology
2.Signal Provider Network (SPN) Policy Guideline
3.Blockage of Illegal DTH
Reference to your letter No. QTA/44/72 dated November 18th 2015, QTA/44/723 dated November 19th 2015 and QTA/43/738 dated December 2nd 2015 it is stated as under:-
1.Conversion of Analog Cable Networks to Digital is not possible without magic wand. The digital television transition, also called the digital switchover or analog switch-off (A*O), is the process in which analog television broadcasting is converted to and replaced by digital television. This primarily involves the conversion of analog terrestrial television to digital terrestrial. However, it also involves analog cable conversion to digital cable, as well as analog to digital satellite.
In many countries, a simulcast service is operated where a broadcast is made available to viewers in both analog and digital at the same time. As digital becomes more popular, it is likely that the existing analog services will be removed. In some cases this has already happened, where a broadcaster has offered incentives to viewers to encourage them to switch to digital. In other cases government policies have been introduced to encourage or force the switchover process, especially with regard to terrestrial broadcasts. Government intervention usually involves providing some funding for broadcasters and, in some cases monetary relief to viewers, to enable a switchover to happen by a given deadline.
PURPOSE OF TRANSITION
Almost all analog formats in current use - PAL, NTSC, and SECAM - were standardized between the 1940s and the 1950s and have had to be adapted to the technological innovations since then. Initially offering only black and white images with monophonic sound, the formats have had to be modified to broadcast in colour and withstereo sound, second audio program (SAP), captioning, and other information all while being backwards compatible with televisions unable to use the features. Additionally, engineers have had to implement these protocols within the limits of a set bandwidth and the tolerances of an inefficient analog format.
However, during this time, the application and distribution of digital communications evolved. Digital television transmission more efficiently uses the available bandwidth and can easily integrate other digital services. While analog video and audio broadcasts can not efficiently include other digital services, they have the advantage of greater area coverage because a degraded signal can still be usable to a fringe user while a digital one will just drop off.
a. For government and industry, digital television reallocates the radio spectrum so that it can be auctioned off. In the subsequent auctions, telecommunications industries can introduce new services and products in mobile telephony,Wi-Fi Internet, and other nationwide telecommunications projects.
b. Analog Cable TV has limited channel capacity and countries having more then the capacity of Analog were force to convert Analog System into Digital.
TRANSITIONS AROUND THE WORLD
Netherlands moved to digital-only broadcasting on Monday, 11 December 2006, being the first country to do so. The switch-off was helped greatly by the fact that about 80% of Dutch households subscribe to cable systems, which continued to use analog distribution, and thus their old tuners continued to be useful. Like Germany and Sweden, the Netherlands still has a high number of analog cable viewers and therefore a switchover to digital broadcasting is unlikely to happen in the near future.
Sweden: The switch-off of the analog terrestrial network progressed region–by–region. It started on the island of Gotland on Monday, 19 September 2005, and was completed on Monday, 15 October 2007, when the last analog SVT1 transmitters in Blekingeand western Scania were shut down.[28] Like the Netherlands, Germany and Japan, cable distributors continued broadcasting analog television. Cable broadcasters continue to broadcast in analog (like the Netherlands and Germany), so therefore a cable switchover is unlikely to happen in the near future.
Switzerland began with the switch-off on Monday 24 July 2006 in Ticino and continued with Engadin on Monday 13 November 2006. The switch-off was completed on Monday 26 November 2007. A very high percentage of Swiss viewers receive their signals via cable distributors. By 2012 40% of cable viewers have switched to digital. The government plans to shut off analog cable by 2015
Germany started the switch-off in the Berlin area, beginning on Friday, 1 November 2002 and completing on Monday 4 August 2003. "Simulcast" digital transmissions started in other parts of the country in an effort to prepare for a full switchover. The switch-off of terrestrial analog transmitters was completed on Tuesday 25 November 2008, except one main transmitter in Bad Mergentheim, which was shut down in June 2009. analog satellite receivers were still used by 6% of households in 2010 - the highest in Europe. The analog satellite transmissions were switched off on Monday 30 April 2012, being the last in Europe. However, analog cable is still used by about 30% of the population and 55% of all cable broadcasts, so therefore a cable switchover is unlikely to happen in the near future
Belgium: Media regulations are under regional legislation. Flanders switched off analog television on Monday 3 November 2008, while in Wallonia, all analog services were switched off on Monday, 1 March 2010, making Belgium a country completely serviced by a digital signal. However, analog cable is still used by many cable subscribers, so therefore a cable switchover is unlikely to happen in the near future.
United Kingdom: Digital terrestrial broadcasting began in the UK on Sunday 15 November 1998 with the launch of the ON digital, later renamed ITV Digital and now Freeview. The transition from analog and digital to digital-only terrestrial signals started on Wednesday 17 October 2007 with the Whitehaven transmitter in Cumbria, and followed a transmitter switchover timetable, implemented by region. The first constituent country to switch off all its analog signals was Wales on Wednesday 31 March 2010 and the last region to switch off its analog signals was Northern Ireland on Wednesday 24 October 2012 analog cable broadcasts ended in January 2012, with Milton Keynes still relying on analog cable, which the town will not get an analog switch-off. Analog satellite was discontinued on Thursday 27 September 2001, making the UK and Ireland the first countries in Europe with digital-only satellite.
Ireland: Digital television was launched in Ireland as Saorview on Friday 29 October 2010.[14] At launch it had 5 standard-definition channels and 1 high-definition channel. The analog service was terminated on Wednesday 24 October 2012 and was replaced by a second multiplex for Saorview. A small number of low power independent analog re-broadcast systems remained licensed until the Monday 31 December 2012. There has been no date released for the shutdown of analog cable, and many major cable companies (e.g. UPC Ireland) are still actively offering analog. analog satellite was discontinued on Thursday 27 September 2001, making the UK and Ireland the first countries in Europe with digital-only satellite
Saudi Arabia: The analog terrestrial transmissions were terminated on Monday 13 February 2012 and was replaced by a multiplex for Nilesat. The government plans to shut off analog cable by 31 March 2023. Saudi Arabia was transitioning from using MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 for its terrestrial broadcasts, a process which began on Sunday 26 August 2012. Saudi Arabia adopted DVB-T2 in March 2013. Analog satellite transmission were switched off on Monday 1 March 2004. Digital television launched terrestrially throughout Arab world on Monday 1 January 2001 (known as Nilesat).
Japan: The analog shutdown began on 24 September 2010 in Suzu, Ishikawa. Analog terrestrial television transmissions in the remainder of Ishikawa Prefecture and 43 other prefectures stopped analog broadcasting at noon on Sunday 24 July 2011, along with the analog satellite services; three remaining prefectures (Fukushima, Iwate, and Miyagi) that were destroyed or heavily damaged in the 11 March 2011 9.0 magnitude Tohoku earthquake and its related nuclear accidents stopped analog broadcasting at noon on Saturday 31 March 2012.[63] Analog high-definition television broadcasting ended on Sunday, 30 September 2007.[64] Like Netherlands, Germany and Sweden, an analog cable service (known as Dejiana since 1 July 2011) continued to be broadcast, but starting on 1 April 2012, all cable providers in Japan were required to convert from analog to digital within the next three years. The last cable providers shut down their analog services on 30 April 2015.[65] All television stations across the country are now broadcasting only in digital, ending an analog-digital simulcast period that began on Monday 1 December 2003 in the Kanto region(which expanded to all other prefectures over the next four years) and ended between 24 July 2011 and 31 March 2012 (when all analog transmissions were shut down).
Qatar: The analog terrestrial transmissions were terminated on Monday, 13 February 2012 and was replaced by a multiplex for Nilesat. The government plans to shut off analog cable by 31 March 2023. Qatar was transitioning from using MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 for its terrestrial broadcasts, a process which began on Sunday 26 August 2012. Qatar adopted DVB-T2 in February 2013. Analog satellite transmission were switched off on Monday 1 March 2004. Digital television launched terrestrially throughout Arab world on Monday 1 January 2001 (known as Nilesat).
South Korea: Digital switchover progressed region–by–region, with the first analog transmitters in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province ending transmissions on Wednesday, September 1, 2010.[66] Digital switchover was completed on Monday, December 31, 2012, when the last analog transmitters in Gyeonggi Province and Seoul ended transmissions. A few border analog transmitters which target North Korea were switched off in June 2015.
United Arab Emirates: The analog terrestrial transmissions were terminated on Monday, 13 February 2012 and was replaced by a multiplex for Nilesat. The government plans to shut off analog cable by 31 March 2023. United Arab Emirates were transitioning from using MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 for its terrestrial broadcasts, a process which began on Sunday 26 August 2012. United Arab Emirates adopted DVB-T2 in February 2013. Analog satellite transmission were switched off on Monday 1 March 2004. Digital television launched terrestrially throughout Arab world on Monday 1 January 2001 (known as Nilesat).
China: China Central Television, the country's state broadcaster, began its conversion from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting on all of its channels in 2014. Analog broadcasts of CCTV-1, CCTV-2, CCTV-3, CCTV-4, CCTV-5, and CCTV-5+ were terminated on 31 January 2014, while analog broadcasts of CCTV-6, CCTV-7, CCTV-8, CCTV-9, and CCTV-10 were terminated on 22 November 2014. On 12 July 2015 analog broadcasts of (CCTV-11, CCTV-12, CCTV-13, CCTV-14, and CCTV-15 were terminated. Analog broadcasts of (CCTV-News, CCTV-F, CCTV-E, CCTV International Arabic, and CCTV International Russian) will end on 14 May 2016. This date will mark the completion of the CCTV's switchover to digital broadcasting. No deadline has been set for commercially owned private broadcasters to shut down their analog signals.
TRANSITIONS IN PROCESS
Russia: The deadline for analog switch-off signal in is 2019
Ukraine: Analog switch-off will take place in four stages. The first phase of analog switch-off started on June 15, 2015. Analog broadcasting will be completely turned off December 31, 2016
Argentina: Digital television broadcasts started on Tuesday, 9 September 2008 in Buenos Aires. The analog network will be terminated on 1 September 2017
Malaysia: The first roll-out of DTTB services were rolled out on 16 January 2014, for a start in a few test areas, while full nationwide coverage to an estimated 98% populated areas is slated by the end of the analog-digital simulcast period.[87] Analog signals will be switched off on December 31, 2019
Singapore launched digital terrestrial television under Media Corp in January 2009. The rest of the analog signals will be switched off on December 31, 2019.[89] analog broadcasting through StarHub was discontinued on Tuesday, 30 June 2009.
Taiwan: Digital television launched terrestrially throughout Taiwan on Friday, 2 July 2004. Analog terrestrial television ended transmission on Saturday 30 June 2012. The shut down of analog cable television is in progress.
Thailand launched digital terrestrial television in May 2014 after postponing it for 12 years. Analog signals will be switched off on December 31, 2019.
Reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television_transition
The purpose of above information providing is to over all view of world analog to digital transitions.
As PEMRA Balochistan knows that the first Digital Cable TV System of Pakistan was installed in Quetta City on 2009, as Cable Operator was sincared to switch to Digital from the very first day of PEMRA Roadmap to Digital.
The issues we are facing to switch to Analog to Digital are as follows:-
1) As in the World different Countries have ease the transition by giving Tax Holiday to the Broadcasters and Cable Operators and giving Subsidies on Set top box (STB) resulting by this subscribers was made attractive to the Digitalization.
2) All the Import Duties of Government on Digital Products was reduced to Zero to compensate the Digital Transition.
3) The most important thing for Digitalization which is never been understand by PEMRA or Ministry of Information that Digitalization occurred in the World because the Capacity of current Analog Systems are limited to the 80 Number of Channels and countries having more then 500 Legal Channels were the Market where Digital Transition have been penetrating more then 60 to 70%.
4) Where as PEMRA been failed to promote Broadcasters and their Policies not been made easier or cheaper to produce as many channels as Digital Transition Required for example till today PEMRA have given 96 Satellite TV Broadcasting Licenses as well as 19 Landing Rights Licenses which makes the total number of channels legally available in Pakistan are 115 in which running channels in Pakistan are not more then 100 and in these 100 channels the viewable or attractable channels for subscriber are not more then 80, so what happen when we start Digital Services in 2009 we offered 180 Channels in Digital, the subscribers response on Digital was that the channel they were receiving on Analog Cable were also the same on Digital except the 100 channels we increased from different Satellite around the World mainly from Europe and Middle East which are not legal in Pakistan. People were not interested in 100 increased channel we gave them because the Channels were not Pakistan Origin so we lost 20 Million that we invested in Digital Cable because we have not been provided with that maximum Number of Legal Channels in Pakistan from which people should be forced or attract to buy the Digital Cable and the Digital Pe*******on in Quetta City is not More then 1 or 2%.
5) How can PEMRA increase the number of channels in Pakistan for example PEMRA can start giving Digital TV (DTV) licenses which has been pending since long because they don’t want to spoil the monopoly of PTV from which they can increase the number of Pakistani Channels in Pakistan as Satellite Broadcasting Channels are very expensive to maintain and there is no potential in the Market to run a free to air and only advertisement based channel because Pakistan Cable TV Industry is not a pay tv market from the beginning so the only type of Revenue they receive are advertisement based so the cost of running satellite broadcasting channel have less return on investment so DTV is the easiest and cheapest to increase number of channels in Pakistan in different language and gender.
6) In the World Digital Transition first took place for Analog Terrestrial and Analog Satellite Broadcasting where Analog Cable is still running in 80% of the World where PEMRA have not given the deadline to PTV which is running Analog Terrestrial Signals till today because Digital Transition main objective is to free the Captured Spectrum by Analog Terrestrial Broadcasters and Analog Cable.
7) PEMRA have been failed to provide proper guideline and policy for Digitalization for example:-
a. What Standard Digital Headend Should be installed.
b. What Standard STB to be installed.
c. Should Conditional Access System (CAS) be mandatory or we should run free to air Digital Cable TV.
d. The most important of all is the availability of STB in all over Pakistan there is not a single STB factory from where STB could be bought at cheaper prices. If we agreed to shutdown Analog Cable in whole Pakistan there is not more then 10000 STBs available in Market mainly in Karachi and Lahore, so there is no way that we can move subscriber forcefully to Digital and if we buy STB from China the STB number required for Quetta is more then 0.5 Million and the cost of 0.5 million STB costing of 80 Million which is not possible for any Cable TV Operator to provide these STBs to the Consumer to Complete the Digital Transitions as desired by the PEMRA without increasing the number of channels available to cable tv operators been increased by 200. It is not possible to move consumer from Analog to Digital by his will.
e. Current Analog Cable TV System are getting the Subscription fee on house basis it means a house having several TV Sets are paying 3$ a Month where for the Digital Cable TV Network subscriber have to pay 5$ for each TV set, and additionally STB installation cost which is 40$ x 3 equals to 120$ for each house hold which make average 135$ per house for Digital Transition. Which can increase the financial expense of a house hold where GDP of the World and in Pakistan.
Pakistan
4749/-
USA
54370/-
UAE
66347/-
Australia
46550/-
Canada
44967/-
France
40538/-
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita
8) I am really shocked that how can PEMRA take a decision of going to only Digital where ground realities doesn’t favor the Digitalization they want and there is no necessary arrangements been done without the only thing which PEMRA did was to advertise it in News Paper month before the deadline and noticed Cable Operators to shut down Analog Cable Tv Network. If you study the overall world Cable TV Industry as mentioned above the encyclopedia that Analog Cable is still running in all around the world till date today and our PEMRA have got a Magic Wand on which they can Shut Down the Analog Cable Tv In Pakistan.
9) PEMRA Should sit with all the stake holder of the country including Broadcaster and play their role for doing all the things mentioned above by giving tax holiday and Zero import duties on Digital Products and educating people by giving different advertisement on switching off Analog Cable on all Electronic and Print Media, so people should be aware of Digital Transition and start buying STB for their TV Sets. As for Digital Cable Tv Operators of Pakistan are running Digital Cable since 2009 and simultaneously with Analog till now but the Digital Pe*******on been very low we were not been able to convert subscribers from Analog to Digital by his own choice. Until we does not increase our number of legal channels for minimum 150 to 200, we will never be able to attract subscribers on Digital.
10) We request PEMRA and Ministry of Information that they should consider before switching off Analog Cable that Cable Industry Subscribers are not ready for Digital Switch over and as the constitutional right for freedom of getting information will be badly affected by this step. If PEMRA is really serious about getting this industry digitalized they should increase the deadline by 2020 until then they should conduct different workshops, seminars to aware consumer to switch onto Digital Cable TV as because Cable TV Operators have converted their system on Digital but the Consumer end equipments which is the responsibility of the subscriber to arrange necessary equipment like (STB) to watch digital cable is the biggest stone between Analog to Digitalization. Which can only be achieve by offering free STB to the Subscriber which is out of Question for anyone or making the subscriber ready to buy the STB by himself. All these above mentioned points are necessary for Digitalization in Pakistan.
2.Signal Provider Network (SPN) Policy Guideline
As Reference to above subject what is the reason and need of SPN:-
a. Does PEMRA wants to increase their Revenue.
b. Does PEMRA find any monopoly of Cable TV Industry for which they want to break by giving new licenses.
c. Does PEMRA want to introduce new Technology through these new licenses.
1. PEMRA have issued 17 Cable Tv License in Quetta City with different categories and the number of subscribers covering by these licenses are more then 150000 subscribers and the total number of Analog Subscribers which are active in Quetta City are less then 50000 but to maintain PEMRA Revenue we are paying 150000 subscribers fee annually now in so many licensee already in competition paying extra for so many subscribers already what is the need to give new licenses in a already over saturated market. PEMRA should determine that what is the subscriber base of a city and then they should issue new licenses for the healty competition otherwise like today average per house cable subscribtion receiving by Cable Tv Operators in the over saturated market is less then 2$ per month in which he have to maintain PEMRA heavy renewal and his Cable TV structure and upgrade himself with the evolving technologies, if new licensing in a over saturated market are not stopped this industry will never be able to convert himself in to Digital.
2. As SPN stands for Signal Provider Network which will provide signals to the current cable operators which are already working as SPN because as you know the cost of running a Cable Tv Industry is getting high by every day so merger happened in all around the world. Like in USA recently Warner Brother merge with Comcast the two giant cable tv Operators of USA. As also in Pakistan mergers happened and it came out with large MSOs which are providing digital and analog cable tv plus internet. If PEMRA will issue new SPN License it will do nothing except of spoiling the fragile cable tv industry and will develop unhealthy competitions and degradation of standard cable tv operations which will not benefit the industry and it will take to destruction. So we request PEMRA and Ministry of Information that they should not open a new Pandora as Cable Operator and PEMRA in the past have been in litigation in the high court for issuing the new licenses in the over saturated market.
3. Blockage of Illegal DTH
a) We welcome PEMRA at last they have come into action how badly illegal DTH have affected Cable Operators from long time our subscribers have been watching illegal DTH in their Houses because of the ease and smooth availability of illegal DTH in every street of Pakistan and mainly and most important subscriber are attractive towards Indian DTH because of the content they are providing on their DTH and now the current scenario is worsening day by day as our Pakistani Broadcasting Channels are available on illegal Indian DTH which makes it more dangerous for Pakistan that their subscribers will watch Indian Propaganda against Pakistan because subscribers are getting Pakistani Channels so they will never switch off illegal DTH. We request PEMRA that they should act immediately and stop Pakistani Broadcaster to run their channels on illegal Indian DTH.
b) PEMRA should take extreme steps that the availability of the Indian DTH on every street of Pakistan should be stopped immediately as also they should conduct joint investigation with FIA to stop import of illegal DTH, so the subscriber will not be able to get illegal DTH in the street and it will not convert into illegal DTH.
c) As PEMRA says that most of the Cable TV Operators are using illegal DTH to run channels on their cable system is it of because PEMRA have been failed to provide the necessary broadcasting channels demanded by the subscribers so Cable Tv Operators are helpless to show subscribers the channel they want to see, if we doest not do that the subscribers will shift to illegal DTH and Cable TV Industry which have been in existence for the last 15 years will be on stake and will lose subscribers rapidly. If PEMRA want to success in this regime first of all they should absolutely eliminate the availability of the illegal DTH in the Market.
d) PEMRA should take necessary steps to bring new content in the distribution market not like what they did with Star Tv by running them away by demanding heavy renewal fees, in this situation when Star TV is not legal available in Pakistan subscribers want to watch the channels of Star TV so they will go for illegal DTH. Result Cable TV Operators looses subscribers illegal DTH Get the subscribers and PEMRA is no more authority to regulate an illegal DTH Subscriber. So we request PEMRA that they should deeply study the need of subscriber that what content they want to watch and made that content available to them which is authorize by the constitution of Pakistan so People will not be interested buying illegal DTH if the content they need are available to them on Pakistan legal distribution system, the main and most important we have to understand why people are interested in buying illegal DTH there is one answer because of the content and channel if this content and channels are made available to them if PEMRA revise their Policy on broadcasting and landing right licenses which will benefit in the availability of channels legally in Pakistan and no subscriber or person will bother to go to illegal DTH otherwise writing letters and giving press releases will never solve this issue it is the mismatch of demand and supply if something is in demand weather its legal or illegal the supply find his way.
Thanks and Regards.
(Babrak Khan)
This article includes three lists of countries by gross domestic product (at purchasing power parity) per capita, i.e. the purchasing power parity (PPP) value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given year, divided by the average (or mid-year) population for the same year.
