The rivalry between cable operators and DTH companies has come to the fore with increasing cases of DTH jammers being used in parts of Mumbai and Delhi NCR to distort DTH signals. DTH companies such as Tata Sky, Dish TV, Reliance Big TV, Videocon D2H and Airtel Digital TV have detected new cases of DTH interference that cause service disruption in Mumbai.
The DTH Operators Association of India (DOAOI), which represents all DTH companies, has described the use of jammers as a threat to the national spectrum. In a letter drafted firmly sent to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Mumbai Police and other security agencies, DOAOI said: This illegal activity has serious ramifications for security communications, as this can be used to alter the spectrum Of RF.
The measure is being adopted to give DTH services a bad name, which has almost wiped cable connections from well-off parts of Mumbai and Delhi, senior executives at two leading DTH companies said.
Also with the digitizing unit, more consumers are sending queries to DTH companies. Using blockers to selectively block DTH signals in the richest parts of the city is to promote the use of cable, said a senior executive at a leading DTH brand.
Talking about the problem Harit Nagpal, MD and CEO of Tata Sky and President of DOAOI told FE, This is a serious problem. We have detected a similar case in Noida a few months ago. The police acted and arrested the guilty. Now we see this happening in Mumbai. This is not only illegal, it should also generate alarms for security agencies. Nagpal, who spoke at the CASBAA seminar, said the government needs to take stock of the issue as it has become a public order problem.
DOAOI has cited seven specific cases when DTH interferers caused problems to DTH signals in Mumbai between February 18 and March 18 this year. These cases occurred during the broadcast of popular events, including India's key cricket matches with Australia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and the broadcast of the Filmfare Awards on February 19.
In Mumbai, we find the jammers in a water tank in a high rise building. He was causing the DTH signals to freeze. After the investigation, we managed to triangulate the signals and then the police took over and arrested the culprits, another senior executive of a DTH firm said.
Recently the DOAOI also learned that a DTH jammer claim has been placed on a leading online shopping website.
DTH in India operates in Ku band between 11-15 GHz. The range of Ku-band frequencies is allocated to be used exclusively by satellite communication systems, as it eliminates the problem of interference with other microwave systems. DTH services have gained popularity in India crossing 45 million subscribers base in five years of operations.