TN govt launches distribution of free Set Top Boxes

Chennai : The Tamil Nadu government today launched the distribution of free Set Top Boxes to subscribers of the state-run cable TV corporation, touted as first of its kind initiative in the country. Chief Minister K Palaniswami, who distributed the STBs, also inaugurated the MPEG 4 upgraded control room for digital signal transmission.

A pet project of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, AIADMK had promised free STBs in its manifesto in last year’s Assembly elections and the launch marks implementation of a popular poll promise of the ruling party. Approximately 70 lakh subscribers of the government-run Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation (TACTV) will now have access to 180 channels in digital quality at a monthly subscription of Rs 125.

The Centre had given Digital Addressable System licence to Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable Corporation in April this year. Jayalalithaa had for several years vigorously pursued with the Centre her plea for a licence and it was followed up by her successors. An official release here said the STBs would be distributed to users through local cable operators. Operators are permitted to charge a one-time activation fee of Rs 200 from them.

Consumers have the option to choose from four packages, all of which includes both pay and free channels.
While 180 channels are on offer for Rs 125, they get 230 channels for Rs 175, 260 for Rs 225 and 300 for Rs 275. The subscription fee is exclusive of 18 per cent GST. The exercise to distribute free STBs to all subscribers will be completed in three months, the release said.

Minister for Information Technology M Manikandan and Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan also participated in the launch. Arasu (a Tamil word meaning government) Corporation, which has now upgraded its transmission to MPEG 4 technology was previously operating on MPEG 2. According to government advertisements in local media, STBs come with a three year warranty and TACTV is the first and only state-owned undertaking in India to offer STBs at no cost.