Vijayawada: Having spent between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 about a year ago, subscribers in AP will have to buy set top boxes once again if they want to continue viewing their favourite television channels.
All subscribers who want to be part of the Digital AP project which promises 15 mbps Internet, 100s of TV channels and also landline connectivity will have no option but to buy a ‘compatible’ set top box. The Digital AP project is an initiative of the state government.
Principal secretary, energy, infrastructure and investments, Ajay Jain confirmed this during a media conference here on Tuesday. Mr Jain was speaking on various ongoing developments works and the state’s future plans. Replying to a question, he said that set top boxes in use at present would not be compatible with the Digital AP network.
“Price and other issues are being worked out,” Mr Jain said. Most of the cable TV subscribers had purchased set top boxes following directions from the ministry of information and broadcasting which had fixed December 2015 as the deadline to do so.
While the Digital AP concept has been welcomed by one and all, the extra expenditure is not expected to go down well with the subscribers. Mr Jain told this newspaper that the government has not yet decided whether to allow any specific company to supply the new set top boxes or would through cable operators.
