17/05/02

Thanks to Richard Boxall for salvaging the pages from May! only May 5th is missing now.

Aardvark site reported yesterday that Sky NZ's UHF service has been hacked, this is not really news there was discussion of it a few weeks back on my mailing list. But the NZ Herald has picked up on the Aardvark story (see news section) But once again Sky is lieing to the public they claim it's the1st instance of hacking the signal that they are aware of.

DigisatNZ? several customers and dealers are trying to locate Gerrod Donnelly from DigisatNZ if you have current contact info for him please let me know.

From my Emails & ICQ

From SSS

Dear All,

we wish to advise of the following upcoming changes on the Aurora
Platform. We trust this will assist you with any customer queries &
minimise the impact on our help-desks.

ZEELINK - Zee TV, Zee Cinema & South Asian TV Services are now on MediaSat
at 12336 MHz. Apart from the frequency, all tuning parameters are the
same as for the Aurora home transponder. Please contact Vision Asia on
133036 for information on subscribing to their service.

20/5/02 - ABC National service to move from TV Ch3 to TV Ch49. (12532 V)

23/5/02 - Ref Tone service to move from Radio Ch20 to Radio Ch50.

For any further queries, you can contact us on [email protected] or 1300 301681.
Regards,

Satellite Support Services
"Yes" Optus
Service Out of this World!

From Dave Knight

B1 12420V 6110 3/4.

Looks like the feed for the V8's from Darwin this weekend.
Currently showing the team rigs heading up the Stuart Highway.

From Steve McClark

Subject: [Apsattv] new channel - sahar1 on Asiasat2

Hi all,

Have noticed a new channel in the 3660v line-up on
Asiasat2. I think its an Iranian channel but has
programs in english/arabic/other languages.

From Jeff (W.A)

hi Craig.

jeff from west aust..just checked Pas 10 4124V 20000 3/4.loads 4 channels.

4124-1
311 ESPNIC
312 ESPNPC
313 ESSCON.

all encrypted with news datacom...NDS..

regards jeff

From the Dish

PAS 2 169E 4049 H "Worldcup test feed?" Sr 13240 Fec 3/4

PAS 8 166E 3860 H New SIDs again for the Taiwanese mux.

Asiasat 3 105.5E 3715 H "Macau Satellite TV" has started Fta, SID 1, PIDs 450/451.

Asiasat 2 100.5E 3951 H "Five Star TV mux with Pop Channel, Business and Finance Channel" and the test card have left .

LMI 1 75E 3863 V "Canal 6 (Madagascar)" has started, PAL, 5.80 MHz, beam A. (reports needed of this one please)

PAS 10 68.5E 4064 H SIDs for this mux : 2-5.

NEWS

Hacking advice lets viewers watch Sky for free

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=technology&thesubsection=&storyID=1992481

Sky's UHF TV channels have been hacked thanks to a piece of software freely downloaded over the internet.But the person who detailed on his website yesterday how he had used the software now wishes he had kept mum."I was being a bit silly doing it, really. I just wanted to see if it was possible," said computer consultant Jeremy Bertenshaw. He had heard for years about people using the software and decided to try it out - "totally for scientific purposes".

He then described the process on his website, jeremyb.net, for a few friends who were interested. Mr Bertenshaw's web address was referred to in an article on a local news site, Aardvark.

Using a PC equipped with a TV tuner card connected to a UHF aerial, Mr Bertenshaw could view a range of Sky's subscriber channels, including sports and movies. Several reader comments on the Aardvark site indicate that other users in New Zealand are also using the software to unscramble Sky's signal.

The information, now removed from Mr Bertenshaw's site, told how the software enabled "decoding of VideoCrypt encrypted television signals." VideoCrypt is the algorithm used for scrambling Sky TV's signals.

Sky spokesman Tony O'Brien said this was the first instance of hacking the signal in New Zealand of which he was aware. "We'll look into it and take steps to deal with it immediately."

The hack can be applied only to Sky's UHF service, not Sky Digital.

CATV Act expected to clear RS tomorrow

From indiantelevision.com

Now that the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2002 has been passed by the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament), there is one final step it has to take before being signed into law - clear the Rajya Sabha (Upper House).

The amendments to the Cable TV Regulations Act, 1995, which will pave the way for addressability on Indian cable systems through conditional access, is likely to be cleared in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow. Current indications are that though the bill has not been listed in tomorrow's agenda, the government will force its discussion in the Upper House along with another bill. The effort is clearly to get the bill passed tomorrow itself or information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj's dogged efforts to push the bill through would get negated.

The amendments to the Act were passed in the Lok Sabha yesterday through a voice vote after a marathon discussion which lasted over three hours.

The bill was to have been discussed in the Rajya Sabha today but could not be taken up as the House was busy discussing other issues like a co-operative bank scam which has recently surfaced and most of the early afternoon was taken up by finance minister Yashwant Sinha replying to various queries on this issue.

However, government officials point out that even in the unlikely event that the bill is not discussed in the RS tomorrow, proponents of CAS need not lose heart.

"Since the Bill has been okayed by the Lok Sabha, the government can push through the legislative change through an ordinance after Parliament takes a break," a senior information and broadcasting official told indiantelevison.com.

Government officials also opine that effecting policy changes through ordinance has been resorted to in the past by various governments.

Incidentally, before the Cable TV Networks Regulation Act, 1995 was formally enacted into a law, the then government of the day had passed a late night ordinance to regulate cable networks.

Zee signals weak on conditional access

From http://www.hinduonnet.com/bline/stories/2002051702381300.htm

THE share price of media major Zee Telefilms continued to move downward on concerns that the new Cable Television Networks (Amendment Bill) 2002, that makes conditional access system (CAS) mandatory for pay channels, would lead to lower subscription revenues for some of the company's channels.

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Bill, which seeks to regulate the operations of cable TV networks through the mandatory installation of an addressable system for accessing pay channels.

In today's trading, the share price of Zee Telefilms was down by 5.05 per cent at Rs 144.90 on the BSE. It declined 4.81 per cent to Rs 145.20 on the NSE. In the last one month, the share price of Zee is down by around 25 per cent.

Media analysts said with the new legislation, Zee might lose out on subscription revenues. A large part of Zee revenues is from subscriptions.

For the quarter ended March 2002, the total income of Zee was Rs 126.50 crore, a fall of 7.3 per cent over the corresponding quarter last year. Net profit during the period declined by 55.3 per cent to Rs 21.12 crore from Rs 47.29 crore in the quarter a year ago.

The fall is the share price is also due to media reports that Star TV proposed to offload 3 per cent stake in Zee.

However, some analysts believe that the new legislation is unlikely to affect Zee. Karvy Stock Broking, in its report on the Government plans for CAS, said: "with Star, Zee and Sony covering around 70-80 per cent of the 38 million cable TV household, even a nominal Rs 5 per month would ensure revenues of at least Rs 160 crore for each of the popular channels."

The report further says that "if a two-tier system (free to air and pay channels) comes into place, local cable operators would have to fully disclose the number of household they service (putting an end to under reporting).

Karvy feels that though the move on CAS is positive, the funding of the network would to be a crucial issue for Zee Telefilms, which owns Siticable, a cable TV distributing company.

Zee Telefilms gets depressed by Cable TV bill

From http://www.capitalmarket.com/

Zee Telefilms figured as the biggest loser in the 30-share Sensex today following the introduction of the Cable TV bill, which is expected to impact Zee's subscription revenues.

By 14:23 IST, the scrip of the largest listed media company dropped 5.31% to Rs 144.50. Over 24.66 lakh Zee shares changed hands on BSE so far.

Zee Telefilms has been continuously falling of late on concerns over its revenues. From 24 April 2002 till date, the scrip of the media company has lost 24% from Rs 189.60.

Analysts say the fall in Zee Telefilms is mainly due to the introduction of the Cable TV bill, which has prompted a poor sentiment for the stock. As per the bill, customers will have to use set top boxes for viewing pay channels. Analysts say, earlier, Zee Telefilms used to sell its channels in a bunch, which meant that customers had to shell out cash even for channels they didn't usually see.

For instance, those that didn't usually watch the Alpha channels in the Zee bouquet were compelled to pay for these channels as they came as part of the entire bouquet. Zee will now lose out on subscription revenues due to the new legislation.

Zee Telefilms has a bouquet of 17 channels, three of which belong to MGM. Zee Telefilms gains a large part of its revenues from subscription. The company garnered around Rs 100 crore from its pay channels in the last quarter ended 31 March 2002.

Analysts say, however, the introduction of the Cable TV bill will help bring about transparency in the working of cable operators who were not very forthcoming about their actual number of subscribers. Analysts say despite the passing of the bill (bill was passed in Parliament on Wednesday) the repercussions on Zee Telefilms' revenue may not be as bad as made out to be.

The fall in the Zee scrip is also attributed to recent reports that Star TV has decided to offload its 3% stake in Zee Telefilms.

For the fourth quarter ended 31 March 2002, Zee Telefilms registered a 55.3% fall in net profit to Rs 21.13 crore compared to Rs 47.29 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal. Total income decreased by 7.3% to Rs 126.50 crore from Rs 136.44 crore in MQ 2001. For FY 2001-02, the company registered a 24.5% fall in net profit to Rs 104.51 crore (Rs 138.18 crore) on a 7.5% fall in total income to Rs 470.71 crore (Rs 435.77 crore).

On a consolidated basis, Zee Telefilms posted a 95% rise in net profit to Rs 59.91 crore (Rs 30.78 crore) on a total income of 1.58% to Rs 324.3 crore (Rs 319.25 crore).

Zee Telefilms has also announced its outlook for the current year. It has said that on the advertising revenue front, it will continue to witness difficult times. However, it sees a rise in subscription revenues from the domestic as well as international markets, which will provide significant broad basing of the revenue streams in the days ahead.

The restructuring plans in which 11 out of Zee's 23 subsidiaries would either be merged with it or be wound up is also considered a good move. After this exercise, there will be 12 subsidiaries left under the Zee umbrella . Analysts say the restructuring will enable the company draw up a clear and simple balance sheet. Analysts say fundamental changes in the company have brought interest back in the stock.

Earlier, there were reports that the company would be producing around 15 films annually.

During April 2002, the company started a separate encrypted broadcast beam for Zee TV in the Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, opening up these markets to their full advertising potential and for enhanced pay revenues. The separate beam allows Zee TV to tailor content to coincide with the prime time in different markets, while concurrently valuing air-time inventory at locally relevant and competitively attractive rates.

The company is well poised to take a leading share in both the pay and advertising revenue segments, in the days ahead, through these investments that are building a leadership position for the Zee Network.

Sandy Brown to head CNBC Asia

From indiantelevision.com

The Sporty gent is back. This time, the former ESPN-Star Sports Asia chief Alexander P. "Sandy" Brown is hopping on to the business channel bandwagon. Brown, who is an old hand in Asia and in media with more then nine years experience and 15 years experience respectively in each of these two, has been named president & chief executive officer of CNBC Asia Pacific effective immediately. He will be based in Singapore, the CNBC Asia Pacific Board announced today.

Prior to this appointment, Brown, 39, was the president and chief operating officer of Virtual Spectator Inc, a New York-based 3-D animation technology company.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to return to Asia to lead CNBC's efforts in the region," says Brown. "The CNBC brand connotes the best in global business news and the challenge to further develop it in Asia is an exciting one."

President of the International group of Dow Jones and Dow Jones' lead director on the CNBC Asia Pacific board Karen Elliott House says: "Sandy Brown will bring significant knowledge to CNBC Asia Pacific from his experience in the region and in the television industry. He has strong management capabilities and the ability to lead CNBC Asia Pacific to greater success, and we are delighted that he's joined us."

Bill Bolster, who supervises all of CNBC's international operations for NBC and is NBC's lead director of CNBC Asia Pacific says, "Sandy Brown has the experience to extend the scope of CNBC's financial programming and further enhance the world's best business brand. We are delighted to have him at CNBC."

16/05/02

A little glitch here when I was tidying up the other day after doing the history for the last month. I managed to delete what I saved so far from May. I only realised it yesterday it was a bit late the unerase programs could only salvage the 6-9th update. So May 1st -6th History is missing unless anyone has a older version of the page cached somewhere on their pc (filename title.html)

Work continues on the advanced Optus B1 listing, its a slow job filling in all those details. Those with Nokias who want to help log all services with all details. Email me and I will send a sample template html file showing the details that I need. I am not trying to take on what Lyngsat does, I don't have the spare time to attempt something like that. I am just trying to create something that fills the missing gap for those people that need advanced info such as, if a channel has EPG info or picture resolution or the audio Kbit rate. Maybe we can improve on the footprints on offer and also offer more technical documents on the various satellites. The actual look will be very similar to Lyngsats page with the same colours, but about 20 columns of info as well as the various items such as data that he dosn't list. Let me have your ideas on the mailing list or to my email address.

Sorry if all the Indian cable news bores some people but it could cause some satellite PAY channel go FTA to get around the problems the new addressable system will cause.

From my Emails & ICQ

From Altaf Peermohamed

Subject: Feed back from Kenya

Hi,

Re: Pass 10 feeds freq.

You had asked us to try a few freq. & let you know if there was anything on them,well in kenya we got the following:

3934 H 19850 (5150) - Set Max channels Audio only,no picture.( Plse advice picture possibilities)
4064 H 19850 (5150) - A few encrypted channels only one(1) free cannel ie. EWTN( christian )
4124 H 20000 (5700)- All pay channels

Please advice on De-scrambling,Thank you
Altaf Peermohamed-Kenya E.Africa

(Craigs comment, thank you for your report, The Set/Sony mux on 3934H is PowerVu encrypted, very handy for those who need to source cricket commentry when it's not on the radio. Not sure about 4124H? Lyngsat dosn't list anything there?)

From the Dish

PAS 2 169E 12327 V "Occasional NHK feeds", Sr 12000, Fec 3/4.
PAS 2 169E 12452 V "Occasional TNN feeds", Sr 12000, Fec 3/4.

PAS 8 166E 3860 H New SIDs for all TV channels in the Taiwanese mux.
PAS 8 166E 4180 H New PIDs for ABC Asia Pacific, SID 1: 2307/2308.

Asiasat 3 105.5E 3715 H A test card has started, Sr 5868, Fec 3/4, SID 2, PIDs 650/651.(Something new I hope maybe Splash channel?)

PAS 10 68.5E 4064 H "EWTN Africa" has started, Fta, Sr 19850, Fec7/8, PIDs 1560/1520.Three test cards have started on PIDs 1260/1220-1460/1420.
PAS 10 68.5E 3716 V "BVN TV" has started , Irdeto 2, PIDs 518/646.

NEWS

Three New Contracts for Arianespace

From satnewsdaily

Arianespace today announced three new contracts for Ariane launches of the DirecTV-7S, iPSTAR-1 and Star One C1 satellites.

"We are pleased that despite the market downturn, we were able to sign these three orders -- two of which are with repeat customers, and the third involving a new operator," said Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Marie Luton. "These customers' choice underscores the ability of Arianespace to make competitive offers, which are backed by the success and efficiency of our launches. I would like to express my thanks to DirecTV and Shin for their renewed confidence, and to Star One for our new partnership."

After the successful Ariane launches of DirecTV-1, DirecTV-3 and DirecTV- 4S, the premier American direct-to-home television provider DirecTV has again chosen to launch its satellite with Arianespace.

DirecTV-7S will operate from 119 degrees West longitude but is also capable of operating from orbital 101 degrees West longitude, the primary orbital slot for DIRECTV, and will provide customers in the United States with local channel service to additional markets and new services.

The Space Systems/Loral-built satellite will operate with 37 spot-beam transponders for regional broadcasting and 7 super-high power beam transponders for national coverage from the 119 degrees West longitude location.

DirecTV-7S' launch is scheduled for early fourth quarter 2003 and will have a separated mass of 5,550 kg.

iPSTAR-1 will be the fourth satellite launched by Arianespace for private Thai operator Shin Satellite Public Company Limited (formerly Shinawatra Satellite). It follows Thaicom 1 (orbited in December 1993), Thaicom 2 (launched in October 1994) and Thaicom 3 in April 1997.

Built on a new-generation Space Systems/Loral FS 1300 platform, iPSTAR-1 will weigh over 6,700 kg at launch. It will be positioned at 120 degrees East, and will mainly provide broadband Internet and multimedia services. Its footprint will cover not just Thailand, but all countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

iPSTAR-1's launch is scheduled for early 2004 on an Ariane 5 heavy-lift vehicle. With its 5-meter diameter fairing, Ariane 5 is the only commercial launch vehicle in operation today capable of launching such hefty 5-ton class satellites.

Star One, a leading operator of satellite capacity, based in Brazil, is a subsidiary of Embratel in which SES Astra holds 20% of the capital. This spacecraft, also named Simon Bolivar F1, is the result of the cooperation between Brazil and 5 Andean countries (Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela). With this program Star One will become a regional operator and
one of the most important provider of telecommunications services for Latin America.

Star One C1 will be lofted by an Ariane 5 in the fourth quarter of 2004 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. It will be positioned in geostationary orbit at 67 degrees West, above the Atlantic Ocean.

Built by Alcatel Space in Cannes, France, this Spacebus 3000-based platform will be optimized to provide direct television, telecommunications and Internet services. With a liftoff mass of about 4,100 kg, STAR ONE C1's 44 Ku-band transponders will provide coverage over South America and the area south of Florida.

China launches 2 satellites

From http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/star/2002/0516/bz11-2.html

CHINA'S Long March carrier rocket completed its 67th successful launch Wednesday morning from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in North China's Shanxi Province.

The Haiyang-1 satellite is China's first marine satellite for surveying ocean resources, independently developed by the Chinese Institute of Space Technology. It weighs 360 kg with a designed life span of two years of sun-synchronous orbit.

The Fengyun-1D is a first generation meteorological satellite developed by China, which will lead the way to comprehensive weather services and monitoring the global environment.

Experts said that the successful launch of the two satellites shows that China has basically set up a long-term satellite monitoring system, which would speed up China's meteorological research and help promote national economic development.

CATV Act CAS amendment gets Lower House's nod

From indiantelevision.com

Well, Madame won out after all. Information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj's single point agenda of imposing set top boxes and conditional access on the Indian cable TV industry was approved by the lower house of Parliament after a long debate.

The Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2002 was passed after a vote from members. Swaraj had to answer a lot of queries from members, especially in relation to costs, subscription fees, government control, the communications convergence bill, DD etc.

The Bill however went through and its enactment means that cable TV operators, television broadcasters and consumers will have to gear up for a new era of addressable pay TV television.

LS stamp on regulation of pay channels

From http://www.dailypioneer.com/secon3.asp?cat=%5Cnt1&d=NATION

The Lok Sabha put its stamp on regulating pay TV channels through an addressable system. Seen as a giant leap forward in the broadcast industry, it sets the consumer free from arm-twisting by private broadcasters and cable operators. Replying to the debate on the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Bill, 2002, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj described it as an "elixir" of all ills facing the consumer who is exploited by cable operators and broadcasters.

However, she did not specify whether the consumer would bear the entire cost of the set-top box which would be needed to view pay channels. She said the set-top box could cost between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000 depending on the demand.

Angry over allegations that the Government had brought the Bill under pressure from manufacturers of set-top boxes, which could involve a market worth Rs 12,000 - 28,000 crore, Ms Swaraj said: "I dismiss such allegations.....It shows the perverse mentality of those indulging in such propaganda outside Parliament. This way the Government cannot bring any Amendment."

The Amendments to the 1995 Act has taken stern measures against irregularities in the broadcast industry and stipulates that illegal distribution of channels will constitute a cognisable offence.

The Bill also empowers the Central Government to specify through notification from time to time the number of free-to-air channels in the basic tier and the fees to be paid by the viewers.

According to the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill, the subscription rates are fixed arbitrarily by broadcasters and cable service providers in almost an area specific monopolistic distribution system and the subscriber has no choice but pay for channels he wishes to see.

Free-to-air channels will continue to be received by subscribers in the existing receiver sets. However, an addressable system, an electronic device through which signals of cable network can be sent, will be needed for viewing of pay channels. A subscriber need pay only for the desired pay channels.At present there is no legal or administrative instrument by which the Government could intervene and regulate subscription charges or ask the cable service providers to transmit television signals through an addressable system.

There is also no reliable record of actual viewership leading to under-reporting of the number of subscribers by the cable operators.A section of the broadcast industry wanted that the Bill be referred to the Standing Committee on IT. This was seen by industry observers as a means to stall the implementation of the system.

Ms Swaraj said that Bill be taken up for consideration in the House instead of sending it to the Standing Committee as it involved consumers' interests.

Participating in the debate Mr Prahlad Singh Patel of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded a regulatory mechanism for the electronic media "which have been given complete freedom." He said the cost of the set-top box needed for viewing pay channels should not be borne by the consumer.

Mr Hannan Mollah of the Communist Party of Indian - Marxist (CPI-M) asked the Government to clarify its criteria in fixing maximum rates for the basic tier in various areas and said it should not be done arbitrarily.

He cautioned against the misuse of provisions made in the Bill. And asked the Government what will people do if the technology becomes obsolete in some years.

Mr K Yerran naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) said the Amendment should have been brought a year ago.

Mr Dharam Raj Patel of the Samajwadi Party (SP) said the rates of pay channels and cable operators should be made known to public.

Mr Kirit Somaiyya (BJP) called for stringent action against those cable operators who under some excuse kept raising subscription rates.

Cable TV fans triumph

From http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=13004966

PUNE: The Union government has finally decided to regulate the monthly subscription fee charged by cable operators in the country following constant demands made by consumer bodies for a uniform fee structure.

The provision has been made in the Cable television network (regulation) amendment bill 2002 tabled by the union government recently. The bill also paves the way for an addressable system which will enable subscribers to access pay channels of their choice.

A copy of the amendment bill is available with city based Grahak Hitvardhini (GH) an organisation of cable subscribers in the city.

The bill has a provision to make every cable operator to transmit or retransmit programme of any pay channel through the addressable system.

The government can also specify that one or more free to air channels be included in the package of channels forming basic service tier for providing a mix of entertainment, information, education and other programmes.

As per the bill the basic service tier meant a package of free to air channels provided by a cable operator for a single price to subscribers in his area of operation. These channels can be received without fitting any addressable system.

There is a provision in the bill whereby the government can specify the maximum amount which a cable operator may demand from his subscribers for receiving the programmes transmitted in the basic service tier.

Each cable operator has to publicise in the prescribed format, the subscription rates and the periodic intervals after which they are payable for receiving each pay channel.

The bill will make it compulsory for cable operators to decalre details of the total numbers of subscribers and subscription rates.

Indian government tells Space TV to clarify its position on DTH

From indiantelevision.com

The Indian government is a in a no-nonsense mood. It has asked Mumbai-based Space Television, a little known company which is the first company to apply for a KU-band direct-to-home (DTH) television service in India, to clarify its position and "adhere to the existing policy decisions."

Confirming the move, a senior government official said, "A letter has been sent to Space TV to clarify its position and its intentions (on starting a DTH service in India)."

Though Star Group's Altaf Ali Mohammed, who is said to be in charge of the proposed DTH operations for India, has denied in the recent past any such move, industry sources insisted that Star would be a shareholder in the little known company.

The government official said that along with its application, Space TV had also put in clauses which the government feels are "pre-conditions" to taking the licence.

Space Television is said to have mentioned along with its applications that the 10 per cent annual revenue sharing with the government would make the DTH venture commercially unviable. Besides, it has also asked for lowering of duties on the import of set-top boxes needed to access a DTH service and also some easing in the cap on the ownership of the DTH venture as far as foreign holding is concerned.

The government official, without divulging the full content of the letter sent to Space TV, said that if the Mumbai company's intentions are "honourable," then it should first adhere to the existing policy guidelines on DTH and not set preconditions at the time of seeking a licence for operating a DTH service for India.

Star would have to restrict its shareholding in Space Television to 20 per cent, in accordance with the policy guidelines on DTH. The total foreign investment — including foreign direct investment, and investment by Non-Resident Indians, overseas corporate bodies and foreign institutional investors — should not exceed 49 per cent. Also, a broadcasting or a cable company cannot hold more than a 20 per cent stake in a DTH venture.

A DTH platform with about 100 channels will require investments to the tune of $500 million and foreign broadcasters, including Star, rightly so have been saying that a DTH platform with majority Indian shareholding cannot be operated as most Indian companies do not have the financial muscle to muster up the sort of investment which is required for such a venture.

In November 2000, the Cabinet had given a formal nod to the reception of Ku band television signals direct to Indian homes. Various restrictions were put in as a safeguard against the creation of monopoly and cultural invasion.

Since then, however, the response to the DTH policy had been lukewarm. Till Space TV came along to apply for a licence.

The delays on the DTH front has created concern in certain sections of the government. The Planning Commission’s Tenth working group on the information and broadcasting ministry had said sometime back: “The policy on DTH has not encouraged any player to come so far and promote the growth of digital set-top boxes. This needs to be reviewed. The policies to treat DTH services as the source of revenue are counter-productive. They limit the growth of the market and defeat the very objective of reaching out to consumers.”

15/05/02

Good to see a lot of activity in the chatroom last night. It does make it a lot more fun

Jcsat have emailed me and they will have their staff fix the PDF file to remove the embedded font that is causeing the problems with viewing. In the mean time I have posted 2 lo-res images of the Jcsat2a C band coverage footprint it looks good for Dishes as small as 1.2M on Cband in Aus and NZ! The H beam is not the same as the V beam which is also interesting.

An interesting situation is developing in the Indian Cable scene which could see a number of channels switch satellite encryption off and go FTA. That could be good news for Cband FTA viewers. The other thing is Indian Cable networks are not happy about the prices rising monthly for certain pay tv Indian channels. There is urgent demand for more Western sports and Movie Channels so they don't have to rely so much on Indian content.

The latest Satfacts magazine turned up in my mail today, A write up on satellite piracy and a big double page list of links to various sites. Are a couple of the items in this months issue. One thing I noticed this issue of Satfacts seemed well supported by advertisers. Who says the market is dead?

I have started on the Advanced listing for B1, This project will take a long time to get each satellite mapped out with all services and correct data I hope to do some more on it later tonight. I may put a up a sample template page for you to look at and give feedback on tommorow.

From my Emails & ICQ

From Abdul Allouch

hi how are you i would like to ask you if you know of any
news channels like bbc world or fox news, are on asiast-2.
reason im asking is because my dish is currently pointing
at pas-2 and soon i will like to move it to asiasat-2.

thankyou
Abdul

(Craigs comment, Maybe not describable as NEWS channels but there is Worldnet, Dwelle, Reuters TV (this ones all news+sport reports for global transmission to Television stations) Thats about it for Cband.)

Subject: Canal satellite

Hi Craig, I want to inform you that since yesterday I receive canal satellite caledonie, on Intelsat 701,11610H, in a good condition, on my C band dish + 2 lnb. Before the signal was weak but now it is very good.

have a nice day
Jamal Melbourne.

(Craigs comment, has there been a power increase?)

From the Dish

PAS 2 169E 12327 V "NHK SNG Baseball feeds" Sr 12000 Fec 3/4 (N.E Asia beam)
PAS 2 169E 12452 V "SNG" Sr 12000 Fec 3/4
PAS 2 169E 12438 H "unknown feed?" Sr 6110 Fec 3/4

Jcsat 2a 154E Footprint Coverage maps (Lo-res Screen Image)

Apstar 1A 134E 4180 V "CCTV 5 and CCTV 8" are encrypted again.

AAP1 108E 12704 "FGTV" (Japan?) reported here by Tawanese website, in NTSC analog! try this one Dxer's

PAS 10 68.5E 3940 V "Occasional feeds", Sr 6620, Fec 2/3.

NEWS

Indosat Buying Deutsche Telekom's Stake in Satelindo

From satnewsdaily

International phone operator PT Indosat disclosed today it is finalizing with Deutsche Telekom purchase of the latter's 25 percent stake in wireless operator PT Satelit Palapa Indonesia or Satelindo.

State-owned Indosat has been negotiating for weeks to buy Deutsche Telekom's share in Satelindo, Indonesia's second-largest cellular operator. The government said it was discussing payment terms at the agreed price of $325 million although Deutsche Telekom says some points remained to be resolved on the sale.

Satelindo was established in 1993 and now provides satellite, cellular and international telecommunication services. In 1995, Deutsche Telekom AG, through its subsidiary DeTeMobil Deutsche Telekom Mobilfunk GmbH, subscribed for new shares in Satelindo.

The government wants Indosat to gain full control in Satelindo from its current 75 percent to increase Indosat's value ahead of its planned privatization this year. Projected sale of Indosat will be used to help reduce the country's budget deficit.

Debt-laden Deutsche Telekom is expected to sell all its stakes in Southeast Asian telecoms operators over the medium term to focus on Europe and the United States. The German company also has holdings in Malaysia's TRI Celcom and Globe Telecom Inc. in the Philippines.

But selling its stake in Satelindo will do little to relieve the German telecommunications company's debt crisis. Concern over its 67 billion euro mountain of debt forced Deutsche Telekom shares to a record low of 12.02 euros in Frankfurt trading. They later recovered to close 3.7% higher at 12.79 euros but have fallen over 13% over the past month.

Everclear International Inc. Merging Into Satellites

From satnewsdaily

The Directors of Everclear International Inc. has (OTCBB:EVCR) announced the formalization of a merger proposal received from Dinsmore Investments Ltd. The pending merger with Everclear will enable Protostar-Dinsmore to proceed with the corporate strategy of acquiring, and subsequently operating, satellite systems in Asia.

About three months ago, Protostar -- a private Bermuda corporation -- initiated the activation of Dinsmore Investments in order to establish a publicly traded vehicle to facilitate the raising of both capital and debt.

Management of the merged entity, to be re-named Protostar Holdings Inc., believes extreme weakness in the telecom industry is presenting unprecedented opportunities to acquire satellite systems at significant discounts.

Satellites offer many advantages to Asian users, stemming mainly from the geography of the region. In particular, China's huge landmass is a huge obstacle to optimal fiber coverage. Using satellite technology, customers can quickly and easily adjust their capacity as their bandwidth needs change, a feature that is particularly attractive to small ISPs in developing regions. Asia is the fastest growing region in the world measured by numbers of Internet users, and is expected to exceed 150 million users by 2003. Satellites are also proving effective in addressing the last mile problem, where the lack of sufficient local loop infrastructure makes it difficult to economically connect to international links.

The Company requires a total of US$ 75 million to initiate the purchase, upgrade and launch of one Protostar satellite. The funds will be arranged in stages, depending upon market conditions. Initially, the funds will be raised via debt-equity hybrids with a substantial straight equity financing anticipated in the future, at which time strategic investor equity participation will be sourced.

Specific details pertaining to the merger will be announced shortly.

Cable TV act incorporating CAS introduced in Parliament today

From indiantelevision.com

The Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2002, incorporating mandatory conditional access for cable TV systems was introduced in the lower house (Lok Sabha) of parliament today by information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj. It marked a major victory for Swaraj who has been at the forefront of pushing through the legislation which has been perceived as a bugbear of some broadcasters but has on the whole been welcomed by cable TV operators.

The Bill is to be discussed in the Lok Sabha tomorrow, and if passed it will be introduced in the Upper House the day after, just before Parliament closes.

The CAS ammendment will result in the introduction of set top boxes in consumer homes, government control over the free to air bouquet with similar control for pay channels being in the hands of cable TV operators.

Its announcement resulted in a schism in the broadcasters' ranks with Zee TV openly favouring it, ditto with Sahara. Sony has been sitting on the fence, while Star India and ESPN Star Sports have been opposing it. .

(Craigs comment, Star and Espn could go as far as turning off the encryption on their satellite services! let's hope so anyway)

Viewpoint: Is CAS amendment government's attempt to muzzle TV channels?

From indiantelevision.com

A new scare has emerged in the television industry about the possibility of the current government controlling and muzzling the media - more specifically television through the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Amendment 2002. The Amendment seeks to hand control of the free to air channel bouquet to the government, its pricing and its contents location wise.

According to one school of thought, the BJP-led NDA government has been reeling from a backlash from the media - more specifically channels such as Star News - which have criticised it for the manner in which it has dealt with Gujarat and the massacre of Muslims in the state. Earlier, it had also been hit by the defence related Tehelka scam and the bad media it got.

Says an observer: "It is quite likely that the government is pushing through CAS in the manner it is to serve its own agenda. Television channels are hurting its image. The government can - if a broadcaster goes against it order the cable TV operator not to carry a specific channel or carry it in an unfavourable frequency position so that very few individuals get to view it. "

The observer asks why can't the Indian government decide to take the same tack with the print media too. "Does the government decide the pricing of a newspaper or is it left to the publishing house," she asks. "And why are cable TV operators complaining about TV channels hassling them? Don't publishing houses change the pricing of their newspapers time to time? Don't they have packages for distributors? Does the government intervene when they force newspaper distributors to carry publications as part of a package at a specific price? Why should it do so for television?

"Cable ops are excited about their getting a chance to get back at channels (through CAS) who they believe have been armtwisting them with apparently uncalled for channel subscription package increases. Broadcasters on their part have been busy fighting or backing its entry. Consumers don't know any better.

"Most people are missing the possibility of the government muzzling the television channels," says the observer. "Maybe it may not, but there is always the possibility it may."

The ball is over to the Indian government to clarify its position on the issue.

Set-top boxes to change TV homes

From http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=9907105

MUMBAI: Shortly, your TV set is likely to get a domineering spouse. It will not screen channels you have not paid for or those that are not good for your health.

It will also ensure that the cable-wallah does not reduce you to a non-entity by not declaring your connection — henceforth, you will officially feature in the national headcount of viewers.

The set-top box is about to be married into your drawing room with the government about to change the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 to accommodate the conditional access system (CAS).

Instead of allowing a flood of unwanted channels, this small device will decode only those pay channels you have subscribed. Every user will have an electronic code.

The box also works as a channel enhancer, whereby even old TV sets can receive stations that they weren’t earlier privy to. One does not need the gizmo to watch freeto-air channels.

All this, of course, will carry a cost. One can look at imported analogue set-top boxes for Rs 3,500. Digital ones will come for Rs 7,000-8,000, and will help broadcasters and advertisers ascertain TRP more accurately by tracking the exact time spent by each viewer-home on each channel.

A new manufacturing, marketing and distribution industry is waiting at the horizon, with just greater Mumbai having an estimated 4.5 million cable connections. Finance companies are poised to come up with small consumer loans.

?Till we are importing, the cost will be Rs 3,500. When we start making the boxes in India, preferably from a free trade zone, import duties and other costs will go. One can then look at a price around Rs 2,000-2,500,’’ says Avinash Mandelia, a director with JVS Infocom, one of the five or six set-top box distributors in India currently.

It has a distribution and after-sales arrangement with Dalvi Technology, who have been in this business in the UK for the last eight years. Other big global players include USbased NDS and Korean LG.

?There has to be multiple vendors. No distributor can cater to the entire demand,’’ he says, admitting that the prospective industry did not expect the government to move so fast on the bill. “If the bill is passed immediately, we will not do a pilot project.We have already tested in Orissa in 500 homes with hundred per cent success,’’ says Mr Mandelia.

According to arrangements still being finalised, each distributor will provide boxes to a particular MSO. There is an exciting clandestine angle too. Since the signals emerge from encryption, once the code is broken, it can be developed underground. “It involves proprietary technologies, but these are not difficult to hack,’’ says Sisir Pillai, a cable industry expert.

An entire illegal species may come up in Ulhasnagar, for which the consumer pays a higher onetime price and evades pay channel subscription till he is miraculously caught. Pirated set-top boxes are also widely advertised on the internet. With set-top boxes, channels will have to attractively price bouquets vis-a-vis single channels to push the packages.

?People who control the skies were controlling the ground as well. Now, if broadcasters refuse signals to operators, it will be a clear case of restrictive trade practices,’’ says Mr Pillai, adding, “The government has to look at competition. With greater declaration by operators, MSOs must put the extra money into the business and raise the quality of service. The government should also introduce open auctioning so that customers can choose their cable provider.’’

B4U Movies To Go Pay In June

From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=9005

Mumbai: B4U Movies is planning to go pay in June, after having successfully tested its encryption system on April 29 in London. B4U currently uplinks both B4U Movies and B4U Music from BT Towers in London.

The movie channel, which scree-ns five films a day, will be priced at Rs 8.90 a month per suscriber. B4U will use the Nagravision digital receivers from Eurostar. The company is also negotiating with Eurostar to provide a low-cost dish for rural operators. “We are in talks with Eurostar to provide a 6-8 ft dish which small operators in rural areas would be able to afford,” said B4U Television Netwo-rk distribution head Debashish Dey.

B4U Television Network is also planning to encrypt B4U Music by the end of this year. It will be available at a nominal annual licensee fee of around Rs 3,000.

The decoder boxes for B4U Movies will be sold at a subsidised price of Rs 8,000 per unit. B4U will also introduce a rural scheme, for which cable operators will have to pay two equal installments of Rs 9,999 spread over a year. This will include the subscription fee the operators will have to pay to B4U.

The company plans to seed close to 7,000 boxes across the country in the first year of pay operations. B4U is in the process of appointing dealers across the country, after it broke away from Modi Entertainment Network (MEN) which was distributing its channels. B4U had terminated the distribution contract as Fashion TV switched to MEN directly. Incidentally, FTV was being handled by MEN through B4U. MEN had moved the court, saying that its contract was valid. “We are setting up 42 dealers nationwide,” said Mr Dey. B4U will launch its movie channel with the same encrypted feed in South East Asia. B4U was recently launched in Europe and North Africa. The company has a library of 650 movies. “If conditional access is implemented, we will look at video on demand and pay per view,” said Mr Dey.

14/05/02

Live satellite related chat in the chatroom 9pm NZ onwards and 8.30pm Syd onwards tonight.

Good news Jcsat have come up with the goods and have supplied a very usefull PDF of the official Jcsat2a footprint there is a problem with it though it requires an extra 6 meg download Japanese support pack for Adobe Acrobat 5 Reader. I am trying to get them to modify it as it seems there is no actual use of Japanese fonts though one is embedded it won't display until you get the add-on for it. I hope to make that available tommorow I might be able to modify it myself anyway according to the file the C band Beacon on Jcsat 2a should be on 4199.375 so have a look and please report if you can see it.

I am working on a new advanced listing page , think of Lyngsat but with every little bit you need to know or even don't need to know. As it is currently I have 18 columns of data that for each channel!, that's just the template I have put together so far. If you can think of any data that Lyngsat dosn't show that enthusiast wish to know then let me know

In the news section quite a bit about the Indian Cable situation maybe not of interest to some but it could have a large effect on the satellite FTA market if some pay channels decide to switch back to FTA.

From my Emails & ICQ

Nothing to report

From the Dish

Optus B3 156E 12532 V "SET Asia" has left , moved to 12336 V.

Jcsat2a 154E Transponders, Center Freq listed, Beacon on 4199.375

EC-2	3440	H
EC-4	3480	H
EC-6	3520	H
EC-8	3560	H
EC-10	3600	H

C1	3670	V
C3	3720	V
C5	3760	V
C7	3800	V
C9	3840	V
C11	3880	V
C13	3920	V
C15	3990	V
C17	4050	V
C19	4100	V
C21	4170	V

Asiasat 2 100.5E 3640 H The ERTU mux with Nile TV International, Nile Family and Kids, Nile News and Radio Cairo has left .

NEWS

CNBC Asia Pacific and MBN's joint channel launching in South Korea today

From indiantelevision.com

Maeil Business TV News (MBN) and CNBC Asia Pacific are today launching a new joint television news service, 'MBN-CNBC', which will beam into more than 4.5 million households broadcasting predominantly Korean-language programming.

MBN-CNBC will blend MBN's Korean-focussed news and business programming with CNBC's international business and financial programming. MBN-CNBC will also incorporate a live customised ticker from the Korean Stock Exchange. CNBC's English-language cable channel will continue to be distributed to 2.2 million households in Korea, with MBN's assistance, an official release states. Maeil Business News Group claims to be South Korea's leading media conglomerate.

President and publisher of Maeil Business News Group Dr Dae-whan Chang said: "The launch of MBN-CNBC represents an important milestone for MBN. At a time when the global economy continues to face vigorous market changes, our audience is looking for the most up-to-date and continuous coverage of the Korean and international markets with in-depth analysis and expert commentary. The joining together of three major business news services in the region - MBN, CNBC and Dow Jones - means that we will be able to offer the most reliable and influential 24-hour news channel in South Korea.

Acting CEO of CNBC Asia Pacific Shawn Galey said: "MBN-CNBC represents an important step in realising CNBC's goal of further increasing its reach and relevance through strategic relationships with leading regional business media companies.

Mugunghwa Satellites Generate First-ever Profit

From http://www.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200205/200205131007.html

KT Corp.'s satellite telecommunications operation has begun generating profits for the first time in about 12 years since the state-run giant kicked off operation back in 1990.

According to KT Monday, its satellite operation using Mugunghwa Satellites or Koreasats posted a net profit of W2.5 billion from sales of W26.4 billion in the first quarter this year.

KT launched Mugunghwa Satellite No. 1 in August 1995 but it failed to go into orbit. Mugunghwa Satellite No.2, which was launched in January 1996, although reaching orbit, has been left unused for nearly five years as the government failed to pass the satellite broadcast bill through the National Assembly.

After the country began satellite broadcasting tests in November last year, the KT's satellite operation has been generating daily sales of W200 million and a net profit of W20 million.

An official at KT said that the satellite operation will easily be able to reach the company's target of W100 billion in sales and W10 billion in net profits this year.

Swaraj slams broadcasters' opposition to CAS, says pressure tactics will not work

From indiantelevision.com

A day before the amendments to the Cable TV Networks Regulations Act, 1995, is slated to be introduced in Parliament, information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj lashed out at the broadcasters saying "their pressure tactics would not work with her as CAS is in the interest of cable viewing consumers."

"In a meeting with some 25-odd cable operators from various parts of the country, Swaraj said that the government is determined to see the amendments to the Act concerned passed before 17 May when Parliament takes a break.

The minister is reported to have told the delegation of cable operators that "talks of referring the amendments to the Act relating to the CAS to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT and Telecom are all delaying tactics which would not work."

"According to Vicky Chowdhry,a Delhi cable operator who attended the meeting: "The minister was sympathetic towards the problems of the cable operators and exhorted the broadcasters not to further raise the subscription fee of the pay channels in the interim till the time CAS is implemented as it will be unfair for the consumer."

Another cable operator who attended the meeting said that Swaraj also assured them that a separate notification regarding CAS would be issued for the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh after consultations with the chief ministers concerned if the cable operators thought CAS would benefit the consumer.

The government is initially thinking of implementing the CAS in the four metros - Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai.

Broadcasters divided on CAS

From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_ID=9798182

MUMBAI: As the Union government readies to push through the Conditional Access System in the form of an amendment to the Cable Network (Regulation) Act, broadcasters are disunited over the government move.

Sahara TV, a member of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), has “decried the decision of the IBF committee to oppose the proposed conditional system (CAS) recommended by the Union Government.” On the other hand, the IBF has hesitantly supported CAS, but sought a “planned and phased transition.”

Calling the IBF’s opposition to conditional access “a factional and anti-consumer move”, Sahara TV chief Sumit Roy claimed that the IBF ignored the majority — the free-to-air members — of the apex broadcasters’ body and not invited them to the May 10 meeting of the organisation.

This has been denied by Mr Bhuwan Lal, executive director of IBF, who said Sahara TV representatives were present and voiced no opposition to CAS at the meeting.

Conditional access — the system through which consumers have the choice of opting and paying for the pay channels they watch rather than a bundle dished out by cable networks — is to be introduced through an amendment in the Cable Network Act, 1995. The amended provisions envisage a bundle of free-to-air channels for which the government would fix a base rate, and a package of pay channels whose pricing would be left to market forces.

STAR’s initial opposition to the immediate introduction of CAS has also raised many an eyebrow. While internationally STAR is in favour of conditional access as a system that is transparent and makes commercial sense, in India its executives have been harping on the line that “it is premature and unfeasible”.

STAR initially opposed the introduction of the CAS in the IBF’s May 10 conclave but veered around to “tacit approval” for the government view on CAS, industry sources said.

An IBF release says that it welcomes any move to introduce “transparency and breaking up of the existing ground monopolies of the cable operators.” However, “there are too many issues concerning technology, funding, availability of set-top boxes...An amendment to the Act is unlikely to resolve the fundamental issues that face the industry. It may in fact result in exploitation of customers in terms of the services charged by cable operators...,” the release cautions.

Meanwhile, the Consumer Guidance Society of India — a body purporting to represent television viewers and which has consistently taken a stand against cable networks — has opposed the introduction of the Cable Network Act amendment. The amendment offers no protection to consumers against monopolistic cable networks and limits consumers choice, CGSI’s chairman Anand Patwardhan said.

While consumers will pay huge amounts for the set-top boxes, the choice of free-to-air channels will rest with the government, the choice of the pay channels will be decided by cable operators, he added.

Cable Operators Make Merry Even As Broadcasters Talk Of Loopholes In CAS

From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=8929

New Delhi: In what appears to be a thanksgiving gesture, cable operators from all over the country met Information & Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj here on Monday. This follows the government’s move to introduce the conditional access system (CAS), which would enable cable TV viewers to watch and pay for the channels of their choice. The Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2002, which seeks to incorporate CAS into the system, is likely to be tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

As CAS has been a long-pending demand of theirs, cable operators are particularly happy with the development. In contrast, broadcasters, under the aegis of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), have pointed out the loopholes in the proposed addressability system. Ms Swaraj expressed surprise that broadcasters are not happy with CAS as it was them who sought a transparent system. But, cable operators say that the minister made it clear that the government would not bow to any pressure.

Even as the draft bill for CAS indicates that cable operators will determine which pay channels to provide to their subscribers, the government is considering to have a ’must provide’ clause for pay channels, according to sources.

On pricing of free-to-air channels, the minister has told the cable operators that it would be done only after it is clear as to how many pay channels turn free-to-air. Also, the government may consider the request of cable operators to freeze the pricing of pay channels till CAS is introduced.

In the draft bill, however, there’s no mention of government intervention in fixing the prices of pay channels. It only says that “every cable operator shall publicise, in the prescribed manner, to the subscribers the subscription rates and the periodic intervals after which such subscriptions are payable for receiving each pay channel provided by such cable operator”.

On the free-to-air channels, however, the draft says that the government may specify the number of free-to-air channels to be included in the basic package. Different numbers of channels may be specified for various states, towns, cities etc. Also, the government may fix a maximum amount for the basic tier (read free-to-air channels) service.

On the cost of set-top boxes, Ms Swaraj said that she has been in talks with the Consumer Electronics and TV Manufactuers’ Association (Cetma) and that she has been told that a basic box could be available at just Rs 1,500 in the country. According to Cetma, the price range of an analog set-top box could vary between Rs 1,500 and Rs 5,000.

CATV bill amendment likely to be introduced in Parliament tomorrow; circulation among members today

From indiantelevision.com

No, the amendment to the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 incorporating conditional access (CAS) is not being introduced in the Lok Sabha (Lower House) today as expected by many in the industry, the date has been set for tomorrow, according to sources.

The note is slated to be circulated among members of Parlimanet to allow them to vote on it tomorrow, reveal sources. Meanwhile, a group of the cable TV trade was expected to meet up with information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj to give the cable TV industry viewpoint once again and clarify any doubts that may have arisen out of the protestations of some broadcasters.

Speaking at Panaji (Goa) yesterday to a leading business daily, Swaraj was quite clear that the government would not budge on CAS, and that she was convinced that it would be beneficial for all as it "would bring the much needed transparency in the system.

" She insisted that reports that boxes would cost Rs 7,000-8,000 were totally false and misleading, adding that the actual pricing woul be between Rs 1,500-2,500.

She was also highly critical of the group of broadcasters opposing CAS and asked the daily: "Do they not want transparency in viewership?".

Mumbai-based consumer body flays CAS

From indiantelevision.com

The Consumer Guidance Society of India has recommended that the government should first ensure that CAS addresses the critical issue of dismantling the on ground cable monopolies and that choice of selecting the channels rests with consumers, before implementing the system.

According to CGSI chairman Anand Patwardhan, the Cable Networks Regulation Amendment Bill 2002, to be tabled in Parliament tomorrow, offers no protection to consumers against monopolistic cable ops, nor does it seek to redress the grievances of consumers. Patwardhan points out that while the choice of free to air channels to be part of the basic service will now rest with the government while the choice of which pay channels to be offered to consumers will rest with cable ops. While the burden of buying the set top boxes will have to be borne by the viewers, the consumers will also have to pay a higher monthly fee monthly fee for receiving the pay channels, he feels.

"The consumer will have no recourse if a particular pay channel that a consumer wants to see and is ready to pay for is not made available by the cable op. Neither will the consumer have a choice to see the FTA channel of his choice," says Patwardhan. He also terms as discriminatory the bill's proposal to "legalise" consumers being charged differently in different areas of the same city, he observes.

IBF move to oppose CAS does not constitute voice of broadcasting fraternity: Sahara TV

From indiantelevision.com

It is not just Subhash Chandra and his Zee TV that have struck a discordant note vis-à-vis the Indian Broadcasting Federation's (IBF) opposition to the government's moves to introduce conditional access system (CAS).

Free-to-air channel Sahara TV, also an IBF member, in an official release issued yesterday decried the decision of the IBF committee to oppose CAS.

Terming the IBF's opposition to the proposed CAS as a 'factional and anti-consumer move', Sumit Roy, head of Sahara TV, a free-to-air channel, said that the IBF had not taken a majority of its members into confidence while opposing the government's move to amend the Cable TV Regulation Act.

"The IBF on Friday, 10 May, had called for a select meeting of channel heads who opposed the Centre's move to the proposed amendment in the Cable Regulation Act. Surprisingly, all those channels which are free to air and form a majority in the Indian broadcasting industry were not invited to the meeting despite being key members," the release states.

Roy said that the decision of a fraction of the IBF could not be constituted as the "voice of the Indian broadcasting industry" as it urgently required a broad-based review and debate among all the industry players.

Vulnerability Is Discovered in Security for Smart Cards

From http://story.news.yahoo.com

SAN FRANCISCO, May 12 Two University of Cambridge computer security researchers plan to describe on Monday an ingenious and inexpensive attack that employs a $30 camera flashgun and a microscope to extract secret information contained in widely used smart cards.

the newly discovered vulnerability is reason for alarm, the researchers said, because it could make it cost-effective for a criminal to steal information from the cards.

Smart cards are used for dozens of different applications, including electronic identity protection, credit and debit cards and cellular phone payment and identity systems.

The Cambridge researchers said they had discussed their discovery with a number of card manufacturers, and several had acknowledged the vulnerability. One company reported that its security testing teams had already considered types of attacks similar to the one mounted by the Cambridge team and that they believed their products were not vulnerable.

The researchers said they had also proposed a potential design change to the companies that would protect against the attack.

"This vulnerability may pose a big problem for the industry," they wrote in their paper, "Optical Fault Induction Attacks." The researchers argued the industry would need to add countermeasures to the cards to increase their security.

The Cambridge group's discovery is one of two new smart card attacks that will be introduced Monday evening in Oakland, Calif., at an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers symposium on security and privacy.

A team of researchers from I.B.M.'s Thomas J. Watson Laboratory in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., said they would present a report at the conference based on their discovery of a different vulnerability in subscriber identification module, or S.I.M., cards. These are used in the type of digital cellphone known as G.S.M., widely used in Europe and to a lesser extent here.

The vulnerability would make it possible for a criminal to find the secret information stored in the card, steal the user's cellphone identity and make free phone calls.

Smart cards are credit-card-like devices containing a microprocessor chip and a small amount of computer memory for storing bits of electronic data that represent money or other information that can be used to ensure identity, like a code or a digitized retina scan or fingerprint.

More widely used in Europe than in the United States, the cards have long been promoted as the key to a cashless society as well as for identity and authorization applications. Some countries have begun using them for national identity cards, and they have recently been discussed as a way of confirming travelers' identities to speed airport security.

The Pentagon (news - web sites) has armed soldiers with smart cards for online identity and physical access, and the cards are in use in the United States in commercial services like the American Express Blue credit card and the Providian Smart Visa Card. Both cards are offered by their providers as a convenient and safe way to make Internet purchases, although their actual use for those purposes so far has been limited.

Some of the information stored in the card is in the form of a number composed of ones and zeros that cryptographers refer to as a "private key." That key is part of a two-key system that is used to encode and decode information. The security of such systems is compromised if the private key is revealed.

Typically, after the card holder authenticates the card by supplying a pin number, the private key will then be used to encrypt any sort of transaction using the card. For example, the card might be used to authorize a purchase or a transfer of funds, make an e-mail message private, log on to a computer network or enter a building.

The researchers from Britain, Sergei Skorobogatov and Ross Anderson, who are based at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, discovered the flaw after Mr. Skorobogatov found that he could interrupt the operation of the smart card's microprocessor simply by exposing it to an electronic camera flashbulb.

They were able to expose the circuit to the light by scraping most of the protective coating from the surface of the microprocessor circuit that is embedded in each smart card.

With more study, the researchers were able to focus the flash on individual transistors within the chip by beaming the flash through a standard laboratory microscope.

"We used duct tape to fix the photoflash lamp on the video port of a Wentworth Labs MP-901 manual probing station," they wrote in their paper.

By sequentially changing the values of the transistors used to store information, they were able to "reverse engineer" the memory address map, allowing them to extract the secret information contained in the smart card.

Mr. Skorobogatov is a Russian emigrant who was once employed in the former Soviet Union's nuclear weapons program, where his job was to maintain bombs.

Mr. Anderson is a well-known computer security researcher whose work in both computer security and cryptography is widely recognized.

The researchers said they had discussed their findings with a number of companies that had acknowledged the vulnerability. However, at least one manufacturer who had read the paper said it believed its products were not vulnerable to the attack.

"This is a paper for an academic conference," said Alex Giakoumis, director of product lines for the Atmel Corporation, a San Jose, Calif.-based maker of smart cards. "We've already looked at this area."

He said his company had built defensive measures into its products that would make them invulnerable to such an attack. However, he said he was unwilling to be specific about the nature of the security system, because such information would be valuable to someone who was attempting to break the security of the Atmel smart cards.

The I.B.M. paper, which is titled "Partitioning Attacks: Or How to Rapidly Clone Some G.S.M. Cards," was prepared by Josyula R. Rao, Pankaj Rohatgi, Helmut Scherzer and Stefan Tinguely.

The researchers reported that they had dramatically shortened the time needed to steal secret information from today's G.S.M. cellphones.

Their new approach can seize the information within minutes, they said, making it a much more useful method than either breaking the cryptographic algorithms used by the card or by intrusive attacks such as the Cambridge approach. The I.B.M. researchers' report also offers advice to the smart card industry on how to protect against vulnerabilities.