I&B Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday gave further indication in Parliament that the government was close to mandating on conditional access systems (CAS) as a way to resolve the ongoing dispute between the cable industry and broadcasters. Swaraj‘s comment was made as an adjunct to a question on whether the government had received a request to set up a television regulatory body.

The government has received no request for the setting up of a television regulatory body on the lines of the Telecom Authority to regulate the subscription charged by cable operators, Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament), in a written reply.

Swaraj disclosed that there was no legal provision at present to regulate subscriptions by TV cable operators. She, however said the government was examining the feasibility of mandating CAS for pay channel viewing through cable.

Replying to another question, Swaraj said a group of six officials had been constituted by the Prasar Bharati to examine the feasibility of privatisation and joint ventures in national broadcaster Doordarshan‘s Metro Channel.

Intelsat Ltd is on a gobbling spree. The satellite operator that provides telephony, corporate network, broadcast and Internet solutions around the globe via capacity on 21 geosynchronous satellites in prime orbital locations, today announced two acquisitions which will signficantly strengthen its ground-based satellite infrastructure.
In a press release issued today, Intelsat announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire the World Systems business unit of Lockheed Martin Corp, including existing service contracts with World Systems‘ customers for Intelsat capacity as well as earth stations located in Clarksburg, Maryland and Paumalu, Hawaii. Under the agreement, Intelsat will also purchase the teleport facilities and related assets of COMSAT Digital Teleport. Intelsat further announced that it had acquired a teleport facility in Fuchsstadt, Germany from Deutsche Telekom AG.

Additionally, Intelsat said that it has established points of presence (POPs) connected by fiber at key traffic exchange points in Los Angeles, New York and London that will be connected to the teleport facilities which it is planning to acquire.

In the release, Intelsat says it expects to use this ground-based infrastructure to begin offering hybrid space/terrestrial services in a new service portfolio called "Global Connectivity Solutions." Hybrid services in this family are being designed to address increasing customer demand for one-stop shopping and end-to-end services. Finally, it hopes the new deals will help bring Intelsat closer to its customers in the US market.

"These developments clearly demonstrate Intelsat‘s commitment to provide our customers with the tools they need to better succeed in their own markets," said Intelsat CEO Conny Kullman. "This move also shows how a privatized Intelsat has quickly begun to execute its business strategy to move from a satellite-centric to a network-centric company."

The assets to be acquired under the Lockheed Martin agreement will include:

* All of World Systems‘ existing service contracts for Intelsat capacity with its customers.

* The assets of COMSAT Digital Teleport, Inc., including a total of 19 antennas (of which 15 are located in Clarksburg, two are located in California, one is located in Maine and one is located in Italy).

* Tracking, telemetry, command and monitoring (TTC&M) earth stations located in Clarksburg, Maryland and in Paumalu, Hawaii. These are two of the six major earth stations that Intelsat uses to monitor and control its satellites and are currently operated by World Systems under contracts with Intelsat. The Clarksburg earth station has 11 TTC&M antennas and the Paumalu earth station has seven antennas. The teleport acquired in Fuchsstadt, Germany includes one 18-meter and two 32-meter antennas and operating facilities.

Intelsat Global Sales & Marketing president John Stanton noted: "The agreement with Lockheed Martin represents more than just an infrastructure play as it will allow us to get closer to our customers in the United States and provide them with value-added services."

Intelsat Global Service Corporation president & COO added: "These initial steps represent the first elements of a basic infrastructure we are putting in place for our Global Connectivity Solutions portfolio, while streamlining our current operations. We are planning to expand our terrestrial network throughout the world via additional teleports, associated fiber links and POPs. We are looking to work with our distributors to help us lease or acquire these elements, and expect to partner with these customers to expand our terrestrial network as new opportunities arise."

The closing of the Lockheed Martin transaction is subject to regulatory and other approvals and certain other conditions.

Zee TV is pulling out all the stops to increase its visibility at the ground level. To this effect it has announced a unique talent contest The Zee Mytho Show.

It will take place in ten major cities according to reports. The focus is on mythological serials Ramayan, Mahabharat and Jai Santoshi Ma.

Reports state that the programme schedule includes two fancy dress contests. One will see five to eight year olds participate. The other is for those in the nine to fourteen year age group. In addition there will also be a quiz contest for kids between nine and fourteen.

The show will be hosted by actor Swapnil Joshi who is known for his role in Sri Krishna. The Mumbai leg will take place at Rang Bhavan on 25 March from 5pm onwards.