Different types of licence urged for importers, pay-TV providers

The request came after the broadcasting committee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission on Monday approved the draft rules to import, produce and distribute set-top boxes to pay-television operators. The draft will go before a public hearing and be put into effect soon. 

Niran Tangpiroontham, managing director of Infosat Intertrade and president of the Satellite Dish Club, told The Nation that the NBTC should design two types of licences. One would be for importers, distributors and producers of satellite TV set-top boxes and related parts. The other would be for pay-TV service providers.

Pay-TV service providers must also be required to obtain the licence for importing, producing and distributing satellite TV receivers if they want to have their own type of receiver, he said.

Nowadays the satellite TV business is very complicated, particularly after conditioned access gained popularity among local customers who want to avoid watching a blank screen because of copyright restrictions on imported content. Major content providers GMM Grammy and RS are also now turning to providing pay-TV services with their own set-top boxes. 

But most satellite TV households buy satellite TV receivers, as they want to get free access to TV programmes transmitted both from terrestrial and satellite TV operators. 

“So free-to-air services via the satellite TV platform remain important in the market,” Niran said. However, Pornpan Techarungchaikul, chief operating officer of RS, said it would be fine if the regulations were supportive of fair and free competition among satellite TV business operators. 

Napasak Kotwiboon, managing director of PSH Holding, the country’s largest satellite TV trader, manufacturer and distributor, earlier said his company had not been granted a permit to import satellite equipment after he submitted a request to the NBTC last month.