21285 - SCTE Broadband Dec2021 COMPLETE v1

9 Vol. 43 No. 4 - November 2021 Issue scte india news Editor’s Note SCTE India (based in New Delhi), with its own dedicated committee, focuses on the requirements of SCTE’s members in India. The group has been granted registration as a non-profit organisation and is run by an Indian Executive. It regularly organises networking meetings and roadshows (sometimes hosted by local cable operators and manufacturers) as well as training activities in India. It also holds the SCTE India awards (for individual achievement and technology innovation). SCTE India regularly disseminates news that is relevant to all SCTE India members and widely promotes further SCTE activities such as training and standards news. For further details, see www.scteindia.org expansion with the incorporation of new CPE’s that will create a new converged service delivery platform to drive expansion and ARPU. The broadband wireline space saw BSNL finally getting some of its mojo back, with the addition of 5 Lakh subscribers and Jio adding about 2.5 Lakh subscribers per month. The wireless space is led by Jio and closely followed by Airtel and Vodafone with about 45, 36 and 28 crores subscribers. In terms of the market share Jio continues to lead with approx 37.5% followed by Airtel at 30 and Vodafone at 23%. In the Satcom space, Niti Ayog has recently begun to support satellite as a medium for rural broadband connectivity and it is interesting to see how the LEO and MEO space is being driven by various constellations, their funding and and their expansion. Space X with Starlink, One Web, Hughes & Boeing & PRC - China are competing and space is crowded, not to mention the likes of Methera looking at a 2024 launch. The Bharti Airtel group is planning to formally launch One Web in India in 2022 and will perhaps be the first initiative in the subcontinent. It is also worth mentioning that Amazon is in discussions with the DOT to be able to address this space. The application space is also seeing a lot of consolidation as well as expansion primarily in ed-tech, entertainment, health and the agriculture sector. The total number of OTT platforms has grown to 40 and are looking at a cumulative annualised revenue of INR 4000 crores. The vernacular space of Bhojouri, Bengali, Marathi and Telugu continue to attract subscribers, content and investments. The Ed-Tech sector saw at least four start-ups ramping up a new round of investment this quarter and preparing for new content and more subscribers. The SCTE India Chairman Vynsley Fernandes said, ‘India is growing, and growing fast and Broadband is integral to this growth. After a hiatus of almost 18 months the industry is set to recover the lost time and deliver entertainment, education, governance and health, every month and every quarter.’ SCTE Governing Council Member and CEO of Citi Cable Mr. Anil Malhotra said that ‘Digital cable, broadband through cable, converged services to the home and application areas will help the cable fraternity to not only consolidate, but also grow the user base and ARPU in the coming quarter’.