NEW DELHI: Faced with just less than one month to go before total switch-off of analogue signals, the Government today decided that all provisional multi-system operators will be deemed as having regular licence for ten years.

Stressing that the period of ten years commences from the date they got registered as provisisional MSOs, the Government said that this will not apply to MSOs which stand cancelled or cancelled.

However, if the continuation of registration of any MSO is at any time found to be or considered detrimental to the security of the State then the registration so granted is liable to be cancelled/suspended, the order placed on the Ministry website mib.nic.in specified.

All other terms and conditions depicted in the provisional registration letter(s) Wlll continue to apply.

Earlier on 27 January.2017, it had been decided that all registered MSOs are free to operate in any part of the country, irrespective of registration for specified DAS notified areas granted by this Ministry.

However, they have to submit the details of Headend, SMS, subscribers list and a self-certificate that they are carrying all the mandatory TV Channels, within six months from date of issuance of MSO registration, to the Ministry, failing which the MSO registration is liable to cancelled/suspended.

Hence, all deemed regular registered MSOs also are required to submit the details to the M/o within six months.

The Government had itself extended the last date of the last phase of digital addressable system for cable television covering rural India on 31 March 2017.

According to the Ministry, it had given registration to 1182 MSOs by the end of February 2017, which included 230 which had valid ten-year licences.