July 12, 2012 – 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.