India’s Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) has issued a tough and uncompromising warning to the few ‘Phase IV’ cable operators that they must switch off their analogue transmissions by tomorrow, April 1^st.

All of India’s other regions (that is the cities and regions covered by Phases I, II and III) have complied. Phase IV towns and villages must end their analogue TV re-transmissions by April 1^st.

The official MIB notice reminded MSOs that India’s Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act 2011 was a mandatory ruling covering the switch-over from analogue cable TV to Digital Addressable Systems (DAS) covering all four key phases, and by May 31^st.

The switch-off is likely to create more than few headaches for some viewers. Earlier in March 2017, an Indian Parliamentary Committee admitted that the coverage of new digital set-top boxes was lacking, and that there were rural areas where only 35 per cent had been supplied with digi-boxes.

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