IndusInd Media & Communications (IMC), India###SQ###s largest independent cable MSO, a subsidiary of Hinduja TMT Ltd, has announced it would brand its conditional access system (CAS) service as INDigital.

CAS, which is expected to be rolled out in India on July 15, will segregate the 6 million TV homes in the four metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai into those that opt for free-to-air (FTA) services at an affordable Rs 72 (plus local taxes) and those who go with pay channels, which would be available on a a-la-carte basis with prices to be announced by broadcasters shortly.

To enable smooth implementation of this service, IMC has tied up with Nagravision of Switzerland, a world leader of digital CAS solutions, to ensure the deployment of the leading secure CAS system. Nagravision is also the appointed systems integrator for the CAS project.

IMC has tied up with multiple set top box suppliers from both eastern and western India to mitigate the geographical risk associated with CAS. It is also installing state-of-the-art digital headends at Delhi and Mumbai provided by Tandberg of Norway. It is pressing into service call centres at Delhi and Mumbai to provide customer with round-the-clock support.

Says KV Seshasayee, chief technology officer of Hinduja TMT, and taskforce leader of the INDigital CAS project, "Our digital system will offer up to 300 crystal-clear channels. Even customers with lower capacity colour TV sets or BW sets will be able to access all channels without having to change their TV sets."

He added INDigital plans to enhance its services to provide a VAS (value added services) package that would include broadband Internet, interactive TV, content on demand and pay per view. The new services will also include SMS TV where one can SMS one's favourite video clip of, say, the favourite film star or sportsman and even get a reply on one's mobile phone and on the TV from the celebrity, among numerous other interactive applications.