DTH in Pakistan: A distant dream?
Introduction to DTH
Direct-to-Home (abbreviated as DTH) is a satellite-based TV broadcasting system intended primarily for home users. From Pakistan’s perspective, it is different from traditional cable TV system in a numbers of ways like:
1. It provides digital transmission. So, you can never have snowy channels.
2. Since it’s satellite based, no cables are used between the service provider and your home.
3. DTH is a multi billion rupees project. It is operated by trustable and established corporations who maintain quality and standards. On the other hand, every Tom, Dick and Harry has started a cable TV system with investment of just a few hundred thousands of rupees.
4. DTH also facilitates other benefits like Parental Lock, Electronic Programming Guide, Interactive Channels etc.
DTH in Pakistan
I try to explain in simple words how it works. There are various satellites over the sky that contains the TV channels that we see on our TV. For example, ARY Digital (and other ARY channels) are on satellite Intelsat10. Geo TV (and other Geo channels) are on another satellite Asiasat 3S. Many local language channels (like Sindh TV, Apna TV etc) are on another satellite called Thaicom. So, the different channels we see on our TV are dispersed on different satellites. Remember, all these channels are broadcasting in digital video & audio. What our cable TV company do is to use several satellite dishes to catch all those channels. Then, those channels are broadcasted to our homes through the cable that the cable TV company has laid. The medium that the cable TV company uses is not digital (the cable laid to our home and the equipment used by the cable TV company). So, the digital signal of the TV channel, that is got through the satellite dish, doesn’t remain digital anymore.
Now, let’s see how DTH works. the DTH company acquires their own satellite. Just like cable TV company, they install several satellite dishes on their premises to get the TV channels from different satellite but instead of sending us them to our homes through cables, they send those signals on their own satellite. For example, they get about 100 TV channels from 10 satellites but send those 100 TV channels to a single satellite. This getting of TV channels through satellite is called downlinking and sending those TV channels to a satellite is called uplinking. At our end, what we do is to install a small dish on our roof pointed towards the satellite of the DTH provider, enabling us to view TV channels in digital format.
DTH in Pakistan
In all the aspects, DTH technology is far superior that analog cable TV system that we have in Pakistan. So, what’s stopping Pakistan to start it? The main reason is the huge investment. DTH project requires hundreds of millions of dollars of investment. It is more than 10 times of investment required to launch a TV channel. Due to uncertainty of policies in Pakistan, privately owned organizations are reluctant for such huge investments.
During Musharraf government In 2003, PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) awarded DTH licenses to ARY Communications (i-e the group behind ARY TV Network) and The Cross Currents (the group behind Geo TV). Cross Currents offered the maximum bid of Rs 250 million and ARY offered Rs 192.5. ARY then matched Cross Current bid.
From 2003 till the end of that government in 2007, the government claimed at many occasions that “DTH Project will be started soon“.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said Saturday that the Pakistan Television Corporation will soon launch a 100 channel Direct To Home (DTH) service for its subscribers.
Dated: 20th December 2003
Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) will soon launch Direct-to-Home (DTH) service with a bouquet of 50 channels, PTV Managing Director Akhtar Waqar Azeem said on Thursday. The DTH channels will commence functioning within the next six months, especially in areas where cable is not available, he added.
Dated: 2nd April 2004
Pakistan will soon open its doors to direct-to-home (DTH). Pakistan’s minister for information and broadcasting and senator Muhammad Ali Durrani says that the ministry would soon launch DTH in collaboration with the private sector.
Dated: 26 December 2006
The latest update we have about PTV’s DTH is that two tender notices were published in newspapers by PTV on 25th June 2007 and 5th July 2007 for provision of DTH equipment. No news till then! There is a rumour floating nowadays that Wateen and ARY have joined hands to start DTH by the mid of 2009. Let’s hope for the best.
Our neighbour India has already six DTH operators:
1. Dish TV (a ZEE TV subsidiary)
2. Tata Sky (a joint venture of Star TV and Tata Group)
3. Sun Direct (owned by South India based Sun TV Network)
4. Big TV (owned by Reliance Group)
5. Airtel Digital TV (owned by Airtel)
6. DD Direct (owned by state-owned Doordarshan)
Even Sri Lanka has a DTH service by the name of Dialog TV operated by Sri Lankan company Dialog Telecom.
It’s the time for the big private media groups like Geo & ARY and Telecom groups like Wateen & Mobilink to wake up and initiate at least one DTH service in Pakistan. No hopes and expectations from PTV, the personal servant of whichever government is it!
Can CMM certification help in getting more business?
The simple answer is No! The misadventure and misplaced faith in CMM is exactly the reason why we have not been able to divert our energies in the areas that actually deliver value to the offshore clients. CMM cannot be used as a sales tool it can be used as a supporting tool. The primary sales tool remains the value-add that an offshore engagement brings to its clients. That value-add cannot be demonstrated to the clients unless we have deep understanding of the business and its utilization of technology. The CMM bandwagon has been around for many years in Pakistan but its impact in securing new business and beating competition from other parts of the world remains to be proven.
In any software related project, there are three steps:
1. Conceiving the project
2. Structuring the project
3. Delivering the project
Value-add to the clients comes from the first two while the third is just managing the cost. CMM doesn’t help at all with the first and only peripherally in the second and therefore the idea that CMM somehow will get more business has no base.
Here is an interesting article titled “Software Quality: Bursting the CMM Hype“, that dispels the myths surrounding CMM. It was published in CIO Magazine in 2004.
Indian websites hacked: Pakistani hackers’ response to OGRA website hacking
In response to hacking of the website of OGRA (Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority) by Indian hackers, Pakistani hackers have retaliated and hacked website of ONGC (Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd) of India. The message left by the hackers reads:
This is a message from PCA for HMG(script_kiddies) in return to the ogra defacement.
Backoff , go read some course books else you will loose both , your name and this game.
We will literally SMOKE YOUR DOORS OFF like other groups did before.This is just a warning to Indian authorities either to launch inquiry against HMG or get ready for more action.
We were sleeping but not Dead. Now Face the consequences
Here is the screenshot:
Update: Apart from ONGC site, may other sites are hacked by the same hacker group and displaying the same message:
http://www.syscontech.in/
http://www.iirs.gov.in/
http://www.ctram.indianrail.gov.in/
http://www.kvrtm.org.in/
Update (25th November 2008):
According to a message I received through this blog, more Indian sites are hacked:
Official Portal of Andhra Pardesh government
http://www.aponline.gov.in
CID Andhra Pardesh
http://www.cidap.gov.in/
Bank of Baroda
http://www.bankofbaroda.com/
Kedriya vidyalaya Ratlam
http://www.kvrtm.org.in/
The last link is of a school. What these hackers are gaining from hacking school sites? The truth is that this cyberwar has nothing to do with common people or even the governments. It’s a personal ego war going on between some hacker groups. It must stop now as it will lead to nowhere.
The respective governments should intervene and instead of “silently celebrating” the hacking of sites of their neighbour country, they must esnure that no such illegal activity is going on from the soil of their country.
Update (29th November 2008):
In response to hacking of various Indian sites by PCA (Pakistan Cyber Army), another new hacker group has emerged from India by the name of ICA (Indian Cyber Warriors). The sites hacked by them are:
http://chingaree.com/
Health Department (Government of NWFP)
http://healthnwfp.gov.pk/
HappyBox (online shopping site)
http://happybox.com.pk/
Mission Al-Noor (a non-profit site)
http://mission-alnoor.org/
PIMSAT Institute Of Higher Education
http://www.pimsat-khi.edu.pk/
Human Right Network Pakistan
http://hrn.com.pk/
ICA alleges Pakistan for recent event of terrorism in Mumbai and terms it as one of the reason for hacking Pakistani sites (the other reason being revenge from PCA). According to an email received from ICA, they say:
We all are witnessing since a long time Hacking of Indian websites by Pakistani Hackers/defacers or so called PCA (Pakistan Cyber Army). So we have to come forward to reply them back. This is where we come to the aid of our Bharat Mata’s integrity. We cannot see anyone raising a finger against BHARAT MATA. we have decided that if PCA continues to deface our indian govt site , we ICW (Indian Cyber Warriors) will do the same to show them what we are capable of and what we can do united.
We are defacing pakistani sites to convey our message to the people and leaders of pakistan to stop this act of supporting and funding terrorists, and stop killing innosent civilians. If they want a war, then dont be a coward and stop hiding behind proxies, come forward and our Indian Military will show u the true taste of war, the same way we showed u during kargil. Bombay blast, killing innocent people. What are they getting ?
PCA(pakistan cyber army) hacked many indian website and added much porn stuff. As a Result we are hacking there sites and the list will keep on increasing untill they STOP.
We are just giving PCA what they wanted. we are doing it for country’s pride not for one individual’s. We are not doing this for fame , we’r just ending the game started by them.
We need support , just support , Not much but we want atleast INDIA is with us.
ICW ( Indian Cyber Warriors )
Mistakes in an ARY Digital’s show
Randomly caught spelling & grammar mistakes in a single TV show and in a short span of 5 minutes! Ironic is that it wasn’t a live program.
Indian hackers did again!
Today, India-based hackers hacked the official site of OGRA (Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority). Details are yet to come but what I know for now is that they did not only deface the website. They hacked and deleted all the data of the website. It’s surely a great loss for OGRA and the Pakistani government.
The group behind this hacking is HMG, who call themselves as “Guards of Hindustan”. They share the ideology of extremist Hindu organizations like Shiv Sena. This group HMG is very active in Orkut and they have hacked a number of Pakistani communities and after taking ownership, turned those communities into anti-Pakistan ones. I have “privilege” to interact with HMG members twice.
The first incident was that when I had one-to-one correspondence with a member of HMG in Orkut through exchange of scraps. He was a professional hacker and claimed that India has an edge over Pakistan when it comes to IT security and hacking. While giving reference from my article about the same subject, I gave references that it’s the other way. Anyway, that debate was inconclusive.
The second experience was that when HMG directly sent me an email and threatened to hack one of the sites I administer. Since the theme of the site is related to Pakistan-India peace, it goes against the ideology of HMG, who does not believe in friendship with Pakistan and instead favor attacking Pakistan and make it part of India. I took their threat very seriously and took extra measures to make the site secure.
It’s for sure that Pakistani hackers will retaliate now. Let’s see how much high profile that victim website will be.
