Viewers harassed by their cable operators can take heart. Broadcast regulator TRAI on Tuesday issued guidelines on ensuring quality service in areas where the conditional access system (CAS) has not been implemented but can be done in the future.
The regulations will benefit over 80 million subscribers as it will ensure that they receive quality service in non-CAS areas and will be implemented from April 2009.
The new regulations make it compulsory for cable operators to issue bills and receipts to cable TV subscribers, maintain help-desk from 8 am to 8 pm everyday, maintain compulsory technical standards including a good quality, measurable signal strength at subscriber's end and ensure six-hour power backup among others. Viewers can also demand disconnection of the old cable television and reconnection to the CAS system within seven days.
The regulation also entrusts district consumer forums and state government officials to handle grievances and enforce quality of service.
"The regulations were finalised after inviting comments from stakeholders, an open house discussion held in February in Kolkata with representatives of stakeholders to further deliberate on various issues raised in the paper," a statement issued by TRAI said.
Cable operators representatives, however, feel that they should be given some leverage to act against erring consumers. "We should be given some power to act against those consumers who steal cables
, take illegal connections or damage our equipment. TRAI should also address these issues," Roop Sharma, president of the Cable Operators Federation of India said.
source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Trai-sets-quality-guidelines-for-cable-operators/articleshow/4184937.cms
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Isro set to use indigenously developed cryogenic engine for GSLV launch
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is expected to launch a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) in July this year, using an indigenously developed cryogenic engine. The flight that is likely to launch the GSAT-4 into orbit will mark the end of India's dependence on Russia, which had been supplying the cryogenic engines since 1991. India has so far launched five GSLV rockets.
The launch vehicle is capable of placing a 2-tonne satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit, uses all the three kinds of propellants — solid, liquid and cryogenic. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) uses only solid and liquid propellants and is capable of carrying payloads less than 2 tonnes.
"All the previous GSLV flights had cryogenic engines procured from Russia. For the first time, indigenously developed cryogenic engines will be used. This is a development started almost parallelly to procurement from Russia. We have completed all the tests, including qualification and flight acceptance. Now the engine is fully qualified and will be used in the next flight of GSLV," a highly-placed source in Isro told Business Standard.
Work on developing India's own cryogenic engine was started by Isro shortly after the project to develop the GSLV was initiated in 1986. However, failing in the initial attempt to develop the highly complex cryogenic engine on its own, Isro inked a $120 million contract with Soviet space enterprise Glavkosmos in 1991 for supply of two KVD-1 cryogenic engines. India has so far procured seven Russian-built cryogenic engines, of which five have been used during the previous GSLV launches of Isro.
With an initial project cost of about Rs 235 crore, the work for the development of India's own cryogenic engine was jointly carried out by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in Trivandrum, Material Development and Research Centre at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and the Liquid Propulsion Test Facility (LPSC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. Isro conducted the flight acceptance test of the indigenous cryogenic engine on December 18 last year at the LPSC, which was found to be quite satisfactory.
"The flight acceptance hot test of the cryogenic engine was carried out at the liquid propulsion systems centre at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. This engine will be used in the next GSLV launch in April 2009 for carrying the 2.3-tonne geo-stationary experimental satellite (GSAT)," the space research agency had stated at that time.
GSAT-4, the communication satellite that Isro intends to launch using the indigenous cryogenic engine powered GSLV, will provide internet connectivity in remote villages. "We are going to launch GSAT-4 which will have digital connectivity on board. It's meant for data transfers from computers at remote villages," says Isro Chairman G Madhavan Nair.
Isro is planning to use the GSLV for the Chandrayaan-II mission scheduled for 2012 as opposed to PSLV that was used to launch Chandrayaan-I.
source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/isro-set-to-use-indigenously-developed-cryogenic-engine-for-gslv-launch/00/06/349349/
The launch vehicle is capable of placing a 2-tonne satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit, uses all the three kinds of propellants — solid, liquid and cryogenic. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) uses only solid and liquid propellants and is capable of carrying payloads less than 2 tonnes.
"All the previous GSLV flights had cryogenic engines procured from Russia. For the first time, indigenously developed cryogenic engines will be used. This is a development started almost parallelly to procurement from Russia. We have completed all the tests, including qualification and flight acceptance. Now the engine is fully qualified and will be used in the next flight of GSLV," a highly-placed source in Isro told Business Standard.
Work on developing India's own cryogenic engine was started by Isro shortly after the project to develop the GSLV was initiated in 1986. However, failing in the initial attempt to develop the highly complex cryogenic engine on its own, Isro inked a $120 million contract with Soviet space enterprise Glavkosmos in 1991 for supply of two KVD-1 cryogenic engines. India has so far procured seven Russian-built cryogenic engines, of which five have been used during the previous GSLV launches of Isro.
With an initial project cost of about Rs 235 crore, the work for the development of India's own cryogenic engine was jointly carried out by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in Trivandrum, Material Development and Research Centre at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and the Liquid Propulsion Test Facility (LPSC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. Isro conducted the flight acceptance test of the indigenous cryogenic engine on December 18 last year at the LPSC, which was found to be quite satisfactory.
"The flight acceptance hot test of the cryogenic engine was carried out at the liquid propulsion systems centre at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. This engine will be used in the next GSLV launch in April 2009 for carrying the 2.3-tonne geo-stationary experimental satellite (GSAT)," the space research agency had stated at that time.
GSAT-4, the communication satellite that Isro intends to launch using the indigenous cryogenic engine powered GSLV, will provide internet connectivity in remote villages. "We are going to launch GSAT-4 which will have digital connectivity on board. It's meant for data transfers from computers at remote villages," says Isro Chairman G Madhavan Nair.
Isro is planning to use the GSLV for the Chandrayaan-II mission scheduled for 2012 as opposed to PSLV that was used to launch Chandrayaan-I.
source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/isro-set-to-use-indigenously-developed-cryogenic-engine-for-gslv-launch/00/06/349349/
Thursday, February 05, 2009
IIT students keen to be a part of ISRO
Students at IIT Delhi graduating this year are all starry-eyed about a new career option - being a scientist at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
One of them is Anshul Sirohi, who is soon going to graduate from IIT. He wants the job at ISRO badly. In a few days he will be interviewing with the ISRO for the position of a scientist.
"A lot of my friends were looking for IT jobs abroad. A couple of them are also joining the corporate world, but I am keen to be a part of ISRO. I feel there is an endless opportunity for us in ISRO and everyday is a new day. There is lot of excitement and challenge," said Anshul Sirohi, M Tech (Thermal Engineering), IIT-Delhi.
It was the historic launch of Chandrayaan-1 that has young IIT students wanting to reach out to the moon.
The number of students wanting to join ISRO has gone up by 30% this year. With the space organization introducing more projects like Chandrayaan -II, Aditya and Manned Moon Mission, more and more young technocrats are excited to be a part of this research institute.
What's also helping is higher starting salaries at ISRO than ever before.
"After the sixth Pay Commission, even the pay packages are the same like the corporate world. So why don't I rather work for ISRO and do something worth," said Pawan Kumar Panth, M Tech (Thermal Engineering), IIT-Delhi.
That's what inspired Anupam Roy to work with ISRO for 18 months after he got his bachelor's degree from IIT. Now he's back in school for his master's and his memories are not all happy.
"They don't give the space to work and they don't show the confidence in you at all," said Anupam Roy, M Tech (Mechanical), IIT-Delhi.
However, that is changing, promises the government.
"We are restructuring our organizations. We are also introducing all kinds of measures, which will create more space for these young professionals in research organizations," said Kapil Sibal, Minister of Science and Technology.
So move over corporate, there's a new dream in town for the IIT-Delhi campus.
sources:http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090082661
One of them is Anshul Sirohi, who is soon going to graduate from IIT. He wants the job at ISRO badly. In a few days he will be interviewing with the ISRO for the position of a scientist.
"A lot of my friends were looking for IT jobs abroad. A couple of them are also joining the corporate world, but I am keen to be a part of ISRO. I feel there is an endless opportunity for us in ISRO and everyday is a new day. There is lot of excitement and challenge," said Anshul Sirohi, M Tech (Thermal Engineering), IIT-Delhi.
It was the historic launch of Chandrayaan-1 that has young IIT students wanting to reach out to the moon.
The number of students wanting to join ISRO has gone up by 30% this year. With the space organization introducing more projects like Chandrayaan -II, Aditya and Manned Moon Mission, more and more young technocrats are excited to be a part of this research institute.
What's also helping is higher starting salaries at ISRO than ever before.
"After the sixth Pay Commission, even the pay packages are the same like the corporate world. So why don't I rather work for ISRO and do something worth," said Pawan Kumar Panth, M Tech (Thermal Engineering), IIT-Delhi.
That's what inspired Anupam Roy to work with ISRO for 18 months after he got his bachelor's degree from IIT. Now he's back in school for his master's and his memories are not all happy.
"They don't give the space to work and they don't show the confidence in you at all," said Anupam Roy, M Tech (Mechanical), IIT-Delhi.
However, that is changing, promises the government.
"We are restructuring our organizations. We are also introducing all kinds of measures, which will create more space for these young professionals in research organizations," said Kapil Sibal, Minister of Science and Technology.
So move over corporate, there's a new dream in town for the IIT-Delhi campus.
sources:http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090082661
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