NEW DELHI: The application by Grant Investrade for permission to provide headend-in-the-sky services is ‘under process’, Lok Sabha was told today.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said in reply to a question that so far only the Noida Software Technology Park Ltd (NSTPL) has the licence to operate HITS services.
Based on the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Government had in 2009 permitted HITS services, under which only companies registered in the country are eligible to launch the services.
Grant Investrade, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hinduja Ventures, had applied for a licence for HITS in November 2012.
Under the guidelines, it has to pay a licence fee of Rs 10 crore before it gets the HITS licence. As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com, the company has made the payment.
Grant Investrade will also have to seek two more clearances – one from the Network Operation Coordination Centre for the satellite to be used for the HITS services and second from the Wireless Planning and Coordination wing of the Ministry of Communications.