NEW DELHI: In perhaps the largest clearance of provisional licences in such a short time, a total of 32 multi system operators (MSOs) got provisional licences after 8 February, raising the total of MSOs operating in the country to 727 including the 231, which have permanent (ten-year) licences.

The last list of 8 February had put the figure of provisional MSOs at 464. All the new provisional licencees have got the clearances between15 and 17 February.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) had by 12 January cancelled the licences of 26 MSOs and closed their cases.

According to the list issued today, the areas of operation of some of the MSOs have been revised or amended.

Of the new licensees, only one has got the licence for pan-India for the first three phases of digital addressable system (DAS). The rest are from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Utar Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.