Convergence & Broadcasting (C&B)

Convergence & Broadcasting (C&B) Division

Work Responsibilities:

Artificial Intelligence
Broadcasting
Convergence
Distributed Ledger Technology/ Blockchain
Emerging Technologies
National Working Group 9

TEC invites R&D Organisations and Academia for collaboration in “Trustworthy AI”. Please Explore the draft MoU(Memorandum of Understanding) for partnership in building Trustworthy AI.

1. Artificial Intelligence:

Background:

Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) applications are increasingly being used in all domains. Unintended biases in their predictions or outcomes is a big concern. One important requirement of Responsible AI is that the AI/ ML System should be unbiased or fair. In achieving the objective of Government of India of building public trust in AI/ ML Systems (#AIforAll), TEC has initiated Fairness Assessment of AI/ ML Systems on Voluntary basis. Continuing the progress, C&B Division released the New Standard(No. TEC 57050:2023) as on dated 07-07-2023. For more details “Click here”.

Released Documents:

S.No.	Subject	Date of Issue	Standard Type
1	Standard For Fairness Assessment and Rating of Artificial Intelligence Systems	Jul 2023	SD

2. Middleware for delivering content to portable devices through WiFi or WLAN:

Background:

TEC releases Standard for receiving live television and other audiovisual content to portable devices such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets through WLAN/ WiFi without consuming internet/ mobile data. No extra hardware, software, or app required at the user end. No special phone or chip-set required. The proposed middleware extends the live TV signals broadcast through conventional means of DTH/ DTT/ CATV, and on-demand content to ordinary mobile devices through WLAN/ WiFi interface. TEC Standard will enhance access to television especially in rural areas, public utility places, moving vehicles, etc. Broadcast access will be cost-effective for end-users and will not load mobile networks. It can be deployed along with BharatNet WiFi and also in airports, railway stations, shopping malls, stadiums, trains, buses, etc.

Released Documents:

S.No.	Subject	Date of Issue	Standard Type
1	Generic Requirements(GR) of Converged Gateway Node For Delivering Broadcast Content To Portable Devices Through Wireless LAN	Mar 2023	GR

3. Conditional Access System (CAS) and Subscriber Management System (SMS):

Background:

TRAI has designated TEC as the Testing and Certification Agency for Conditional Access System (CAS) and Subscriber Management System (SMS) used for Broadcasting and Cable TV services as per order dated 20-09-2021. Convergence & Broadcasting Division is the Nodal Division in TEC for the work related to CAS and SMS testing and certification.
M/s Altruist Technologies Pvt Ltd and M/s Salka Global Technologies Pvt Ltd designated for testing of CAS and SMS.
C&B Division had issued the Test Guides for CAS & SMS, prepared after detailed stakeholder consultations.
C&B Division organised an Open House Session on 04-08-2022 with Labs, Multiple system operators (MSO), Broadcasters, TRAI, BIS, concerned Government departments and other stakeholders for consultation and discussion on finalisation of process for accreditation of Labs and setting of Labs for testing of CAS and SMS.
C&B Division floated Expression of Interest (EOI) on 24-06-2022 for accreditation of Labs for testing of CAS & SMS.
For more details, Click here

Released Documents:

S.No.	Subject	Date of Issue	Standard Type
1	Test Guide of Conditional Access System (CAS)	Jun 2022	TSTP
2	Test Guide of Subscriber Management System (SMS)	Jun 2022	TSTP
3	Certification procedure for certification of CAS and SMS	Jun 2023	Procedure
4	Procedure for designating domestic testing lab for testing of conditional access system (CAS) and subscriber management system (SMS)	2023	Procedure

Other documents and links:

4. Broadcasting:

Background:

C&B Division is nodal for framing the Generic Requirements (GR)/ Interface Requirements (IR)/ Service Requirements (SR)/ Standards (SD)/ Essential Requirements (ER) and associated Test Schedule & Testing Procedures (TSTP) for Convergence & Broadcasting products/ services. These include Standards on voice, video and data IP applications over cable TV networks (IPCablecom); interactive cable television service; high-speed data services; IP-based television and video-on-demand distribution (IPTV service), next-generation cable modems, interactive content formats, common application programming interfaces (APIs) for broadcasting services, methods for evaluating audio-visual quality, home network, and Internet Protocol (IP) broadcasting.
C&B Division released the Essential Requirements (ER) for Hybrid Set-top Boxes on 01-07-2022.
C&B Division released the New Standard (No. TEC 57030:2022) for Generic Requirements of "Band Pass Filter for C-Band Satellite Earth Receivers in 3700-4200 MHz Guard Band" on 04-08-2022 to address possible interference from 5G to the satellite earth receivers used for DTH television broadcasting by MSOs, etc.

Released Documents:

S.No.	Subject	Date of Issue	Standard Type
1	Standard for Generic Requirements(GR) for "Band Pass Filter for C-Band Satellite Earth Receivers in 3700-4200 MHz with 30 MHz Guard Band"	Aug 2022	GR
2	Essential Requirements (ER) for Hybrid Set-top Boxes	Jul 2022	ER

Other documents and links:

5. National Working Group-9:

Background:

National Working Group 9 (NWG 9) is a group formed in TEC corresponding to ITU Study Group 9 (SG 9) for submitting the Indian contributions to International Telecommunication Union. Its primary function is to submit Indian contributions to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) concerning the use of telecommunication systems in the distribution of advanced television and sound programs. This includes support for features like ultra-high definition and 3D TV. NWG 9's scope also covers the utilization of cable and hybrid networks, initially designed for home-based television and sound program distribution, as integrated broadband networks. These integrated networks enable the provision of interactive voice, video, and data services, including Internet access. For more details “Click here”
National Working Group 9 (NWG 9) is under the distinguished leadership of Mr. Avinash Agarwal, Deputy Director General (Convergence & Broadcasting) at TEC, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), New Delhi. The group's vice-chair is Dr. Pradipta Biswas, an esteemed Associate Professor at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.

Other Documents and Links:

TEC letter dated 25-02-2022 regarding Reconstitution of NWG-9 (National Working Group 9) corresponding to ITU-T Study Group 9 “Broadband Cable and TV”.
National Working Group-9 reconstituted under chairmanship of DDG (C&B) TEC. Please visit NWG-9 page for details.

6. Standard Coordination Portal :

TEC has developed a Standards Coordination Portal (SCP) with the primary objective of increasing India's involvement in global standardization activities. This portal acts as a platform for sharing information and promoting collaboration in the telecom and related ICT domains. It brings together Indian experts from various sectors, including industry, academia, research institutes, government, and others. For more details “Click here”.
The portal facilitates Indian contributions to different Global Standardization Organizations and Standards Development Organizations (SDOs). Currently, it is associated with National Working / Study Groups (NWGs/NSGs/SGs) corresponding to ITU-T/ITU-R/ITU-D Study Groups, and is being expanded to other Global Standardization Organizations such as IEEE, 3GPP, etc.
The portal is designed to be modular, responsive, user-friendly, and configurable to accommodate multiple Standardization Organizations. Registered members and contributors can access information from all National Groups through this portal. They can also upload and revise their contributions and view/download contributions from other members. In essence, the portal acts as a knowledge repository and a collaboration platform for standardization activities.

7. Other Activities:

TEC Website development and maintenance.
New portals development and integration.