Date:22/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/22/stories/2006112222080400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

BEL secures order for two lakh set top boxes

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: Defence Public Sector Enterprise Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has bagged an order for the supply of two lakh set top boxes (STBs) from Wire and Wireless India Limited (WWIL), a company from the stable of the Zee Group.

The boxes which are to be equipped with embedded conditional access software, a technology that will allow the subscriber to select and choose the pay channels that he wants to view from the bouquet offered by WWIL, are to be supplied starting December.

The supplies will coincide with the Conditional Access System roll out in the metros, which is scheduled to start in January 2007.

Pioneer

BEL, which has pioneered the design and manufacture of STBs in India, has the capacity to meet the high volume requirements of service providers such as WWIL. In addition to cable STBs, BEL is also in the business of Direct To Home and Digital Terrestrial Television boxes.

The STB initiative is another example of BEL's increasing interest in the civilian sector, which includes the manufacture of electronic voting machines. Currently BEL's civilian business accounts for just over 20 per cent of the company's Rs. 3,500-crore turnover.