Friday, May 13 2005 14:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: India will launch two communication satellites with transponders for Direct To Home (DTH) television this fiscal to give a big boost for satellite T V operators to beam programmes to homes across the sub-continent by passing the traditional cable operators.

"The next two satellites, INSAT-4A and INSAT-4B, are having transponders essentially meant for DTH. They will each have twelve Ku-band transponders", Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G Madhavan Nair said in Bangalore in an interview.

INSAT-4A, scheduled for launch by an Arian space rocket from the spaceport of Korou in French Guyana by August, will have DTH specific 12 Ku-band and 12 C-band communication transponders.

INSAT-4B with similar transponder capacity will be launched by March 2006.

DTH covers a table fan sized satellite dish, a digital encoder and a smart card. This dish connects to the decoder, which is linked to the TV.

State-run Doordarshan has already launched its free-to-air DTH service offering a bouquet of 30 channels, while private run ZEE TV is offering paid encrypted service DTH telecast for consumers across the country, who are beamed satellite television programmes by monopolistic cable operators.

"Doordarshan has been given transponder capacity. By August, we will have 12 more transponders and there will be sufficient capacity (for DTH operators)", Nair said.

ISRO has leased six Ku-band transponders from the NSS-6 satellite of Dutch firm News Skies satellites for DD's service, which is the world's largest free-to-air DTH service.

Besides the two current operators who have already booked slots in the two satellites, Rupert Murdoch and Tata Group joint venture Space TV and South-based television firm Sun TV's DTH ventures are also in talks with India's space agency for DTH transponders.

"We are having some dialogue with them. As and when they get the total clearance, we will be providing them with transponders", Nair said.

India is also planning to build DTH-dedicated satellites INSAT-4C and INSAT-4G with 18 Ku band transponders each in the next few years, ISRO officials said.