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Tata Sky plans to sue ISRO
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), already dogged by legal cases mounted against it by former partner Devas Multimedia for annulling a controversial satellite agreement, is likely to face litigation from television broadcaster Tata Sky.
Tata Sky has been kept waiting for four years to get its contracted space on an ISRO satellite. The additional capacity is for meeting the broadcaster’s future plans and as backup in case of a problem in space.
With the expansion plan in a highly competitive area delayed by four years, “we are in the process of going legal, we are very clear on that. We have no option left,” Managing Director and CEO of Tata Sky, Harit Nagpal, told The Hindu.
The direct-to-home television broadcaster first leased 12 transponders on Insat-4A satellite in 2005. It was then promised — and still not given — an additional 12 transponders on a new satellite, Mr. Nagpal said on telephone from Mumbai.
“ISRO needs to be clear,” he said. “Can they deliver the capacity or not? If they can, they should; if they can’t they should get out of the way and let me go. There are enough [foreign] vendors who have capacities in this region.”
Tata Sky asked for fresh transponders on a forthcoming spacecraft in 2007. It takes about two years to build a satellite. “We were supposed to get this capacity in 2009,” he said.
Insat-4A is located overhead at 83 degrees east longitude. Tata Sky will ideally need further capacity only in that slot.
ISRO launched Insat-4A’s replacement in that slot, GSAT-10, in September 2012 after many delays. However, the space agency has been mysteriously silent on giving capacity on GSAT-10. Nor has it formally put this satellite into service even after putting it in space for 10 months.
An ISRO official said GSAT-10 was being used in select government quarters.
There was no response to queries mailed to Antrix Corporation, ISRO’s arm that allots transponders to commercial users.
Mr. Nagpal said he was given to believe that some capacity on it would be allocated by November 2012 after tests.
“We are losing patience. The product is up in air, orbit-tested and supposedly found ready for allocation. A satellite has finite life. What are we waiting for now?”
Representation to PMO
At least in the last one year, especially after GSAT-10 was launched, Mr. Nagpal said he had sent umpteen reminders, some 50 mails and given three representations to the Prime Minister’s Office which oversees the Department of Space.
He said he made numerous visits to ISRO headquarters in Bangalore either to get capacity allocated or know when it would be done. Apparently, he only got verbal ruses for the delay but no acknowledgement or assurance. When he met senior officials recently, he also mentioned to them that Tata Sky would go to court to get its due.
The satellites’ lifespan is also a cause for worry. Insat-4A, launched in December 2005, has completed more than half of its planned life of 12 years. “Why are we not using that expensive asset which is up there and which has got finite life?”
Tata Sky, a 80:20 venture of Tata group and STAR India, is currently the only private commercial DTH client on an ISRO satellite.
It started operating in 2006 using 12 Ku-band transponders on Insat-4A and now offers some 250 channels to Indian viewers.
Its five private sector competitors — Zee’s DishTV, Bharti Airtel, Reliance, Sun Direct and Videocon — have moved to foreign satellites.
