Just recently, Pakistan’s revolutionary direct-to-home (DTH) project, was closed down, as confirmed by PEMRA sources.
The project, which was supposed to benefit Pakistan with over Rs. 14.5 billion as well as create wide number of new jobs, had been pending for a number of years and was formally auctioned on October 3, 2016, wherein three companies made successful bids on it – but only one of them applied for and received a license, the Islamabad-based Shahzad Sky Private Limited.
The company had to pay 50% of the license charges upfront in cash, and the rest of the amount in 10-year installments.
They received their license, however, they did not start their services even after a year had passed. The reason for that, according to sources, is that they lacked the necessary equipment.
It is to be noted that HDTV equipment, the dishes and aerials necessary for DTH services, requires a hefty investment. Sources state that the minimum required investment is at least $1000,000. With that said, perhaps it is a bit self-explanatory on why the project was stopped.
As it stands, currently, one of the only areas to carry this sort of equipment is the city of Kharian, Punjab, where it sits, valued at about $21 million USD. It’s owned by a US-based company and has recently started a cable service. For months and years, Shahzad Sky tried to form a partnership with the owner so they could start offering their own services, instead of having to buy their own – but to no avail.
With that said, a satellite TV network could have been majorly advantageous to Pakistan, because it not only offers a much wider range of content, over 250 channels, but also because it is of much higher quality. They recover quick in case of a power outage and have a much wider coverage. Bearing that in mind, it is quite unfortunate that Pakistan’s DTH project ended up failing.
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