June 14, 2009 at 10:34Expanding the range of provider services - KTV
Sooner or later, many medium and large Internet providers have a question of expanding the range of services provided, and many come to the decision to start providing cable television services.
There are two main options for building a network:
1) Classic analog KTV - the necessary conditions: optics to every house (who does not have one now), at least 1 free fiber. An optical receiver is installed on the house, from the optical receiver to the subscriber, the wiring is done with a coaxial cable. If the house is large, then it may be necessary to install trunk amplifiers on a coaxial cable.
Pros:
- the subscriber does not need to buy a set-top box to the TV to watch broadcast channels.
- relatively low cost of implementation.
Cons:
- the signal quality is high, but still not digital
- the need to allocate at least 1 fiber in the mains to each house.
- signal loss in long coaxial cables = it is necessary to install amplifiers in many large access houses
- there is no way to control the subscriber's balance and disconnect it in a timely manner.
- short opportunities in terms of further expansion.
To disconnect subscribers, debtors have to send installers with pliers which disconnects the subscriber from his staircase (not the fact that the subscriber will not turn on himself in an hour).
2) IP TV - prerequisites: a working network on normal L2 managed switches supporting IGMP, IGMP Snooping (the cheapest option is Dlink DES 3526, the good option is Cisco Catalyst 2950), gigabit backbones between the houses.
Pros:
- built on top of your existing network, in fact it comes down to installing the headend, setting up switches, and selling set top box consoles to subscribers.
- subscribers turn on and off centrally, you can organize several tariff plans, closed channels, etc.
- the ability to organize additional Video-On-Demand services (video on demand, virtual cinema, etc.)
Cons:
- the subscriber must buy a set top box.
- The network must be built on normal switches
Again, there are several options for receiving a signal for your cable network:
1) Installing your headend -
Take a signal from satellites and from the air, drive it into the network. Free high-quality content on satellites is not enough, so if you want good channels, get ready to pay broadcasters (more on this later). Depending on how your network will be built (IP TV or classic KTV), the configuration of the headend changes, the price of the solution also varies greatly and also depends on how many channels you intend to broadcast on your network.
2) Receiving a signal from a friendly KTV operator.
A simple and cheap option is to take a signal from a friendly operator and relay it yourself.
To legally provide cable television services to the population and legal entities, you will need at least:
1) A license for communication services for cable broadcasting - the issue price is 15300 rubles of state duty + preparation of documents by a consulting organization - from 15000 rubles and above. To obtain a license, you will need to conclude an agreement with the broadcaster (at least one) and attach a notarized copy of the broadcaster’s license to your license application.
In the event that you provide IP TV services, it is understood that you already have licenses for data transmission and telematics.
The terms for obtaining a license are 90 days or more.
2) After obtaining a license, you need to conclude an agreement with all the channels that you will broadcast. Broadcast 100 channels, show 100 contracts. There are not many channels that give their content for free, so get ready to pay. The cost, as a rule, is either calculated from the number of your subscribers, or fixed.
3) After you have collected all the agreements and if the number of subscribers in your network does not exceed 2500 subscribers, go to Roskomnadzor and get a permit for operation. If the number of subscribers is more, you will need to make a KTV network project, and conduct its examination.
Only after obtaining a permit for operation you can legally provide services!
Overview - technical part. Network construction.
There are two main options for building a network:
1) Classic analog KTV - the necessary conditions: optics to every house (who does not have one now), at least 1 free fiber. An optical receiver is installed on the house, from the optical receiver to the subscriber, the wiring is done with a coaxial cable. If the house is large, then it may be necessary to install trunk amplifiers on a coaxial cable.
Pros:
- the subscriber does not need to buy a set-top box to the TV to watch broadcast channels.
- relatively low cost of implementation.
Cons:
- the signal quality is high, but still not digital
- the need to allocate at least 1 fiber in the mains to each house.
- signal loss in long coaxial cables = it is necessary to install amplifiers in many large access houses
- there is no way to control the subscriber's balance and disconnect it in a timely manner.
- short opportunities in terms of further expansion.
To disconnect subscribers, debtors have to send installers with pliers which disconnects the subscriber from his staircase (not the fact that the subscriber will not turn on himself in an hour).
2) IP TV - prerequisites: a working network on normal L2 managed switches supporting IGMP, IGMP Snooping (the cheapest option is Dlink DES 3526, the good option is Cisco Catalyst 2950), gigabit backbones between the houses.
Pros:
- built on top of your existing network, in fact it comes down to installing the headend, setting up switches, and selling set top box consoles to subscribers.
- subscribers turn on and off centrally, you can organize several tariff plans, closed channels, etc.
- the ability to organize additional Video-On-Demand services (video on demand, virtual cinema, etc.)
Cons:
- the subscriber must buy a set top box.
- The network must be built on normal switches
Head station
Again, there are several options for receiving a signal for your cable network:
1) Installing your headend -
Take a signal from satellites and from the air, drive it into the network. Free high-quality content on satellites is not enough, so if you want good channels, get ready to pay broadcasters (more on this later). Depending on how your network will be built (IP TV or classic KTV), the configuration of the headend changes, the price of the solution also varies greatly and also depends on how many channels you intend to broadcast on your network.
2) Receiving a signal from a friendly KTV operator.
A simple and cheap option is to take a signal from a friendly operator and relay it yourself.
The practical part is the legal part.
To legally provide cable television services to the population and legal entities, you will need at least:
1) A license for communication services for cable broadcasting - the issue price is 15300 rubles of state duty + preparation of documents by a consulting organization - from 15000 rubles and above. To obtain a license, you will need to conclude an agreement with the broadcaster (at least one) and attach a notarized copy of the broadcaster’s license to your license application.
In the event that you provide IP TV services, it is understood that you already have licenses for data transmission and telematics.
The terms for obtaining a license are 90 days or more.
2) After obtaining a license, you need to conclude an agreement with all the channels that you will broadcast. Broadcast 100 channels, show 100 contracts. There are not many channels that give their content for free, so get ready to pay. The cost, as a rule, is either calculated from the number of your subscribers, or fixed.
3) After you have collected all the agreements and if the number of subscribers in your network does not exceed 2500 subscribers, go to Roskomnadzor and get a permit for operation. If the number of subscribers is more, you will need to make a KTV network project, and conduct its examination.
Only after obtaining a permit for operation you can legally provide services!