The broadcast regulator, TRAI, today announced an increase of about 7 per cent in cable rates, both conditional access system (CAS) notified and non-CAS areas in the country. The increased tariffs would be applicable from January 1, 2009, TRAI said in a statement. After the increase, a viewer would have to pay Rs 5.37 per channel in the conditional access system (CAS) notified areas of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Earlier, the rate was Rs 5 per channel. Viewers would also have to spend Rs 5 more for watching free-to-air channels. TRAI has increased tariff on basic tier services to Rs 82 from 77, in which a viewer gets 30 free-to-air channels. TRAI increased cable rates for the non-CAS areas by 7 per cent. However, the TRAI decreased the security deposits and rentals of the set top boxes observing fall in their price in last two years.
