PAY TV firm declines to pay Shs9 billion for fake Decoders

KAMPALA: Digital Pay Television provider, StarTimes has stood ground against compensating customers more than 130,000 customers duped with outdated Digital Video Broadcasting -Terrestrial decoders (DVB-T)

The company sold each DVB-T decoder at Shs70, 000 to customers but were later discovered and announced to be outmoded by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and later prompted a civil suit.

But the company, Daily Monitor, understands objected the out of Court settlement options-of paying customers at least Shs9.1 billion for the fake equipment or providing the required DVB-T2 set top boxes warranted by the regulator, UCC and other International Standards

Star Times publicist, Christine Nagujja, when contacted defended the company’ decision saying, other Pay TV providers (like DSTV) also provided relatively similar obsolete technology (while they were starting) but have never compensated customers or even dragged Court.

“And it’s not that DVB-T decoders do not function. They still do---but it was also simply advancement in the technology,” Ms Nagujja remarked, “Telecom companies are now using 3/4G technology for internet but are people using 1G blocked from doing so?”

She also maintained the Court Case is “simply political”, and aimed at mudslinging the company’ reputation. “Let’ just wait for what Court will decide.”

Two pay television customers subscribing to StarTimes, a Chinese-owned Pay TV operator, Mr Muzamir Kasamba and Mr Mulwani Taminwa, jointly with the Uganda Consumer Protection Awareness Association (UCPAA), sued the company for distribution of out-of-date decoders, rather incompatible to digital technology.

Star Times officials also said, the company stopped importation of the said decoders and noted: “Any one claiming to have bought a DVB-T decoder from our outlets is lying.”

Over 130,000 Star Times pay TV subscribers allege that the firm has continued selling them DVB-T set top boxes— an outdated technology which is yet to be switched off instead of Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial (DVB-T2), a modern decoder with a bigger frequency spectrum capable of carrying higher TV content and compatible with digital broadcasting compared to DVB-T.

Mr Richard Omongole, legal representatives of the applicants confirmed Star Times objection to the “settlement options” but said the case is still in Court.

Uganda is among several African countries preparing for digital migration in 2015, but awareness in the country is still lukewarm.

While UCC acquiesced to DVBT2 as the ideal for digital migration, StarTimes had ostensibly been given a licence by the former to sell DVBT1 set top boxes, in cognisance of full implications, which critics said is justification of “UCC’ corruption and Incompetence.”

Side bar

Attempts to get comment from UCC were futile by press time as several officials authorised to comment on the matter could not be reached by phone.