Hyderabad: NXTDIGITAL Limited (“NDL”), the media vertical of the global Hinduja Group and India’s premier integrated digital distribution company offering digital cable, HITS (Headend-In-The-Sky), broadband, content, and teleshopping; today launched 40 NXTHUBs across India and unveiled a Value-Added App for its Last Mile Owners (“LMOs”). Following the launch of its pilot in Ranchi, these NXTHUBs were electronically launched at an event in Hyderabad across 13 states including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, amongst others.
Each NXTHUB is owned and operated by NDL and is equipped with the latest technology comprising an ADDS or Advanced Digital Distribution System – to distribute over 650 digital TV services received via satellite to LMOs and their customers. The NXTHUB plug-and-play model eliminates the need for LMOs to invest in the headend and related technology. Besides video and broadband, these NXTHUBs are future-ready to offer a slew of additional digital services including OTT and WiFi.
Each location has been strategically chosen to augment the company’s footprint across the country, which today stands at over 4,400 pin codes, as well as focus on markets where LMO growth is constrained by the ability to invest. For LMOs, this plug-and-play solution facilitates them to go “digital” literally overnight, offering their customers over 650 digital television channels and other digital services including broadband. NDL has planned a total of 100 such NXTHUBs for this financial year that will further strengthen the NDL footprint across the country.
Says Vynsley Fernandes, Managing Director & CEO of NXTDIGITAL Limited “One of the key principles of the Hinduja Group is ‘Partnership for Growth’. After 2.0 saw the launch of HITS to connect LMOs in even the most remote locations through the only satellite-based cable TV platform in India; 3.0 focuses not just on strengthening the overall ecosystem we have built, but harnessing the convergence of technologies – to be delivered through a national network of NXTHUBs. Video and broadband are only the starts of the digital highway of services that we have developed for roll-out, backed by a robust suite of innovative apps developed by service providers, exclusively for our LMOs and subscribers.”.
Says SY Srikumar, Regional Head for Andhra Pradesh & Telangana at NXTDIGITAL “We’re proud that 16 of the 40 NXTHUBs are in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana alone – and this national launch from Hyderabad reflects our commitment to LMOs here and the subscribers who expect a high quality of service. We believe this unique model will help stimulate growth and we have already lined up not just new products but also many more NXTHUBs across the region.”
NDL which has always been at the forefront of using technology to boost the digitization of its networks and thereby deliver the best customer services also announced the launch of its new APIs or Application Programme Interfaces for its NXTDIGITAL HITS service as well as a pre-integrated mobile app solution from “Mobiezy” – under its VAAP program or “Value Added Apps for Partners”. These APIs are designed to provide LMOs a way to develop or integrate their own subscriber mobile applications to automate activation/deactivation of subscriber packages directly into NDL’s systems, thereby enhancing the user experience.
According to Ru Ediriwira, Group CTO at NXTDIGITAL, “This initiative will empower subscribers to pay online and subscribe to the channels they want to watch and get it activated on their TV sets in real-time without any delay. Without needing to undertake any software development, LMOs can approach Mobiezy for their pre-built and pre-integrated solution that uses NXTDIGITAL’s new APIs and can be up and running with their own mobile apps within just a few days”.
The Partnership for Growth 3.0 model envisages not only expansion through NXTHUBs and the development of apps but also new business models that will benefit the entire ecosystem. One such initiative is the infrastructure sharing model that NDL has been working on – which will help other MSOs reduce operating costs, improve quality of service and extend services to hitherto unviable markets, especially rural; by riding on the HITS platform that covers all of India.
