Pay-TV channels go blank due to dollar crisis
Satellite pay-TV users are finding that increasingly more channels are unavailable for viewing. The reason: non-availability of dollars to make payments to the relevant foreign stations.
“I noticed that the channel the kids usually watch was blank with a poor signal message,” said a 38-year-old author and mother of two children below the age of six. It started around two weeks ago. Another customer had subscribed to a sports channel to watch the ICC Women’s World Cup, only for the transmission to be suspended due to the inability to make payments to the relevant foreign channels.
SLT Mobitel–PEO TV issued a statement confirming that the transmission of Star Sports India was suspended due to the dollar shortage which had resulted in the inability to make necessary payments.
However, it said the company was discussing with relevant stakeholders to resolve the matter soon.
Meanwhile, reports have also been received about phone lines being disrupted owing to the power cuts. The inability to communicate during power cuts is a growing concern among the people. One customer said she used SLT Fibre connection for home internet and PEO TV. Her mobile connection is Dialog: “There is no Dialog signal for calls or mobile data.”
“In case of an emergency we can’t communicate because the landlines, our mobile phones and the internet aren't working,” said a 50-year-old housewife from Moratuwa.
The SLT Mobitel spokesman said the older type of landlines with the copper line were not affected due to the power cuts. It is the new fibre connections that are hit as the light signals sent through the line do not carry any power.
“The equipment which converts the light signal into the normal broadband at the customer’s premises requires a power supply," he said. "When there is no power supply, this gets disconnected." However, he noted that SLT Mobitel outlets are offering a standby power unit with rechargeable batteries for customers to purchase. These power units will give 4-6 hours of broadband capabilities during power outages.
Dialog did not respond to multiple requests for a comment.