Wednesday, June 07, 2006

CBNSat ceases transmissions

This is my first post in this blog that has started during these turbulent times. As of last night at approx 9:30PM 06/06/2006, CBNSat has ceased transmissions. I was always intending to start a blog dedicated to the CBNSat customers where they can tell their problems regarding this DTH service and also congratulate them for a job well done. In fact this is also open for the management of CBNSat.

What has happened is very bad and I hope the authorities involved will take steps to rectifiy this matter. CBNSat says that they have been asked to cease transmissions due to legal issues although they will not divulge what these legal reasons are. It came as a surprise as Rupavahini & Channel Eye became unavailable on CBNSat as of last friday and all traces to the channel were removed from the CBNSat website.

Does this transmission ceasing have anything to do with that, is it a government directive. Well we only can wait and see. Anyway all I can say is that CBNSat has been criticized a lot by us and by our sister blog http://tvradiosrilanka.blogspot.com/

This critisizing was always intended to make their service better and as we criticised them we are also ready to support them if they require our help.

Anyone who knows any information about this problem please post your comments to us and keep reading as we update you on new developments.



93 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, when I called them last night before the transmission was stopped but after the warning came up they told me it was a technical error and that their sat provider Seurostar had to reboot the system. When asking why - if there was a techical problem I still could see the transmission they were unable to explain.

Now it seem likely that we are cut off for the long haul. I cannot believe that not only do they let themselfes be put in situations where legal issues can effectively kill their company, but that they are also not being open and honest to us, their customers.

Any suggestions on how to get Access to sports channels now that the Football World Cup is starting?

Anonymous said...

Ok, I called CBNSat again. This time the lady that answered the phone said it was "a legal issue" that stopped the transmission, but that she was "not authorised to discuss it". Of course I asked her to connect me to someone that was. The guy that came online told me that YES, there had been a legal issue relating to the free distribution of some indigenous channels, but that that was resolved for now by the exclusion of these channels. He then said that the current break in transmission was due to unspecified technical issues. When I asked him how come CBNSat knew that there was going to be technical problems BEFORE they actually happened, he said that "only management know the full picture". Funnily enough the entire management was "in a meeting right now" so I couldn't speak to them. The guy told me that he'll forward the conversation with me to "management" as a sound file.

Honestly, CBNSat owes us information here. There no mention on their website about transmission being down, much less a reason for it. Aside from it being bad business practice to keep your customers in the dark, it is also STUPID because it will increase the amount of complaint calls from people like me who are anxious to watch some quality football come this weekend.

I hope "management" will show some good managament - soon.

Anonymous said...

I think both you guys are correct,they mislead us on ESPN & STAR and they are realy hiding something big this time.The management should know what they are doing from the begining and this legal issue i think is a big cover up there is something more alarming.

The should immedietly componsate the subscribers who are fooled and not for the first time too.

Anonymous said...

We are deprived of the football and the movies and i think the CBNsat management is not damn concerned about its subscribers and seems they have other motives.First it was sports channels and now the entire system is cut off and they send a message,just easy as that.

Its time some dependable coporate launch a platform at least they would be sincere and we would have uninteruppted service.

Anonymous said...

I THINK CBNsat FILLED A VACCUM WHERE OTHER SMALL TIME PROVIDERS DIDNT HAVE COVERAGE,QUALITY OR CAPACITY BUT IT WOULD LOOSE ALL ITS CREDIBILITY BY LYING TO ITS CUSTOMERS.

WHATEVER THE THRUTH THE CUSTOMERS SHOULD KNOW BECAUSE THEY PAY A PRICE FOR IT.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry to post this enquiry on the page...but can someone tell me when Comet Cable will start Digital TV broadcasts? I have both Comet Cable and CBNsat

Anonymous said...

Comet Cable to go digital? the expression "when hell freezes over" comes to mind....

Seriously - last I spoke to some unusually open guy at Comet he told me that "it is not going to happen, we don't have the money needed for the investment".

I guess it is like everything else in this country, the money has gone into foreign trips and luxury cars for The Chosen Few.

Anonymous said...

Sorry! But Comet Cable's digital launch is taking a very long time. They are unable to do it because of their internal problems and although we had a good alternative in CBNSat it looks like a very bad thing in the history of the pay tv industry happened in sri lanka today.

Anonymous said...

Dont talk about commet and going digital when they cant resolve their internal conflicts and even give new connections(Now they give through decorders returned by customers who converted to CBNsat) and what can you expect from a company like this.

CBNsat was the answer and now a huge question mark hangs over their sincerityto the subscribers who are made fools at present.

And commet also has deprived us of TEN SPORTS which i hear has an exclusive agreement with.If CBNsat is to survive it has to rebound with a bang,Proberbly with TEN and STAR WORLD/MOVIES,at least then the customers will feel that they are concerned with what the subscribers want.

That is only a wish we can make at present

Anonymous said...

Hey guys,, well to tell you the inside story of CBNSAT,, there main business is not DTH.The main fundraiser is the voice traffic they carry to South India through the leased satellite links.DTH is just a cover up version of bad things.

Anyway there aint any technical problem or licensing problem.The problem is the CBNSAT office was raided by the ciD last night was SEALED OFF their main control room.The problem is with the local license they have with the TRC.

Well this will not be sorted out soon as they are already in a big soup.

Anonymous said...

What about SATnet they should step up now and uplink if they want to capitalise on a market share and wipe off all those urudu/thelingu/malayali channels and collect rentls on a monthly basis(I wonder whether they can).

And people are not fools to buy a connection at 38,000/- and pay a rental over 2000/-

Does this make sense

Anonymous said...

i was aware of the CID story and can you just explain this voice traffic scene,Because i feel you are on the dot.

But cant they stop that and recommence the DTH.

Anonymous said...

Has This anything to do with SATnet or whatever who launched recently,are they undercutting

Anonymous said...

Why dont a reputed corporate venture into this lucrative business,then we would atleast have the confidance and hopefully they would not opt to practices of this nature(if what is said is true.)

How many subcribers does CBN realy have

Anonymous said...

voice traffic

well its another term for telephone connection.These people have the facility to uplink or downlink any voice/data from any part of sri lanka.what i think happned was information went and came in from sri lanka may be specially from the nort and the east.We should not cry and make a big show out of this.No one influenced anyone to disconnect the service.I think this is mainly to do with with national security.

Anonymous said...

Who is at the back of this? they should be exposed as this country needs new investments new technology if after one year in operation CBN sat has captured the Sri Lankan market It has to be a selfish jealous competitor behind this As generally most Sri lankans we our jealous of our own countrymen and when we see one doing well we love to pull him down I think the Government should take quick action

Anonymous said...

I think the government just did..... :-(

Anonymous said...

to whoever is behind this black comedy...i give them the finger :p

Anonymous said...

CBNsat case: CID, SLTRC ordered to appear before Court

COLOMBO: Colombo Additional Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya yesterday ordered the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Director General of the Sri Lanka Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (SLTRC) to appear before Court.

The Court made this order following the CID's search of the headquarters of the CBNsat private satellite TV service on a search warrant and stoppage of the transmission yesterday.

President's Counsel M.L.M. Ameen submitted that the CID had misdirected the search warrant and the CID had gone beyond its powers to stop the transmission. He pleaded to grant permission to re-start the transmission.

The Judge observed that the Court should listen to both the parties and he issued notice on the Director of CID and the SLTRC Director General to appear before the Court.

Source : http://www.dailynews.lk/2006/06/08/news38.asp

Anonymous said...

I think Mr. Laxman Hulugalla is definitely behind this move. As the industry people know he is a very famous under-cutter. He was linked with the infamous Channel 9 case also. And he is the chairman of SATnet. He was behind President Ranasinghe Premadasa and then with CBK & RW and now he is seen with President Mahinda Rajapakse. So we could see who ever is in power this man is there. I think it's high time to the President to identify rats like this which will destroy our countrys' economy and future.

Anonymous said...

THERE IS A ARTICLE ON THE DAILY MIRROR(08.06.2006),THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS A BIG CONNECTION WITH RUPAVAHINI TELECASTING THE WORLD CUP AND A RUMOUR OF A LEADING MINISTERS SON STARTING A RIVAL STATION.

BUT I AGREE WITH WHAT IS SAID AND HULUGALLE IS DEFEINIETLY INVOLVED AND CHANNEL NINE CASE IS HISTORY.BUT DOING ALL THIS I DONT THINK ANY OF THE INTELIGENT SUBSCRIBER IS GOINT TO CONVERT OR OBTAIN SOME BULLSHIT (SATNET OR WHATEVER).IT IS FACT THAT CBNsat SHOULD WITHOUT FEAR INFORM THERE CUSTOMERS WHO IS BEHIND THIS

AS FOR COMET I DONT THINK THEY EVEN KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING,THEY ARE JUST USING OUTDATED TECHNOLOGY AND ALL SUBCRIBERS OF CBN SHOULD TARGET THIS REAL CULPRIT.

Anonymous said...

It is high time the CID and the TRC were taken to task for all what they did. They have no right to go to a private company and raid it and then shut it down. This is a democratic country. National Security my ass. Just because the company is run by Tamils does it become a threat to National Security. Anyway CBNSat's main line of business is not only DTH. They want to go in for Distance Learning, Voice Traffic, maybe even provide Sattellite based Internet Connections in the future. They are a company that will have massive business in Sri Lanka.

By the way SatNet is only a dealer in Sri Lanka for Dish TV and Star TV and they do not have any Satellite Uplinking facility that is why their Star TV package is very expensive and also their Dish TV package contains a lot of Hindi/Telungu/Urdu Channels because it is a Indian DTH company. SATNET is by no means sattellite broadcasting company.

Anonymous said...

Hey is it true that Comet Cable has stopped Ten Sports??

Anyway who gave Comet Cable the right to put local advertisements by cutting the foreign advertisements and also insrting ads on the screen. Should the CID and the TRC not be concerned about this.

Does Dish TV have authority to give connections in Sri Lanka via Satnet and does Dish TV have approval from their content providers to distribute their signals here.

Does Multivision who operate Comet Cable have the authority to give their signals to Cable TV companies like DCV,etc.

Anonymous said...

Well, CBNSat website is down now as well.

Actually, I for one will succumb to these antics and move my dish East to pick up SatNets transmissions. I hate to do it, but the world cup IS the world cup. Haven't missed a single game since the early 70's and I won't miss one now - especially not because of dirty Sri Lankan games.

Anonymous said...

Come on man dont go for SATNET,you are giving in to dirty undercutting politics,Lets support this guys if they are realy innocent.

TEN SPORTS dropping out from comet is news to me and Taj Tv should basicaly sign up up with a new island wide network(Even with the Ministers sons rival network if CBN fades out - DAILY MIRROR 08.06.06)

But Hulugalle cant do anything he has to give what India gives - GOOD FOR HIM

Anonymous said...

SAtnet can kiss my arse and CBNsat will not fade out. They have taken the matter to courts.

P.s.-their web is not down i hust accessed it.

Anonymous said...

Hey Rupavahini and Channel Eye have just reported that CBNSat has been shut due to operating without a license but in the BOI website it says that CBNSat is authorised to provide Pay TV operations in Sri Lanka.

http://boi.lk/newsportal/view.asp?NewsID=2093&CatID=2

If the bloody BOI website cannot give proper information then they should be investigated first.

Anonymous said...

How can a company operate Pay TV services without license for over a year. Was the TRC blind for the last year. They are upto no good.

They advertised on TV & Radio also and still the TRC did not know.

Come on Assholes what with you

Anonymous said...

Now how can we get to know the result of the court hearing. Any one from home who is posting on this blog can you update us when CBNSat resumes transmission. Which court is this. It is better if all of us can protest in front of this court.

Anonymous said...

yes better if we can protest but the thing is i am from kandy :(

Hopefully the courst will grant permission for re transmission. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Anonymous said...

"Come on man dont go for SATNET,you are giving in to dirty undercutting politics,Lets support this guys if they are realy innocent."

Hey mate, I'm with you. I'll drop SATNET like the pieces of shit they are if I get an alternative. For now, until CBNSat gets back online, it's all there is. Unless the world cup is on national free TV and I somehow can get the reception to work.

I agree that CBNSat is the only television provider on this island that is service minded and I'll go back to them the second they can deliver.

Anonymous said...

Hey Hey, Please don't call all tamils as terrorists. Only 20% of the tamils are in LTTE controlled areas. Others are living peacefully among the Sinhalese in the south. If CBN is linked with LTTE the investigations should reveal that. We are at the crossroads now and by making such foolish statements you will cover the real picture. NTT (National TV of Tamil Eelam) is uplinked from the jungles of wanni using the vsat equipment provied by the previous government. If the current government want to stop the NTT broadcast TRC could do it easily by jamming the uplink frequency. Is the technical staff at TRC are fools or they hide the real picture from the public for some other reasons. Dirty Politics in the arena again. Dear Mr. President ! If you don't get rid of these idiots form your government you'll have to pay the price.

Anonymous said...

Sri Lanka’s First Satellite Digital Video Broadcasting Launched

The new digital satellite video broadcasting service provider, Communiq Broadband Network (CBN), launched Sri Lanka’s first Satellite Digital Video Broadcast recently. CBNSat offers BBC and CNN broadcasts directly to homes. Apart from these two channels CBNSat also offers a wide range of channels covering areas of news, education, sports, action and movies for a premium quality service.

Muhunthan Canagey, Chief Executive of CBNSat, explained that the service is now available to all Sri Lankans throughout the Island. CBNSat has the capability and infrastructure to broadcast upto 120 channels. The company will be covering the whole island at once without going by region. Muhunthan says more channels are enlisted to be added to the service.

The viewers of CBNSat’s Satellite Television Network will experience a high level of audiovisual quality, which will be a distinctive advantage. Apart from the Satellite Television Network, CBNSat is geared to provide many other highly advanced services through the utilization of satellite technology. The Sri Lanka public at large would be the beneficiary of these improvements.

The Company is linked with Singer Sri Lanka, a pioneer in consumer electronics and a leading household appliance store. CBNSat has ensured the availability of the complete set of equipment needed to connect to the Satellite Television Network. This includes the satellite dish and decoder, which is available in over 1000 sales outlets island wide.

The CEO of CBNSat said the service provider established in Sri Lanka by CBNSat would provide Sri Lankans throughout the island with a unique experience irrespective of geographical parameters. Subscription will be offered at Rs. 500/- per month.

Marketing Manager Chinthaka Wanasinghe pointed out that CBNSat would also offer distance-learning facility provided to Sri Lankan students to access and view course support programmes on TV. Upon signing up to the digital learning centres, these students could follow courses as simply as watching normal TV.

The CEO of CBNSat confirmed that the CBNSat Digital Satellite already beams to the total region, which extends from Maldives to China while seeking to extend its reception island wide.

Source : http://boi.lk/newsportal/view.asp?NewsID=2093&CatID=2

Anonymous said...

CBN SAT
ALL FART NO SHIT!!!

Atleast Comet never had a blackout with all their problems.
I am going back to Comet.
This is a good lesson for all of us,by trying to throw the old broom away.
Will you return our monies ?

Anonymous said...

Oh don't worry. Comet Cable has lost channels during the last fews and then got them back. They have had their problems.

If CBNSat for you is All Fart and No Shit then

Comet Cable is
NO FART
NO SHIT

Anonymous said...

Looks like all this hype on the blogspot on the forum is also sponsored by CBNSat. As a Comet Subscriber I would vouch that they have gone through difficult times but never once gone totally off air. I spoke to a staff who was open about their issue and it is only internal and made more difficule due to Political intervention. However as a Patriotic citizen I strongly feel that CBNSat should not be allowed to continue due to the alleged links that they have. It is more than just the license issue involved here. I too was almost switching to them when a friend of mine told me of their link and I am happy with my decision to remain with Comet, "Digital or not". Looks like new brooms don't sweep clean.

TV & Radio Sri Lanka said...

Some posts are appearing on this Blog saying that this blog is Sponsored by CBNSat. I would like to clarify that this Blog is an independant blog and is not affliated to any CableTV operator or any other broadcaster in anyway.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the COMET subscriber,If their is any evidance to justify that claim they should be stopped,I also had that decesion to make,but luckily or unlukily,COMET did not have decorders to give new connections for a long time.

But if this all true some genuine and respected corporate should step into the market as there is lot of scope and expansion and a lucrative business.

I persoanly does not have respect for SATnet because of their past involment and the thing with COMET and LBN is that they do not have coverage and use outdated equipment for lack of funds.

What do you guys think,should a big coporate with adequate funds step in or will CBNsat get the all clear?.

Anonymous said...

lol man all this comet gay dudes posting here makes me laugh. I have two questions for

them.

1.Can't u undestand that this forum is about CBNsat not comet?
2.are you retarded?

this is not a place for you to boast about comet's "greatness". If you guys are so thrilled about Comet, go and mastrubate in front of Comet Cable head office till they go digital. No offence but you are going waay off topic here.

And those of you suddenly became aware of the "national security threat" that is named CBNsat, please check the links of their host satellite and provide us any proof to support your conclusion (dont bring lame thories saying chairman is a tamil and....bullcrap).

Suddenly i see a lot of patriots emerging. Why dont you join the army if you are so concerned about the country's security, instead of jabbering bullshit here?

To get back on topic, is it today the court hearing is scheduled to be? I didnt see any date.

Anonymous said...

I agree that Comet Cable did not give connections cause they did not have Decoders. But now they have a lot since most of their subscribers have disconnected from them and joined CBNSat.

CBNSat does not have any involvement with the LTTE and the CID cannot shut their operations with a search warrant. May be the guy who lead the search could not read due to lack of reading skills.

This is a democratic country and if there was any suspicion the court of law should have been the first alternative.

Anyway why did Rupavahini and Channel Eye disconnect from CBNSat before this, for all I know they are also behind this. The Daily Mirror also has some mention of this involvement of the state channel

Anonymous said...

The Court hearing is today and we should see a result of whether it is Yes or No at about 3:00PM. So keep your decoders on and your fingers crossed. Hopefully the Judge is a CBNSat customer who is a football fan.

Anyone from home who is a customer of CBNSat please inform us when the signal returns.

Anonymous said...

TO ALL :

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM POSTING NON WORTHY FILTHY MESSAGES ON THIS FORUM. THIS IS A SERIUOS ISSUE AND LET US SAFEGUARD OUR RIGHTS AS CONSUMERS. THE HAND THAT WAS PUT TO CBN WILL TOMORROW COME TO COMET OR LBN. SATNET HAS GOT THE DEALERSHIP FORM DISH TV INDIA AND STAR TV. SO HE WANTS TO UNDERCUT THE OTHER OPERATORS. SO DEAR ALL PLEASE DISCUSS SOMETHING WORTH HERE.

THANK YOU !

Anonymous said...

SATNET ARE THE AGENTS FOR THE STAR TV AND DISH TV IN SRI LANKA. THEY STARTED WITH THE NAME STAR TV LANKA AND SATELLITE TELEVISION LANKA COMPANY NAMES. WITH THE START OF CBNSAT THEY CHANGED THIER NAME TO SATNET AND IN THEIR WEB SITE THEY SAY SRI LANKAS FIRST DIGITAL BROADCASTER WHICH IS 100% WRONG. THEY ARE JUST SELLING RECEIVING EQUIPMENT TO RECEIVE THE SIGNAL BEAMED TO INDIA. I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHETHER THIS PERSON HAS GOT THE LICENCE FROM TRC TO DO SO. HE MIGHT NOT NEED IT TOO BECAUSE HE IS WITH THE BIG WIGS OF THE GOVERNMENT. HE HAS ESPN AND STAR SPORTS ON BOTH STAR AND DISH TV. THIS IS A GOOD TIME FOR HIM TO SNEAK IN AND GRAB THE MARKET OPPORTUNITY THAT CBAN SAT HAVE CREATED. IF YOU TAKE THE PAST 6 MONTHS THE SATELLITE TV WAS THE WORD ACROSS SRI LANKA. THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE TREND SET BY THE CBNSAT. WHEN U GOTO PITAKOTUWA YOU COULD BUY KU BAND SATELLITE SYSTEMS FOR RS. 8500/= WHICH NEVER WAS THERE BEFORE.

MR. HULUGALLE WAS SEEN RIGHT BEHIND THE PRESIDENT LAST FEW DAYS AND IMMEDIATELY I KNEW THAT THIS IS NOT FOR GOOD. NOW HE HAD DONE THE DAMAGE. THIS ISD VERY BAD CONSIDERING THE CEO OF CBNSAT BEING A TAMIL CANT HE DO A DECENT BUSINESS. JUST BY BEING A TAMIL IS HE BEING A TERRORIST. BY DOING SUCH FOOLISH THINGS LIKE THIS WE PAVE THE WAY FOR THEM TO BECOME TERRORISTS.

IF CBNSAT HAVE DONE ANYTHING ILLEGAL THEY SHOULD BE SEVERLY PUNISHED UNDER THE COUNTRYS' LAW. NO ONE SHOULD INTERFERE WITH THAT.

AS CUSTOMERS WE SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE WHAT WE WANT THROUGH A FAIR COMPETITION. WE JUST DONT WANT ANYONES ANYTHING PRESSING FORCEFULLY TO US.

Anonymous said...

Well Courts should be closed by now. Wonder what the decision is, does anyone. Anyone with CBNSat decoders pls switch them on.

CBNSat Customer

Anonymous said...

I have the decoder switched on. NO signal yet.

Anyone called CBNsat customer care? When i called them yesterday the lady who asnwered the call said not to worry and they will be starting services soon.

And anyone know what the court's decision was?

Anonymous said...

Postponed till Monday!!! Will we live to fight another day

Anonymous said...

This is outrageous. Then what the hell are we going to do about the World Cup. I think all of us will have to call the TRC and the BOI now.

This is unfair.

Anonymous said...

We are still waiting for and official press release from CBNSat.Upto now they have failed.There should be something for them keep quiet.

Anonymous said...

Just now I phoned the cusomer service, they are still clueless (or they pretend).

Anonymous said...

Has anybody thought about this. What if CBNSat is never to be re-established. Then, as loyal customers, what are the options that we do have to protect our intrests ?

Anonymous said...

in true Sri Lankan style case postponed to Monday. Guess there is no joy for us over the weekend. Wait and see.

Anonymous said...

I aint going to switch :) I am confident that CBNsat will be back. So i am hanging in there.

Anonymous said...

I CHECKED RIGHT NOW (20HRS 08/06/2006) AND CONFIRM THAT NTT (NATIONAL TELEVISION OF TAMIL EELAM) IS STILL WORKING. ANYONE WHO HAS A KU BAND SATELLITE RECEIVER COULD CHECK IT BY ENTERING THE FOLLOWING SETTINGS.

FREQUENCY = 11506 V
SYMBOL RATE = 2894

NTT TRANSMISSION IS ON FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS DAILY FROM 19.30HRS

THIS SIGNAL CAN BE RECEIVED FROM THE CBNSAT RECEIVERS ALSO BUT CBNSAT HAVE NOT AUTHORISED THE USERS TO WATCH IT.

THIS CLEARLY SHOWS THAT NTT IS NOT USING CBNSAT INFRASTRUCTURE TO UPLOAD THEIR CHANNEL.

Anonymous said...

Quoted from ITN news www.itn.lk

Ruling on CBN Sat transmissions on Monday
Updated on Thursday, June 08th 2006; 22:00 Hrs. SST (16:30 Hrs. GMT)

The Colombo Magistrate’s Court today announced that it will rule whether or not the injunction imposed on the suspension of CBN Sat satellite transmission will be lifted.

The court issued this order after considering a request made by the satellite television service provider to lift the ban imposed on their transmissions. In submissions on behalf of the CID and the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, State Counsel Gihan Kulatunge said such a satellite TV transmission can be maintained only with the approval of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission and the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. However, he pointed out that CBN Sat was operating without a valid permit. President’s Counsel M.L.N..Ameen, appearing on behalf of the CBN Sat said they possessed the required communications license. He said they had no legal obstructions in maintaining such a satellite TV transmission. The court will deliver its verdict on Monday after considering these views.

Anonymous said...

Guys i think this is all Hulugalles stuff he seems to have mislead the higher ups in the government(As he has done in the past)and this will make them realy unpopular.Rupavahini and Channel Eye has got into this because they want to block the world cup feed and gain on their advertisment revenue.This is Sri Lanka and we all should live with it.

The thing with SATnet is many of the hotels which had theier connections have switched to CBN as the star connection is RS.38000/- and the rental is above 2000/- wheres the dish TV you have to pay the rental quarterly and the feed is given from INDIA and further SATnet has only around 500 connections and being in the market for so long wheres CBNsat has over 25000 connections in less than one year and the 500 is dropping day by day due to conversions to CBNsat.Hope all these make sense as they have got the government and TRC and Rupavahini involved in it.

The curse will come on them and i hear TRC has infomed that they do not have an issue,so by Monday everything will be ok

Anonymous said...

Restraining order on CBNSat till June 12
Friday, June 09,2006

COLOMBO: A Colombo magistrate yesterday restrained CBN SAT from telecasting its cable net television programmes until June 12.On June 6, the CID obtained a magisterial warrant to search and inspect CBNSat television station at Kotahena. After searching the place, the CID had ordered the CBN staff to shut down their programmes.On June 7, Communiq Broadband Network (pvt) Ltd (CBNSat) asked permission of the court to reopen its cable channels. After hearing the submissions of counsel for CBNSat Colombo Additional Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya noticed CID and Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) officers to appear in court and to show cause for their actions. When the matter was taken up for inquiry on Thursday counsel M. L.M. Ameen, PC, making a lengthy submission stated that Communiq Broadband Network (Pvt) Ltd. and Soniset Technologies (Pvt) Ltd. are two sister companies carrying on a business of telecasting cable television programmes. Soniset Techonologies had got down the necessary electronic equipments after getting approval from the TRC, the Telecommunication Department, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ports Authority. Communiq Broadband Network had obtained the necessary licences and permits from the Telecommunication Department and the TRC. Further it had functioned as cable channel telecasters for more than a year, counsel said.


On or about June 6 the CID had obtained a search warrant from the magistrate concealing the facts about Soniset Technologies and its equipment. The CID had visited CBNSat premises unlawfully and in a surreptitious manner and had ordered to shut down the cable channel network system. The CID had not acted in a manner that a public officer should have acted when performing its duties. Knowing that the stipulated period to execute a search warrant was from morning till 6 p.m., the CID carried out the search until midnight. Further the CID had stationed a police officer on guard at the office grossly violating the rules and regulations of the Warrant Act, counsel said.


Counsel further said CBNSat had a clientele of over 20,000 and had telecast international cricket matches and was a reputed firm operating lawfully. Counsel produced various documents, photographs and invoices to prove the genuineness of the company and said the CID had acted in a harsh manner and pleaded to allow CBNSat channels to be reopened to the public.


In his submissions, senior counsel for the prosecution Gihan Kulatunge said the two companies had acted in a high handed manner by totally violating the law.


He further said CBNSat and Soniset are two different companies operating on two different floors in the building. Soniset does not have a permit or license to telecast cable channel programmes while CBNSat had a licence to encode only programmes from satellite and not from other telecasting media. Soniset was only permitted to sell and transact business relating to telecasting equipment and the company was only authorized to install the electronic equipment separately but not together as part and parcel of one unit. Further to carry on the business it had to obtain licences from the Rupavahini Corporation. Without a license it cannot function and counsel asked court to allow an inspection of the place by an expert engineer from the Rupavahini Corporation and report to court.


Commenting on the B report filed by the CID the magistrate said that according to the entry made by police it seemed that the respondents had not violated the law. However he restrained the company from telecasting programmes until June 12 and ordered the CID to submit to court a report from an expert engineer about his findings on the network.


Counsel M.L.M. Ameen PC, Ikram Mohamed PC with Riaz Ameen, Ian Fernando and Sujeewa Anthony instructed by John Wilson & Co. appeared for the respondent.


State Counsel Gihan Kulatunge, Sumathi Dharmawardena and SSP Waidayalankara (attorney-at-law) appeared for the prosecution.

Source:DailyMirror

Anonymous said...

CBN SAT clandestine

COLOMBO: The sealing of the private satellite television station, CBN SAT by the CID was a sequel to a two month long investigation where several details had surfaced pointing to the operation of an illegal transmission service by CBN SAT.

The CID on Tuesday armed with a search warrant raided the premises of CBN SAT. at No. 83, George de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 13. The search revealed that although CBN SAT. had a Vendor Licence, no licence was available issued by the authorities to operate Satellite Video Up-Linking services to transmit Direct to Home (DTH) TV programmes.

The CID which sought the Attorney General's advice in this regard was told that the private satellite station had violated section 17 (1) of the Telecommunication Act No. 25 of 1991.

Investigations revealed that CBN SAT was using a licence issued to a sister company Sonic Network (Pvt). Ltd. for the specific purpose of operating an External Gateway for International Telecommunication (EGO) to operate a Satellite Video Up-linking service.

The licence to Sonic Network was issued by then Minister of Mass Communications Imitiaz Bakeer Markar on February 28, 2003 for the purpose of operating an EGO under the provisions of the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act for a period of 10 years.

The licence permits the use of any type of technology but not a Satellite Video Up-linking service.

The functions of an EGO is only limited to telecommunication operations and not Video-Satellite operations. Hence there is no legal validity and legality in the agreement between Sonic Net-work (Pvt.) Ltd. and CBN SAT to operate a Satellite Video Up-linking Service under the existing licence.

Investigations further reveal that Sonic Net-work (Pvt) Ltd. and CBN SAT. (Pvt) Ltd. entered into a Service Agreement on April 1, 2005 to jointly operate international services specified on the licence issued to Sonic Net-work Ltd. namely to operate an EGO.

During the CID investigations it also transpired that the agreement CBN SAT has entered into with Sonic Network Technologies only grants the right to provide International Services specified on the license to transmit data.

Further inquiries revealed that CBN SAT promotes Direct to Home (DHT) TV programmes in Sri Lanka and they supply and fix small aperture satellite earth Station(VSTA) to consumers for a fee.

The VSTA supplied by CBN SAT is only compatible to receive programmes down-linked by PANAM

satellite and does not have the capacity to uplink or send messages. According to the CID it appears that CBN SAT had obtained local TV programmes from the TV operators in Sri Lanka and decoded same and transmitted through Sonic Net to PANAM satellite.

This process is an operation of a telecommunication system.

Evidence point to the fact that CBN SAT has made use of the EGO licence obtained by Sonic NET to uplink TV programmes consisting of audio and visuals.

On the other hand Sonic Net-work had entered into an agreement to provide international services to CBN SAT but in terms of clause 8 of the EGO licence the former Company (Sonic Net) should notify the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) about the said agreement.

However, without complying with this requirement they have continued to operate, which is a violation that could be termed illegal besides being a gross violation of Clause 8 of the said agreement.

CBN SAT customers receive TV programmes using VSAT as a result of the uplink by Sonic Net. This operation encompasses sending of messages to a satellite in orbit and retransmitting to Sri Lanka.

Hence the joint action by CBN SAT and SONIC Net-work to uplink live, presents and exercise leading to a telecommunication service.

The CID based on its findings has come to the conclusion that the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) should take necessary steps against Sonic Net for breach of EGO licence conditions, and CBN SAT for committing an offense in contravention of Section 28 of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Act No. 6 of 1982 warranting institution of criminal proceedings against CBN SAT and Sonic Net by the SLRC.

Source:DailyNews

Anonymous said...

SEE THE HIGHLIGHTED THING AT THE BOTTOM

Revolutionary Experience of Satellite Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB-S) Introduced to Sri Lanka by CBN Sat

Communiq Broadband Network (Private) Limited (CBNSat) proudly launched
Sri Lanka’s first Satellite Digital Video Broadcast (DVB-S) Direct-to-Home (DTH) network today. This service will cover the entire Island and the distinct advantage viewers of CBNSat’s Satellite Television Network will experience is the high level of audio-visual quality as yet unknown in Sri Lanka.

Television Channels available will include Discovery, CNN, BBC, Pogo, Cartoon Network, MTV, VH1, Nickolodian, Raj, Raj Digital, Animal Planet, The History Channel, National Geographic Channel, A1, AXN, Animax, FTV, Reality TV, SET, Zoom, Goal TV 1 and Goal TV2.

Apart from the Satellite Television Network, CBNSat is geared to provide many other highly advanced services through the utilization of satellite technology that would benefit the
Sri Lankan public. For example, the Distance Learning facility provided through CBNSat will enable Sri Lankan to access and view course support programmes on TV just as they would watch a normal television programme upon signing up with the relevant distant learning centre. This would provide Sri Lankans with access to a wide range of educational resources, which are not currently available in Sri Lanka.

Through partnering with Singer Sri Lanka, the leading consumer electronics and household appliances retailer, CBNSat has ensured the availability of the complete set of equipment required to connect to the Satellite Television Network including the satellite dish and decoder in over 1000 sales outlets throughout the country, to be purchased at the nominal rate of LKR 14, 695.00 + Vat.

Muhunthan Canagey, the CEO of CBNSat, commenting on the services provided by the satellite network said that their Satellite Television Network will provide Sri Lankans throughout the island with a unique television experience irrespective of geographical parameters, and most importantly subscriptions will be at the very affordable rate of LKR500.00 per month.

Minister of Ports & Aviation and Information & Media, and Deputy Minister of Education, Mangala Samaraweera, addressing the launch ceremony via video clipping stated that he fully endorsed the services provided by CBNSat and wished them every success for a sustainable operation.

Anonymous said...

We wants to see FIFA Wolrd cup i removed Comet cable cos of f. CBN this is good lesson to us anyway if they refund my intial payment i also wants to take legal action aginst CBN SORRY COMET CABLE Ill back to you

Anonymous said...

if anybody thinks that CBN Sat does not have proper licence, please visit http://www.trc.gov.lk/ego.htm and go through the clauses specially in page 25 & 26. This is the licence they have which was submited to courtes on 8th June

Anonymous said...

THE PRESS BRIEFING OF CBNSAT WILL BE HELD AT THE TRANS ASIA HOTEL AT 4.30PM TODAY,ANY SUBSCRIBER CLOSEBY PLEASE PARTICIPATE AND SHOW THAT WE ARE BEHIND.

EVEN MR.HULUGALLE IS INVITED AS CBN FEEL THEY ARE 100% CLEAN AND WITHIN THE LAW.

Anonymous said...

First of all i believe the Courts are not fully corrupted. And i strongly believe justice will be served and CBN will be back on air on Monday.

In case justice is not served, and CBN is banned forever, i for one will NOT move to SAtnet. I will live the rest of my life inside a cardboard box rather than having to watch thelingu and urdu bullcrap Hurugalle's gay service will provide. Mr. HUrugalle you've already lost this battle man, i give you the finger (the "fuck you" sign). In my view banning CBN= end of satellite communication's golden era in SL.

I am boycotting SAtnet and it's indian bullshit. And SAtnet will be a profitable business when some place very hot (hell) freezes over. And for those who switch (not many asi see it) to SATnet to view the world cup, i am disgusted at you. In my view you guys are the roots of encouraging foul tactics. You couldnt wait 2 days till MOnday? Will you eat shit if you are given no food for a while too? Stop being so selfish.

And i saw some ppl (once again, not many) from comet cable laugh at CBNsat customers and their current situation. Great work guys you will make the destruction of SL complete one day.

Many of us are with CBNsat. It is only two more days we have to wait. GO CBN, OWN em all them bitches!

Terminator out.

Anonymous said...

CBNSat should be mindful to observe whether the report to be submitted by Sri Lanka Rupavahini technician is going to be unbiased and uninfluenced.

The way the past activities of SLRC have taken place, I believe very easily SLRC's report could be manipulated too.

Anonymous said...

09 June 2006 19:26:47
CBNSat seeks court order to resume operations


June 9, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka's CBNSat – a local cable television operator -- is appealing to customers to be patient while they engage in a court battle aimed at re-starting operations.

Sleuths from the criminal investigation department switched off the equipment at CBNSat's affiliate company SonicNet technology, bringing its activities to a halt.

The company had also asked the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) to hold an inquiry and allow its operations to continue, and to restore its services pending a final decision, Chief Executive Muhunthan Canagey told journalists Friday.

CBNSat is alleging that police action to shut down its operations last Tuesday were unlawful.

Though police had a search warrant issued by a magistrate, the company alleges that the warrant did not permit sleuths from the Criminal Investigation Department to switch off equipment.

A technical report by Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation technicians is due to be filed in court on Monday, until which time court has allowed the equipment to remain switched off.

"Until the CID action is reversed or reviewed, SonicNet Technolgies (Pvt) Ltd will unless it is otherwise advised, be unable to switch its equipment back on," a company said in a statement to the media.

CBNSat says its signals were processed by SonicNet Technologies, and up-linked to a satellite.

SonicNet has an external gateway license allowing it to carry telephony and data traffic in and out of Sri Lanka.

The signals are then re-broadcasted to the ground through direct-to-home satellite technology.

CBNSat itself was marketing the pay TV operations and installing receiving equipment from last year.

"It is the company's position that it CBNSat does not require a license to carry out the activities it which it has been carrying out since, 27.05.2005," the statement said.

The company says it had TRC approval to import equipment.

Though the CID is investigating the SonicNet, the TRC has itself has not cancelled its license for violating conditions.

Source:lankabusinessonline.com

Anonymous said...

yeah good point but i dont think they will be able to alter reports much even if they tried coz it is all technical stuff. But u never know in srilanka so it's better to be watchful.

Anonymous said...

For me not having Discovery and the like (NGC, A1, etc.) is killing. Then atop that not having FIFA world cup.

Even kids are starting complain, not having CN, Pogo, Nick.

Anybody trying to screw CBNSat should be screwed first.

Anonymous said...

CBN sat has shown us, the Sri Lanka Vs England test series while all other TV stations failed to show these popular Cricket matches on their programmes.

There is a large proportion of the population who do not receive proper signals for local channels Island wide including in major cities. Children had direct access to unaltered educational programmes through the CBN sat.

It is the viewers and the subscribers of the CBN sat who are penalized and suffering for mistakes which they have never committed or responsible. The rights of the subscribers should be respected in the first place. Their freedom to obtain information should be preserved at all cost at an era which is rightly named as the information age. It is absurd to attempt control and closedown any of these avenues at an information age, for what ever the reason they presume is relevant while the internet provides free access to all these information without any restriction.
Then they should ban internet as well. The right thing to do now is to clarify and provide a clear legal status to the CBN sat to operate at least the educational programmes such as the Discovery Channel, History Channel, National Geographic Channel, Travel and Living and the Animal planet until the status of the local channels are clarified, without further harassing the large number of subscribers who are innocent bystanders of this dirty game. Some of those who oppose CBN sat do not allow them to show those educational programs while they never attempt to provide those services to the general public in an acceptable manner. Some of those local Channels are in fact a curse for the minds of young children watching those local programmes.
In this manner, the nation is never capable of progressing as a civilized and developed nation with this type of attitudes of the authorities concerned , undermining all efforts to make use of the benefits of latest technological advances in the civilized world. No wonder the nation will remain as backwards and as an underdeveloped country on this manner for ever.

Anonymous said...

I think we have to wait till Monday to see some action to restart transmitting of CBNSat channels. If not I think we have to come forward to safeguard our rights as the customers.

We have spent our hard earned money on CBNSat equipment to get Information, be educated and to entertain our kids. Can a single corrupt person using his political powers to stop all that. Where is BOI to protect the investors and why is TRC so silent over the whole issue. They will also need to come forward and tell what this is all about. They are the ones who should protect customers.

When CBNSat commenced operations it was not secretly done. The Approval have been obtained from BOI for the company and from TRC for their equipment. And SonicNet also have obtained the necessary licences from TRC for their operations. TRC is there to guide the investors and companies and to set guidelines. So if CBNSat or SonicNet is starting an operation they should have issued necessary licences complying with the country’s law.

We all know that the satellite broadcasting equipment is sensitive and it cannot be brought down secretly. Even the ministry of defence have approved the import of Satellite broadcasting equipment for CBNsat & SonicNet Technologies. And these equipment is being Used by the government broadcasting institutions like Rupavahini and ITN. So does that means that government also used illegal transmission.

So the final conclusion should be if CBNSat have violated any law they should be fined and given a proper licence to restart their services immediately. Otherwise if CBNsat operations are legal and they have all the necessary approval and licences the culprits behind this whole scene should be brought out and they’ll have to pay CBNSat for the damage they have caused not only to the Brand name of CBNsat but to the whole country and the prospective investors.

Either way as a peoples government I believe the CBNSat services should be restored ASAP safeguarding the rights of 20,000 customers. TRC is established to safeguard the consumer. And the country’s law is to protect people. And BOI’s duty is to set the guidelines for the investors as per the country’s law to carry out a decent business.

We all can see a result in few hours time.

My only hope is that it should be in favour of the 20,000 households across Sri Lanka.

Anonymous said...

PRESS STATEMENT OF 09.06.2006 OF COMMUNIQ BROADBAND NETWORK (PRIVATE) LIMITED WHICH CARRIES BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME AND STYLE OF CBNSAT.

1) CBNSat's customers have not since approximately 9 p.m. on Tuesday 6th June 2006 been available to access all channels including BBC, CNN, Discovery etc.

2) To dispel any false rumours or allegations the company wishes to present the facts of what has happened and why customers are not able to access those channels.

3) CBNSat is able to provide its services to its customers primarily through a company called SonicNet Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd.

4) SonicNet Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd. Has a license granted to it by the Minister of Mass Media and Communications in 2003 which authorises it to provide services as set out in the licence.

5) SonicNet Technologies (Private) Limited also has obtained all necessary approvals for all the equipment it uses from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka.

6) It is the company’s position that CBNSat does not require a licence to carry out the activities which it has been carrying out since 27.05.2005.

7) On a complaint made by a person or persons the Additional Magistrate of Colombo issued a search warrant to the Criminal Investigations Department to search CBNSat’s premises. SonicNet Technology (Pvt.) Ltd’s equipment is situated at the same location.

8) CID officers raided the premises of CBNSat and SonicNet Technologies (Private) Ltd. On 06.06.2006. Both companies cooperated fully with the CID.

9) Although the learned Magistrate granted permission for the search to take place from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. the presence of the CID officers continued till much later in the evening.

10) The Learned Magistrate did not in his order confer any power on the CID to seize or switch off SonicNet’s equipment.

11) Because of the equipment of SonicNet Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd. Being switched off unlawfully and without any reasonable of justifiable ground the customers of CBNSat cannot access the channels mentioned above any longer.

12) A Magistrates’ Court hearing took place on 8th June 2006 at which lawyers appearing for SonicNet Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd. Made extensive submissions. However the proceedings have been adjourned for Monday the 12th of June, 2006.

13) CBNSat is hopeful that the learned Magistrate will make such Orders as are necessary to undo the damage caused by the action taken by the CID in excess of the powers granted to it under the search warrant.

THE STEPS TAKEN SO FAR TO KEEP CUSTOMERS INFORMED

1) Before the equipment of SonicNet Technologies was switched off, CBNSat sent a message to its customers on Tuesday night at approximately 9 p.m. informing them that they would be unable to access the channels due to unavoidable circumstances.
2) CBNSat has instructed its staff to inform its customers that CBNSat has sought legal advice and will be taking appropriate action in Court.
3) CBNSat will issue press releases as often as possible to keep its customers informed of the progress of the legal actions being taken by it and by SonicNet Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd.

As for SonicNet Technologies (Private) Limited, it has also made representations to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission to hold an inquiry and to restore the service pending such inquiry.

Until the CID action is reversed or reviewed, SonicNet Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd. will, unless it is otherwise advised, be unable to switch its equipment back on.

Until SonicNet Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd.’s equipment is switched back on, approximately 20,000 customers of CBNSat in all parts of Sri Lanka and abroad will be unable to access the above channels.

CBNSat deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to its customers but vows that no effort will be spared to restore services as soon as possible.

Anonymous said...

Political undertones in ‘CBNsat’ saga

By Santhush Fernando
Around 20,000 customers of CBN Sat in Sri Lanka and abroad are unable to access CBN Sat facilities since June 6, following the sealing of the premises by the police, charged by CBN (Pvt) Ltd to be in excess of the powers granted.
The Communiq Broadband Network (Pvt) Ltd in a statement issued said that Sonic Net Technologies (Pvt) Ltd through which CBN Sat provides its services, has a license granted to it by the Minister of Mass Media and Communications in 2003 which authorises it to provide services as set out in the license.
The Company has also obtained all necessary approvals for all equipment it uses from the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL).
It further stated that it was the company’s position that CBN Sat does not require a license to carry out activities which it has been carrying out since March 27, 2005.
On a complaint made by person or persons the Additional Magistrate of Colombo issued a search warrant to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to search CBN Sat premises where Sonic Net Technologies (Pvt) Ltd is also situated.
When the CID officers raided the premises on June 6, both companies cooperated fully although they had been granted permission to search from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. they had continued till much later.
The company charged that although the Magistrate had not in his order conferred any power on the CID to seize or switch off Sonic Nets equipment, the CID officials did so unlawfully and without any reasonable or justifiable grounds.
The search warrant was issued after Attorney General informed the courts that CBN Sat had violated clauses 17(1) of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Act read with clause 20 of the Rupavahini Act.
The court upheld and issued a search warrant as per clause 45(1) to search the CBN Sat premises.
During the search, police found out that CBN Sat was involved in video uploading on cable which it was not authorised to do and that it was licensed only for the use of Sonic Sat and not CBN Sat, The Nation learns.
However there is speculation that there is a political twist to the whole affair as Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse is reported to have acted upon a request by Lakshman Hulugalla who is linked to the infamous Channel Nine fiasco. The Company has also made representations to the TRC to hold an inquiry and restore the service pending such inquiry. Hearings of the proceedings have been adjourned for tomorrow.
Source:The Nation

Anonymous said...

Their is no question who has done it and the extent Mr.Hulugalle has gone to stop this highly suscessfull venture in order to capitalise during the FIFA world cup period,and i diubt any of the subscribers falling in to the trap and buying the connection from this undercutters indian feed.

How many subscribers,how many jobs and too see there is nothing illegal,and who is this man palying with?and how many jobs and connections has he given through his his rececently rebranded SATnet.You will have to pay for this man and the foolish higher ups in the government will also have to face this,and is this what you call the chinthanaya,This is BOI aproved project and this is how the government and the Law enforcement authorities treat theses investors.

People are no more fools and are not going to fall in to traps like this any more and they will give the answer to these kind of "sakkiliyas" in time to come.

May justice prevail

Anonymous said...

It is rumored that CBNSat will be cleared when they provide the licence from Rupavahini. And it is also rumored that Rupavahini has agreed to provide licence within 48 hours. (all these are rumors)

I just hope CBN + other operators will be cleared and SATNet banned !

Anonymous said...

can anyone confirm the rumors?

Anonymous said...

Apparently it has become an Industry (Cable Television) wide issue now. All operators are affected now. (SATNet...he..he...)

Anyhow things are postponed till Wednesday (14/Jun/2006). Source: CBNSat Customer Service.

Anonymous said...

These are no rumuors and it is all true,the defence counsal for CBN has stated that the fine for telecasting without a licence from Rupavahini is RS.500/- and all other cable networks also doesant have the licence and they have been issued warrents.

As per the Daily mirror today the CID has carried out this politicaly motivated act merely to satisfy LAKSHMAN HULUGALLE.

The judge has instructed DG rupavahini to issue the licence to CBN without any hassle within 24 hours as more than 25000 subscribers are victimised and the DG has agreed on this.

As for LBN,COMET,and our friends bulshit SATnet does not have this licence too and dont know whether they have the clearance from the TRC, so they are in for a big procedure and HULUGALLE must be crying as he is supposed to be broadcasting through some others licence.

The 500 or so SATnet customers should rethink what you should do,Because this is all the shady work of your chairman(Daily Mirror 13.06.2006)

So its a happy ending the villains are getting caught in their own trap and the innocent who were vitimised will back with a bang on WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY.

The legal system of Sri Lanka has the respect it deserves.

Anonymous said...

Mr, Hulugalle, Revenge is sweet.

-teminator out

Anonymous said...

Well, as a customer I do not need to know about anything,and I do not care, I have paid my hard earned money to buy a service, (which was so popular, and no one can say that they were not aware of CBN Sat for this long that such service available and was so nieve to investigate that it was illegal) and I have been deprived of watching World cup football. Who is going to pay for my loss??????????? Why isn't it possible to let the broadcasting to be continued until everything is solved. Everyone has their story. Where is the consumer protection????????????

Anonymous said...

cbn sat has been doing decent business and i am sure everyone will agree on that. if they didnt have a licence, then they would have hidden and done business like most other cable tv providers!!! they didnt have to make such hype by advertising so heavily! the most ironical thing is even multivision doesnt have proper licence to do cable tv business! lbn is shut, as they dont even have the basic licence!!
i hope some justice will be done, by shutting down sat net too, as they too dont have proper media licence to do cable operations! it is a national crisis!! but its really unfair to stop one operater and allow others to run without any licence.
daily news is always reporting the wrong news!!! this shows us how we could rely on the news paper itself, as all their news must be bull shit!!! doesnt the chief editor check their final print before it goes for printing? lbn is not a radio channel!!! even a baby will know that! and the cable tv providers are not tv channels!!!

i think daily news have to stop taking the governments side and actually write what the truth is!!!

also RUPAVAHINI!!!!! how dare they say things in their news which are not true, and further give faulty information to the public? just because you have the channel that doesnt mean you misuse it!!! isnt there a regulatory to monitor rupavahinis moves??? they need to be sued for millions of dollars for tarnishing cbnsat name by saying lies!!!!bastards!!!

please, anyone who reads this, let me know if there is somebody who can screw rupavahini and their fooloish attitudes?

they are old and stuck up!!! they dont know technology, nor do they know fashion!!! all in all rupavahini gives shit and expects us to eat it!!!

Anonymous said...

Isnt there anyone to control the rupavahini news people? i mean can they say anything they want to in the news? it was really sad and annying to hear them say rubbish about cbnsat!!! according to the latest news, cbnsat have applied for the so called license, and are waiting for it! if it was needed to do cable tv business then why did rupavahini first of all go and show their teeth? didnt they check whether cbn had the licence? surely!!! they dont issue licences every day? so they sould have known whether cbn had it or not!
out of the blues, they appear to be looking for some reason to stop cbn! dancing to the tunes of politically influencial morons!!!

justice needs to be served in this case! the loss of name, money, time, trust everything should be sucked out of rupavahini for creating such havvocks!!! cbn sat should sue rupavahini and rip them off!!!

my hearfelt wishes to cbn sat, a company with class, stability, and genorosity. they have sponsored enough and have made a difference! we really appreciate it and wish you all success!!! hip hip hooray for cbnsat!!!

Anonymous said...

this has gone too far!!! why are the related officials so lazy? they are taking way too long to resolve a simple issue!!! this shows the involvement of political powers!!!

cbnsat had applied for the licence, since the officials said they need it to run this business. but wait a minute....how the hell are you supposed to know that you need a licence from rupavahini? is it written somewhere, for a new person who needs to do this kind of business to learn?

this licence thing seems to have come up as a surprise to all cable providers ( except for sat net guy, who plotted the whole thing!!!).

why cant they resolve it fast and allow the customers to watch some decent tv? i miss csi!!!! i miss hbo and zoom and history channels!!

is is such a crime to stop it for soooo looong??? i am losing it now! thats all the patience i had!!!

why isnt anyone doing anything about this? please judge, i really plead you to allow cbn sat to start operating! my bro is mad too! he is missing out on the worldcup!

Anonymous said...

mr president,
please in give us some justice! we are deprived of everything! the fuel prices, cost of living everything adds to it!!!
but now the sealing of cbnsat has hightened it!!! we are sooo bored! the entertainment and information cbnsat gave us was soooo great!!! we really appreciated it!

please give us cbnsat back!!! give us our lives back!!!

Anonymous said...

i am a potential buyer. i was just going to purchase a cbn connection. i have seen the quality of programmes and the clarity of it too at my friend's house in ratnapura..... it was unbelievable! just as i was going to buy one for our house, they had to shut down cbnsat. now my hopes have been doomed. i really wish cbnsat could start back soon! the connection was going to be a surprise gift for my daughter whos birthday is comming up soon! so i really wish they could start soon

Anonymous said...

so much for your surprise gift!!! in this damn country, people cannot live a peaceful life... they take away everything thats good...and only leave you with trouble and heart ache.

hope cbn wud come out of this mess and start adding some spice to life! i dont go into my tv room anymore. its a real bitter thought to have to sit and watch rubbish and waste time.

Anonymous said...

" i dont go into my tv room anymore. its a real bitter thought to have to sit and watch rubbish and waste time"

This is a reply adding to the Earlier comment.

It is even worse here, We don't even have the signals to watch those horrible local programes, and we never intend to watch them either.

Anonymous said...

DEAR MR. PRESIDENT,

HIS EXCELLENCY MR. MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA, IT'S UPTO YOU NOW TO LOOK INTO OUR GRIEVANCES. WE ALL KNOW THIS IS A HARD TIME FOR YOUR GOVERNMENT. ON TOP OF THAT THIS WHOLE ISSUE OF CBNSAT AND CABLE TV IS UNWANTED TROUBLE.

PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AND WORK IN THE INTEREST OF THE MASSES. WE ALL KNOW YOU ARE A PEOPLES MAN THE YOU HAVE THE SENSES TO FEEL THE PULSE OF THE SRI LANKANS.

THIS WHOLE ISSUE IS CREATED BY ONE MAN AND YOU WILL KNOW BY NOW WHO HE IS. AND YOU DEFINITELY GOT TO KNOW THE PAST OF THIS INDIVIDUAL. IF YOUR GOVERNMENT GOES ON WITH PEOPLE LIKE THIS IT WILL BE OVER SOON.

SO WE URGE YOU AGAIN TO LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM IMPARTIALLY AND GIVE JUSTICE TO 100,000'S OF CBNSAT VIEWERS AND OTHER CABLE TV VIEWERS.

MAY NOBLE TRIPLE GEM BLESS YOU IN ALL YOUR ENDEAVOURS !

Anonymous said...

From last night they have suth down the LBN network and COMET is in line too if they dont have the so called licence.

As for SATnet, our friend will get out of it with the political influence and his well known credentiols for this kind of things.

But the law should put an end to this confusing situation in the market immedietly and many of the investors who these connections for information in whats happening in their countries would think twice before investing in this country and i hear that CBN is the exlusive distributor for BBC from today,and other operators have got to get it from them.

This got to be resolved on Monday the latest.

Anonymous said...

I found this site only tody and im very happy to see that there are people who actually care and try to see things as they are.

I strongly belive that we Sri Lankans were cut off from rest of the world since the day of independence.Idea was to control us by limmiting our knowledge, we learnt only what they wanted us to know so nobody will question but accept.Like toads in the well we were used to think that sri lanka is everyting and perfect.Only after our family perhased CBNsat i realised where we actually are.

I think people who prefer us being blind folded are behind this.I mean not only politicians but also so called cultural and religious fellows.They are trying to set an example, may be something like "Anyone daring to change will be hunted".

I think if CBN goes down (many others may follow of course) we will again be cutoff from world for good.Only aftre CBN we had time to be relaxed without seeing or hearing bullshit.

I like to make suggesion to CBN(If any one reading).If you get a chance to get out of this rise again like never before.Hope seeing you next week (at least).

Anonymous said...

I think both you guys are correct,they mislead us on ESPN & STAR and they are realy hiding something big this time.The management should know what they are doing from the begining and this legal issue i think is a big cover up there is something more alarming.

The should immedietly componsate the subscribers who are fooled and not for the first time too.

Anonymous said...

CBN sat is still not available for the public. There is no quality TV for the children to watch. There is nothing educational in local televisions. Children find it difficult to learn any internationally accepted standards of living through our local televisions. Some children try to live according to the Indian film characters. It will be worse if they live according to our tele dramas. No wonder, life skills of our younger generation are of very poor standards. They always get the wrong advice through our media. It is impossible to watch the Sri Lankan commercials. Transport system will never fit into the international standards in our country, as long as three-wheelers do not fit in to any internationally accepted specifications of road safety. Is there a track in between and diagonally, in a two lane track anywhere in the world? Pedestrians will never learn how to walk along the roads. They have never experienced the correct method, and they presume what they do on a daily basis is the correct thing. Without having any quality TV, people would just presume what is shown in the local TV is the correct thing.
All the tourists will soon run away. The few existing professionals and their children will also be chased away from the country. Large majority of the subscribers for the CBN sat are professionals and intellectuals. They try hard to keep their children without allowing them to leave for greener pastures. The Moor community, Burger community and the Tamil community living in the Island do not have many acceptable programmes to watch on the local TV. You can’t force them also to watch the Singhalese teledrama all the time. CBN sat woud help keep the educated and intellectuals without leaving the country for greener pastures. CBN sat would help teach the Sri Lankans polite ways of communications. That would help us maintain some international standards of living, at least for the future generations.
It is impossible to progress effectively as a nation, unless we also learn the accepted living standards of the other parts of the world in an increasingly interconnected and a global community. Our children are intelligent enough to select what is good and what exactly are bad for their intellectual development. So far nothing adverse has been done to the children from the CBN sat. In fact, CBN sat has helped them rescue from adverse influences of some of our poor standard programmes. CBN sat would in fact guide our producers to produce programmes of better standards in the future.

Anonymous said...

You may find more comments in the following website
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/blogComment.php?newsID=686513960&bid=883

Anonymous said...

Greetings,

When i first stumbled across this forum, i thought this place is yet another place that helps kill time. But after seeing the activity and posts for the last few days, i have learned that this is a place that has become operational HQ of CBNsat (and now LBN) customers who are forced to throw anxious looks at a locked decoder instead of their favorite channels. It is nice to see people fighting for what is right. You just recruited another soldier my friends, Lightning Struck Tower is now on your side :p

I am a CBNsat customer and i personally believe it will be back on air, but my major concern is WHEN this will happen. At the moment CBNsat requires a license from SLRC, thanks to wise people who *can*(sarcasm) understand how DTH operates and categorize DTH technology as a telecommunication activity. Their parents must be proud as 150000 Srilankan who are on CBN and LBN are constantly remembering them.

I believe the legal system is not totally corrupted. And the judge has expressed concern on customers on a pervious hearing. Above all, CBN does not require a license from SLRC to operate a broadband network. These are the facts that make me believe CBNsat will be back on air.

I phoned CBN customer care today. I was told that their lawyers are currently working on obtaining the license from SLRC.

I suggest we triple our efforts to FAX/PHONE/EMAIL the relevant authorities and put more pressure on them. Also, I suggest we send the URL of this blog (http://cbnsat.blogspot.com) to everyone whom we know via email. That will attract many CBNsat/LBN customers here who are unaware of this blog. Many fights can be won if we unite.

Battered by sun, battered by rain, the lighting struck tower still stands. So will CBNsat and LBN.

Anonymous said...

Please don’t presume that, the TV box and the citizens who watch it are the sole property of any particular individual or a corporation who think they are the owners of this country and the people who watch television

Anonymous said...

It is relay disgustful,a station which has been highly sucessful(LBN) is suddnly closed down after 8 years and the station which has become NO-1 is shut down for petty reasons in one year,This is real conspiracy and we know who the mastermind behind this and who tries to increase the stake of his unsuscessful pay TV channel by resorting to practices he is famous for,(Forging,undercutting and using high handed political influence).

You have to get rid of people like this in our society and realy boycott the thing sold by him and even the exsisting subscribers should convert to a more respectable provider.

I think Singer Ltd also should support CBNsat in this unfair victimisation of the company because they would have sold over 10000 connections through their outlets.

TRC/BOI are going to be in a big soup if this problem is not sorted out immedietly.