Monday, November 20, 2006

Uncertain Future

Yesterdays report in The Sunday Times Financial Times has become a hope killer for most CBNsat Subscribers, particularly the statement given below.

"The Defence Ministry is yet to clear CBN (Communiq Broadband Networks Ltd), off the air since June 9 this year for a media licensing facility and is unlikely to get one, Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) of Sri Lanka, Kanchana Ratwatte, told The Sunday Times FT."

So the only option CBNsat has is to join up with another licensed provider. According to the report a CBNsat Customer Service Representative has told that the only licensed provider at present is Rupavahini. As reported in this blog the newspaper also reports that CBNsat has provided Rupavahini with the proposals and are awaiting their response.

However as new operators enter the market the options will increase but how long will it be before new entrants are also given the license and can a company survive so long. Like we said earlier we are made to understand that slow and steady progress is being made and we would appreciate it if CBNsat takes steps to keep their customers updated on the present status. We understand that everything cannot be disclosed but their will definitely have to be some information that can be disclosed to their customers since they are also stakeholders.

Questions are being raised by some bloggers regarding the credibility of information that is being released on this blog. Please understand that the information that we are bringing to you is what is being received by us. We are striving to maintain a high quality of information released via this blog.

CBNsat should now start looking for alternatives such as entering into a long term business partnership instead of just trying to sign an up linking deal. They should also try to explore possibilities such as selling the company to another party, this however is easier said than done since the person who started this company had a great vision and it is hard to let go of it.

The Defence Ministry have not cleared CBNsat still but we wonder how the TRC chairman can comment saying that "it is unlikely that CBNsat will get the clearance". It may sound like he is stating the obvious when looking at how things are proceeding at the moment but as the chairman of an state institution is it correct for him to pass the judgement before the decision is conveyed. He has to be neutral on the matter but it looks like he is biased.

We hope that CBNsat is able to recommence transmissions before the next court hearing which is on December 5th 2006.

Please keep us updated on the latest regarding CBNsat as the days progress.

41 comments:

Sanjeev Thurusinghe said...

If we are going to believe Ratwatta & making decisions we are absolutely wrong. This guy doesn’t know what’s happening in TRC. Last 7 weeks after LBN gets the MOD clearance he could not get the signature from the authorities. On June 15th LBN was sealed because not having the TRC licenses. Can this guy define or CONFIRM THAT comet cable HAVE THE BOTH LICENCES…. Did illegal cable operators have the TRC section 17 licenses to operate in Colombo 2, 10 – 15 & up to Negambo.

Sanjeev Thurusinghe said...

Srinimal, you don’t have the guts to talk against TRC but try to capitalize on the closed companies’ bad situations. Jvp sahodarayas doesn’t take their salaries have you ever asked them about their luxury living conditions……..if you have guts call TRC or CID & ask about how could illegal cable tv operate in part of Colombo…….

Sanjeev Thurusinghe said...

Mr. Mike, it was not sanju making the comment……….any way forget about LBN /CBN if both of us not employed their we should not worry about that. …..never the less my point is very clear in simple English……. CAN YOUR MR.RATWATTE MAKE A STATEMENT ABOUT MENTIONED CABLE OPERATERS DOES HAVE THE TRC LICENCES……..very simple try to find out that, l have tried but failed…

cableguy said...

Jokiya

Could you please get in touch with me too thru the admin. Also, is the one year subscription that you got for a MAxi Package? I have been told that it is not possible to get 1 year subscriptions anymore, and only 3 months max. If your contact has more units to sell for the maxi package with one year subscription, please get in touch with me too.
I have lost all patience waiting for CBNSat. Now its time to take action and find alternates. All my continued patience has been in vain. Should have listened to ALf, Sanju and the guys earlier on. So much for giving the GOSL and CBNSat repeated chances of sorting things out. It will never happen.

BTW I am not the same as "Cable Guy". I am "Cableguy". Slight difference with no space between the words.

Blog Admin:
Isnt it time to start a separate blog for DISHTV? That way we can leave alone the bloggers who still choose to discuss CBNSat and not be bothered by DISHTV related discussions. Just a suggestions!

cableguy said...

Well said Sanju

As for the taxes we pay the Indian Govnt, you think GOSL gives a damn about it? I dont think so. This govnt is not at all concerned if we pay our taxes to India or Timbaktu. They just want their coffers filled and their henchmen made wealthy. This they will do with or without our taxes.(ie. close down a business competitor who has put Sri Lanka on The World High Tech Arena)

Since they are happy, then, as Sanju said, we the people of this land must find ways to keep ourselves happy. SHITNET and SRILAKVAHINI will not make us happy. In fact, they make us depressed.
SO let us pay the dues and taxes to India and get some of our happiness(that the GOSL have blocked from us). At the same time we can all watch and wait while India develops even faster(now with added help from Sri Lankans too)and our beloved country goes to the dogs.
NOBODY DARE CALL ME A TRAITOR for thinking this way. The biggest traitors are the ones(authorities) who forced law abiding citizens of this country, who paid with their hard-earned money for a legal means of infortainment, to now get DISHTV.

Whats next??

cableguy said...

Thanks Jokiya

Yes. The web access should only be used for upgrades etc. Its best to pay the dealer or someone in India.

Max Payne said...

hi cableguy, I completely agree with you. you are damn right and thatst the truth. unfortunately some people of sri lanka can't see the truth even it is damn visible for even a blind person.

Max Payne said...

it seems that the authorities of sri lanka forces people to do illegal and bad things as they are. Even people refuces to do it, they keep on pushing. so ultimately what we have to do is, do what they asked us to do. u know wat I mean.. or get the hell out of Sri Lanka, such a beautiful country wasted b cos of these....u know who.

cableguy said...

Hey guys.
The demand for Indian DISHTV is so high these days, many of the dealers are out of stock. Hope they will keep bringing more.

Wonder how business is for SHITNET?

Did you hear that Prez kicked out BAC Abey from Tea Board and he still refuses to leave. "Comedy of Errors" If Shakespear was living, he would have such good substance from Sri Lanka to write his plays on.

Sanjeev Thurusinghe said...

It’s sad to note when analyzing the comments in this particular blog, the intentions were very clear; we want to win the battle against each other & fulfill our own objectives. When we point out some allegations against the authorities every one is silence about the issue. We have been penalized because both companies are not in a position to deliver what they promised. Subsequently no refunds on the cards…..no alternative available….sadly outside the world the relevant authorizes ( TRC, CID, MOD, MEDIA MINISTRY, PRESIDENT OFFICE, & JUDICIAL SYSTEM) not concern about our views. Its definitely Radio & tv Srilanka admin should create a awareness campaign to popularizes the blog.

Please address a letter to CBN / LBN regarding the objective of Radio & TV Srilanka. The relevant companies if they feel that this operation is worth, they can forward to their respective customers. We might not achieve this time but for the future let’s get to gather & bring the culprits behind these stories…….all the very best.


If you want people to follow you, you need to have credibility………….

TEAM FILEnetworks said...

Yo,
That comment by Kanchana Ratwatte made me lose hope(the little hope I had). The present govt will not allow CBNsat to operate it seems.
DishTV seems to be the only option now. A friend of mine is leaving SL soon so he's giving me his dish+decoder+package+ 4 months subscription left, for free (guess im lucky). However I have to pay the dealer Rs 1350 per month (Extra 300 for him)but I think Maxi package is well worth it.

If you are getting DishTv make sure you get the Dish Maxi package coz the other packages including Welcome and Plus are simply NOT worth it. Dish plus will cost you around 600-800 LKR but it lacks many of the quality channels the Maxi has. Dish Welcome is what Satnet gives. These two are crap.
Maxi has all the channels CBNsat had + many other premium channels and in my case I only have to pay 1350 for all these. That’s still great considering I paid the same amount for CBNsat's full package woth HBO.

Meanwhile I still wish everything works out well for CBNsat.

P.S.- I saw Tvlanka advertising some anti piracy dongle of theirs every 5 mins. Looks like Abey is going to enter the local software market. What'll he do next? Shut down all CD shops and pave way for his crap? If you are planning such a move Abey, you can save the time by shoving your dongle up your ass. Don’t try it mofo.

jesika said...

Dear Jokiya!

"25000/- (using the CBNSAT dish and cable with one year rental) and after one year rental at the rate of 950/-."

I wait for a long time with this never comming CBNsat.Now i cant wait anymore.
I like to buy your DishTV connection
Please send me the contact details
jesikadjjd@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks

jesika said...

Dear Jokiya!

I'm sorry my email address is jesikadjjd@yahoo.com not yahoo.co.uk

Pls send me the details. I'm waiting for ur mails

Tks

yakuza said...

so whats goin on. bloggers seem to be negative abt the out come of the hearing. at least hope that some kind of decision will be given next hearing,

bank_dude said...

To CBN management,

You better inform the cutomers what's going on right now or else you will loose most of them.

yakuza said...

bank dude
no use man. maybe they dont have anything to inform us about.

jesika said...

Dear Blog admin

Pls send my contact details to "Jokiya"

Jokiya!
Pls send me the contact details of your dishtv package dealer
I'm hurry to buy one

Thanks

jesika said...

Jokiya!

Pls Pls

Send those details to jesikadjjd@yahoo.com

cableguy said...

Can someone please confirm "LoverlordStriker"s claim that DISHTV is not illegal and that its out of govnt control once purchased.
If so what the heck was topfan talking about that TRC will ban all cable equipment etc?
Or could this be another plot from CBNSat to stop us from buying DISHTV?

I love conspiracy theories!!

yakuza said...

will dishtv enter sri lanka market in the future. i would buy if it is sold leagally. else it is always a risk spending another 20000-30000 for few months of entertainment.

justavisitor said...

Today Ravaya newspaper reports government is going to censor news related to sri lanka on the Internet. they are going to get ISPs to block any news content that contains news other than what goverment's MCNS and defence spokemen say.

So they want us to eat their punnaku given by Rambukawalla and Hulugalla. If they're "wining", why afraid of the truth.

cableguy said...

No worries Topfan

Even if you had very clear reception of all the free channels(Rupavahini to Derana), you are not missing out much. Most of the programs are pretty crap. Its even worst after the added tax on movies etc. Even MTV only show a very few movies.
Now compare this to what you could get on DISHTV or any other paid service. Absolutely no match.

But very soon, with this governments "frog in the well" treatment of its citizens, you will only be enjoying Rupavahini and ITN. Its all part of the plan to take the country back 30 years. Remember the days when Jothipala was so popular and bell bottoms and long side burns were the style! We are going back to that era MAN! Then we dont have to worry about any of this crap. A cassette player is all we need.
...Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting....Those lads were fast as lightning....

cableguy said...

Is it true that LBN is coming back soon?

TEAM FILEnetworks said...

""Today Ravaya newspaper reports government is going to censor news related to sri lanka on the Internet. they are going to get ISPs to block any news content that contains news other than what goverment's MCNS and defence spokemen say.""

If they will only use IP filters to block access to a web site, this will not be a problem i assure you. It can be hoodwinked.

If they implement packet filtering, that will make it almost impossible to access blocked content.

However such a move is unlikely to come. I cannot comment more on this coz the info i got is not very clear. However such a move is unlikely.

TEAM FILEnetworks said...

yo,

i forgot to ask. DishTV performed a software upgrade via air on 15th november. All new menu system and many new services were introduced with this upgrade.

Did everyone get it? Ithought that was pretty cool coz whole thing was downloaded through satellite. And the active services kick ass.
http://www.dishtvindia.in/static/sportsactive.asp

(it's sickening to think that if CBNsat was on air, they would have been the first to introduce these services :(

And mind you, those who get new dishtv connections, if it diaplays "Software upgrade. Please wait" upon startup or activation, DO NOT POWER DOWN OR SWITCH OFF THE DECODER. If you power down you are fucked for good.

cableguy said...

So true Topfan

It will get to each and evry one of us at some point. It will come in different forms, and different people will handle it differently. Some will be cold and unmoved and will allow the govnt to do whatever it wants, and these people will just go with the flow and continue to breath.
But until that happens.......its "nave gilunath band choon" with all due respect to the Mighty Titanic and its Band that played on......

machang said...

topfan, cableguy, that's why i'm moving to Antarctica. Take a good look around, there's no place on Earth left for what you seek - at least until these people realize what they're doing.

We need to find new land and profess a new dream (sort of like America back in the day).

In all truth we're all responsible. You, me and them.

machang said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Airtel lanka said...

i waited for months for cbn to come on, but its been 6 months and since trc's kanchana ratwatte said its UNLIKELY for cbn to come back on it gave up on my doubts., so i went and got a dishtv and im enjoying the documentaries on discovery, star world, axn, and all the other good channels

yakuza said...

will there be any positive outcome from the next hearing on 5th december. havent heard from cbn for a long time in the blog.

jesika said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
jesika said...

Hay Jokiya

Y don't you send me those details?
I'm waiting for that.
I'm a genuene CBNSat customer. You can check it from the blog admin

Plesae send me to
jesikadjjd@yahoo.com

Thanks

TEAM FILEnetworks said...

Dear blog admin,
Please make a blog for DishTV if you have the time.

Cheers

cableguy said...

LST

A blog was recently created for DISHTV. Check it out at:

http://dishtvsrilanka.blogspot.com/

Yakuza
I think there will be a positive outcome at the next hearing. Positive for the govnt and the people whi closed down CBNSat.

TEAM FILEnetworks said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
TEAM FILEnetworks said...

cableguy,
thanks for the info. I did not know such a blog existed :)

Meanwhile, The Srilankan pair got to the 1st place in today's Amazing race asia' episode. Let's hope they can maintain that position till the end.

To make Amazing Race Asia extra challenging, i think we should have some events in Srilanka.For example, we can have an event like this:

Objective- Go to Srilanka and find out how many licenses are required to start a paytv channel there.

That should fuck up all the foreign participants. Meanwhile the SL team should be able to give the correct answer quickly and easily; 2 licences- Licence to bribe and licence to kiss ass.

Go Srilanka!

jesika said...

thanks Jokiya

I appreciate it very much !

I'm looking for ur reply

Thanks

Lisura said...


BREAKING NEWS :

UNCONFIRMED REPORTS ARE COMING IN SAYING THAT SUPREME COURT HAVE ORDERED CBNSAT TO IMMEDIATELY COMMENCE OPERATIONS.

SHALL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON THIS DEVELOPING STORY.

CBNSAT SUBSCRIBERS UNITE

Lisura said...


BREAKING NEWS :

CBNSAT HAVE WON THE 6-MONTH LONG COURT BATTLE !!!!!!!!

IT IS CONFIRMED NOW THAT THE SUPREME COURT HAVE GIVEN THE ORDER TO CBNSAT TO RE-COMMENCE THEIR OPERATIONS WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.

SO CBNSAT WILL START THE OPERATIONS AS SOON THEY GET THE RULING ON PAPER.

WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A SOOTHING NEWS FOR ALL THE CBNSAT SUBSCRIBERS WHO WAITED PATIENLY FOR THIS MOMENT.

WE CONGRATULATE THE CEO AND STAFF OF CBNSAT NOT GIVING UP ON THIS INJUST CLOSURE !

FINALLY THE PATIENCE HAVE PAID BACK THE SUBSCRIBERS !!!!

CBNSat Subscribers Unite

Max Payne said...

good news. great. what do u mean by "SO CBNSAT WILL START THE OPERATIONS AS SOON THEY GET THE RULING ON PAPER" Lisura? can they start today? or will it take sometime?

anyways, CONGRATULATIONS CBNsat.

Lisura said...



COURT HAVE ORDERED TO RE-START AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE 20,000 SUBSCRIBERS ARE AFFECTED FOR NO REASON FOR 6 MONTHS.

WE ARE NOT QUITE SURE OF THE TIME THEY WILL START. HOPEFULLY TODAY OR TOMORROW DEFINITELY !