And now what happens with the zappers?

As a result of the attempt to introduce DTT in Spain in a hurry and with a shoehorn, with a massive extension of zappers without any type of services, neither the consumer organizations, nor of course the large distribution chains, emphasized something that was going to arrive sooner or later: paid DTT. And now what?

When last Thursday the Government approved the Royal Decree Law that urgently proposed the introduction of paid DTT, a question arose. If we take into account that 99% of set top boxes (STB) are mere zappers without the possibility of hosting any type of service other than demultiplexing the digital signal, how will paid DTT be introduced? Only a very small number of receivers have a Common Interface (CI) that allows interactive or card payment services. As for the STBs integrated into televisions, the problem is the same since very few models have a CI interface to insert the subscription card.

The solution can be seen coming: both the payment platforms that may emerge, such as Dahlia TV or the new Canal Gol TV, could rent terminals prepared for payment services... that, or recover that old gadget that we have in the attic and that says... I want TV.