Hong Kong – By end-2007, cable systems were India’s largest wired network connecting 60% of Indian homes with wireline access. The cable industry’s reach will also continue to expand, with over 100 million Indian homes to be connected by cable networks by 2012. That’s according to the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia’s (CASBAA) ‘Digital Vision: India in 2012’ report released March 18, 2008 in New Delhi as an update of the Indian digital broadband and TV industries. The report also assesses India’s pay-TV environment, along with recommendations for senior policy-makers to promote growth of India’s digital communications services. Simon Twiston Davies, CEO of CASBAA said, “With 71 million homes wired, digital television and broadband networks are set to play a vital role in India’s economic development just as they did in Japan, Europe, the US and elsewhere. With private investment waiting in the wings to increase high-speed digital capacity for cable TV, the benefits for consumers and economy stand to be enormous.” The report also notes the advantage of India’s rapid cable TV growth may be impeded by ‘overly intrusive regulations’, and that ‘lighter-touch’ regulations may be necessary for ‘world-class’ digital infrastructure and broadband take-up. CASBAA also staged an invitation only pay-TV roundtable, ‘Advanced Video Communications: Convergence = Choice’ in New Delhi, where senior industry executives and government officials explored opportunities to offer more choices to Indian consumers in terms of quality and variety of content, as well as the impact of current regulatory practices on investment in new infrastructure for India. The roundtable followed the inaugural CASBAA India Satellite Forum organized by the association.