The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on March 10, 2026, issued the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Digital Addressable Systems Audit Manual, 2026.
The following has been stated:
• It aims to improve transparency, accountability, and uniformity in the audit of subscriber management systems, billing processes, and technical infrastructure used by Distribution Platform Operators such as cable operators, DTH providers, IPTV platforms, and HITS operators.
• The manual aligns the audit framework with the amended broadcasting regulations and introduces a financial-year–based audit cycle, requiring operators to audit systems for the previous financial year and submit reports to broadcasters by 30 September each year.
• It also specifies the roles of auditors, broadcasters, and distributors, requiring advance notice of audits, allowing broadcasters to send representatives as observers, and establishing clear procedures for verification of subscriber data, revenue reporting, and system compliance.
• To strengthen credibility, the manual emphasises empanelled and qualified auditors, categorisation based on technical expertise, and mandatory independence certifications from auditors to avoid conflicts of interest. It also incorporates provisions to address infrastructure sharing arrangements, requiring separate system instances and data segregation so that subscriber records and accounts of each distributor can be independently verified during audits.
• The framework also reduces compliance burden for smaller operators by exempting distributors with up to 30,000 active subscribers from mandatory annual audits, while still allowing broadcasters to commission audits if required.
