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Work item:
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J.SMS-REQ
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Subject/title:
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Requirements for Subscriber Management System for factual subscriber-base reporting in cable networks and other delivery platforms
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Status:
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Under study
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Approval process:
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AAP
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Type of work item:
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Recommendation
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Version:
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New
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Equivalent number:
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-
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Timing:
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2026-07 (Medium priority)
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Liaison:
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-
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Supporting members:
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Ministry of Communications, India; Centre for Development of Telematics, India
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Summary:
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The objective of the [draft new] Recommendation is to address two major concerns related to the subscriber management system (SMS): factual reporting of subscriber numbers and the terminal devices. The aim is to ensure that each subscriber and terminal device is captured in the SMS, protecting the revenue of platforms and content providers, and provision of the right service to the consumer.
Most countries have implemented digital addressable systems (DAS) for distribution platforms such as cable TV networks, direct to home (DTH), Internet protocol television (IPTV), digital terrestrial television (DTT), and headend in the sky (HITS), here combinedly referred to as DAS. DAS enables subscribers to have a choice and option to select their channels and packages. SMS is an integral part of a DAS environment. SMS handles the subscriber management functions. The quality of service and customer relations management significantly depend on SMS systems deployed by the distribution platform owner (DPO).
Since content providers and broadcasters have no control over the SMS, as it is deployed at the cable network headend or the distributions platform such as DTH headend, IPTV headend, they are concerned about the loss of revenue due to various factors such as under-reporting of subscriber-base, distribution of channels to unauthorised users, and content piracy, and occasionally hiding the numbers by manipulating the SMS systems.
Therefore, it is necessary to frame benchmarks for SMS systems for the distribution platforms such cable TV networks, DTH, HITS, IPTV and DTT platforms, prescribing technical specifications focusing on functional requirements to ensure factual reporting of subscriber-base and protected delivery of content to authorised subscribers. ITU-T Technical Report [b-TR.FSR] specifies the related terminology, service scenario, and use cases. Creating a framework that ensures that the SMS deployed in the distribution networks meets the standardised basic requirements and prevents the deployment of sub-standard SMS will bring preventive control from potential threats and revenue losses arising due to the vulnerability of such systems, bring economic efficiency, improve quality of service, and improve the end-consumer experience.
This [draft new] Recommendation thus elaborates the various functional requirements of the SMS such as log requirements, reports requirements, database requirements, security requirements, service requirements, and more. Compliance to these requirements in SMS performance will address the concerns mentioned above.
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Comment:
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-
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Reference(s):
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Historic references:
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Contact(s):
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| ITU-T A.5 justification(s): |
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First registration in the WP:
2025-11-18 12:20:16
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Last update:
2025-11-18 16:13:26
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