Digital technology firm Pace plc has unveiled three major contracts in India, where 80 million homes will be switched to digital TV services by 2015.

The Saltaire -based global company will supply a range of products to three cable operators, Delhi Distribution Company , Faction Digital, and New Delhi and Kozhikode Cablecommunicators Ltd, Calicut, to support their government-driven move to digital television services.

The deal comes hot on the heels of a landmark contract for Pace – best-known as the world’s top set-top box maker for pay TV operators – to supply a French company with software that works on rivals' equipment.

As part of the first phase of the Indian government-mandated transition to digital TV services, DDC, Faction and KCL have selected Pace to supply products to enable them to implement a swift rollout of digital services to their customers.

The product design will enable the operators to quickly deploy digital services to customers through a set-top box and add additional services , if and when their requirements change.

Pace said it had designed its ‘pre-integrated solution’ to provide a cost-effective alternative to operators needing a high-quality pay TV platform but not the time or infrastructure to manage multiple technology partners or complex systems integration.

The Pace system incorporates software and an access system as standard on a standard or high definition set-top box.

Pace’s Indian operation created some of the technology and aspects of the equipment were created specifically to meet local consumer preferences for colour and design, including a button on the box itself so that users can operate all functions if their remote control is missing or out of action.

Shane McCarthy, president of Pace International, said: “Pace aims to offer operators as many options as possible. The cost and time pressures for Indian operators are huge, and working with multiple partners to develop, integrate and deliver their service platform is not a realistic option.”

Last week, Pace announced a deal to supply software to French communications firm Bouygues Telecom with its new Helium unified gateway system which will be installed in 1.3 million homes across France.