Before the Inverters, There Was Cable TV
The Untold Origin of Su-Kam Power Systems — Starting with ₹10,000 in 1988
Part 1 of “My Story” — The Kunwer Sachdev Journey
Kunwer Sachdev
Founder of Su-Kam and Kunwwer.ai, and mentor at Su-vastika and several other companies — the “Inverter Man of India”
“Many will be surprised to learn that I began with Cable TV systems, not inverters.”
Everyone knows me as the Inverter Man of India. But the truth is, when I started Su-Kam in 1988, inverters were the furthest thing from my mind. My first venture? Cable TV systems.
This is the story most people don’t know — the origin before the origin.
📡 Su-Kam Communication System: Where It All Started
Su-Kam started as a project company. I was doing small MATV and CATV projects — installing common antennas and VCRs for hotels and multi-storeyed societies. The concept was simple: one antenna and one VCR at the top of a building, and the signal distributed through cables to every room and flat.
It was honest, technical work. And I loved it.
Then something extraordinary happened. I vaguely remember that one person from Bombay started giving licenses to people to show Hindi films directly to homes through cable — using the exact same CATV system I was installing for buildings. VCRs were expensive. Renting cassettes was another recurring expense. But with this new model, one VCR in one location could serve hundreds of homes through cable. Everyone could watch the same film on their TV for a small monthly fee.
This created a totally new industry that did not exist before.
The birth of India’s Cable TV operators. And for a small manufacturer like me — this was the opportunity of a lifetime.
These new Cable TV operators needed equipment — amplifiers, modulators, directional couplers. They bought from people like us, and we installed the systems for them. I shifted my entire business to manufacturing Cable TV parts. This was my first small-scale manufacturing experience, and I started with a small team.
My real entrepreneurship experience started gaining from that point onwards.
🏛️ Our First Exhibitions: “Su-Kam Communication System”
I started participating in exhibitions right from the beginning of my career. These events gave us tremendous exposure and the opportunity to meet new clients. Look at these photographs — the “Su-Kam Communication System” booth, displaying our CATV amplifiers, outdoor amplifiers, and directional couplers:
Su-Kam Communication System booth — our first exhibitions in the early 1990s
Displaying outdoor amplifiers, directional couplers, and reverse path equipment
Visitors at our Su-Kam Communication System exhibition booth
I went to exhibitions outside India — Hong Kong and Singapore. I always dreamed that one day I would have my own booth at an international exhibition. At that time, there was no Indian company with a stall at these global shows. People had no respect for India — we were considered a poor nation. I used to bring back catalogs and specification documents, carrying them in my hands because I couldn’t afford extra luggage.
💎 The Spectrum Analyzer Story
In 1992, at one of these exhibitions, I found a Spectrum Analyzer at a low price. It was the last day, and no one wanted to carry equipment back. I seized the opportunity. Getting it back to India was an ordeal — customs duties were 200% and above. They held it for three months. After many visits and paying duties beyond my means, I got it released.
Later, I bought an Anritsu-made Spectrum Analyzer in India. It was so costly that I could have bought a house for that price. But I chose the analyzer over the house because I knew it would improve the quality of my products. The seller could never have imagined that such a small fellow could afford a ₹20 lakh+ instrument.
That decision — choosing technology over comfort — defined everything that came after.
📡 The Echostar Distributorship & Doordarshan
The Echostar CT-8700 Satellite Receiver — Su-Kam distributed these to Doordarshan stations across India
I took the distributorship of an American company called Echostar, which made satellite receivers. I supplied these to Doordarshan in good numbers and created an excellent network with India’s only broadcasting network at the time.
I installed Dish Antennas and complete Cable TV networks at Mandi House (Doordarshan’s headquarters), and then at various Air Force and Army stations. This was a very lucrative business, and I was able to build a brand through referrals — one station leading to another.
I even ran my own Cable TV business at Air Force Station, Subroto Park, collecting monthly subscriptions from individual subscribers. I tried expanding to two more Army areas but couldn’t create the management structure needed, and eventually sold those running businesses to other operators after three years.
📋 The Products We Made: Original Su-Kam CATV Product Sheets
These are the actual product brochures from those days. Look at the Su-Kam logo — the same logo that would later become synonymous with power backup in India. But back then, it was all about Cable TV:
CATV Broadband Amplifier (40-350/400 MHz)
CATV Reverse Path Amplifier (40-450/550 MHz)
Line Extender Amplifier (40-250/300 MHz)
🔄 When the Industry Changed — And I Changed With It
Around 1996, the landscape shifted dramatically. Big companies like City Cable entered the Cable TV business and started buying out small operators. They used all imported hardware, and the monopoly of Indian manufacturers was ending.
I even invested a sizable amount in a Canadian startup working on digital compression technology — set-top boxes that were ahead of their time. I failed. The startup team was inexperienced, and they burned through my money experimenting. It was a complete waste of time and resources.
But I realized something about myself through that failure: I was continuously investing in technology. My life mantra was Technology, Technology, and Technology.
And it was this obsession with technology that would lead me to discover inverters — and change the course of Indian power backup history forever.
📖 Next in “My Story” Series
Part 2: A New Beginning With Inverters
How a chance encounter with a truck dynamo-powered inverter in Karol Bagh changed everything — and why I decided to build my own.
🔗 References & Related
Disclaimer: This article is written by Kunwer Sachdev, mentor of Su-vastika. Kunwer Sachdev is no longer associated with Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd. in any capacity. Anyone dealing with Su-Kam should be aware that Kunwer Sachdev has no association with the Su-Kam brand or company. All photographs are from the author’s personal archives and are shared for storytelling and educational purposes.
Kunwer Sachdev
Founder of Su-Kam and Kunwwer.ai, and mentor at Su-vastika and several other companies — the “Inverter Man of India.” Read his story →
