20.1.09

Airtel to launch IPTV soon


Bharti Airtel, the country’s largest cellular operator, will soon become the first private sector company to launch Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services in India. The company is expected to make on announcement on its IPTV plans this week. This follows the recent launch of its direct-to-home (DTH) services in the country. IPTV and DTH services are separate technologies to deliver television content into the consumer’s home. Companies providing IPTV services send television content to consumers through a broadband Net connection. Both IPTV and DTH are seen as an alternative to the services provided by the local cable operators. A senior executive with a media company said that Bharti is also looking at tie-ups with large retailers including Future Group’s Big Bazaar for launching retail points that will market and sell both its DTH and IPTV offerings. Bharti will target its 3 million plus broadband customers for this service. The company’s broadband services are currently available in 95 cities. Airtel has already test launched its IPTV services for customers in Gurgaon and the National Capital Region (NCR). The company will soon extend these services in a phased manner to eight of the key cities within the next couple of weeks. When contacted Bharti Telemedia Services president Atul Bindal refused to divulge any details. Bharti has roped in US-based networks major UTStarcom as technology partner for its IPTV service. The telco is also working with IBM and last year awarded the IT company a fresh contract worth $150 million for its IT requirements for its DTH and IPTV services. IBM already provides the IT backbone for Bharti’s mobile services in both India and Sri Lanka and also provides solutions to supports the telco’s DTH platform in the country. Bharti executives claim that the company has an edge over their rivals in both the DTH and IPTV space as it uses its existing backend for mobile services for these platforms also. As of now MTNL and BSNL are the only two telcos offering IPTV services in some cities in collaboration with content delivery companies like Aksh Optifibres. Recently Aksh has started offering IPTV connection without a broadband connection to encourage the penetration of IPTV in the masses. Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group is the other player which is expected to launch its IPTV services this year. IPTV is a system where digital television service is delivered using the internet protocol. It can easily be bundled with broadband Internet service and VoIP services to offer what is popularly known as Triple Play. Interactivity is much easier to perform with IPTV than a normal cable, satellite or broadcast TV system .

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