BSNL picks Pune for IPTV pilot

MUMBAI: Independence Day this time around may acquire a broader significance. On that day, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will roll out cable TV on broadband - also called internet protocol television (IPTV). It will launch the pilot project in Pune and hopes to gradually branch out to other cities, depending on its commercial success.

The state-owned company has roped in local partners in cities like Chennai and Bangalore.

It is in talks with interested firms in Hyderabad. In Kolkata, it is looking for a partner.

On its part, BSNL has already completed a study and found certain regulatory issues that need to be answered to ensure IPTV’s growth in the country. It is in discussions with broadcasters and multi system operators (MSOs) to resolve such commercial and technical issues.

A BSNL official said: “We will provide IPTV in other cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bangalore in 2007, depending on its success in Pune.”

As India stand literally on the verge of a broadband explosion, BSNL expects its IPTV foray to generate sufficient revenues.