State-owned Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd (MTNL) is the first service provider that will enter the IPTV (Internet Protocol Television Space).
MTNL to launch first IPTV service for Rs300 a month on Monday
State-owned Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd (MTNL) is the first service provider that will enter the IPTV (Internet Protocol Television Space).
MTNL will show channels initially in association with Mumbai-based IOL Broadband Ltd. MTNL hopes to show as many as 250 channels in future.
It will offer IPTV service to its existing 2.2 million subscribers in Mumbai in the first phase. IPTV allows receiving video, voice and content through a single network. It allows watching programmes at your will, and has also the option of replaying as well.
MTNL sources said tariffs would be around Rs300 per month for IPTV irrespective of channels and video on demand for initial months. As the competition is heating up, local cablewallas have already started slashing monthly cable rates in Prabhadevi and Worli.
Talking to DNA, Ajay Jain, general manager-marketing, MTNL said, “Subscribers having MTNL’s tri-band connection will get a set-top box if they opt for IPTV package. Technically, MTNL provides two lines — phone and broadband. But from Saturday, it will be three-way and with the new wire going into the STB to offer IPTV.”
Jain said IPTV service would be available in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and registration would start from Monday and service would be on first-come-first-serve basis.
Through the system, subscribers will get many options: Control and choose TV channels, real-time interactive television, music on demand and time-shifted television viewing.
Ajay Chauhan, executive director, IOL Broadband explained that his company is a content provider for MTNL-IPTV saying: “We are content provider for MTNL-IPTV and also in advanced plans to deploy broadband interactive services in large corporate offices.”
Analysts said that more than 2 million IPTV connections have already been booked worldwide and the subscriber base is expected to reach about 10 million people by the year 2007.
The MTNL-IPTV service will give local cablewallahs a difficult time as DTH, CAS and now IPTV will definitely affect their business.
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