IPTV to be launched from this festive season

New Delhi, Sept 13: Trials for the Internet Protocal TV (IPTV), through which one can enjoy TV programmes on PC's and surf internet on TV sets, are complete and the state-owned MTNL is all ready to launch it in Mumbai and Delhi from this festive season, but for some clarifications from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

The MTNL would be launching the service for the first time in the country in collaboration with the Time Broadband Services Pvt Ltd.

The new technology will deliver a superior and interactive television experience with the industry's most advanced voice, video and data services.

All broadband customers of the MTNL can access to the IPTV.

Subcribers to MTNL's broadband service marketed under the Tri-band name, can make and receive phone calls, serf the internet and use IPTV simultaneously.

The IPTV will offer a bouquet of television channels and video-on-demand. For accessing these services, a set-top box will be needed. The box connects to the TV on one end and the MTNL line on the other.

Several services will cost roughly about Rs 400 a month, which might be a little more than the subsribers get under CAS, but then under CAS one can't get interactive services and internet.

The state-owned telecom service provider would have launched the service even earlier too but it is waiting for TRAI's view on its bid to air Free to Air TV channels through IPTV's.

The TRAI is grappling with a number of legal points on this issue. It has been indecisive about which category, whether of telecom or broadcasting, the IPTV should be put into. It is also grappling with the point that if the IPTV is also allowed to air Free to Air channel, it would contravene CAS.

However, TRAI sources said that if the MTNL wanted they could still launch the service with only Pay channels, as taking care of legalities later was their problem.

Director Operations Time Broadband Services Amit Dev told UNI that their trials were complete and they were ready to start operations as soon as asked by the MTNL.

''An operator in the IPTV regime faces a major challenge in the integration of the CDN components like middleware, video-on-demand services and head-end encoding components with set-top box and content protection. We could successfully integrate the whole system in past six months along with inputs from our technology partners,'' said Mr Dev.

The MTNL, which entered into an agreement with the Time Broadband in November last year, is looking at a major growth in broadband penetration among its four million landline subscribers with the proposed launch of the IPTV, which utilises the broadband fiber network.

The telecom PSU has set a target of five lakh broadband users by the end of the financial year in both Delhi and Mumbai circles.

The company has about three lakh broadband subscribers and a waiting list of 18,000 in Mumbai and 8,000 in Delhi. It has 1.6 million and 2.2 million landline subscribers in Delhi and Mumbai respectively.

In order to expand its broadband network and enable customers to subscribe to the IPTV, the MTNL has already placed orders for 1 million modems (which are needed to enable broadband on the fiber optic line).

"We are looking to maintaining our fixed line subscribers, and with the IPTV also on offer, subscribers will have telephone, internet and TV all through a single connection. The idea is to increase the subscriber base," Mr R S P Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director of MTNL, said.

The Times Broadband will use the latest content delivery technology of 'H 264 AVC Revision 10 of MPEG4 format, on Delhi MTNL MPLS core&ADSL 2+ access system, which would be the first such instance across Asia.

This technology was first used on July six at Cavalier Telecom in the US.

UNI