The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has shot off a letter to MTNL seeking asking why it has violated licence conditions under which a basic service operator (BSO) cannot offer value-added services such as IPTV. The regulator pointed out that MTNL has reported IPTV tariffs and providing IPTV as a value-added service under the BSO licence.
MTNL has the choice of applying for an expensive UASL The regulator can also impose a fine on the state-owned telecom company. At the moment, MTNL has licences to operate basic as well as cellular services.
MTNL plans to protest the regulator's ruling.
MTNL, was the first to introduce IPTV services last October and will soon be facing IPTV competition from Reliance Communications and Bharti in the IPTV segment as these operators are also readying their plans. MTNL is targeting around 50,000 subscribers this year and has already has 6,000.
MTNL charges Rs 250 ($US6.35) a month for around 102 channels and an upfront payment of Rs 3,000 ($US75) as rental for the set-top box for providing IPTV services.
There has been a lot of press about IPTV regulation in India that has been quite positive until now. The bump in the road that MTNL has hit shows how difficult it is to forecast markets like India.
I would appreciate comments from any readers who are closer to this situation.
Showing posts with label MTNL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MTNL. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Saturday, July 7, 2007
MTNL Launches Fiber IPTV in Delhi
MTN and its IPTV franchisee Aksh Optifibre launched anIPTV service in Delhi. All MTNL broadband subscribers will be able to register for the IPTV service. The two c0mpanies deployed the service in about 200 homes in New Delhi in 2006..
This service will cost 90 rupees ($2.25) per month plus premium pay channels based. Viewers will be able to subscribe to the pay channels listed on the TV itself and start watching them immediately.
The service will include a Time-shift TV service that will allow viewers to rewind a live broadcast channel and to catch a program that has been broadcast in the previous week.
Advertisers will be able to upload full length campaigns, product videos, and detailed trailers, without the limitation to a 10, 20, or 30 second format.
An ecommerce facility will launched soon that will allow users to items shown on infomercials and pay for it using the television remote and have it delivered to their homes.
A video on demand service will also be available with over 100 movie titles in Hindi and English. Plays and serialized TV programs in Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi and Bangla will also be in the library. Additional titles will be added every week. In addition services such as booking of movie tickets with the television remote, video calling, music on demand, online chats, and virtual classrooms -are expected to be added to the service.
Based on an open platform, this service will also allow creation of third-party applications that can be offered through the system - from placing orders for cakes and flowers to trading of stocks while watching a business news broadcast channel and telemedicine for which the remote center only needs an MTNL line and a television set.
India promises to be a very strong IPTV market in time. It will have to substantially increase its broadband infrastructure first, of course.
What is interesting is the amount of innovation that is going into this service. MTNL is starting to deploy services that are only being talked about in North America and Europe. It will be interesting to see how this service develops.
This service will cost 90 rupees ($2.25) per month plus premium pay channels based. Viewers will be able to subscribe to the pay channels listed on the TV itself and start watching them immediately.
The service will include a Time-shift TV service that will allow viewers to rewind a live broadcast channel and to catch a program that has been broadcast in the previous week.
Advertisers will be able to upload full length campaigns, product videos, and detailed trailers, without the limitation to a 10, 20, or 30 second format.
An ecommerce facility will launched soon that will allow users to items shown on infomercials and pay for it using the television remote and have it delivered to their homes.
A video on demand service will also be available with over 100 movie titles in Hindi and English. Plays and serialized TV programs in Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi and Bangla will also be in the library. Additional titles will be added every week. In addition services such as booking of movie tickets with the television remote, video calling, music on demand, online chats, and virtual classrooms -are expected to be added to the service.
Based on an open platform, this service will also allow creation of third-party applications that can be offered through the system - from placing orders for cakes and flowers to trading of stocks while watching a business news broadcast channel and telemedicine for which the remote center only needs an MTNL line and a television set.
India promises to be a very strong IPTV market in time. It will have to substantially increase its broadband infrastructure first, of course.
What is interesting is the amount of innovation that is going into this service. MTNL is starting to deploy services that are only being talked about in North America and Europe. It will be interesting to see how this service develops.
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