MTNL targets 40,000 IPTV subscribers

NEW DELHI: Telecom PSU Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) is targeting 40,000 IPTV subscribers within this fiscal.

“We are coming in a big way in both the metros. We are targeting 40,000 IPTV customers by this fiscal,” A.K. Arora, executive director MTNL informed.

He said that the PSU is in talks with TV channels for offering the entire package of programmes for its subscribers. The company was one of the pioneer telecom company to announce its pilot launch of IPTV in November 2006.

“We have not yet started the commercial launch of the IPTV. Our current IPTV subscriber base stands at around 1, 000,” Arora informed.

The company had tied up with a content provider to offer the TV channels on its IPTV platform. He informed that they are planning to launch 150 channels for the Mumbai subscribers.

Arora, however, did not reveal the time for launching the 150 channels. Currently the telco is offering 50 channels.

On the surrender of landlines, which had raised questions in the parliament, AArora said that they have been successful enough to arrest the surrender of landlines to a ‘great extent’.

It may be mentioned here that the former Union Minister of Communications and IT, Dayanidhi Maran took active initiative in the issue.

Rattled by the surrender of 3.5 lakh landlines in 2004-`05, the PSU had initiated introducing offers for its subscribers and cutting down the number of surrenders to 2.5 lakh in 2005-`06. The numbers finally came down to 1.4 lakh surrenders in 2006-`07.

He said that with the launch of broadband for the landline subscribers, the number of surrenders has come down. “We have introduced number of offers and value added services for our customers, which has fuelled the adoption in landlines,” Arora said.