| Bharti,
it is reliably learnt, had preliminary discussions with Indian Space Research
Orgainsation (ISRO) officials. With several players interested to kick off DTH
operations, Isro is finding it a challenge to meet the growing demand for Ku-band
transponders. Sun,
for instance, has had to wait after the unfortunate failure of the GSLV-F02 launch
rocket carrying the Insat-4C communication satellite in July this year. Maran
had booked seven high-power Ku-band transponders in this satellite, out of which
six would have been used for DTH and one for digital satellite news gathering. Bharati,
however, has not yet applied for a DTH licence. "We are still evaluating.
We haven't yet applied for a licence," says Mittal. Though
telecom companies in India have chalked out ambitious triple play plans, they
have not yet managed to sort out the technical issues. Last mile access to customer
homes has also remained a big hurdle and private telcos, who have built a strong
mobile phone business, have even looked at striking alliances with local cable
operators. On the content front, there is no regulatory clarity yet for IPTV rights. Bharati,
for instance, had conducted test trials with UTStarcom as the digital service
provider for IPTV, but later made it open for other vendors as well. A leading
mobile service provider, Bharti's (like the other private telcos) progress on
fixed telephone connections has been slow. With an eye to increase this base and
raise ARPUs (average revenue per user) by delivering video content into consumer
homes, the company has taken several steps for IPTV rollout including setting
up a digital headend in Gurgaon on the outskirts of Delhi.
"With
IPTV still to kick off, some telcos feel
DTH offers good opportunity and synergy,"
says a trade analyst.
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