(16 January 2008 7:00 pm)

NEW DELHI: Two months from now, Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains of Indian Railways could be offering its high-end travellers live TV in their berths, as a discussion between Dish TV and the railways are expected to be concluded by then.

Dish TV's head, mobile TV, Samir Juneja told indiantelevision.com that the company has made a presentation for installing high tech, high cost specialised antenna atop the premier trains of the country, and even some of the top car and bus manufacturers are checking out the prospects of this new comfort on wheels.

Juneja said that the talks are on with the railways and added: "This will take about two months, and during these months you shall see a lot of action."

He said that the presentation they have made to the railways involve Dish giving the technology, which is brand new.

"Earlier, we had tried the antenna that could meet the challenge of staying in the line of sight of the satellite, but they were bulky and difficult to operate, but now we have flat antennas that can be fitted easily," Juneja said.

These new antennas are flat, being manufactured by an Israeli company, and use the "phased array" technology, involving an array of antennas.

"These are electronic antennae, very highly sophisticated and cost somewhere around Rs 150,000 each," Juneja said.

He said the railways have instal TV sets in the First Class cabins, to bring live TV to the First Class passengers in the premier trains, and added: "This will totally change travel from the previous manner of just moving incessantly without entertainment."

Juneja said that the service is even better for road transport.

"In trains, at least you could go to the loo, or take a walk to the pantry car, whereas in bus travel you are simply tied to your seat, so it is even more attractive for the bus riders," he explained.

The price per unit is really small for trains, as it works out to servicing a much larger number of passengers per unit, but despite being on the higher side, car manufacturers are very keen on the new offering from Dish TV.

The high-capacity bus service is being rolled out in Delhi and roads are being re-laid out for that, but that would really take off closer to the 2010 Games, so what would be the rollout road map?

Juneja sees a gradual uptake for the new technology and expects to sell about 10,000 units in the first year, and feels peer pressure would be a substantial market driver for the product.

"If you see your friend travelling in one such car, you would also desire it, isn't it?" he asks.