Cable TV
Hathway launches GPON in Chennai, to invest Rs 500 cr in south
MUMBAI: Internet service-provider (ISP) and cable multi-system operator (MSO) Hathway, over the next three years, plans to invest to the tune of Rs 500 crore in south India as part of its strategy to launch highspeed broadband service. It will be establishing data centres and other infrastructure so as to cover five lakh customers in three years.
A senior company official told PTI that the Mumbai-based firm, which is into providing internet service through “Docsis 3” technology, has made commercial launch of the service through Gigabite Passive Optical Networks Fiber to Home (GPON Fibre to Home) technology. The company on Thursday announced the launch of its services in India with ultra-high-speed broadband technology.
Consumption of OTT content from the likes of Amazon Prime, Netflix and HOOQ has been increasing and this would require high-speed dependable services. With broadband business present in 10 cities, Hathway has tied up with Cisco, Oracle, ZTE and Nokia for hardware and software components.
Hathway Cable and Datacom managing director Rajan Gupta said, in Chennai, they had observed an explosion in demand (for broadband internet) last year. The average broadband consumption across the country is 45GB whereas, in Chennai, it was 90GB per month. It has just commercially launched in Chennai with GPON technology, he added.
Noting that the incumbent operators provided broadband service through copper wires, Gupta said that Hathway would offer high-speed end-to-end fibre solution through fibre cables with the package starting at Rs 999 a month for speeds up to 150Mbps and 1000GB data unload.
MUMBAI: When margins wobble, liquidity talks and in Q3 FY25-26, cash did most of the talking. Den Networks Limited closed the December quarter with consolidated revenue of Rs.251 crore, marginally higher than the previous quarter but down 4 per cent year-on-year, even as profitability stayed resilient on the back of strong cash reserves and disciplined cost control.
Subscription income softened to Rs.98 crore, slipping 3 per cent sequentially and 14 per cent from last year, while placement and marketing income offered some cheer, rising 15 per cent quarter-on-quarter to Rs.148 crore. Total costs climbed faster than revenue, up 7 per cent QoQ to Rs.238 crore, driven largely by higher content costs and operating expenses. As a result, EBITDA dropped sharply to Rs.13 crore from Rs.19 crore in Q2 and Rs.28 crore a year ago, pulling margins down to 5 per cent.
Yet, the bottom line refused to blink. Profit after tax stood at Rs.40 crore, up 15 per cent sequentially and only marginally lower than last year’s Rs.42 crore. A healthy Rs.57 crore in other income helped cushion operating pressure, keeping profit before tax at Rs.48 crore, broadly stable quarter-on-quarter despite the tougher cost environment.
The real headline-grabber, however, sits on the balance sheet. The company remains debt-free, with cash and cash equivalents swelling to Rs.3,279 crore as of December 31, 2025. Net worth rose to Rs.3,748 crore, while online collections accounted for 97 per cent of total receipts, underscoring strong cash discipline across operations, including subsidiaries.
In short, while Q3 showed signs of operating strain, the financial backbone remains solid. With zero gross debt, steady profits and a formidable cash war chest, the company enters the next quarter with flexibility firmly on its side proving that in uncertain markets, balance sheet strength can be the best growth strategy.
