Cable TV
Ortel offers special value added Wi-Fi public hotspot service
MUMBAI: Ortel Communications has introduced Wi-Fi public hotspot services for its broadband subscribers as a special value added service. The service is being offered in the busiest locations of the state of Bhubaneswar.
Customers can access the Hot Spot services by using their existing internet account. They can use the broadband services in the public Hot Spot Wi-Fi location and can also access the primary wired broadband connection at home.
Without the requirement of any other additional hardware like modem or a dongle neither a software installation, the subscribers can use the service through their smartphones, tablet PCs and laptops.
Ortel is the first MSO and ISP to offer an additional wireless broadband service at public places in Bhubaneswar for its wired broadband subscribers without any additional charges. These services will be extended to other markets very soon.
Ortel Communications president and CEO Bibhu Prasad Rath said, “We are happy to launch wireless broadband access at public areas through Wi-Fi Hotspots for our existing and new broadband subscribers. This will allow our wired broadband subscribers to access internet using their existing Ortel Broadband connection outside their homes at places where most of them visit very frequently. Ortel has been one of the pioneers in the Cable TV and Broadband industry and it is our constant endeavour to provide unique and path-breaking services to our subscribers. The Wi-Fi Hot Spot is yet another value-added service which will enable our broadband subscriber’s to access internet on-the go through their internet-enabled devices.”
Ortel is also focused in the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana and West Bengal.
Cable TV
Hathway Cable appoints Gurjeev Singh Kapoor as CEO
Leadership change comes as cable TV faces shrinking subscriber base and modest earnings pressure
MUMBAI: Hathway Cable and Datacom has tapped industry veteran Gurjeev Singh Kapoor as chief executive officer, marking a leadership pivot at a time when India’s cable television business is under mounting strain.
Kapoor will take over from Tavinderjit Singh Panesar, who is set to retire in August after a long innings with the company. Panesar, chief executive since 2023, has held multiple leadership roles at Hathway, including his latest stint beginning in 2022.
Kapoor brings more than three decades of experience in media and entertainment. He most recently led distribution at The Walt Disney Company’s Star India business, now part of JioStar. His career spans television distribution and affiliate partnerships, with stints at Sony Pictures Networks India, Discovery Communications and Zee Entertainment.
Panesar, with over three decades in the industry, has worked across strategic planning, distribution and business development in media, broadcasting and manufacturing. His past associations include ESPN Star Sports, Star India, Apollo Tyres and JK Industries.
The transition lands as the cable sector grapples with structural disruption. Traditional operators are losing ground to streaming platforms, while telecom and broadband players tighten the squeeze with bundled offerings.
An EY report estimates India’s pay-TV base could shrink by a further 30 to 40 million households by 2030, taking the total down to 71 to 81 million. The slide follows a loss of nearly 40 million homes between 2018 and 2024, a contraction that has already wiped out more than 37,000 jobs in the local cable operator ecosystem.
Hathway’s numbers reflect the strain. The company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 93 crore for FY25, down from Rs 99 crore a year earlier. Revenue inched up to Rs 2,040 crore from Rs 1,981 crore. As of December 2025, it had about 4.7 million cable TV subscribers and roughly 1.02 million broadband users.
Kapoor steps in with a familiar brief but a shrinking playbook. In a market where viewers are cutting cords faster than companies can reinvent them, the new chief executive inherits a business fighting to stay plugged in.
