E-Paper
Cable biggie?s Net offer
INTERNET USERS are in for some pleasant surprises on August 15 this year. Not any huge concessions from the government. But, something from cable TV operators. That?s watching news and sports channels on your PC through Internet. It?s called the Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) service. The IPTV uses a very high-speed Internet connectivity to keep picture frames on the computer with a digital- quality viewing of television channels.
INTERNET USERS are in for some pleasant surprises on August 15 this year.
Not any huge concessions from the government. But, something from cable TV operators. That’s watching news and sports channels on your PC through Internet. It’s called the Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) service.
The IPTV uses a very high-speed Internet connectivity to keep picture frames on the computer with a digital- quality viewing of television channels.
A local Internet Service Provider (ISP) Sikka Broadband—an arm of the Gomti Cable Network Pvt Ltd, is all geared up to launch the city’s first IPTV venture on the Independence Day August 15 through its two websites— lucknowlive.com and sikkanet.com completely free of cost..The other major player Reliance Communications in the broadband war is also gearing up to launch IPTV. But, the company officials in Mumbai are keeping the cards close to their chest.
Senior vice president of a reputed firm Abhishek Chandra says: “I am travelling most of the year in India and abroad. The IPTV would allow me surf through Indian news channels on my laptop especially when travelling abroad”.
The bouquet of channels being offered on the cable operator’s websites with a 5.13 Mbps ultra-high speed bandwidth would be purely news and sports. “We have conveniently avoided boring sop operas on TV channels in our package. We think a busy person requires today is instant news besides the sports updates”,
Tony Sikka, of Sikka Broadband told HT Lucknow Live. He said his company had already carried out elaborate tests to launch the IPTV service for all internet users logging on to the two aforesaid websites in the city. “Considering more than 10,000 broadband connections in the city, the IPTV would be able to cater to all the users hungry for news feeds 24 hours a day on their PCs be it the office or home”, Sikka said.
“We are also in the process of starting a “private telephone exchange” on August 15 which would offer a “triple play” of cable, internet and telephone connection through a single telephone line.
The service would be available initially only in the Hazratganj area”, he added.
