Broadband

Time broadband service who are apparently the primary content providers for MTNL's forthcoming IPTV rollout, have tied up with Verimatrix to add user-specific watermarking to all digital content.

Verimatrix, developer of the most widely deployed IPTV content protection system with tier one operators, today announced at CommunicAsia 2006 that its Verimatrix Content Authority System (VCAS) and patent-pending VideoMark(TM) user-specific forensic watermarking will be deployed on the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) Delhi network. Time Broadband Service of India is providing the content delivery network as the first broadband content partner for state-owned incumbent MTNL's IPTV service, which is the first commercial video-tier rich-media service in India.

Also of interest is the brief mention of H.264 compatible set-top boxes. Related link: X264 library.

Full story: VoIP magazine.

Indiantelevision.com has an article on Hathway's expansion plans in areas like Chandigarh, Mohali and Kanpur. While the article mainly concerns Hathway's cable television arm, a mention is made of plans to introduce a VoIP service on its broadband network as well:

Hathway is creating another arsenal for its fight against DTH. Plans are on to launch VoIP (voice over internet protocol) services by the end of the fiscal. Having built a two-way infrastructure for broadband, this is a natural progression for the MSO. "We had tested for analogue telephony with Bharti but feel VoIP is a better route for us. VoIP test is going on in Mumbai. We plan to launch at least in two cities this fiscal. We can bundle cable TV, broadband and VoIP services to customers which will add to our revenue streams," says Jayaraman.

Link: Indiantelevision.com.

VSNL plans to set up 68 cyber-cafés all across key railway stations in India. The first of these cyber-cafés was recently opened in Bangalore railway station.

The cyber cafés will enable all Tata Indicom subscribers access the internet using their existing accounts. Each of these cyber cafés will be equipped with 10-20 high-end multimedia PCs with flat panel monitors and will remain open on a 24x7 basis.

Tata Indicom will also create select Wi-Fi areas, providing wireless internet access to passengers on their laptops or Wi-Fi-enabled PDAs.

Story: Business Standard.

BSNL plans to launch triple play services in Pune on Independence Day. Apparently, a similar initiative is being undertaken in Bangalore as well.

Pune will become the first city in the country when the BSNL will launch multi player services through broadband connection on August 15. Here are some of the features that are on offer:
* Bouquet of cable channels
* Video on demand
* Video conferencing
* TV-to-TV SMS
* E-classes

Internet and telephony major Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) is planning to take on United States Trade Representative (USTR) on allegations that VSNL is creating artificial shortages of bandwidth in and out of India.

USTR, which deals with trade and anti-competitive practices, has accused VSNL of creating bandwidth crisis. In its ‘Telecommunications Trade Agreements’ report, the organisation has also alleged that VSNL was responsible for bottlenecking of bandwidth, in turn, preventing US operators from serving Indian customers.

Tatas-owned Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited is planning to lay an undersea cable between India and Europe, covering about 10,000 km, at an investment of over $300 million (about Rs 1,350 crore).
When contacted, senior VSNL officials confirmed the plan and said that the company was expecting to have enough demand for bandwidth by 2008 and keeping this in mind VSNL has undertaken the major project.

Story: The Hindu.

Light Reading is carrying a succinct article on why telco majors in India believe WiMAX will be the one. The article also outlines the reasons why the Indian broadband industry is where it is today, along with a few choice quotes like the following:

"It's absolutely abysmal compared to other countries with equal per capita GDP," says Ravi Bhagavan, vice president at consultancy Galileo Global Advisors, noting that the government's broadband policy target was to have 3 million subscribers by the end of 2005. "Talk about aiming at the sky and shooting the treetops...in fact I think they hit the trunk."