The Hindu Business Line : TRAI wants DoT to check MTNL's Net TV validity

Latest technology
IPTV services enable consumers to get TV through their broadband connection.
It allows users to pause, fast forward and rewind live and recorded content stored on a remotely located server by the service provider.

New Delhi , Nov. 6

Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd's Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services could hit a bump with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India seeking clarification from the Department of Telecom as to whether or not the company has unified access services licence (UASL).

The Authority has told the DoT that the issue had legal and commercial ramification for IPTV services in the country. As per the existing licensing norms, only telecom operators with UASL can offer IPTV services.

TRAI had earlier also sought the opinion of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to check whether the IPTV service offered by MTNL was legal as per the Cable TV Regulations. While MTNL does not have a unified access services licence it has a cable TV licence.

However, TRAI had made a set of recommendations to the Government, which essentially took IPTV out of the purview of the broadcasting licence to put it under the unified access services licenceBroadcasting companies had objected to the proposals on the grounds that even they should be allowed to offer IPTV services. While the Government is yet to formally announce the policy, MTNL has gone ahead and launched the services in Delhi and Mumbai, which has prompted the telecom regulator to check its validity.

IPTV services essentially enable consumers to get TV through their broadband connection. It allows users to pause, fast forward and rewind live and recorded content stored on a remotely located server by the service provider.

The technology is being touted as the next big thing in broadband and is becoming popular in other countries. A consumer possessing a broadband connection and a television can subscribe for IPTV. It uses a two-way digital broadcast signal (sent through a switched telephone or cable network by way of a broadband connection and a set-top box programmed with software, much like a cable or DSS box) that can handle viewers' requests to access many available media sources.

The viewer's TV is connected to a set-top box that decodes the IP video and converts it into standard television signals. The services on IPTV include video-on-demand and digital video recording.