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"We
plan to focus the mass markets with this
type of bandwidth offering. This includes
the young who carry out multiple tasks simultaneously,
like chatting, playing online games, watching
an audio-visual, downloading songs or movies
as well as checking up their e-mail,"
said Airtel president – broadband and
telephone services Atul Bindal.
Bharti
is also ready for IPTV. "We are waiting
for some clarity from the regulation front
to commence IPTV operations in the five
cities and NCR initially and the other cities
later," added Bindal.
On
the content front, Airtel has already tied
up with providers such as India Games and
Soundbuzz to provide gaming, music downloads,
education and communication services. It
has also announced the commencement of NetXpert,
or what it claims is India’s first
automated broadband selfcare technology
and PC Secure which offers features like
anti-virus and parental control.
The
company has reportedly spent over $ 1 billion
towards its broadband services, and over
Rs 15 billion to deliver speeds up to 8
Mbps. About Rs 550 to 600 million has been
invested in the last few months towards
setting up of infrastructure and capex in
the Chennai and Bangalore regions, according
to company sources.
The
company already has a Carrier Ethernet Network
(CEN) that will enable triple play including
IPTV in Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, with
Mumbai lined up for up gradation during
the next phase.
According
to Airtel chief marketing officer - broadband
services Srinivasan Rao, the total number
of internet connections in India is about
50 million, half of which are broadband
(128 Kpbs and above).
Some
of the roadblocks to faster growth in numbers
and internet penetration are mainly low
computer base in India, which is growing
at about 25 per cent annually; no policy
in sharing of passive infrastructure among
players; high cost of the equipment such
as laptops, desktops and infrastructure
equipment.
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