(19 March 2008 1:00 pm)

NEW DELHI: Aksh Optifibre Ltd is set to launch its IPTV services on the MTNL network in Mumbai soon.

Aksh managing director KC Choudhari told Indiantelevision.com that the launch date will be announced shortly.

Aksh Optifibre is targeting to cross 20,000 subscribers in both Mumbai and Delhi by the end of September. The two metros have around 200000 broadband subscribers at the moment, said Choudhari.

Speaking to indiantelevision.com MTNL Delhi executive director KC Gupta said, "Our marketing people are going to the city residents welfare associations (RWAs) demonstrating IPTV. but to really take off would take a bit of time, as people are still comfortable in their cable TV mindset."

Gupta added that marketing had been weak but is now getting more focussed.

Aksh, which is responsible for content and marketing, plans to start full fledged campaign on all platforms, newspapers, outdoors, online, SMS as well as television, simultaneously in Delhi and Mumbai.

IOL Broadband has already rolled out IPTV service in Mumbai on the MTNL network. The state-owned telecom major has taken the franchisee route for the content delivery network on a non-exclusive basis.