The wait is seemingly over. IPTV is here, with all the fanfare
attached to the launch of a new technology/service in a country, but not really
with a bang. Looks like MTNL is holding the cards close to its chest and
watching. Interestingly, IPTV is being launched at a time when DTH-the other
digital TV option-is also spreading its footprint rapidly. For the TV watcher
that means a lot of choice.
IPTV is not really new. For instance, at 55.8% at the end of
2005, Hong Kong had the highest numbers of subscribers in the APEJ (Asia-Pacific
Excluding Japan) region, says an IDC report. The APEJ region is expected to grow
from 1.2 mn to 29.7 mn subscribers from 2005 to 2010. And with a CAGR of 122%,
India is expected to be one of the fastest growing pockets.
Whether India manages to achieve this growth or not will depend
upon a number of factors. Price and policies may be the instant answer. At the
start these two factors will definitely play an important role. They have the
capacity to make or break this market. But going by the cellular experience,
these two soon get leveled and could cease to be the key determinants of
purchase decisions.
| Quality of
service, in terms of pre- and post-sales support, customer care, etc, will
play an important role in ushering IPTV |
The communication infrastructure will also play a crucial role.
IPTV has entered the Indian market after the basic broadband backbone has been
set in place. One can assume that this will be strengthened fast enough to keep
pace with the load that the new service will impose.
To my mind triple play, however, goes deeper than that. The
factors most likely to catapult IPTV on a three-digit growth path, or spell doom
for it, are content, quality of service, reliability and ease of use.
Content will play a big role in setting the service apart from
cable TV or DTH. Will the same channels be beamed or will there be new
offerings? If IPTV is able to provide differential content from its peers, it
will be able to boom. The possibilities are immense: on-demand content, regional
content, educational content, children's content, high-quality multimedia
applications... The technology has the capabilities to provide a rich and
comfortable viewing experience.
Quality of service, in terms of pre- and post-sales support,
customer care, etc, will also play an important role. The cable TV has been an
unorganized industry – and service levels have been average. Though it has
made improvements in recent months there is a long way to go. DTH is new and the
sales and support systems of the suppliers are still being set up. Customers
have reported many service related problems. On the other hand, thanks to a huge
telephone penetration, the IPTV sales and service route could prove to be
better. It has the basic technology based infrastructure in place and could ride
it effectively.
A user will always rate ease of use or convenience as high
priority in case of consumer products and services. Will an IPTV installation
mean buying more than one set-up box for his multiple-TV home? How many new
wires will envelope the rooms in his house? Answers to these and more such
questions will influence his purchase decision to a great extent.
Reliability, or a feeling of it is equally important. If you are
not convinced about the reliability factor of a service provider, as a consumer,
you will never go to him if you have other choices. It would be terrible if the
reliability of broadcasts was to drop.
All said and done, there's a good business case for IPTV.
There will be lots to watch on TV over the next few months. Let's see!
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