Aksh Optifibre, the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV (News - Alert)) partner for Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), is set to expand its services across India’s western state of Rajasthan.

 

The company’s services are presently available in Jaipur, Alwar and Kota and by year end, the services are slated to be launched in Udaipur, Jodhpur and Ajmer.

 

An expansive network operating center in Jaipur is being set up to cater to cities across the state, a company official said.

 

"We have around 3,000 bookings for IPTV in Rajasthan and with three more cities on board, we are expecting a considerable rise in the numbers by this fiscal," said Ashok Kumar Wahi, Aksh Strategic Initiatives Head, in a statement.

 

He said that the company is eyeing 70,000 IPTV customers across the country by the the end of this financial year.

 

For a monthly charge, a subscriber can watch 130 channels. The company telecasts local channels besides all the major free-to-air and pay channels.

 

Wahi said that the company has tie-ups with local channels in all the states so that customers do not miss out on local content.

 

Also, the company has archived video content, similar to advertisements, as well as services such as video-on-demand, which are aimed at increasing the average revenue, he said.

 

To tap the market, the company would indulge third-party dealers for distribution in the coming weeks.

 

"We will make IPTV available to every household which has a broadband connection. The services can potentially reach over 4 million MTNL broadband customers in Delhi and Mumbai and over 6 million BSNL (News - Alert) broadband customers in 20 cities," Wahi said.

 

Aksh has a presence in Delhi and Mumbai with MTNL, and about other 20 cities with BSNL. The company expects to extend its presence in 60 cities in the next couple of months including Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP (West).

 

MTNL is one of India’s major and one of Asia.s largest telecom operating companies. BSNL is world's seventh largest telecommunications company providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India: Wireline, CDMA mobile, GSM Mobile, Internet, Broadband, Carrier service, MPLS-VPN, VSAT, VoIP services, IN Services, etc.