Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) officially launched its Internet Protocol television (IPTV) service in its Kerala circle on Thursday. The IPTV service has been launched on a trial basis in the select cities of the BSNL Kerala circle such as Ernakulam and Alappuzha. The trial period is said to be between August 27, 2020 to October 31, 2020. BSNL has highlighted that the users registering for the IPTV service before September 10, 2020, will receive an “early bird” offer. The BSNL IPTV service was initially unveiled in the Kerala circle earlier this year. However, the BSNL IPTV service remained a “non starter” in the region due to the lack of an “acceptable revenue share formula” between BSNL, IPTV service provider and the local cable operator (LCO).
BSNL Launches IPTV Service in Kerala
BSNL highlighted that its IPTV service will be offered through the Bharat Fiber platform in Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Thrissur. The operator said that its IPTV service will host 150 free-to-air (FTA) channels along with 150 pay channels. Crucially, the users registering for the BSNL IPTV service before September 10, 2020 will be offered free access to the FTA pack for one month. The operator highlighted that Cinesoft will act as a technology partner while Bhoomika Digital will serve as a content partner. It was also said that the BSNL IPTV users can access the service on the Android Box, Android TV and mobile. As of press time on Thursday, BSNL has not unveiled its IPTV packages. However, the operator has highlighted that the “user friendly” packages will be available to its IPTV users.
BSNL Opens Pan India Registration for BSNL IPTV Service
Meanwhile, BSNL has opened a dedicated portal for the Bharat Fiber users to register for the IPTV service. The dedicated portal enables BSNL users in Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Thrissur along with the BSNL users across India to register for the IPTV service. The BSNL users are required to submit the Bharat Fiber phone number along with the email and mobile number to register for the IPTV service.
