Goldstone Technologies will be launching its IPTV services by the end of this month under the brand name Goldstone IPTV. The company has partnered with BSNL and the first pilot project in Hyderabad has been kickstarted. This service will be offered in addition to video-on-demand and internet access as well to make it a triple play service. So all that one needs is a broadband connection from BSNL, a set top box, monthly subscription of Rs 50 and pay Rs 30 – to watch a movie at home.

Claimed to be the only IPTV service to function seamlessly on the public internet, the DVD-quality video at bandwidths is available as low as 600 Kbps as compared to other IPTV providers who require at least 1.5 Mbps. As per its agreement with BSNL, the company had installed over 100 set-top boxes as part of trials before the commercial launch.

?We intend to offer 50 channels and 2,000 movies in the first phase. By the end of the year, we plan to have 80 premium channels with over 7,000 movies thus touching a subscriber base of 3,50,000 in the first year of operations,?? Rajesh Kalidindi, president and COO, said. ??Apart from BSNL, we are in talks with MTNL for offering these services,?? he said.

Meanwhile, the company, under the brand name, TV Origin, is launching services to the Indian diaspora across the world. “Barring the US and UK, there is very little choice for the Indian channels and movies, we are the first company in the world to launch this service and we hope to make our presence in 21 countries in the next two years,?? he said. It would be charging $35 for each channel and $2 per movie.

??We have identified 11 countries wherein we are launching the services in a phased manner in the next one year,?? he said. It has tied up with local partners in many countries and negotiations are currently in progress. It is in talks with telecom companies and internet service providers to market and distribute its services. After the launch in Thailand, the company has lined up Israel, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, Japan and France for the next stage of launch. In terms of revenues, the company is targeting Rs 500 crore from the present Rs 100 crore and has made an investment of $8 million for IPTV services.