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Meera Mohanty

New Delhi, Dec. 21 BT Media and Broadcast is in talks with Indian broadcasters eyeing international markets to get them to opt for its fibre optic network instead of the traditional satellite platform.

The company, which recently convinced the Star Group to make the switch to its Internet Protocol (IP) technology for the UK, is already transmitting TV news channel NDTV to Europe and the US.

The network can connect the client to multiple platforms across many countries and allows for greater flexibility, says the company. Mr Deepakjit Chatrath, General Manager, Client Management, Asia Pacific and EMEA, BT Media and Broadcast, said the company was in talks with most Indian broadcasters as well as DTH service providers who could use the network to get new channels on to their platform in India.

Within six months of operations, the network which had one node dedicated to broadcast services now has three nodes in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, pointed out Mr Chatrath.

The company was also doubling capacity from its current 155 mbps, which can approximately carry 25 channels.

“If all goes well, Indian businesses could account for 30 per cent of Asia Pacific business for BT’s digital media and broadcast business in the next 12-18 months,” said Mr Chatrath.

“Everybody is talking about MPLS (Multi Protocol Label Switching),” he said, adding that BT has made sizeable investments in its technology and network that covers Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Australia and Japan in the APAC region.

Broadcasters using the network will be able to repurpose the content, inserting ads relevant, and from the new markets that they are reaching out to, at their servers or headquarters in Delhi.

The technology would also be of interest to content owners in the UK or elsewhere wanting to be available to Indian audiences on DTH platforms, added Mr Chatrath.

The idea, he said, is gaining ground with the rising popularity of sports tournaments such as European league football, Formula One and television shows like Desperate Housewives. It allows the content owner to customise and maintain greater control over its content.

According to Mr Chatrath, the existing satellite option is more expensive — sometimes twice as much as its managed fibre network option — which it claims is as much if not more reliable and manages bandwidth better.

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