SLT to launch IPTV from May

Shirajiv Sirimane in Ahungalle

For the first time, Sri Lanka Telecom will launch Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) from next May. Sri Lanka is the second country in the region after India to launch this technology.

Head of IP Broadband and Network division, Sri Lanka Telecom, Priyanka Udugodage said that they received the licence from the Telecom Regulatory Commission (TRC) over one year and since then have been making test transmissions.

"We hope to launch this service early May and initially over 80 percent of the country would be covered," he said. Speaking at the Cisco Media Offsite 2008 at Heritance Ahungalle he said that people for the first time would have the facility to watch their favorite TV programmes and News as and when a person wants. (On demand) The facility would be also available on Mobile via Mobitel as people prefer mobility and home users can avail this service though the existing SLT phone lines.

The local Telco industry is very competitive and one needs innovation to compete in the market.

"This is why SLT decided to launch IP TV," he said. It requires a subscription and an IPTV set-top box, and offers key advantages over existing TV cable and satellite technologies.

IPTV is typically bundled with other services like Video on Demand (VOD), voice over IP (VOIP) or digital phone, and Web access, collectively referred to as Triple Play.