BSNL to take on Jio, Airtel with live TV, video content

NEW DELHI: Reliance Jio’s Jiofiber and Bharti Airtel’s Xstream will soon have a formidable rival to worry about in the converged high-speed Internet-TV-Voice segment. On Monday, state-run telecom major BSNL signed an MoU with internet-based live streaming platform YuppTV to offer customers bundled live TV and video content via broadband mobile and fixed-line connections, including BSNL’s high-speed Bharat Fiber.

Depending on the price point, the entry of the BSNL-YuppTV combine into the ‘triple play’ space is poised to have a significant impact on broadband internet penetration in the non-metro and rural markets, which are significantly underserved in this respect. According to TRAI, while wireless broadband subscribers numbered 596.55 million as of the end of August this year, wired broadband connections stood at just 18.32 million of which BSNL alone accounted for 8.79 million.