The development of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) in China
hinges on the industry's ability to meet customer demand.
So said participants at the IPTV World 2007 conference held
recently in Beijing.
IPTV is defined as multimedia services such as TV, video, audio,
text, graphics and data delivered over IP-based networks managed to
provide the required level of high-quality services and experience,
security, interactivity and reliability.
"Meeting customer demand will be crucial for the development of
IPTV," said Shi Wei, director of the Economic System and Management
Institute at the National Development and Reform Commission.
"Currently, the development of IPTV is mainly driven by
technology and not much has been done to meet real customer needs.
We should now learn what our customers really want and find a model
to develop the business," he said.
Amid the wave of telecom, broadcasting and television
convergence, China's telecom industry including operators,
equipment manufacturers and content providers is keen to develop
IPTV.
China Telecom and China Netcom, the country's two largest
fixed-line operators, have been investing in IPTV projects since
2005 by upgrading their broadband networks and building trial IPTV
networks.
Shanghai Telecom joined forces with Shanghai Media Group to roll
out IPTV services in September last year. Trial services mainly
include video-on-demand and remote medical, education and
videoconferencing services.
"The convergence of IPTV and NGN (next generation network) will
be the mainstay of the industry in the years to come as we see the
interconnection of the two," said Tang Xiongyan, deputy director of
China Netcom Group's Research Institute. He classified IPTV into
two categories TV services and other value-added businesses.
Analysts believe IPTV is a wise choice for telecom operators
confronted with diminishing revenue in fixed-line services to
expand their business scope and seek further growth areas.
But there are still many problems. For example, telecom
operators are still waiting for IPTV or 3G licenses. "The
uncertainty of licensing may influence the development of IPTV,"
Shi said. Only four IPTV licenses have been distributed in China to
Shanghai Media Group, China Central Television International,
Southern Media Corporation and China Radio International.
"Personally, I believe that the Chinese government will issue 3G
licenses before the end of this year," he said, adding only a year
and a half is left for the development of IPTV since the 3G systems
need almost a year for full deployment.
"Thus this year is of crucial importance for IPTV in China," Shi
said. "If it is not well developed this year, the future for IPTV
looks grim." Once telecom operators secure 3G licenses, they are
more likely to develop mobile TV businesses, which might hamper
IPTV's progress, Shi said.
Shi said developing IPTV required comprehensive planning and
collaboration. And he said the Ministry of Construction should help
facilitate the deployment of fiber to the home (FTTH)
infrastructure to enable faster access to IPTV.
The Ministry of Information Industry said more than 70 percent
of its 51.89 million broadband subscribers last year were connected
to the Internet via copper lines. This is compared to only 150,000
FTTH subscribers.
"IPTV has laid a solid foundation for audio and video frequency
services and has helped to accelerate convergence between telecom,
broadcasting and the Internet," said James Yong, chief scientist
with UTStarcom.
Yong said the development of IPTV involves three stages. Based
on linear and non-linear TV programs such as time-shifted TVs and
video-on-demand, the first re-broadcasting stage will enable
customers to control TV programs in a more interactive way. The
second stage will involve wide use of audio and video
frequency-based value-added services and e-commerce. The third
stage will be convergence, promoting the making of audio and video
frequency services.
US research firm IDC predicts that by the end of 2008, the IPTV
user base in China will hit 10 million and reach 23 million by
2010.
(China Daily April 20, 2007)