PHIIPPINES--Network equipment global player Ericsson projects that Internet protocol (IP) TV services will be available in the Philippines in "about two years."
In a press briefing Tuesday, Marcelo Pintar Gallotta, head of multimedia division at Ericsson Philippines, said the timeline is due to "healthy" interests telecommunications are showing for IPTV, which promises to converge broadcast and Internet services into one.
Unlike Web TV and video streaming, IPTV promises uses more bandwidth and dedicated Internet pipelines to ensure better broadcast quality and provide on-demand TV services, Ericsson said.
Individuals can also set up the service according to their preferences, including "timing" their favorite program so that it can be viewed according to a preset schedule, using a set-top box connected to a TV set.
Gallotta said operators in the Philippines are most likely to put in a dedicated 16Mbps (Megabits per second) network pipe for IPTV. This bandwidth, according to Ericsson, allows for the delivery of high-definition quality video over the Internet.
Online users can also use "spare" bandwidth for surfing and other Internet-related services, Ericsson said.
Gallotta said the tier 1 operators are "seriously" looking into IPTV as a way of broadening revenue streams and their respective service offerings. At least one operator is currently testing or conducting IPTV trials, but he declined to reveal the identity of the operator, noting only that Ericsson intends to play a key role in this market segment.
"We feel the time is right to bring in IPTV solutions that Philippine operators can now use for their IPTV rollouts," Gallotta said.
The country's incumbent Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT), announced plans as early as three years ago, but has yet to follow up with any new developments on triple-play services that combine voice, video and Internet, over a single pipe.
Rival BayanTel had also announced its own plans to offer triple-play services, but declined to comment on actual trials or tests.
Even non-telecom operators are hoping to ride the IPTV wave. For example, local broadcast giant ABS-CBN last month signed a deal with a U.S.-based firm to deliver IPTV content to viewers in North America, Europe, Japan and South Korea.
Rajendra Pangrekar, president and country manager of Ericsson Philippines, said: "One of the major reasons why Ericsson is optimistic about IPTV is that costs continue to go down, even for broadband."
Pangrekar said unlike in 1999, when IPTV was first introduced, broadband prices are now at levels that will allow for services such as IPTV, to be offered without consumers having to pay significant amounts of money.
In some countries where IPTV services are currently available, pricing of the service is comparable to more traditional pay-TV rates, he said.
Joel D. Pinaroc is a freelance IT writer based in the Philippines.
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