KASARGOD: In a massive push to broadband connectivity in the state, the Cable Operators Association (COA) - the largest organisation of independent cable TV operators in Kerala - said it will lay optical fibre across the state and ‘aggressively’ promote its broadband connection.
COA will also promote its mobile app to deliver media content over internet (OTT service). COA’s company Kerala Communicators Cable Limited (KCCL) is set to become the largest broadband service provider in the state before Onam, said its chairman K Govindan. He said broadband customers would be able to watch the channels over the intranet without additional cost or data.
Govindan was speaking to the TNIE on the sidelines of the 11th state convention of COA in Kanhangad.
As of now KCCL is tapping the optical fibres of RailTel, Tata Teleservice, BSNL, KSEB and others to transmit internet data, and cable television signals from its network operations centre (NOC) in Thrissur. “We want to shift entirely to our own optical fibre network. We have already laid 40 pc of required cable,” he said. For the rest, the company has set a budget of `100 crore.
KCCL has 25,000 broadband customers, he said. “The independent operators are providing broadband connections to another 1.5 lakh houses tapping other service providers,” Govindan said. “All the customers will now migrate to KCCL’s broadband before Onam. With that we will become the biggest broadband service provider in the state,” he said. The chairman said the company is targeting 2.5 lakh customer in the initial phase.
A hundred channels on mobile
COA delegates said they have decided to promote it's over the top (OTT) app, Kerala Vision Mobile TV, to target mobile consumers. “All our customers will be able to watch around 100 channels on mobile phones free of cost,” said Binu Sivadas, vice-president of COA, and a delegate from Kollam. In future, channels would be beamed to houses over the internet, he said.
New satellite channel
COA delegates said its own satellite channel Kerala Vision will be launched in Kochi on April 23. “It will be a general entertainment channel (GEC). Another news channel will be launched soon afterwards. We have applied for the licence,” he said. In the initial days of the GEC, there would be no serials, COA delegate and KCCL chairman Govindan K said. “We have lined up eight hours of programmes, mostly reality shows, live shows, and students and people’s cultural programmes,” he said. COA has also tied up with five other satellite channels to source movies for its screen.
Going public
Govindan said Kerala Communicators Cable Limited, the digital arm of the COA, is planning to go public. “We will list KCCL in stock market in two years,” the chairman said.