Just as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) changed the telecom industry by breaking through to give the people cheap/free telephone calls over the internet, a shiny new technology is going to shake up the television industry round the world. They call it IPTV or Internet Protocol Television.

It is the delivery of Television over the Internet or more precisely Broadband Internet. As Broadband markets around the world grow, television over the Internet is no longer a distant dream but a resounding reality. In India Reliance Communication Ventures is looking to start IPTV services by the end of 2006. Software giant Microsoft and communications major Cisco Systems Inc. have also spoken recently in support of the Reliance venture in India.

We also hear that the STAR Group is working together with Hong Kong based Pacific Century Cyber Works (PCCW) on IPTV. It all seems to fit, in keeping with the long-term strategies of these media companies. Of course for the Indian market which is just about ready to jump on to its latest avatar in Direct To Home (DTH) Television, talking about the next big thing might seem a bit cheeky. But time and technology waits for no one. The Indian Television market is big and vibrant enough to host a variety of simultaneous delivery systems.

The one big obvious benefit of IPTV is that because by nature it