New Delhi: Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications (RCOM), are set to start Direct To Home (DTH) services by the year-end and are looking at providing satellite-based broadband internet services along with their DTH offerings.

Bharti officials the company would offer broadband through Wi-Max or through DTH in areas where it did not make economic sense to lay copper wires.

Similarly, RCOM''s DTH venture called BlueMagic is also looking at satellite internet services as one of the key differentiators. RCOM sources said that along this facility, the company was also looking at an entire range of voice and data services, including facilities like video on demand to offer higher interactivity to subscribers using its digital TV platform.

Satellite internet is considered as ideal solution for rural users who want broadband services, but do not have access to telephone lines and cable systems.

A combined offering with DTH also makes satellite internet economical. This is because, standalone satellite internet services works out to be expensive proposition as it requires a satellite dish for two-way (upload and download) data communications.