Cable opens up new vistas for Internet users

Venkatachari Jagannathan
24 December 2002

“There is a perceptible shift in favour of broadband connectivity at the retail end,” says P Kailasam, head, Internet-over-cable-operations, Siti Cable Network.

Though broadband Internet is delivered by various routes — cable modem; digital subscriber line (DSL); integrated services digital network (ISDN); wireless; and others — the access speed that qualifies to be termed broadband is a matter of opinion.

In India, an access speed of 64 kbps is considered broadband, while overseas it is double that speed. Here at the retail level, Internet via cable is the most popular broadband access. Thanks to cable Internet service providers (ISPs), today households, small office and home office (SOHO) and small and medium enterprises (SME) segments are able to enjoy broadband connectivity.

With the quality of service stabilising, many cable net subscribers are taking advantage of the attractive schemes offered by ISPs like Hathway Cable & Datacom and switching over to annual plans, which is good for valuations. “This only shows the maturing of the markets,” says Karthik Bhaskaran, head (sales, marketing and customer services, south India), Hathway Cable.

Taking advantage of the market trend, the major cable net players — Siti Cable and the two Rajan Raheja group companies, Hathway Cable and Asianet Satellite Communications — are in an expansion mode.

Part of the Zee group, Siti Cable offers its net services in Bangalore, but will soon be wiring up the Hyderabad and Delhi markets (See Siti Cable to enter other cities).