China Telecom on the cusp of 1mn IPTV subscribers

July 1, 2008 - China Telecom has revealed that it has now exceeded 940,000 subscribers for its IPTV service, and expects to pass 1mn subscribers very soon.

The service is provided in cooperation with Shanghai Media Group (SMG) and has been available in major cities such as Shanghai, Jiangxu, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Shaanxi since 2005, offering broadcast and on-demand content, including high-definition, as well as information services.  The telco recently issued a tender for the supply of 574,000 set-top boxes, including 536,000 high-definiion and 38,000 standard-definition units.

Competitor China Netcom has operated its own IPTV service since 2005 in six cities including Beijing, Harbin and Shenyang, with a reported 100,000 subscribers as of May 2008, and intends to expand coverage to a further ten cities by the end of this year.