Indian cabinet approves new IPTV rules

August 21, 2008 - India's Union Cabinet approved new rules for the provision of IPTV services in the country earlier today, reports Reuters, paving the way for more commercial launches in the country.

The cabinet also approved an amendment to policy guidelines for the downlinking of television channels, meaning that IPTV operators can now demand that broadcasters provide them with content in the same way that cable and satellite operators already can.

The Telecoms Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) submitted its final recommendations to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry several months ago, and has since been awaiting approval from the Union Cabinet as the recommendations include raising the foreign direct investment cap in IPTV services to 72%, as opposed to the current 49% for the cable sector.