China Telecom passes 1.5mn IPTV subscribers in Q3

November 4, 2008 - China Telecom passed 1.51mn IPTV subscribers by the end of the third quarter of this year, according to Interfax China, quoting an unnamed company insider, compared to 940,000 subscribers reported in May of this year.

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. Earlier this year the telco issued a tender for the supply of 574,000 set-top boxes, including 536,000 high-definiion and 38,000 standard-definition units.

Previous reports indicate that China Telecom expects to reach 2mn customers by the end of this year.