Videocon to launch DTH services by October 2008 (D2H)

Videocon Group will launch its direct-to-home (DTH) service by October-end and plans to invest Rs 10 billion in the venture over two years.

Bharat Business Channel Ltd , the company which will launch the DTH service, has signed up with SingTel for six Ku-band transponders. The DTH venture is being headed by Anil Khera who was earlier in charge of Videocon's Sansui and Kelvinator brands.

"We have taken six Ku-band transponders on SingTel's ST-1 satellite. We are investing Rs 10 billion over two years and are launching the DTH service by October-end," Khera tells Indiantelevision.com.

Videocon will operate its DTH service under the D2H brand. The company will use MPEG-4 compression technology and plans to kick off the service with 200 channels.

Videocon will manufacture the set-top boxes (STBs) at its Aurangabad factory. It will use Irdeto's encryption technology.

The uplinking will be at Greater Noida, adds Khera.