TV may finally marry the PC in RP

By MELVIN G. CALIMAG, MB


YOKOHAMA, Japan — If PLDT’s Manny V. Pangilinan seems persistent in taking over, or at least buying a part of television network GMA-7, he may not be thinking of just expanding his company’s telecommunications empire. He might be preparing for the marriage of TV to the PC in the country.


The fusion of these two different but still related technologies, to be called IP TV, is a major direction that technology firm Alcatel is pushing and which PLDT, if and when it acquires the television station, is in a position to bring to fruition.

In a recent forum held in here, Alcatel officials said telephone operators, particularly those that also maintain cable stations, are the ideal parties that can offer television programs via the Internet. Going by these requirements, PLDT is a perfect fit since it is the country’s dominant carrier, owns a stake in Beyond Cable (the holdings company of Sky-Home Cable), and can use GMA-7 programs as content for viewers of IP TV.

"The TV, not the PC, will be the future carrier of information and entertainment," said Fazal Bahardeen, vice president for fixed solutions of Alcatel. "The IP TV is for real."

The Alcatel official explained the IP TV technology market makes a lot of sense since based on the current ratio, TV sets outnumber PCs in homes six to one.

"In terms of accessibility and viability, IP TV can be both beneficial to the consumers and the operators. Instead of a cable box, subscribers can just buy a setup box which, by the way, has gone down significantly in cost," he said.

With IP TV, Bahardeen said viewers can avail of video-on-demand, allowing them to watch programs at their own pace and not be tied up on the television station’s programming schedule.

If attempts in the past failed to merge the identity of the PC and TV, today’s more mature technology market is better prepared to accomplish that goal, he said.

The executive said that numerous advances have been made since the technology was first broached five years ago. One of them, he said, is Alcatel’s recent partnership with software giant Microsoft to provide a platform where programs can be delivered through IP TV.

According to Bahardeen, the partnership is a formidable one because it combines the leading broadband technology of Alcatel (for the back-end) as well as the dominant position of Microsoft (for the front-end) to provide the integrated network infrastructure of IP TV.

Aside from the Microsoft partnership, Paris-based Alcatel has made strategic investments in the video space, including acquisitions of four video-related companies. It has conducted extensive R&D in video technology, and even forming a broadband entertainment group within the company in 2001.

"Besides, PC has proven itself to be a poor carrier of video. Nothing beats viewing video in a TV set," he said, adding that Alcatel has established an "ecosystem of partners" with consumer electronics vendors as well as video and digital high-end manufacturers.

But the realization of IP TV in the Philippines, as in any other country, Bahardeen said, will still largely depend on the regulatory environment. "Regulation is a ticklish issue that each country has to address first as this will determine whether the technology will flourish or be hindered."