It is literally a revolution from the straw. From an antennae, standing tall on the terrace of house to satellite receiver and now through the telephone network. The services of both television and telephone are slowly converging and both the sectors have now begun to compete with each other.

The technology of bringing the entertainment to our doorstep has witnessed a sea  change, contributing to qualitative changes. Now, all eyes are on G-3 (third generation) telephone revolution, which is expected to offer the best. The days of antennae and satellite receiver are over, with most of the television channels turning into paid channels. Now, it is either cable service or Direct to Home (DTH), which are in vogue. However, the telecom sector is slowly creeping into television service providing sector, posing a threat to DTH and cable operators.

“It is both the ways. Now, the cable operators in India are planning to provide broadband connections to their customers. Even the DTH operators are planning to provide broadband services through satellite. We will be competing with each other in almost all sectors,'' said a senior BSNL official.

Already, the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and television on mobile services are being provided by the Public Sector telecom company BSNL. Though the service is in its infant stages, the growth potential is great when we move into G-3 telephone era. The IPTV is already providing over 70 channels, but does not have some of the favourite bouquets like Zee and Sun network channels.

The first traces of G-3 telephone is already felt, with BSNL's television on mobile, which is airing around 12 channels to its mobile phone customers. But, this is just the beginning, with G-3 in telephone sector is yet to shape up completely.

“G-3 is all about providing more bandwidth to telephone services. The final outcome depends on how the application develops. With a telephone line in the house, you can have internet connection, watch television, speak on the phone and also play games of your choice and do many more things with that,'' said BSNL Principal General Manager Shubandu Ghosh.

But, that can not be end of it, unless the government regulates certain level of TV services. The foreign channels, which can not be accessed now can be made available using internet protocol and viewed on local TV sets. Besides, the real time interactive TVs, with two way communication is also possible. One can play his favourite movies on his television, making other electronic gadgets like DVD players redundant.

“Sky is the limit and anything is possible with the telecom revolution. How far we can go with the technological breakthrough is subjected to government policy,'' a BSNL official added.