China Shapes Up for IPTV Boom

From LightReading: China Shapes Up for IPTV Boom

" As IPTV fever takes hold in North America and Europe, there are increasing signs that it's rapidly spreading to the world's biggest single potential market, China.

With broadband penetration increasing rapidly (25.8 million subscribers, including 17 million DSL users, at the end of 2004, a rise of 35 percent in the second half of the year, according to Point Topic Ltd.) and service providers launching services, vendors are latching on to the market's enormous potential."

"(...) China's major carriers are taking their first IPTV steps. Leading fixed-line operator China Telecom is already offering services and plans to launch broadcast TV over broadband in every major city in southern China by the end of 2005."

" (...) Netcom is offering IPTV to 50,000 broadband customers in the Tangshan metropolitan area, and is believed to be developing further expansion with the help of Hong Kong operator PCCW Ltd. (PCW), in which Netcom took a 20 percent stake earlier this year.
PCCW is one of the IPTV pioneers, having signed up 416,000 subscribers to its NowTV service by the end of 2004."

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