The Hindu : Business : Reliance to launch mobile video streaming services

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Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006
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Reliance to launch mobile video streaming services

Staff Correspondent

Ties up with Nokia, LG for handsets

CHENNAI: Reliance Communications is set to launch mobile video streaming services by the end of this week.

Mobile video streaming is similar to a web cast and has potential to provide online video of events to millions of viewers on a mobile phone. Reliance, it is claimed, is the first CDMA mobile operator in India, which has the capacity to do a live relay of an event through video.

Reliance Communications has tied up with Nokia and LG for handsets, which would cost around $100 (Rs. 4,475) per piece. The phones would be available at Reliance, Nokia and LG outlets.

Reliance Communications has been working on a couple of revenue models. The first one is where the event organiser pays a lump sum fee to set up a zone and provide access to a set of visitors. There could also be a reverse model, which charges an access fee. There could be some hybrid models where the organiser pays a flat fee and charges an access fee. There are possibilities of the subscribers paying an access charge, the revenue of which could be shared between the operator and the event organiser, according to Reliance sources.

The functionality of the mobile devices needs to support video and audio streaming capabilities.

Currently, around 50 per cent of the Reliance Communications subscriber base of 27 million has devices supporting video and audio streaming functionality.

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