BANGALORE: Cisco has announced that it has been chosen by Gujarat Telelinks Private Ltd (GTPL) to usher in cable digitisation across the key states of Gujarat, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

As part of this digitisation programme, GTPL will deploy more than 300,000 next-generation digital set-top boxes from Cisco over the next 12 months in these markets.
 
Digitisation will help GTPL transform into a lifestyle-experience provider and help enable services like residential TV, HDTV, gaming, digital video recording, video on demand and future ’connected home’ services to retail consumers. The new digital platform will also allow cable and Internet service providers to offer enhanced services to consumers and increase their subscription revenue.

GTPL MD Aniruddh Sinh Jadeja said, ""Digitisation will help us address several issues that have been dogging the industry and strengthen our competitive edge in the market over direct-to-home players. Combining GTPL’s expertise as a cable and Internet solutions provider with Cisco’s leadership in Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network technology will enable us to offer improved value-added services such as digital video recording, video on demand and a host of other experiences to our subscribers." 
 
Cisco India and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation VP, service providers Vish Iyer said, "Our engagement with GTPL is a matter of great pride and excitement and has brought about several firsts in the industry, potentially changing how subscribers consume and experience television and other digital services across key markets that GTPL has a presence in. Changing consumer preferences in the home entertainment segment is leading to a rapid growth of cable digitisation in India. Our engagement with GTPL demonstrates Cisco’s ability to help transform cable service providers into experience providers, offering superior content and enhanced interactive services to consumers."