Delhi-based broadband provider Excitel is preparing to transform India's cable TV landscape by replacing traditional set-top boxes with Android-enabled IPTV devices, offering users a seamless mix of live TV, OTT content, and YouTube — all at the same cost as their current cable plans. The company aims to onboard 2 million new users in 18 months through this hybrid model, ET Telecom reported.
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Excitel's Vision
"We want to replace legacy cable TV boxes with Android boxes and give users OTT, YouTube and live channels, all at the same price they pay today," said Vivek Raina, CEO and co-founder of Excitel, as quoted in the report. "The user gets more, the cable operator runs just one network, and we grow faster without laying new fiber ourselves."
IPTV Services
IPTV, or Internet Protocol Television, is a digital broadcasting system that delivers television content over the internet rather than through traditional terrestrial, satellite, or cable formats. India's largest telecom company, Bharti Airtel, recently rolled out IPTV across 2,000 cities. State-owned telecom provider BSNL has also launched IPTV services.
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Excitel Subscriber Base
Operating in over 40 cities with a subscriber base of 1 million — including 500,000 in Delhi alone — Excitel follows a partner-led model involving over 3,000 local cable operators who manage last-mile fiber delivery. The company's largest user base is in Delhi, followed by Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and regions in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Excitel is now urging its partners to retire legacy coaxial networks and adopt IPTV-based fiber services.
Role of Local Cable Operators in the Transition
"We work with 3,000 cable operators, many of whom still serve 1.5 to 2 million cable TV users," Raina reportedly explained. "They already pull fiber for our broadband connections. We're asking them to retire their coaxial networks and offer IPTV + OTT through Android boxes."
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Despite rapid mobile internet adoption, India has only 4 crore wireline broadband users, compared to over 70 crore mobile broadband users, the report added.
"We're at the bottom of global charts when it comes to wireline broadband," Raina noted, as per the report. "Everyone chased mobile. Wireline was seen as slow and complex. But that's changing post-COVID, people want reliable, high-speed unlimited data, which only fiber can offer."
Excitel Bets on Wireline
Founded in 2015, Excitel made an early bet on offering unlimited high-speed internet at affordable prices. With around 60 million cable TV households in India yet to fully embrace streaming, the company aims to offer both TV channels and OTT subscriptions bundled together at the same price. "This is how we bring India's next 2 crore homes online. The Android box becomes the gateway to fiber broadband," Raina reportedly said.
Amid the growing buzz around satellite broadband and fixed wireless access (FWA), Raina remained unfazed. "Fiber is irreplaceable for home broadband. You can’t match its cost or capacity," he said, as per the report. "Satcom will work for remote, rural or disaster zones, but not for cities. It costs Rs 2,000 a month and needs Rs 5,000-6,000 equipment. That's unaffordable for home use."
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Investors and Future Expansion Plans
According to the report, Excitel is currently collaborating with Avendus Capital on a new fundraising round. The company has signed over 20 NDAs and anticipates receiving non-binding offers within a month. "Once the funding closes, we'll deploy it to buy boxes and expand the Android box strategy nationwide," Raina said.
According to a January report by local media, prospective investors such as Partners Group AG, Brookfield Asset Management, Macquarie Group, Apax Partners, and Actis LLP are eyeing participation in Excitel's USD 200 million equity fundraising round, the report said.
