Flaunting the tagline ‘Life is really colorful now’, Beximco Communications Limited yesterday launched the logo of ‘RealVU’,  the brand that will provide Direct-to-Home (DTH) television services.
The first DTH service of the country will have an operational launch somewhere between mid-April and May this year, officials said, aiming to time it with the start of the Bengali New Year on April 14.
In December 2013, the government awarded licences to Beximco Communications Limited to launch DTH service in Bangladesh. It also received the necessary approval from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in this regard. DTH, by definition, is reception of satellite programs through a personal  dish installed in an individual home. Unlike traditional cable, in DTH, TV channels are transmitted from the satellite to a small dish antenna mounted on the window or rooftop of the subscriber's home. The broadcaster, thus, directly connects to the user. There are no middlemen, like the local cable operators, in the picture. It also improves the image and sound quality, providing a true digital television viewing experience. “It will drastically change the viewing experience of the Bangladeshi TV audience,” said Dmitry Lapitskiy, CEO of Beximco Communications Ltd, at the press meet, adding, “The picture quality that will be provided by RealVU will be of much better quality than the analogue cable TV.”
Lapitskiy, a Russian national, said RealVU would be initially launched in metropolitan areas. “It will be gradually launched in all districts; all corners of the country will be brought under this new digital TV viewing opportunity,” he claimed.
To avail the DTH service, customers will initially need to have a set-top box and dish-antenna. After the installation and first payment, they will be able to enjoy the RealVU service.
The approximate monthly bill of the service will amount to Tk.300, where subscribers will get access to over 100 channels with more than 26 Bengali channels and many international majors, including five HD channels.
Lapitskiy informed that RealVU will have 24/7 customer support service. “The RealVU customers will also have various options to pay the monthly bill,” he added. Beximco Communications Limited has finalized the list of distributors to enable customers to get the service easily from their nearest location.
Replying a query on the service costing more in future, Lapitskiy assured that they would always keep the price affordable. “We want to provide the best service in the most cost-effective manner,” he said.
On whether DTH will have a negative impact on the country’s cable industry, he said it was difficult to gauge the impact at this stage. “DTH is the latest technology and it offers the best TV viewing experience. We will give a new service to Bangladesh’s people and they will decide whether to accept that or not,” he said.
Prakash Das, Director, Beximco Communication Ltd, also spoke on the occasion.
RealVU is a joint venture between BEXIMCO and GS Group. The BEXIMCO Group is the largest private sector group in Bangladesh, while the GS Group is a Russian investment and industry multispectral holding company, operating in the telecommunication and other innovation markets and actively developing its own technologies.