IPTV tops Gates, Anil Ambani meet agenda

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and Reliance Infocomm chief Anil Ambani met today, and discussed co-operation between the two companies to offer next-generation Internet Protocol-based television (IPTV) services in India.

"I had a chance to meet Anil Ambani today. We will now help them in rolling out broadband services. He has a strategy in place, and we will play a key role in helping them," Gates said after the meeting.

Reliance Infocomm had signed an agreement with Microsoft in October 2003 for rolling out IPTV in India. "We are putting renewed energy into the (IPTV) tie-up," Gates said.

IPTV has been successful in the US and Microsoft is doing something of this type in a developing nation for the first time, Gates said, adding that a clear picture would emerge next year.