China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) has called a halt to Internet protocol television (IPTV) services provided by Guangxi Telecom, a subsidiary of China Telecom, the Beijing Morning Post reported Wednesday.

SARFT said that the Guangxi Telecom launched IPTV operations earlier this month without permission. The local broadcasting bureau of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region noticed the operations and reported to SARFT.

By the morning of February 12, IPTV transmissions and operations in 14 cities in Guangxi have been halted, the report said. The SARFT earlier ordered Shanghai Television, under the Shanghai Media Group (SMG), to stop providing programs to Guangxi Telecom.

SMG got China's first license of Internet Protocol (IP) TV service, a system through which digital television service is delivered via the Internet, in May 2005.

Under Chinese laws and regulations, companies are required to obtain four licenses before starting IPTV operations. The most important license is the IPTV license, which covers program publication via the Internet and other information networks, such as television.

The other three licenses are the Internet content provider license and mobile value-added service provider license, both granted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and the Internet culture business license, granted by the Ministry of Culture.

In addition, local telecom operators are only allowed to offer IPTV in cooperation with national IPTV license holders.

During a meeting of China's State Council, or Cabinet, on January 13, Premier Wen Jiabao decided to accelerate the advancement of the three-way convergence, which allows telecom carriers, television broadcasters and Internet firms to enter each other's respective field and provide services.

That meeting gave industry firms the green light for a two-year trial period starting this year in selected cities. It decided that nationwide commercialization would take place between 2013 and 2015.

It is the first time that key Chinese authorities have provided a clear timetable for the convergence of the three systems.

source:cri