FAQs
What is this “Multiplay” that every one is talking about?
Multiplay is an extension of Triple-Play technology, meaning, running all sorts of services on the same medium. BSNL Multiplay aims to make your telephone wire carry multiple applications of voice, data and video through the WICE box. BSNL Multiplay will strive to be your one stop solution for all your information, communication and entertainment needs. We will be offering services like Video-On-Demand, Radio, Television Channels, T-Education, T-commerce, Virtual Shopping, Video-Conferencing, Audio-On-Demand and many more.
What do you mean by “Interactive” services?
Interactive means having a two-way flow of information. At a more basic level you see interactivity in nearly all entertainment devices. But this is restricted to interaction with the device, which has a restricted amount of memory and processing power. We have taken interactivity to a much higher level wherein you will be communicating with the high-end servers and specialized devices which have a vast amount of memory and huge processing power. You will also be interacting with other users using the same service through the WICE box. This means a nearly unlimited number of services and tools can be provisioned on this platform. A classic example would be the VOD service where every user gets to play, pause, forward or rewind the movie he is watching. This is not available on any other platform. Some televisions are offering a close alternative but that too is restricted to the amount of memory on the device, also known as time-shift viewing. With the WICE box, you can pause a movie and start it any time within the next 24 hours and it will start from the point you paused it. And if there are a number of movies that you have paused, you have the luxury of resuming any of them at your convenience.
Another example is TV-to-TV chatting where what you write on your TV screen (using a tablet PAD) will be displayed on the TV screen of the person with whom you are chatting.
In T-Education the student and teacher can communicate with each other through their television sets.
What do you mean by “Educational Services”?
Educational services include providing academic syllabus based Course contents, interactive questions and answers covering board exams, competitive exams etc. Additional features of this service are progress tracking, personalized advice to students etc. Progress tracking and personalized advice means maintaining a record of the students progress in a particular subject and suggesting improvements in the weaker areas.
Interactive Education is an addition to the conventional educational service. Multiple Private Tuitions with few students, t-blackboards, t-Notebooks, text, voice, video interaction etc figure on the list.
A T-Blackboard is a virtual blackboard where by the teacher writes down matter on his TV set using a pen tablet and it is displayed on the student's television. The teacher and student can interact with each other by actually penning down matter which will be displayed on their television sets.
The television can also be used as a notebook i.e., a T-notebook. For e.g. a student can use it to record all his notes and review them later. His current tuition teacher can approach us and hold classes over the network via his television. Such services are currently in the pipeline.
What do you mean by saying that my telephone line is capable of carrying more than just telephone calls and Internet?
A standard telephone installation consists of a pair of copper wires that the phone company installs in your home. The copper wires have lots of room for carrying more than your phone conversations -- they are capable of handling a much greater bandwidth, or range of frequencies, than that demanded for voice. DSL exploits this extra capacity to carry information on the wire without disturbing the line's ability to carry conversations. The entire plan is based on matching particular frequencies to specific tasks. So the same line can be made to carry voice, data and video without one interfering with the other. The telephone cable that comes to your house comes directly from the telephone exchange. This means that there is no component between your telephone and the exchange. The wire going to other users cannot influence the working of your telephone or any service offered on your wire. Alternatively, in a cable network, this is not the case as it is a shared network.
What is DTH? How is it different from what you are offering?
DTH is a satellite based entertainment service that requires a small dish antenna and a set top box to be installed at the customer premises. It is a one way communication medium in which the set top box can only accept signals from the satellite but is unable to send any back. Currently the major DTH providers are offering television channels, satellite radio and pay-per-view movies. The can offer a limited amount of local interaction like multiple angles, zoom, picture-in-picture etc.
What is shared and unshared bandwidth?
Bandwidth is a measure of frequency range and is typically measured in hertz. It is also a measure of speed of data transfer in a medium. When lots of people are using the same media to communicate either with each other or with a server, it is known as a shared medium. The bandwidth is shared among all the users. When an individual path exists between every user and the server it is known as an unshared access. The bandwidth that is allotted is called unshared bandwidth. Typically, cable technology is shared bandwidth while ADSL is unshared.
What do you mean by upstream or downstream bandwidth?
The data that is transferred from the user back to the server is called upstream and the capacity of a medium to carry this data is called its upstream bandwidth. The data that is transferred from the server to the user is called downstream and the capacity of a medium to carry this data is called its downstream bandwidth. Upstream bandwidth is required when data is to be sent to another user on the same network or to the servers for processing. For example, file sharing, photo album sharing, true VOD (including fast fw, rew etc.) , Audio-on-Demand, network gaming etc.
What all do I need to avail BSNL Multiplay services?
The prerequisites for BSNL Multiplay services are a Bfone and a DataOne connection. Both these services are available from BSNL and you can get more details by either calling 1500 or visiting www.bsnl.co.in.
Can I avail BSNL Multiplay services without having a DataOne connection?
No. At present BSNL is providing this service only to its DataOne customers.
I don't have DataOne. If I have to take both DataOne and Multiplay, won't this be more expensive than my cable provider?
DataOne is an Internet service and should be considered as a separate entity. It is not combined with BSNL Multiplay except that it is a prerequisite. If you already have DataOne, BSNL Multiplay will be priced competitively.
What is a WICE box? Where do I get one?
A WICE box is – A Window for Information Communication and Entertainment. It is a smart device that acts as an interface between your television set and the services being offered on BSNL Multiplay. The WICE box is an advanced and fully-featured gadget that brings a host of conventional television and interactive services to the user. It provides an intuitive on-screen menu allowing the viewer to easily navigate through and search for programs. You can select radio and TV channels, send e-mails and SMS messages etc. and much more. A user-friendly 'Remote Control' is provided with the gadget to increase the flexibility of operation.
How will my WICE box give me new services that will be offered later? Will I have to bring my WICE box to you?
The WICE box will be remotely upgraded to include any new features that are launched. This will be done seamlessly and transparently without you having to do anything.
I have a modem where I see only one port for my PC. Where do I connect the WICE box?
You have what is called a single port modem. In this case, you will require a small Ethernet switch, similar in size to the modem. As shown in the diagram below, this switch will be placed between the Modem and your PC. The WICE box, Modem and your PC will be connected to the ports of the switch using Ethernet cables.