Videocon to launch DTH services by mid-September

MUMBAI: The Videocon group on Friday said that it has obtained licence to start its direct-to-home (DTH) services and expects to launch it by mid-September.

"We expect to start our DTH business by mid-September," the group's Chairman, Venugopal Dhoot, told reporters.

The group planned to utilise about 2,000 of its service stations to push its DTH services, he said.

The group is also looking at entering the cash-and-carry business in retail and hopes to launch it by Diwali, Dhoot said.

The business would initially be started in Tamil Nadu and Bangalore in south India, he said.

Asked whether Videocon planned to increase prices of its products, Dhoot said that prices of some products would be hiked marginally.

On the Reserve Bank hiking the repo and cash reserve ratio earlier this week, Dhoot said that "I don't think it will affect demand in a big way."

While the interest rate increase would not affect demand, the rise in input costs were a matter of concern, Dhoot said.