Kolkata, 20 December 2025 :
Kerala Communicators Cable Limited (KCCL), India’s leading multi-system operator (MSO) with a commanding 70% market share in Kerala, has formally announced its strategic entry into West Bengal, marking a major milestone in the company’s ambitious “Pan-India Movement.” The expansion aims to replicate KCCL’s highly successful operator-owned and operator-driven model across Eastern India.
As part of this landmark move, KCCL has partnered with Balaji Universal, a Category-A Internet Service Provider with a strong infrastructure footprint across West Bengal and parts of Northeast India. The collaboration is designed to ensure a seamless rollout of advanced digital services while empowering local cable operators (LCOs) as core stakeholders in the growth journey.
The launch event witnessed the presence of prominent industry leaders, including Mr. Praveen Mohan, President of the Cable Operators Association (COA), along with the senior leadership of KCCL and Kerala Vision Broadband Limited (KVBL). The leadership team comprised Mr. Sureshkumar P.P., Managing Director; Mr. Rajan K.V., Executive Director; Mr. Sureshkumar C., Executive Director; and Mr. Padmakumar N., Chief Operating Officer, alongside board members. Their participation underlined the strategic importance of KCCL’s entry into West Bengal and the attention it has garnered across the national cable and broadband ecosystem.
Highlighting the significance of the expansion for operators, Mr. Praveen Mohan said that KCCL’s model has proven that operators can grow sustainably without losing control of their businesses. He noted that the company’s entry into West Bengal brings credibility, confidence, and a much-needed balance to the evolving digital ecosystem.
Sharing the company’s vision, Managing Director Mr. Sureshkumar P.P. stated that Kerala Vision’s collective approach has enabled it to successfully overcome challenges posed by OTT platforms and rising content costs, growing its cable TV subscriber base to over 30 lakh connections. He emphasized that the same collaborative philosophy will be extended to West Bengal.
Chief Operating Officer Mr. Padmakumar N. added that as India’s fifth-largest wired broadband provider, KCCL is focusing on West Bengal to accelerate wired broadband penetration through local operators. The initiative aims to promote innovative, broadband-enabled multi-services while supporting operators and contributing to the state’s overall economic development.
Driven by West Bengal’s vast potential—supported by a population exceeding 11 crore and strong cultural synergies with Kerala—KCCL plans to introduce a comprehensive portfolio of services in the region. These include Digital Cable TV, high-speed broadband, IPTV, OTT aggregation, and enterprise solutions. The company has outlined an initial investment of approximately ₹10 crore to seed one lakh set-top boxes, with a long-term objective of capturing a 25% market share, equivalent to 15 lakh cable subscribers, alongside sustained investments in network and broadband infrastructure.
At the heart of KCCL’s expansion strategy is its commitment to the welfare of local cable operators. Unlike traditional corporate models, KCCL positions LCOs as primary stakeholders, offering social security measures such as insurance and facilitating job creation. The company estimates that its expansion will generate two to three local jobs per partner operator, depending on scale, while leveraging Balaji Universal’s existing infrastructure and deploying new overhead and underground fibre-optic networks to build a future-ready digital backbone.
More than a geographic expansion, KCCL’s entry into West Bengal signals a decisive shift towards a collaborative, sustainable, and inclusive growth model for Eastern India’s cable and broadband sector. The move also sets the stage for further expansion into Odisha, Assam, the Northeast, Bihar, and Jharkhand, with KCCL inviting local entrepreneurs and operators to join its pan-regional growth journey through a series of partnership meets across the state.
