Alcatel expects subscribers to Internet-based TV to reach 100 million by late 2010, up from 3 million now, a Reuters report said.
The Reuters report said however that some operators were delaying roll-out.
IPTV is one of the latest initiatives pushed by fixed-line telecoms operators to help boost revenues dented by free or cheap Internet telephony and desertion of traditional landlines for mobile communications, the report said.
'I think there will be about 100 million subscribers to IPTV by 2010,' Michel Rahier, head of Alcatel's fixed communications division, was quoted as saying.
He made the statement after admitting some operators had delayed the launch of Internet-based TV services to customers, partly due to technical glitches, the report said.
'Sometimes there is over-optimism in terms of maturity of the product,' Rahier said.
Bottlenecks of IPTV systems include the time needed to switch channels, which can be several seconds, and the speed requirements of broadband networks to guarantee a good picture, the Reuters report said.
Alcatel is in the final stages of clearing its merger with Lucent planned by the end of the year, the Reuters report said.