Microsoft Corp. and India's Reliance Communications Ltd. announced a partnership Monday to take Internet-based television services to Indian homes.

Reliance Communications will pay Microsoft about $500 million in license fees to use its software for Internet Protocol Television, or IPTV, service, which delivers high-quality video over phone lines to home television sets. Reliance Communications plans to launch the service in March next year.

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said the tie-up targets the mass market in India, whereas in the Western countries IPTV mostly focuses on affluent customers.

"This partnership is unique because of the scale of development. We are moving further and faster than anywhere in the world ... further and further down the economic chain," Ballmer said.

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Steve Ballmer, Reliance, Microsoft, IPTV, Internet, TV, Partnership, Corporate News