Delhi University is working to bring on air a television network of its own to speed up the system of information flow and connect the large number of colleges on its rolls spread over a vast area in the capital.

The University, which already has a functional studio, wants to upgrade it to a capacity where it can operate a television network and is in negotiation for an MoU to give a final push to the project.

DU Television Network (DUTN), when operationalised, will be perhaps the first such project in the country and varsity officials say they want it to be a trendsetter.

The project that is expected to initialise before the end of the year, will begin as a pilot project in the north campus before spreading to other centres.

"We should have thought about it earlier. We began a little late nevertheless we want it to be a trendsetter," says director of the Institute of Life Long Learning (ILLL) Dr A K Bakshi, who is spearheading the project.

DU officials working on the project say they want the Internet-based channel to act as a revolutionary tool for connecting the students and making available for each one of them events that take place in any college in the campus.

"There is so much happening in the university -- such good events, lectures, discussions -- but they reach students only in the college where they are taking place.

"We want to be able to take all important events taking place in different parts of the university to all students through the television, irrespective of where they are at the campus," Bakshi said.

The university has visualised the network to act as the ultimate communication channel for the campus, which would be accessed by students through LCDs put in their hostels, canteens, common rooms and colleges.

Plans are afoot to have hourly news bulletins on the network besides regular text message updates on major upcoming events, sports activities, competitions, lectures, placements options on the campus and even admission cut-offs.

"We would be able to record important lectures taking place in any college and make them available to students all over the campus... The utilities are manifold," Bakshi said.