ITV

Tag: BT

  • BT to invest billions more on Fibre, 4G and customer Service

    BT to invest billions more on Fibre, 4G and customer Service

    MUMBAI: BT announced a further wave of investment to help the UK remain the leading digital nation in the G20. Its Openreach and EE businesses will between them spend around six billion pounds in capital expenditure over the next three years in the first phase of a plan to extend superfast broadband and 4G coverage beyond 95 per cent of the country by 2020.

    Ultrafast broadband will be deployed to a minimum of ten million homes and businesses in the same period, subject to regulatory support, with an ambition to reach twelve million. There will be an increased focus on Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology within this plan with the aim being to reach two million premises with the technology, mainly in new housing developments, high streets and business parks.

    Customer service will be another area of focus with the company revealing a series of new initiatives to better meet the evolving needs of its customers.

    BT Group Chief Executive Gavin Patterson said: “The UK is a digital leader today and it is vital that it remains one in the future. That is why we are announcing a further six billion pounds of investment in our UK networks, subject to regulatory certainty. 

    “Networks require money and a lot of it. Virgin and BT have both pledged to invest and we will now see if others follow our lead. Infrastructure competition is good for the UK and so is the current Openreach model whereby others can piggyback on our investment should they want to.

    “G.fast is an important technology that will enable us to deploy ultrafast broadband at pace and to as many homes as possible. Customers want their broadband to be affordable as well as fast and we will be able to do that using G.fast. FTTP will also play a bigger role going forward and I believe it is particularly well suited to those businesses who may need speeds of up to 1Gbps. My ambition is to roll it out to two million premises and our trials give me confidence we will.

    “Customer expectations are increasing all the time and we need to work hard to meet those new demands. That is why contact centre work is being returned to the UK and why Openreach is aiming to halve the number of missed appointments within a year. Customers want higher standards of service and we are determined to provide them with just that.”

    Better Service

    The internet has become increasingly central to people’s lives and BT today said it would respond with further investment in customer service across the company. A range of new initiatives were unveiled today with BT Consumer set to reduce the standard time to fix line faults by 24 hours as well as pledging to handle 90 per cent of its customers’ calls in the UK by March 2017. These new commitments follow the recent announcement that EE will handle 100 per cent of its customers’ calls in the UK by the end of this year.

    Openreach also gave new service commitments with CEO Clive Selley telling his communication provider customers it will deliver ‘better service, broader coverage and faster speeds’. The business will hire 1,000 new engineers this year and provide further multi skill training for engineers so there is more flexibility in the work they can do for customers.

    Openreach is also aiming to halve missed appointments to two and a half per cent within a year with an ambition to reduce them even further after that. A case management service team is also being established to step in and resolve problems for customers who have experienced two or more missed or unsuccessful appointments. The provision of dedicated business lines known as Ethernet will also increase by 20 per cent year on year.

    Broader Coverage

    The UK is the leading digital economy in the G20  with the highest superfast broadband coverage and take up in the EU ‘big five’. More than ninety per cent of UK premises can access superfast broadband across all fixed networks and that is set to rise to 95 per cent by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, more than 15 million people are using 4G via the EE network, the highest number for any operator in Europe.

    BT’s next wave of investment will help Openreach take UK superfast broadband coverage beyond 95 per cent and the business also stands ready to address slow speeds in the final few per cent of the country should there be regulatory support for its plans. Long Reach VDSL has been identified as a potential solution and Open reach is set to run technical trials in the coming months.

    EE meanwhile has said that it will extend its geographic 4G footprint from around 60 per cent today to 95 per cent by 2020. These parallel plans will ensure the UK is one of the best served countries in the world when it comes to superfast fixed and mobile services.

    Faster Speeds

    Ultrafast broadband will be a major area of focus for Open reach which today said it has an ambition to reach twelve million premises with ultrafast services by 2020, two million more than previously announced. The business has the largest FTTP network in the UK and it has been conducting further trials of this technology to prove it can reduce the cost of deployment, improve the customer experience and make it quicker to install. The trials are going well and the business believes it may be able to pass two million premises with this technology by 2020 helping to take overall ultrafast availability to twelve million.

    FTTP is likely to be deployed to hundreds of thousands of SMEs in high streets and business parks – should there be demand – providing them with a service that offers speeds of up to 1Gbps without the need for a dedicated business grade line. The updated service will be developed by Openreach in the coming months taking the views of its communication provider customers into account.

    FTTP will also be deployed to consumers in new property developments with Openreach announcing it would deploy the service for free at sites where there are more than 100 homes. It may also play a role in serving apartment blocks and some rural areas where it may provide the most appropriate solution.

    Whilst some consumers will receive their ultrafast broadband via FTTP, most will receive it via G.fast, a technology which transforms the speeds customers can receive over a mix of fibre and copper. Customers taking part in the trials are currently receiving speeds of up to 300Mbps and these will reach up to 500Mbps in the next few years as the technology is deployed. Laboratory tests of XG-FAST, a future variant, have also shown that speeds of more than 5Gbps are possible over short copper lines demonstrating that copper has a role to play for many years yet.

  • BT to invest billions more on Fibre, 4G and customer Service

    BT to invest billions more on Fibre, 4G and customer Service

    MUMBAI: BT announced a further wave of investment to help the UK remain the leading digital nation in the G20. Its Openreach and EE businesses will between them spend around six billion pounds in capital expenditure over the next three years in the first phase of a plan to extend superfast broadband and 4G coverage beyond 95 per cent of the country by 2020.

    Ultrafast broadband will be deployed to a minimum of ten million homes and businesses in the same period, subject to regulatory support, with an ambition to reach twelve million. There will be an increased focus on Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology within this plan with the aim being to reach two million premises with the technology, mainly in new housing developments, high streets and business parks.

    Customer service will be another area of focus with the company revealing a series of new initiatives to better meet the evolving needs of its customers.

    BT Group Chief Executive Gavin Patterson said: “The UK is a digital leader today and it is vital that it remains one in the future. That is why we are announcing a further six billion pounds of investment in our UK networks, subject to regulatory certainty. 

    “Networks require money and a lot of it. Virgin and BT have both pledged to invest and we will now see if others follow our lead. Infrastructure competition is good for the UK and so is the current Openreach model whereby others can piggyback on our investment should they want to.

    “G.fast is an important technology that will enable us to deploy ultrafast broadband at pace and to as many homes as possible. Customers want their broadband to be affordable as well as fast and we will be able to do that using G.fast. FTTP will also play a bigger role going forward and I believe it is particularly well suited to those businesses who may need speeds of up to 1Gbps. My ambition is to roll it out to two million premises and our trials give me confidence we will.

    “Customer expectations are increasing all the time and we need to work hard to meet those new demands. That is why contact centre work is being returned to the UK and why Openreach is aiming to halve the number of missed appointments within a year. Customers want higher standards of service and we are determined to provide them with just that.”

    Better Service

    The internet has become increasingly central to people’s lives and BT today said it would respond with further investment in customer service across the company. A range of new initiatives were unveiled today with BT Consumer set to reduce the standard time to fix line faults by 24 hours as well as pledging to handle 90 per cent of its customers’ calls in the UK by March 2017. These new commitments follow the recent announcement that EE will handle 100 per cent of its customers’ calls in the UK by the end of this year.

    Openreach also gave new service commitments with CEO Clive Selley telling his communication provider customers it will deliver ‘better service, broader coverage and faster speeds’. The business will hire 1,000 new engineers this year and provide further multi skill training for engineers so there is more flexibility in the work they can do for customers.

    Openreach is also aiming to halve missed appointments to two and a half per cent within a year with an ambition to reduce them even further after that. A case management service team is also being established to step in and resolve problems for customers who have experienced two or more missed or unsuccessful appointments. The provision of dedicated business lines known as Ethernet will also increase by 20 per cent year on year.

    Broader Coverage

    The UK is the leading digital economy in the G20  with the highest superfast broadband coverage and take up in the EU ‘big five’. More than ninety per cent of UK premises can access superfast broadband across all fixed networks and that is set to rise to 95 per cent by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, more than 15 million people are using 4G via the EE network, the highest number for any operator in Europe.

    BT’s next wave of investment will help Openreach take UK superfast broadband coverage beyond 95 per cent and the business also stands ready to address slow speeds in the final few per cent of the country should there be regulatory support for its plans. Long Reach VDSL has been identified as a potential solution and Open reach is set to run technical trials in the coming months.

    EE meanwhile has said that it will extend its geographic 4G footprint from around 60 per cent today to 95 per cent by 2020. These parallel plans will ensure the UK is one of the best served countries in the world when it comes to superfast fixed and mobile services.

    Faster Speeds

    Ultrafast broadband will be a major area of focus for Open reach which today said it has an ambition to reach twelve million premises with ultrafast services by 2020, two million more than previously announced. The business has the largest FTTP network in the UK and it has been conducting further trials of this technology to prove it can reduce the cost of deployment, improve the customer experience and make it quicker to install. The trials are going well and the business believes it may be able to pass two million premises with this technology by 2020 helping to take overall ultrafast availability to twelve million.

    FTTP is likely to be deployed to hundreds of thousands of SMEs in high streets and business parks – should there be demand – providing them with a service that offers speeds of up to 1Gbps without the need for a dedicated business grade line. The updated service will be developed by Openreach in the coming months taking the views of its communication provider customers into account.

    FTTP will also be deployed to consumers in new property developments with Openreach announcing it would deploy the service for free at sites where there are more than 100 homes. It may also play a role in serving apartment blocks and some rural areas where it may provide the most appropriate solution.

    Whilst some consumers will receive their ultrafast broadband via FTTP, most will receive it via G.fast, a technology which transforms the speeds customers can receive over a mix of fibre and copper. Customers taking part in the trials are currently receiving speeds of up to 300Mbps and these will reach up to 500Mbps in the next few years as the technology is deployed. Laboratory tests of XG-FAST, a future variant, have also shown that speeds of more than 5Gbps are possible over short copper lines demonstrating that copper has a role to play for many years yet.

  • BBC inks ?100m deal with BT for next-gen broadcast network

    BBC inks ?100m deal with BT for next-gen broadcast network

    MUMBAI: The BBC has inked a seven year deal worth over ?100m with BT to provide its broadcast network, delivering considerable savings and paving the way for future digital innovation. This enables the BBC to move to a new, state-of-the-art network based on internet technologies from April 2017.

     

    The new network will be more efficient, flexible, and better able to support BBC innovation. For example, extra services and capacity can be added for major events, such as a general election or the Olympics, more easily and at a lower cost than with the current system. It will also make it easier for the BBC to work with and explore emerging, data-hungry formats – like Ultra HD (4K), 360-degree content, and others yet to be invented.

     

    The contract with BT is for seven years, with an option for the BBC to extend for a further three. It will save the BBC tens of millions of pounds, making a significant contribution to the BBC’s savings targets, as it capitalises on advances in technology and a competitive procurement to reduce the overall cost.

     

    BBC chief technology officer Matthew Postgate said, “This is an important step towards building an internet-fit BBC and will allow us to provide more interactive and personalised content in the future. At a time when the BBC faces serious financial challenges, it will also save us tens of millions of pounds so we can focus more of our money on the programmes and services for licence fee payers.”

     

    The new network will link all BBC UK sites, including 21 broadcasting centres and local radio stations, as well as connecting to the main overseas bureaux and partners for playout of the BBC’s TV channels. It will carry all video, audio and data traffic, as well as fixed line telephony, ISDN and broadband services.

     

    It will be operated by BT’s global media services operation, BT Media and Broadcast. The selection of BT follows a public procurement under the BBC’s Aurora Programme, which is re-sourcing all of the BBC’s core technology services as the current contract expires in April 2017.

     

    BT Media and Broadcast global vice president Mark Wilson-Dunn added, “We are delighted by the BBC’s decision to choose us as their next generation broadcast network partner. Both of our organisations have a vital part to play in making the best use of advanced technology to support and enable the ever-accelerating evolution of broadcast media.”

     

    The current broadcast network is provided by Vodafone UK through the BBC’s principal technology services provider, Atos. In future, Vodafone will continue to have an important strategic relationship with the BBC, providing a key data centre, telephony services and additional connectivity in London.

     

    Over the coming year, the BBC will be working with both Vodafone and BT to ensure a smooth transition to the new network.

  • BBC inks ?100m deal with BT for next-gen broadcast network

    BBC inks ?100m deal with BT for next-gen broadcast network

    MUMBAI: The BBC has inked a seven year deal worth over ?100m with BT to provide its broadcast network, delivering considerable savings and paving the way for future digital innovation. This enables the BBC to move to a new, state-of-the-art network based on internet technologies from April 2017.

     

    The new network will be more efficient, flexible, and better able to support BBC innovation. For example, extra services and capacity can be added for major events, such as a general election or the Olympics, more easily and at a lower cost than with the current system. It will also make it easier for the BBC to work with and explore emerging, data-hungry formats – like Ultra HD (4K), 360-degree content, and others yet to be invented.

     

    The contract with BT is for seven years, with an option for the BBC to extend for a further three. It will save the BBC tens of millions of pounds, making a significant contribution to the BBC’s savings targets, as it capitalises on advances in technology and a competitive procurement to reduce the overall cost.

     

    BBC chief technology officer Matthew Postgate said, “This is an important step towards building an internet-fit BBC and will allow us to provide more interactive and personalised content in the future. At a time when the BBC faces serious financial challenges, it will also save us tens of millions of pounds so we can focus more of our money on the programmes and services for licence fee payers.”

     

    The new network will link all BBC UK sites, including 21 broadcasting centres and local radio stations, as well as connecting to the main overseas bureaux and partners for playout of the BBC’s TV channels. It will carry all video, audio and data traffic, as well as fixed line telephony, ISDN and broadband services.

     

    It will be operated by BT’s global media services operation, BT Media and Broadcast. The selection of BT follows a public procurement under the BBC’s Aurora Programme, which is re-sourcing all of the BBC’s core technology services as the current contract expires in April 2017.

     

    BT Media and Broadcast global vice president Mark Wilson-Dunn added, “We are delighted by the BBC’s decision to choose us as their next generation broadcast network partner. Both of our organisations have a vital part to play in making the best use of advanced technology to support and enable the ever-accelerating evolution of broadcast media.”

     

    The current broadcast network is provided by Vodafone UK through the BBC’s principal technology services provider, Atos. In future, Vodafone will continue to have an important strategic relationship with the BBC, providing a key data centre, telephony services and additional connectivity in London.

     

    Over the coming year, the BBC will be working with both Vodafone and BT to ensure a smooth transition to the new network.

  • Sky is UK’s best-performing pay TV provider in Q2 2015: Ofcom

    Sky is UK’s best-performing pay TV provider in Q2 2015: Ofcom

    MUMBAI: Of all the pay TV providers in the UK, Sky is the only company to generate fewer complaints than the industry average (0.01 per 1,000 customers) and was named the best-performing pay TV provider according to independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries – Ofcom.

     

    TalkTalk became the most complained about pay TV provider. Their complaints volume increased to 0.14 per 1,000 customers, compared to 0.12 in Q1 2015. The main reasons for TalkTalk complaints were fault, service and provision issues (36 per cent), billing, pricing and charges (28 per cent) and issues relating to complaints handling (17 per cent).

     

    In Q2 2015, BT saw a reduction in complaint volumes, generating 0.11 complaints per 1,000 customers, compared to 0.15 in Q1 2015. Virgin Media’s complaints volume increased to 0.05 per 1,000 customers, compared to 0.04 in in Q1 2015.

     

    In landline telephone services, EE continued to generate the highest volume of landline complaints as a proportion of its customer base (0.34 per 1,000 customers). Others like Post Office HomePhone, Plusnet and TalkTalk also generated landline complaint volumes above the industry average, whereas BT was broadly in line with the industry average. Sky and Virgin Media were the only providers with complaints volumes below the industry average.

     

    For broadband services too, EE generated the most complaints. BT and Plusnet both saw reductions in their complaint volumes since Q1 2015, Virgin Media complaints were below the industry average, whereas Sky had the lowest complaints volume for broadband.

     

    In mobile pay-monthly services, Vodafone continued to be the most complained about mobile provider in Q2 2015. The main drivers of Vodafone complaints were problems with billing, pricing and charges (34 per cent), complaints handling (27 per cent) and concerns around faults, service and provision (17 per cent).

     

    Ofcom published data on the volume of consumer complaints made against the major providers of telecoms and pay TV services. The latest report covers the three-month period from April to June 2015 (Q2), and includes complaints made about 13 providers of fixed line telephone, fixed line broadband, pay monthly mobile and pay TV services.

     

    The total volume of telecoms and pay TV complaints made to Ofcom continued to decrease in Q2 2015, even as the number of consumers taking up these services increased.

     

    Broadband, mobile pay-as-you-go and mobile pay monthly services saw the most notable reductions in total volume of complaints.

     

    Total complaints volumes for fixed line telephone and pay TV services remained at similar levels to Q1 2015. Broadband services continued to attract the most complaints, albeit at lower levels than previously.

     

    Ofcom Content and Consumer Group director Claudio Pollack said, “Our complaints data allow consumers to make meaningful comparisons that can be useful when looking for a new provider. While it’s encouraging to see a continued decrease in the total number of complaints, there is still room for improvement. We expect providers to make customer service and complaints handling top priorities.”

  • ABAI: KAVGC Summit kicks off in Bengaluru

    ABAI: KAVGC Summit kicks off in Bengaluru

    BENGALURU: The Karnataka Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (KAVGC) Summit organised by the Association of Bangalore Animation Industry (ABAI, in collaboration with the government of Karnataka kicked off in Bengaluru last evening. Indian as well as international stakeholders from the animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) industry saw Karnataka’s minister for IT, BT and S&T S R Patil inaugurate the two day event at the Hotel Chancery Pavilion.

     

    Amongst those present during the inaugural ceremony was the Karnataka government’s principal secretary, IT, BT and S&T I S N Prasad.

     

    During his inaugural speech, Patil said that Karnataka state government’s thrust was on capacity building for the KAVGC industry and wanted to make Karnataka and Bangalore the preferred KAVGC destination.  He informed that this year, globally the estimated $153 billion KAVGC had a CAGR of 10 per cent, while in India it was growing much faster at about 22 per cent CAGR and was expected to reach five billion dollars this year. He said that a state funded post production and processing facility similar to the ones in Mumbai and Chennai would soon be inaugurated in Karnataka.

     

    He further said the state government was willing to work with bodies such as Ficci that had made some progress in setting up the curriculum for education courses.

     

    While echoing Patil, Prasad said that the state government was willing to listen to the KAVGC industry and act accordingly. “Karnataka will continue to lead the AVGC growth in India. We have partnered with a cross section of the digital content industries through ABAI,” said Prasad.

     

    Earlier, during his introductory remarks, ABAI president Biren Ghose set the tone for the summit when he said that the government and the ministry had been extremely strategic and extremely proactive in taking up a call from the industry.

     

    Speaking about the 2013 edition of KAVGC Summit, Ghose said, “The summit is meant to provide new direction to professionals and companies, highlighting growth and opportunity areas. It showcases our engagement with the academia, the government and industry and highlight the policy execution we have enabled as the roadmap for the next year.”

     

    The second ‘ABAI Leadership Excellence Award’ was conferred to Rajiv Chikalapudi, the creative and business force behind India’s animated phenomenon ‘Chhota Bheem’.

     

    Chikalapudi, during his keynote address detailed the long journey by his company Green Gold Animation to create and sustain a genuine IP success story including successes in merchandising and licensing. Chikalapudi said that a number of companies had great IP ready, but were afraid to pitching them. He exhorted these companies to go out and showcase their products, citing his own example – Chotta Bheem had been rejected twice before it was accepted by Pogo channel.

     

    The second keynote speaker Dreamwroks Country head Damian Froberville described the progress of the Indian Unit of Dreamworks and also gave some insights into the Asian scenario for global services. Froberville also said that the convergence between films and gaming was very much on the cards, but had not yet reached there. He said that this mattered to the players in the industry because of increased reliance on service providers with more content and shorter timelines of a product; and a lot more flexibility with VFX players doing a larger portion of game work.

     

    Among the other notable speakers and panelists included Greg Childs editorial director, The Children’s Media Conference; Jai Natarajan, Ceo, Xentrix Studios;  Owen Hurley, Creative head, Technicolor; Charles Gauthier Vice -consul and senior trade commissioner for India, Quebec office in Mumbai; Vsihal Dhupar, MD South Asia, NVDIA; Akhauri Sinha, MD, MPC, Bengaluru; Wil Braithwaite, Senior Applied Engineer-Digital Film, NVDIA; Ankur Bhasin; Ceo Bhasinsoft India Ltd; Vamsi Ayyagari, Management media professiona; AshishKulkarni, Ceo Reliance Animation.

     

    Notable additions to this year’s edition of KAVGC are the four Specialised Clinics – the IP Clinic; Technology Clinic; Co-production and Outsourcing Clinic; and the Pitching Clinic.

     

    The KAVGC Summit held annually for the last three years with the support of the government of Karnataka, continues to increase its focus on the business and industry of AVGC, aiming to provide a forum for knowledge sharing and improved connectivity among decision makers and stakeholders in the sector.

     

  • BT survey encashes big budget Asian weddings

    BT survey encashes big budget Asian weddings

    MUMBAI: It is the ‘Big Fat Asian wedding’ and if the British Telecommunications (BT) survey is anything to go by the wedding industry is just about to get richer.

    British Telecommunications has launched its calling card packages in South Asian countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh recently.

    Many of its survey findings have helped understand the telecom giant’s South Asian clientele better. For many young British Asians, large-scale weddings cost more than 30,000 pounds according to the biggest annual survey into British Asian relationships and weddings.

    The survey results compiled by BT Together International have been released in conjunction with the Asian Wedding Exhibition 2007 from a poll of over 1,000 Hindu, Muslim and Sikh men and women.

    The survey shows that on an average over 300 guests are invited for 72 percent of the Asian weddings. Between 10 to 20 per cent of these invited guests live overseas. It is information of this nature that has helped BT Together International zero in on new cheap calls package to South Asia.

    Some other findings by the survey revealed a contrast between the Asian community’s more traditional values towards romance compared to the general British population. The nationwide average age for marriage is 31 years for men and 29 years for women yet not a single Asian respondent thought it was ideal for a woman to marry in her thirties.

    Only 56 per cent of Asians would cohabit with their partner before getting married and almost two-thirds (64 per cent) said they would live with their in-laws after tying the knot. Attitudes on living with a partner outside of marriage also differed significantly from the national average.

  • IPTV World Forum announces key speakers for next year’s event

    IPTV World Forum announces key speakers for next year’s event

    MUMBAI: Junction Ltd has announced speakers from across the telecoms and broadcast industry for its March 2007 event IPTV World Forum.

    The announcement comes as over 110 exhibitors have already confirmed their attendance at the show being staged at the Olympia in London from 5-7 March 2007.

    The conference will feature over 40 worldwide telcos and ISPs discussing IPTV service deployment issues. Speakers include Telefonica, PCCW, Belgacom, BT, SaskTel, Deutsche Telekom AG/T-Com, Telstra, T-Online France, AT&T, Telecom New Zealand, NetCologne, Telekom Austria, Fastweb, BSkyB, Orange, Bharti Airtel Ltd and Siminn.

    Junction MD Ian Johnson says, “IPTV is now a major industry phenomenon and next March’s London event will, I believe, be a major landmark for professionals from all over Europe – and beyond – to gather and discuss their experiences together”.

    The speakers include Orange UK CEO Bernard Ghillebaert, PCCW head of strategic market development Paul Berriman and BBC director of future media and technology Ashley Highfield.

    IPTV Junction notes is moving rapidly towards mass-market adoption. The involvement of incumbent telecoms operators in most major markets by 2007 (France, Spain, Italy, UK, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, for example) will provide the marketing, word-of-mouth and – for the many conservative-minded television viewers yet to switch to digital TV – the credibility that could boost the market for all IPTV providers.

    Several early IPTV deployments are now reaching subscriber figures where they must be taken seriously, including Telefonica in Spain, which has over 200,000 subscribers for its Imagenio television service (launched commercially November 2004). The Spanish company is predicting one million customers by 2008. France Telecom (launched December 2003) doubled its customer count during 2005, ending the year with 200,000 subscribers for its MaLigne TV service too.

    The pace of deployment is accelerating: Telekom Austria launched its aonDigitalTV video-over-DSL service in Vienna in March 2006 and KPN in the Netherlands is preparing for a second quarter (2006) commercial launch. Deutsche Telekom is hoping to roll out its 100 channel broadcast TV (including HDTV) and VOD service late summer 2006 and BT has scheduled late summer/autumn for its hybrid DSL/DTT offering.

    Competition is also increasing. Utility companies continue to launch television services but the main rivals to the big telcos are alternative broadband providers using Local Loop Unbundling (LLU). The second half of 2006 and 2007 will also see the expansion of incumbent telcos into territories outside their domestic markets – where necessary using LLU to compete with their peers on ‘leased’ networks.

    France Telecom has already announced that it will launch IPTV in Spain, the UK and Poland this year, followed by the Netherlands (not to mention Mauritius, Senegal and the Ivory Coast). Meanwhile Telecom Italia – through its subsidiary HanseNet – is adding television to its existing telephone and DSL services in Germany, starting in Hamburg. Telecom Italia also launched television services in France (via Telecom Italia France’s AliceBox triple-play service) in January. Meanwhile, Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Online is taking IPTV to Hungary, with a planned commercial roll-out of TV-over-DSL in Budapest and other major cities later this year.

    And to add further spice to this market, existing Pay TV operators from the satellite and cable world are buying into DSL. BSkyB bought UK DSL network provider Easynet in January (2006) to give itself a two-way network and exploit the “exciting opportunities that now exist to combine quality entertainment with significant high-speed connections.” Europe’s largest satellite TV provider has told investors that it intends to introduce IPTV some time after 2007. Meanwhile, UPC Austria (part of the pan-European UPC group owned by Liberty Global) has agreed to acquire the Austrian xDSL provider Inode – so establishing a national footprint, initially for high-speed data and voice.

    All this activity is underpinned by network upgrades across Europe. BT in the UK is now committed to delivering ADSL speeds up 8Mbps from 5,300 telephone exchanges in the UK – putting broadband in reach of 99.6 per cent of the country. France Telecom and Telefonica, among others, are using ADSL2+ and Deutsche Telekom will deploy television services exclusively on VDSL, using the 50Mbps fibre/copper network being built by its fixed network infrastructure division, T-Com. T-Com expects VDSL in 40 cities by the end of 2007, putting 11 million homes within reach of the planned IPTV service.

    So with high-speed networks available and expanding their reach, multiple service launches and growing subscriber figures, the big questions are how much market share IPTV providers can take from satellite and cable, and whether they can make money – if indeed, video revenues are their real motive rather than simply reducing churn on voice/data customers. Are there digital TV newcomers who will choose IPTV ahead of digital terrestrial – and are these the customers IPTV providers want? And can companies differentiate their services sufficiently from cable and satellite to tempt existing Pay TV subscribers away from them?

    These are among the many topics that will be discussed at the IPTV World Forum 2007 in London – the No.1 conference/exhibition for the IPTV community. You can read more about the 2007 conference theme elsewhere on this site.

    IPTV World Forum 2007 provides a chance to assess the lessons learned from video-over-DSL and FTTH deployments in the preceding 18 months. With incumbent telcos like BT and Deutsche Telekom preparing to deploy during 2006, and an increasing number of ISPs using Local Loop Unbundling to offer competitive services, the conference will assess the impact of new services, the business models used, marketing strategies and the many technology issues that determine the service offer and IPTV economics.

    By next year, it will be clear what impact telecoms giants like France Telecom and Telefonica are having in the Pay TV market and what effect their video offers have had in terms of reducing customer churn and cementing relationships with voice/data subscribers. With some business analysts suggesting national telcos should retreat from the video business as fast as they got into it, a key theme for IPTV World Forum 2007 is whether telco TV is working.

    So for 2007, the forum will be assessing the motives of incumbent telcos, utility providers and ISPs and asking whether their business objectives are being met, at what cost, and whether IPTV looks sustainable in the face of content-rich satellite operators, modernising cable companies and increasingly successful free-to-air and Pay TV digital terrestrial platforms.

    IPTV World Forum 2007 will consider the threats and opportunities facing new video providers – including the emergence of ‘over-the-top’ video services from Internet-based content aggregators/downloaders like Google TV and Apple iTunes. The conference will look at how incumbent telcos in particular handle their relationships with these companies – including how they can partner with them, seek to obstruct them, or beat them at their own game.

    The conference will focus heavily on how IPTV operators differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded television marketplace. We will look at integrated voice/data/video services, assess the full potential of IMS (Integrated Multimedia Subsystems) and look at how some telcos are seeking to put each consumer at the heart of their own, personalised video universe that stretches beyond the home to their mobile devices and remote Internet connections.

    The confeernce will assess service strategies including how HDTV can be monetised most effectively, and how PVR, network PVR and Video on Demand can be harnessed to provide seamless on-demand experiences. The conference will examine how operators can link live broadcast TV with on-demand TV and on-demand/interactive advertising, and how interactive applications can be exploited to increase customer satisfaction and revenues.

    Network economics (including technology developments in content distribution, headends and backbone/last mile networks) will be assessed. The conference will also consider home networking strategies, including the best way to move video around homes – and how the video experience can be extended to portable devices. Customer Premise Equipment and Digital Rights Management technology and strategies will be assessed.

    Content strategies are another important subject that will be covered at IPTV World Forum 2007 – including availability, pricing, bundling, up selling, loss-leading and promotions. The conference will look at what type of content is working on IP networks today, and what kind of content can help drive ambitions for whole-home and mobile video experiences. The conference will assess locally created IPTV content and assess whether telcos should make content king – or focus on building services (like home networks) that lock customers in.

  • Buena Vista, BT sign video on demand deal in the UK

    Buena Vista, BT sign video on demand deal in the UK

    MUMBAI: Buena Vista International Television (BVITV), the international TV distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company, and BT Plc, have announced that they have concluded a multi-year broadband video-on-demand rental agreement in the UK.

    This will make available, on-demand, a selection of upcoming, current and library movies from BVITV’s portfolio via BT’s upcoming next-generation TV service, BT Vision. This agreement is in line with The Walt Disney Company’s focus on the application of technology to enhance its content and expand its distribution, asserts an official release.
    Through this agreement, BT Vision’s customers will be able to purchase on-demand a selection of current and upcoming features from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films. Titles include Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Shaggy Dog and Scary Movie 4. The agreement also includes a range of library features, adds the release.

    BVITV EMEA executive vice president and managing director Tom Toumazis said, “As flexibility and choice of content become increasingly important factors to the entertainment consumer, we’re pleased to be working with BT to offer this strong selection of our movie titles to BT Vision’s customers across the UK, in a convenient range of ways on this exciting new digital service.”

    BT Vision CEO Dan Marks said, “We are delighted to announce this agreement with The Walt Disney Company. BT Vision’s film service will be immensely strengthened by our ability to offer current movies from one of the strongest studios and a great selection of titles from Disney’s magnificent catalogue. We look forward to working with Disney to develop and use innovative technology to continue providing our customers with choice, convenience and control over their movie-watching.”

    At launch, BT Vision customers will be able to enjoy a vast range of film, music and television programming available on-demand as well as interactive services and all the Freeview channels, all available on the TV, with no compulsory subscription. This combination, delivered on a software platform powered by Microsoft and through a set-top box made by Philips, will allow customers choice, control and convenience.

    BT Vision has already announced content deals with a range of entertainment companies including Dreamworks, i-concerts, Eagle Rock, BBC Worldwide, Paramount, Warner Music Group, National Geographic Channel,Universal,SONY BMG, Viacom and Turner Broadcasting; as well as with independents including Lionsgate, Entertainment Rights plc, NBD Television and Wall to Wall Television. BT Vision has also announced near-live FA Premier League matches from the 2007-2008 season, adds the release.

    This agreement was concluded by BVITV vice president Digital Media Damian Newton and executive director Sales UK and Ireland Catherine Powell, working with BT Vision’s director business affairs Mark Cranwell and head of film Bobbie Fox.

  • America Channel extends reach in Europe and Middle East via BT

    America Channel extends reach in Europe and Middle East via BT

    MUMBAI: The America Channel has entered into a long-term distribution and services agreement with BT Americas, a division of British Telecommunications (BT), for delivery of The America Channel via the HOT BIRD and EUROBIRD satellites. This will be received by an estimated 50 million homes in Europe and the Middle East

    Under the agreement, BT will provide digital conversion, backhaul, multiplexing, technical support, customer service, encryption, program origination, ad insertion, and uplink services, as well as capacity on the HOT BIRD and EUROBIRD satellites located at the 13 degrees East longitude and 28.2 degrees East longitude orbital slots, respectively.

    The America Channel CEO Doron Gorshein said, “There is a global fascination with all things American. We believe The America Channel – a network dedicated to exploring and celebrating our diverse communities, local heroes and ordinary people who accomplish the extraordinary — will find a substantial international audience. At the same time, we believe that by providing this window into America, the channel can build bridges and help the world to better understand our communities, cultures, and way of life. ”

    With immediate access to tens of millions of DTH homes, a freely competitive environment, and a product that is unique on the dial, The America Channel believes it is poised to become the next great American global network.

    “The magnitude of this transaction creates a new economic paradigm for the channel,” added Gorshein. ” The international markets are fertile grounds for American entrepreneurs, and we look forward to working with our partners abroad to deliver great programming to their audiences.”

    BT Americas president Chuck Pol said:, “BT is able to provide The America Channel with a customized worldwide global network solution, effectively and efficiently. Our experience, extensive global reach, highly skilled engineers, and affordable value proposition give The America Channel and other independent American networks the ability to compete in the international marketplace.”

    Initially, The America Channel’s highest European penetration levels will be in Germany, France, Poland, Spain, U.K., as well as portions of Russia. In the Middle East and North Africa, highest penetration levels will be in Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Algeria. Most of the initial 50 million homes will receive The America Channel via Direct-To-Home (DTH) unencrypted satellite delivery. Subsequent European cable rollout of the channel is expected to generate subscriber growth in the UK and across the continent.

    In addition to 50 million DTH homes, the region also has approximately 70 million cable homes accessible via HOT BIRD, which The America Channel will seek to penetrate. Following this launch, The America Channel anticipates expansion into Asia.