IPTV Week in Review: Cavalier Telephone, China Telecom

By Michelle Pasquerello

Associate Editor

 

IPTV (News - Alert) is moving up in the technology industry and here at TMCnet, we’ve got the scoop on what’s happening in IPTV for this fourth week of May…

 

On Friday, Laura Stotler reported that Virginia-based Cavalier Telephone launched a commercially available IPTV service powered by Tut Systems Astria content processor.

 

With more than 150 channels, the new service will be available in Richmond, VA.

 

According to Stotler, “The Astria VSP supports delivery of IP video over RF broadband access networks, including coax and fiber to the premises. More than 160 service providers across five continents deliver IPTV using digital headends from Tut.”

 

Said Brad Evans, CEO of Cavalier Telephone in Stotler’s report, “Cavalier’s focus is on delivering advanced products and services at the most competitive prices in the marketplace. We partnered with Tut Systems on our Broadband TV service in order to enable us to go head-to-head with existing cable and satellite firms by showcasing our superior picture quality and network reliability.”

 

 

Stotler also reported that China Telecom will offer 3G and IPTV in a partnership with Shanghai Media in an effort to drive market growth by offering non-voice services. According to Stotler, “The operator has built 70 stations to undergo TD-SCDMA tests in Baoding, ebei Province, in northern China.” China Telecom had been working with Shanghai Media, who was issued the first IPTV license by The State Administration of Radio Film and Television, since 2005.

 

In related news, TMCnet learned from the wires that China Telecom is raring to go and obtain its own IPTV license despite “the industry authority stressed unavailability of issue timetable.” According to SinoCast, “Shanghai Media Group and CCTV have gained such licenses for operation in mainland China. Apart from applying for the license independently, China Telecom will seek cooperation with current holders, said Wang Xiaochu, chairman and chief executive of the telecom carrier, at a general meeting of shareholders.”

 

The outcome of whether China Telecom will receive the license or not is uncertain, but officials’ claims lead to believe that “the carrier has commenced a substantial application procedure.” TMCnet waits to hear what will happen next.

 

Earlier this week, Stotler once again reported in the IPTV space that Zattoo launched a new P2P IPTV service in Switzerland for the 2006 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament. With the P2P service, “Consumers may watch an array of major television channels in one browser, as well as find specialty content often not available elsewhere.”

 

TMC’s Erik Linask reported that Alcatel (News - Alert) and Microsoft (News - Alert), along with HP are extending their partnership to enter into the IPTV market, boosting HP in the triple play space. According to Linask, “HP will bring its optimized server solutions to the relationship — its HP ProLiant and HP BladeSystem servers — to support and optimize the performance and scalability of theMicrosoft TV IPTV Edition. HP’s servers provide enhanced reliability and improve network efficiency while making it easier for customers to manage their networks.  They are designed to create a total life cycle management environment and lower TCO.”

 

The collaboration brings the power of Alcatel, Microsoft and HP to IPTV and “is expected to speed time to market for IPTV services while improving system performance and architecture scalability for telecommunications service providers,” according to Linask.

 

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That’s the latest in IPTV news for this holiday weekend.

 

To stay up on the latest in the IPTV space, be sure to visit TMCnet’s IPTV news page.