SPB TV launched for iPhone
A leading mobile applications and games developer, SPB Software has released SPB TV for iPhone.
It is becoming SPB Software’s flagship application for this enormously popular mobile platform. The SPB TV for iPhone is a freeway mobile IPTV viewer with TV-like usability, created for tuning in to publicly available digital TV channels from all over the world.
The TV for iPhone is compatible with iPod touch, iPhone and iPad devices with firmware version 3.0 and above.
Vodafone Germany to introduce IPTV service
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Launch of a very own IPTV services has been planned by Vodafone Germany as part of its strategy to emerge as a full service provider following the acquisition of its fixed network subsidiary Arcor in 2008.
According to CEO Friedrich Joussen, the trials of the IPTV service were successful and the offer will be very competitive.
Key customer acquisition tools for TV services identified by Verizon
According to US telco Verizon, certain aspects of a pay-TV offering serve as vital customer acquisition tools, while others benefit the service provider in a different way.
Terry Denson, vice president, programming and marketing, at Verizon FiOS TV informed, that the key points of acquisition that attracts a user to sign up for TV include premium sports and movie content, high-definition programming, video-on-demand (VoD) and multi-cultural channels.
According to him, though much has been made of the interactive nature of IPTV, but while this serves an important purpose, it wouldn’t largely affect the number of ones customers. The services wont be changed just because people cant get horoscopes on their television.
As per his records, weather services and horoscopes rank one and two in terms of usage of interactive services.
However, he cited that interactivity is a vital tool in IPTV service providers’ armoury as it increases customer loyalty and reduces churn.
Moldovan telco Moldtelecom reports 9% drop in revenue
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: A fall of 9% in the revenue has been reported by Moldovan incumbent telco Moldtelecom for the year ended December 31, 2009, earning a revenue of MDL2.4 billion (USD188 million). However, company’s profit from operating activities increased 3% year-on-year to MDL384 million due to the reduction in the costs by 11% during 2009.
4% increase in revenue in 2010 has been expected by the operator to MDL2.5 billion. The profit is predicted to remain stable compared to 2009. The total subscribers’ base of the firm reached 1.34 million, including 1.11 million fixed telephony customers and 101,000 mobile users.
An investment of MDL739 million was made by Moldtelecom during 2009, MDL55 million of which was ploughed into the deployment of infrastructure for the company’s new IPTV service, MDL156 million was spent on the rollout of a 3G network and MDL153.3 million was invested in the PSTN. The remaining amount was put into fibre-optic cable layout, CDMA network roll out, and information technology.
Telekom Austria contracts Alca- Lu for triple-play deployment
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Telekom Austria has contracted French equipment vendor Alcatel-Lucent (Alca-Lu) for the deployment of its triple-play service delivery architecture. This will bring smaller communities the same triple-play services today provided to customers in larger metropolitan areas.
Telekom Austria will also be provided with the bandwidth, scale and service awareness required to support the growing market for more personalized broadband services such as ‘aon TV’. ‘aon TV’ is the service provider’s IPTV offering.
According to Walter Goldenits, CTO at Telekom Austria, the rollout of the second mile ethernet aggregation network with Alca-Lu service routers enables us to confidently and economically offer converged data, voice and video applications throughout the whole country, to the furthest reaches of the network, over a single and homogeneous platform.
Saudi Telecom appoints Ericsson to deploy LTE network
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The contract for the deployment of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network by Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has been awarded to Ericsson. With the deployment of LTE technology in the Middle East and North Africa, the customers in these countries will become the first to benefit from the new chain of high speed broadband services.
Any service available online like HD video, network games, IPTV, blogging and others could be effortlessly enjoyed by the customers after the enhancement of STC’s operational capabilities.
Though STC claims that its LTE network will be the first in the region, it has been reported earlier on February 15, 2010 that Zain had contracted Motorola to roll out an LTE network in Riyadh.
Algerie Telecom & Netgem launches IPTV service in Algerie
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Safir, an IPTV service in Algerie has been launched by Algerie Telecom along with French IPTV set-top box maker Netgem. FTTH fibre-optic network has been rolled out for Safir and Algeria Telecom broadband customers a mix of advanced digital TV services and a choice of 60 IP-delivered TV channels will be offered under the service.
NetgemTV software is used to create and Netgem’s set-top box is used to deliver the service. Safir was implemented in close cooperation with the integration partner Spec-Com Algerie.
China Telecom allowed by SARFT to expand IPTV trial
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: China Telecom has been allowed to apply for approval of an internet protocol television (IPTV) license to expand its IPTV trial by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SARFT). The IPTV currently covers 10 cities.
IPTV licenses have already been awarded to eight companies including China Central Television, Shanghai Media Group, People’s Daily and Xinhua News Agency.
Shanghai Expo to be broadcasted by Orange in Europe
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: A deal has been signed between France Telecom’s Orange and Shanghai Media Group to broadcast content from this year’s World Expo in Shanghai on phones across Europe. Orange will work with BesTV, Shanghai broadcaster’s new media unit to develop Internet Protocol Television, or IPTV.
It is a technology that allows content to be watched on television, computers and mobile phones. According to France Telecom’s chairman and CEO Didier Lombard, new internet and digital technologies have opened an extremely large field of possibilities. The most spectacular allows customers to see the same images on three screens.
The six-month World Expo scheduled in China, this year, will give an opportunity to showcase the IPTV technology around the world.
Deutsche Telekom’s R&D chief will soon leave the company
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Chief Product and Innovation Officer, Christopher Schlaeffer, will leave Deutsche Telekom on 31 March 2010 on his own request to pursue fresh challenges. He is also the in charge of R&D within the group
and worked as the Corporate Development Officer from 2002 to 2006.
As a Chief Product and Innovation Officer, he looked after the product portfolio and the operational realisation of strategic areas of innovation such as IPTV, mobile Internet and digital services.
