08-09 - TELE-satellite International Magazine

these being paying customers of the service, up
9% from 628.000 paying customers at the end
of 2007. The IPTV service had 170 channels of
local, Asian and international programming by
the end of last year, with an ARPU of HK$ 216
(US$ 27.87), up 9% from December 2007.
INDIA
ACT LAUNCHES IPTV SERVICE
IN BANGALORE
Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) has
launched new IPTV and triple play services
in Bangalore, India are powered by Verismo’s
VuNow Internet TV platform. ACT with its new
interactive IPTV service aims to convert the TV
into a convergence device and consumers can
pause and play over 200+ live TV channels,
record one program while watching another, and
access more than 4,500 DVD quality Kannada,
Hindi and Tamil movies. The VuNow Internet
platform includes a hosting and delivery platform
for on-demand content under a subscription,
pay-per-view or ad-supported models.
BSNL AND SMART DIGIVISION LAUNCH IPTV
BSNL has launched an IPTV service called
MyWay BSNL in the city of Chennai (Tamil Nadu
state) in association with Indian firm Smart
Digivision, according to local media reports.
The new service offers over 150 linear
channels as well as VOD and music-ondemand
libraries, and a parental lock. BSNL
in the near future plans to introduce features
such as the ability to pause live TV.
Customers can either rent the set-top box
required for INR 50 (US$ 0.99) per
month, plus a deposit of INR 1,000, or
purchase it outright for INR 2,500.
JAPAN
ARIANESPACE TO LAUNCH
JCSAT-13 SATELLITE
SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation has chosen
Arianespace, to launch its new JCSAT-13
communications satellite. The JCSAT-13
would be launched by an Arianespace 5 rocket
in 2013 from French Guiana. It will provide
broadcasting and telecommunications services
for Japan and the Asia Pacific region.
NTT TOPS 700.000 IPTV SUBSCRIBERS
NTT Plala has beaten company targets by reaching
700.000 subscribers for its IPTV service Hikari
TV, according to Media Research Asia, which adds
that company management expects to reach 1.1
million customers by March 2010, when the service
could break even. Around 60% of Hikari TV customers
are selecting the ‘Oeuchi-Plan’ at a monthly
fee of JPY 3,675 (US$ 38.62) per month, which
offers over 50 linear channels and free access to
the VOD library of more than 5,000 titles, while
customers with FTTH/NGN connections in Tokyo
and Osaka also receive HD terrestrial channels.
THE PHILIPPINES
PLDT PLANS TO INTRODUCE HDTV IN 2009
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company
(PLDT) is aiming to introduce high-definition
TV programming sometime this year. The DTH
service is already used by a few subscribers in
Metro Manila and selected provinces. A company
spokesperson has said that here would be
several HD channels that could be delivered via
the DTH, some of which would be either in 720
or 1080 progressive scanning resolution. The
line-up for the high-definition channels is being
discussed although the DTH service has about 20
channels, including two local free TV channels.
QATAR
QTEL EXPANDS COVERAGE OF MOZAIC TV+
Qtel is the only service provider in the Middle
East to offer Mozaic TV+, which is a threein-one
service built on the asymmetric digital
subscriber line (ADSL). It combines video
(cable TV), audio (landline) and data (highspeed
Internet). Mozaic TV+ is priced QR250 a
month for the basic service. More than 10,000
customers have hooked on to the service that
provides a minimum 125 digital TV channels.
SINGAPORE
SINGTEL IPTV SUBSCRIBERS TOTAL 78.000
Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) added
a record 19.000 new customers for its IPTV
service mio TV in the first quarter of this year,
bringing its total to 78.000 subscribers. The
operator attributes the latest gains to the success
of its mio home bundled plan and broad content
offering, and added that it will continue to invest
in new content to attract new customers.
SOUTH KOREA
300.000 IPTV SUBSCRIBERS IN KOREA
At the end of April, five months after the start of
the full-scale IPTV service, the total number of
subscribers of IPTV operators is only 300,000,
according to industry figures. The front-runner
of full-scale IPTV service, KT, secured 180.000
subscribers, followed by LG Dacom (80.000)
and SK Broadband (30.000). When VOD
subscribers are included, SK Broadband leads
with 750.000 subscribers, followed by KT
(720.000) and LG Dacom (130.000). Thus, the
number of local full-scale IPTV subscribers is
unlikely to meet the original goal, securing 2.3
million by end of this year. The main reasons
for the standstill of IPTV service is the lack of
content compared with other pay-TV services,
such as digital, cable TV, and satellite TV.
BIGBAND DEPLOYS VIDEO IP
SOLUTION FOR LG POWERCOM
BigBand Networks and LG Powercom have
commercially deployed BigBand’s video IP
solution, vIP PASS, in Korea. The vIP PASS
delivers cost effective IPTV services to personal
computers and IP set-top boxes over
DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems. With this deployment
LG Powercom is reportedly poised to
deliver virtually, unlimited, high quality, video IP
programming to over 2.3 million subscribers.
SK BROADBAND SELECTS
HARMONIC SOLUTION
SK Broadband has deployed Harmonic’s Direct-2-
Edge (D2E) solution - encompassing Harmonic’s
NSG 9000 universal edgeQAMs and D2E control
software - for the world’s largest commercial
launch of cable IPTV to date. The deployment
enables SK Broadband to provide a uniform
broadcast IPTV service across its cable, xDSL,
and FTTx access networks. Subscribers can
also receive uninterrupted, high-speed Internet
access of up to 150 Mbps to the home, powered
by Harmonic’s NSG 9000 using a modular
CMTS (M-CMTS) architecture and delivered to
a DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem. SK Broadband
serves approximately 6 million subscribers.
LG DACOM ARRIVES TO 100.000
IPTV SUBSCRIBERS
LG Dacom had reached 100,000 subscribers
for its IPTV service myLGtv as of May 15, up
from 12,000 at the end of January. The operator
launched linear channels on the service
in February, having previously been obliged
to offer VOD-only content. LG Dacom states
that it will now aggressively market the service
to its 2.3 million broadband subscribers.
TAIWAN
CHUNGHWA TELECOM ARRIVES
TO 686.000 IPTV SUBSCRIBERS
Chunghwa Telecom had 686.000 subscribers to
its IPTV service Multimedia-on-Demand (MOD)
by the end of the first quarter of this year, gaining
10.000 customers during the three months and
giving a 57.6% year-on-year increase. Overall, the
company had 4.3 million broadband subscribers
(including ADSL and FTTx) at the end of March.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
DU TO UPGRADE FTTH WITH TILGIN
du has signed an US$ 800.000 order with Swedish
IPTV specialist Tilgin as part of an ongoing
upgrade of its Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) IP
network in Dubai. Tilgin will supply its Home
Gateway Vood 292 solution, which includes
next-generation software for managing IP-networks
(VCM). The technology will replace older
fiber units supplied by a competitor. du has also
revealed plans to launch IPTV-based services
in Dubai, including HDTV and VOD applications,
in the coming months, following the completion
of its core IP network upgrade to 40Gb/s.
VIETNAM
VINASAT-1 CAPACITY TO BE
LEASED OUT BY 2010
Businesses and governmental agencies have
registered to use 70 per cent of the capacity
of Vietnam’s first communications satellite,
Vinasat-1, and by 2010 some expect the entire
capacity of Vinasat-1 to be leased out. The business
plan set for Vinasat-1 has been progressing
according to schedule and the objective of
recovering the investment capital within nine
years appears to be within reach. Vinasat-1 went
into orbit in April 2008 and one year later many
transponders have been leased to customers.
A U S T R A L I A & P A C I F I C
AUSTRALIA
TELSTRA EYEING 2009 IPTV LAUNCH
Telstra hopes to start an IPTV service by
November 2009 throughout Australia, according
to local media reports. The operator would
build on its BigPond ISP unit that already offers
broadband content such a movies and games. The
platform will give viewers access to customized
Web sites and open access to online broadband
services, according to the report. According to
Digital Media, at least two IPTV trials are currently
underway with Telstra’s Media division and
another conducted by its engineering department.
FOXTEL TO ACCELERATE
IPTV LAUNCH PLANS
Foxtel is poised to accelerate its plans for an
IPTV service following the launch of its revamped
website, created by digital services company Hyro.
The site supports the management and delivery
of video and other rich media assets across the
broadcasters’ content catalogue and provides fully
integrated e-commerce capability and online customer
service. Foxtel has confirmed it will launch
full –length program downloads in October and
provide subscribers with catch-up TV and exclusive
screening options. Foxtel also plans to launch
video streaming of the Olympics in February.
www.TELE-satellite.com — 08-09/2009 — TELE-satellite — Broadband & Fiber-Optic
113