OCTOBER 17, 2006 -- Canadian service provider SaskTel (search Sasktel) claims it will be the first provider in North America to commercially deploy High-Definition (HD) television services as part of an IPTV offering using new technologies such as MPEG4.
The announcement reinforces SaskTel's ongoing endorsement of Alcatel's (search Alcatel) Triple Play Service Delivery Architecture, which, as the key component of SaskTel's Next Generation Access Infrastructure (NGAI) program, is enabling SaskTel to offer what it claims is the most comprehensive service portfolio of advanced broadband entertainment services.
SaskTel's HDTV offering represents the evolution of SaskTel's Max Entertainment Services, which currently include high-speed Internet access, television, and Video on Demand (VOD) in a single bundle over SaskTel's high-speed IP network. SaskTel's Next Generation Access Infrastructure (NGAI) program, a capital investment initiative that is providing bandwidth of up to 40 Mbits/sec, is the key enabler for advanced services such as HDTV and voice-over-IP (VoIP).
"Launching HDTV secures SaskTel's position as an IPTV pioneer," contends Robert Watson, CEO of SaskTel. "With Alcatel's triple-play solutions, we are confident that HD is one of many innovative entertainment services that we will continue delivering to our customers."
"The people of Saskatchewan will now have access to the most complete portfolio of entertainment services available," adds Hubert de Pesquidoux, president of Alcatel's North American activities. "We are pleased to strengthen our relationship with SaskTel, and to be part of yet another first as they continue to pioneer entertainment services delivery in Canada, and drive the evolution of the IPTV industry."
The HD service rollout is enabled by Alcatel's IPTV software development and services integration capabilities. These capabilities complement Alcatel's Triple Play Service Delivery Architecture (TPSDA), which includes the Alcatel 7750 Service Router, 7450 Ethernet Service Switch, and 7330 ISAM fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) platforms. The Alcatel 5620 Service Aware Manager and 5526 Access Management System provide management for the TPSDA network.
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