Iliad completes acquisition of Alice

August 27, 2008 - Iliad Telecom, the parent company of French triple-play operator Free, has completed its acquisition of Telecom Italia's French subsidiary Alice for €775mn (US$1.14bn).

How user-focused innovation can accelerate mass adoption of IPTV

When it comes to mass market consumerism there are four products that chart modern life; the car, the mobile phone, the PC and the television. Each, to varying extents, is experiencing levels of convergence, especially from the pull generated by the broadening distribution of digital content. So why, despite analyst predictions, have we yet to see the mass adoption of IPTV services? Gus Desbarats, Chairman of design consultancy TheAlloy, argues that the challenge originates from deep rooted misunderstanding of the user experience, an area better tackled by the design industry.

Smart Broadband Services partners with MTNL to launch IPTV in Delhi

August 28, 2008 - Indian firm Smart Broadband Services has partnered with state-owned telco Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd (MTNL) to launch an IPTV service for MTNL's residential broadband customers in Delhi.

There is no silver bullet for IPTV success in Europe, says Ovum

August 27, 2008 - There is no "silver bullet" for a successful IPTV service in Europe, according to market analysis firm Ovum, as the sector shows more variance across the region than broadband or mobile markets and is at a "much earlier stage of development".

Avail Media provides linear content for 20 commercial IPTV services across US

August 27, 2008 - US content aggregator Avail Media has announced that its linear content has been included in 20 IPTV services that have been commercially launched by US service providers across 14 states.

Operator interview - Dr Cebrail Taşkin, IPTV Program Leader, Türk Telekom

"According to our research, 49% of our customers want IPTV and they want to buy... we are planning to launch IPTV this year in the third quarter"

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Portugal Telecom adds five major European football club channels to Meo

August 27, 2008 - Portugal Telecom has added the TV channels of football clubs Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Manchester United and Real Madrid to its "Meo" IPTV service.

IP test lab equipment vendors form TesLA Alliance

August 26, 2008 - Seven companies specialising in IP test lab equipment have formed a new organisation called the TesLA Alliance (IP Test Lab Automation Alliance), with the intention of providing an open, multivendor automation framework that will enable seamless interoperation between member solutions and improve productivity, return on investment and accelerate time to market for operator customers.

Broadcom to purchase AMD's digital TV operations

August 26, 2008 - US semiconductor firm Broadcom has entered into a definitive agreement with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to acquire the latter's digital TV (DTV) business for approximately US$192.8mn in cash, with the intention of expanding its product line and Tier 1 customer base.

Hitachi partners with Falcon IP/Complete to offer complete IPTV solution to rural US operators

August 26, 2008 - Hitachi Telecom has partnered with US firm Falcon IP/Complete to deliver a fully integrated MPEG-4 IPTV solution for US service providers which are implementing Hitachi's AMN1220 Gigabit Passive Optical Network Fibre to the Premises Solution.

China Telecom announces winners of IPTV tender

August 26, 2008 - China Telecom has announced the equipment manufacturers it has selected to deliver IPTV technology to its provincial branches as part of a tender launched earlier this year, divided into the three areas of system platforms, standard-definition and high-definition set-top boxes.

HanseNet drops IPTV fees on basic tier

August 26, 2008 - German telco HanseNet has decided to offer the basic package for its "Alice Home TV" IPTV service for free to customers of its double-play service offering broadband and telephony, in order to boost uptake.

Tilgin posts 31% sales increase in Q2, losses continue

August 22, 2008 - Swedish firm Tilgin, a provider of IP customer premises equipment for triple-play and IMS-based services, has reported sales of SEK 41mn (US$6.48mn) for the second quarter of this year, an increase of 31% from the previous quarter.

Aksh Optifibre to seek funding worth US$50-80mn for IPTV roll-out

August 22, 2008 - Aksh Optifibre, an Indian IPTV operator and optical fibre firm, aims to close funding worth US$50-80mn shortly to finance its IPTV roll-out in 20 cities across the country, according to the company's Managing Director Kailash Chaudhary.