Telecom Provider's Deal With Move Networks Covers 38 Countries
Cable & Wireless' CWI telecommunications unit has signed a deal with Move Networks, a provider of video-streaming and IPTV technologies, to provide the infrastructure for a television service distributed in up to 38 countries.
The partnership will allow each of London-based CWI's business units to offer a multichannel television service transmitted through its customers' existing DSL connections. According to the companies, the deal represents the world's "widest-reaching IPTV partnership," with the potential to serve CWI's more than 7 million customers.
Move Networks, whose investors include Comcast, Microsoft and Cisco Systems, is providing CWI with its rate-adaptive streaming media client along with middleware developed by Inuk Networks, which Move Networks acquired earlier this year.
CWI's services are in trial phase currently, and the telecom provider is expected to begin commercial deployments as soon as early 2010. Move Networks will manage the worldwide distribution of the IPTV services from its headquarters in American Fork, Utah, and from an office in the U.K.
The telco plans to deliver live TV and other video services in MPEG-4 AVC H.264 format to televisions via IPTV set-top boxes using Broadcom chip sets and to PCs. The service also has network DVR features, such as pause and rewind of live TV and video-on-demand offerings.
Roxanne Austin, who was named CEO of Move Networks in July, said the linear 24/7 television service will comprise about 80 channels. In addition, CWI plans to offer local channels and other content in each of the operating countries.