Johannesburg, 05 Oct 2006
Trials to determine the feasibility of Internet Protocol television (IPTV) are progressing well, with an expansion to a "field trial" planned for early next year, says Telkom.
Some customers on the recently upgraded DSL 4096 service (giving theoretical peak downlink speeds of 4Mbps) will be invited to participate in the field trial, says Telkom business executive Rikus Matthyser.
Closed group, lab-environment trials in Telkom`s Pretoria offices have been under way for some months.
"We have been mainly testing network capacity, operating system support and billing systems," says Matthyser.
The purposes of the IPTV field trial, he says, will be to test Telkom`s ability to install and maintain the service, and to get customer feedback. It is not yet known how many customers will be invited to trial IPTV, or what programming content will be used.
The trials, as with the lab tests earlier this year, will make use of Telkom`s IPTV partnerships with Alcatel and Microsoft. The companies have vast experience worldwide in integrating TV services into a telco model, notes Matthyser.
About five weeks ago, Telkom (through its newly-formed division Telkom Media), applied for a pay-TV licence with the Independent Communications Authority of SA. It has indicated IPTV will be one of the avenues through which the company plans to offer television on a commercial basis in the future.
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Telkom to start IPTV trials
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