PT Comunicações presents IPTV
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Today, PT Comunicações gave a press conference in which it made its first public presentation of the IPTV Project. A new era for the fixed business of the PT Group through which clients will be able to enjoy an integral offer of voice, Internet and television, all through the telephone line. The Chairman of the PT Group also used the occasion to clear up some doubts related to the General Meeting to be held on the 2nd of March
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Rodrigo Costa showed his enthusiasm
in relation to the IPTV project |
“Today is a very important day for the PT Group”. These were the words chosen by Rodrigo Costa, Chairman of PT Comunicações, at the beginning of the press conference which took place in the Telecom Forum in Lisbon. The initiative had the objective of publicly presenting the IPTV project (Internet protocol television) which has been developed. We recall that IPTV consists in television on IP, in the case of PT Comunicações (PTC) through broadband. With the launching of this innovative service, PTC clients will be able to benefit from an integrated offer of voice, internet and television via a telephone line.
Rodrigo Costa stated that “this is one of the most important projects which PTC will present in the years to come. The TV offer in our copper network is an important complement to our offer. It will be a solid adventure”. The Chairman of PTC looks at the project with enthusiasm and explained that the company is closely following projects being carried out on a worldwide level.
IPTV will transport the client to a new television dimension through which they hold total control over television broadcasting. The client will have the possibility of choosing what they want to see and when they want to see it. Access to a set of channels which can be chosen according to their preference, the rental of high definition videos and visualisation upon desire, stopping a direct broadcast and restart from the place in which the broadcast was stopped or organise an updated programming grid of all of the channels. These are only some of the novelties of the IPTV project.
In the sense of launching a service with stability in the access velocity through ADSL, a development project period of infrastructures and technological conditions was carried out. With this, it PT expects to supply a service with its maximum reliability.
The IPTV solution presented at the conference is the result of a transversal research and development Project on behalf of the PT Comunicações companies, PT Inovação and PT Sistemas de Informação. The technological platform used in this project was developed by Microsoft and Alcatel, among other suppliers.
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Luís Lopes, Director of PTC |
Luís Lopes, Director of PTC, and António Geirinhas, responsible for the IPTV Project, carried out a demonstration of the service in real time, using the platform installed in Picoas and Monsanto. This presentation was done for the first time in public. One of
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António Geirinhas, responsible
for the IPTV Project |
the things which are expected with IPTV is a better was to watch television. The PTC IPTV service expects to supply a better viewing experience, more and betters services and contents, greater personalisation and control on behalf of the viewer.
According to António Geirinhas, the service through the telephone cables can be supplied in three ways: Internet cables, distribution of a wireless signal or “through our electrical network which will simplify its use in the homes of our clients”.
Luís Lopes, PTC Director stated that, “in an initial phase, we estimate that 40% of the population will have the possibility to access this service”.
PT Comunicações will initiate a technical pilot with final clients in the month of March, and as of June, approximately 5 000 clients in the areas of Castelo Branco, Lisbon and Porto will have the opportunity to experiment the functions of this service. Through this commercial pilot, the company hopes to evaluate the processes and support systems of the operation and make the necessary adjustments for the permanent launching of a quality service.
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For Henrique Granadeiro it is
important that PT complies
with its word and objectives |
PT Chairman reveals synergy study
At the end of the conference, Henrique Granadeiro, Chairman of the PT Group, explained the importance that this project represented to the PT Group and revealed that “we’ve done our homework because there was a time when we had a laboratory pilot, today, we will have an experimental pilot and in June, we’ll have a commercial pilot”. Henrique Granadeiro, also stated that “it is important that things are complied with, and PT complies”.
In addition, the Chairman of PT informed, during today’s presentation to the Board of Directors that a study was carried out by the American company Booz Allen Hamilton, an independent entities which has proven itself in the market. The study, requested in the context of the current Public Takeover, had the objective of gaining concrete data in the values of synergies of a possible fusion between PT and Sonaecom. Henrique Granadeiro stated that “various numbers have been presented by Sonae and PT has acted in the sense of ensuring its shareholders have the complete information”. The study by Booz Allen & Hamilton points to a synergy of between 2,6 and 2,9 billion euros in the case of a fusion between the two telecommunications operators.
The Chairman of Portugal Telecom also used the press conference to clear up some doubts related to the PT General Meeting which will take place on the 2nd of March, and related to the offer launched by Sonaecom.
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