Microsoft has launched its long-anticipated major push into unified communications, integrating many telephony applications with its Microsoft Office Server software to create Office Communications Server 2007. Microsoft officials dissed the traditional telecom industry in announcing the new platform yesterday, pointing out the antiquated logic behind the use of telephone numbers, among other things.
One report covering […]
AT&T reportedly has hired Goldman Sachs to explore the possibility of acquiring EchoStar, with one source speculating the deal could happen within three to six weeks. Meanwhile, an industry analyst separately is saying there is a 65% chance AT&T will buy the DISH provider before the year is done, at a price of up to […]
India’s largest private telco, Airtel, plans to launch an IPTV-ready network later this year in five cities.
The network will run at 8mbps and follows a successful trial of a 1,000 homes. Airtel has chosen Israeli firm Optibase’s IPTV encoding platforms for its planned IPTV service offerings. Optibase has also installed video over IP solutions for […]
Internet TV operator Joost has promised live programming beginning in early 2008, with a senior executive telling the Mipcom program market in Cannes that Joost hoped to secure more European sports rights. Joost, which released its beta software earlier this month, has secured online rights to Major League Baseball’s World Series and playoffs and U.K. […]
Sony has beaten Microsoft to the punch and will offer its PlayStation 3 gaming console as an IPTV set top box next month, in partnership with Korea’s new high definition Mega TV service.
Mega TV is backed by local telco giant KT, which last month offered high definition service to its entire 5.5 million broadband […]
Watching TV shows online has surged past watching newscasts as the most popular video format for U.S. Internet consumers, according to a survey commissioned by the Conference Board and market research group, TNS.
More than 15 percent of households now watch some TV online, while the number of Internet users watching whole episodes has double in […]
North American households are ready to embrace new forms of video content through their televisions, are buying advanced gaming consoles, but want easy-to-use equipment and someone to install and maintain their increasingly complex home networks, a new report on unmet customer needs has found.
The report for Broadband Services Forum by the Ovum research group, found […]
The attorney general in Connecticut is not backing down in his quest to make sure AT&T’s U-verse is subject to the same requirements as cable TV operations. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal’s latest volley is a public request that AT&T’s franchise application be rejected, which seems counterintuitive on its face. Blumenthal fought to make AT&T obtain […]
Comcast raised rates on Houston last week, much to AT&T’s glee. Comcast took over the Houston systems in June as part of its market swaps with Time Warner Cable. AT&T launched its U-Verse IPTV service there late last year, making Houston its second launch site after San Antonio, Texas.
Comcast proceeded to add VoIP and develop […]
Time Warner Cable is getting into IPTV. The nation’s second-largest cable TV concern is launching a video service for its business customers using IPTV over broadband delivered via the cable infrastructure.
BusinessLink.tv will deliver news and information channels to subscribers’ computers, starting with TWC’s 1.4 million subscribers in New York and New Jersey. The channel lineup […]
