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While the RBOCs still appear to be sitting on their hands regarding video services, smaller telcos in the U.S. and telcos of all sizes abroad are getting into pictures -- and even video on demand.
Indeed. Concurrent Computer Corp. and its partner, integrator Third Space Living Ltd., at the 24-exhibitor strong TelcoTV trade show in November unveiled a version of its VoD systems designed specifically for the telco set. Kunert says the system has already seen significant deployment overseas.
"It's more of an international market today than it is a domestic market," says Del Kunert, vice president of marketing and business development at Concurrent. That's because there are more greenfield opportunities abroad; end loops tend to be shorter, and are thus able to support the higher data rates video requires; and culturally, international customers don't think about where they should get video services the same way American consumers do, he says.
Nearly 100,000 subscribers in China are receiving video streams over IP networks using Concurrent's MediaHawk system, says Kunert. That includes around 40,000 digital TV subscribers of China Netcom's Ning Bo business in Beijing and about 50,000 China Telecom customers in Shanghai (in this case the endpoint is the PC).
Concurrent also has a DSL deployment with 10,000 on-demand subscribers in Australia with Transact Communications Pty., which is leasing space on the fiber network of Australian Central Territory Electric and Water.
Domestically, telcos are seeing the success cablecos are having in VoD, says Kunert, but take up is limited. Concurrent now is in undisclosed trials and tests of its new MediaHawk system with several small independent operating companies. As for the RBOCs, he says, they seem to have interest, but still are in their labs with VoD in "very, very small trials." The RBOCs are struggling with a dated network infrastructure -- end copper loops are longer, they have to upgrade their technologies and they don't have the money to make those kinds of investments, he says.
