Having launched its IPTV package, which it sells through third parties to telcos, SES AMERICOM Inc. in June netted two large rural operator trade associations distributors, the groups announced at the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association’s (NTCA) fall conference.
The NTCA and the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) announced they signed up their first member/commercial customer — North Central Telephone Co. — for the satellite-based offering.
SES AMERICOM’s IP-PRIME turnkey package enables service providers to deploy IPTV services quickly and cost effectively, including programming, HD content and advanced video-compression, by renting the offering instead of buying and managing all the pieces.
SES, which operates a large fleet of satellites, is one of several companies pitching the rent-versus-buy approach for all the pieces needed to build a complete IPTV offering. Others include Eagle Broadband’s IPTVComplete and Falcon Communications Inc.’s IP Complete. (For more on these recent IPTV launches, read “Satellite Provider IPTV Packages Enter Orbit” from the August issue of xchange.)
Telcos save money by using the providers’ shared headends instead of buying the huge ticket items, and save time by using the hundreds of channels of programming included instead of negotiating their own content deals with a myriad of owners.
The other large benefit is that companies such as SES operate huge labs in which they test the components that make up their package offerings to ensure they interoperate, which is critical in IPTV’s typically multivendor makeup.
The NRTC represents the advanced telecommunications and information technology interests of more than 1,400 rural utilities and affiliates in 47 states. The NTCA represents more than 560 locally owned and controlled telecommunications cooperatives and commercial companies throughout rural America.
Falcon Communications Inc. www.falconcommunications.com
National Telecommunications Cooperative Association www.ntca.org
National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative www.nrtc.org
SES AMERICOM Inc. www.ses-americom.com
