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IP-PRIME™ trials scheduled to begin in January
PRINCETON, NJ – November 8, 2005 – Dedicated to enabling even the smallest
and remotest of telephone companies (telcos) to offer the triple play of
video, voice and broadband, SES AMERICOM, an SES GLOBAL company (Euronext
Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges: SESG), today announced the National
Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) has signed a multi-year agreement
to offer IPTV services to nearly one thousand independent and local telcos
over SES AMERICOM’s IP-PRIME™ distribution platform.
The centralized, satellite-delivered IPTV solution originates from SES AMERICOM’s
IPTV Broadcast Center in Vernon Valley, New Jersey, where high-end video
programming and content is received, processed, and then transported by
SES AMERICOM’s AMC-9 satellite to authorized video hubs nationwide. The
NRTC IPTV offering is an end-to-end solution to the IP set-top, which includes
conditional access and middleware and greatly reduces headend and video
operations and equipment costs.
IP-PRIME will enable small telcos to distribute hundreds of television channels
to subscribers over the same DSL line that brings them voice and high-speed
Internet access. NRTC member telephone companies in as many as four markets
will begin trials of IP-PRIME in January. A full NRTC commercial launch
of IPTV aboard the IP-PRIME platform is scheduled for the second quarter
of 2006.
“SES AMERICOM’s IP-PRIME represents an exciting, first-of-its-kind development
in IPTV deployments, as we work with the NRTC to offer broadband television
to tens of millions of people from coast to coast,” said Bryan McGuirk,
president of media solutions for SES AMERICOM. “Rural and regional telephone
companies of all sizes can accelerate their IPTV initiatives by months and
years with IP-PRIME, a reliable and secure satellite-delivered solution
that bypasses extensive and expensive fiber installations and offers an
immediate path to IP television.”
“With our proven track record in satellite television distribution spanning
nearly 20 years, NRTC is well positioned to help our members provide this
innovative new service, allowing them to remain a viable competitor as they
start to engage in the delivery of entertainment and information to the
communities they serve,” said Bob Phillips, NRTC’s president and CEO.
Both SES AMERICOM and NRTC are in the process of formalizing IP-PRIME content
distribution rights agreements with all of the major producers and providers
of leading networks and programming.
SES AMERICOM’s extensive experience in programming distribution, for cable
operators, programmers, and broadcasters, enables the largest satellite-based
distribution services provider in the U.S. to offer the NRTC and other telcos
a proven platform to deliver the powerful and elusive triple play of video,
voice and broadband.
About AMC-9
Launched in 2003, AMC-9 is a powerful hybrid C- and Ku-band Alcatel Spacebus
3000B3 spacecraft, which serves television programmers, government agencies,
and enterprise networks from its orbital slot at 83° west longitude. The
state-of-the-art satellite features increased power levels, expanded coverage
areas, and SES AMERICOM’s standard high levels of redundancy.
About NRTC
NRTC leads and supports more than 1,200 member organizations by delivering
telecommunications solutions to strengthen member businesses, promote economic
development and improve the quality of life in rural America. The rural
utilities that make up NRTC offer services to more than 30 million rural
households in the United States. For more information, visit www.nrtc.coop.
About SES AMERICOM
The largest supplier of satellite services in the U.S., SES AMERICOM is
recognized as a pioneer of global satellite communications services. Celebrating
the 30th anniversary of the launch of its first satellite, the company today
operates a fleet of 18 spacecraft in orbital positions predominantly providing
service throughout the Americas. As a member of the SES GLOBAL family, SES
AMERICOM is able to provide end-to-end telecommunications solutions to any
region of the world via a fleet of 40 satellites. In addition, AMERICOM
Government Services, a wholly owned subsidiary, is dedicated to providing
satellite-based communications solutions to both civilian and defense agencies
of the U.S. government. With its combined operations, SES AMERICOM serves
broadcasters, cable programmers, aeronautical and maritime communications
integrators, Internet service providers, mobile communications networks,
government agencies, educational institutions, carriers and secure global
data networks with efficient communication and content distribution solutions.
Media Contacts:
Monica Morgan,
SES AMERICOM, +1-609-987-4143,
monica.morgan@ses-americom.com
Paul Sims,
SES AMERICOM, +1-678-576-6126,
paul.sims@ses-americom.com
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