SmartLabs started to deploy the large-scale unified IPTV platform for Rostelecom service subscribers in all Russian Federation regions.

Within the project, all separate IPTV platforms currently run in the regions will be replaced with the unified IPTV platform based on a bunch of SmartLabs products offering a unified set of services and enabled with a state-of-the-art, fast, animated and nice-looking user interface.

During the preceding six months, the telecom operator had been conducting a tender to select a unified IPTV platform provider. The largest global and Russian IPTV solution developers and integrators took part in the tender.

Rostelecom defined three key criteria to compare the proposals: total cost of ownership, time to market, and compliance with the operator business development strategy.

Unfied IPTV platform launch is planned for the end of 2011. Traditional services, such as TV channel access and video-on-demand, will be extended with new interactive and OTT services provided by the operator to various mobile devices connected to the Internet.