Leading IPTV software solutions and devices provider Zignal today announced the first mass-market deployment of its groundbreaking Zignal service delivery platform, following its launch by Dublin-based digital services home entertainment provider, Magnet Networks.

The platform will be used to deliver IPTV services to Magnet Networks' customers in several of Ireland's major population centres, among them Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford, using a super-fast browser from Norwegian-based Opera Software running on Amino Amitel 110 set-top boxes, and broadcast via the latest in fibre-to-the-home ADSL2+ broadband technology.

Unique in concept, revolutionary in design, Zignal brings together a wealth of features never before offered by a single IPTV solution. The product of two years' intensive research and development, the system delivers a spectacular range of revenue-generating IPTV services accessible from a variety of standards-compliant digital media receivers (DMRs), such as set-top boxes, remote controls and smart mobile phones.

Services include digital TV, video-on-demand (VoD), personal video recording (PVR), digital radio and on-line gaming. All are accessed through a readily customisable user interface, the design of which is based on extensive usability and behavioural studies and is significantly faster than industry-accepted standards.

"We believe that the success of IPTV is based on understanding how to build a positive and fulfilling experience for the user while supporting existing customer relationships and established business practices in service provisioning," says Gudjon Mar Gudjonsson, CEO of Zignal parent, broadband solutions provider and systems integrator Industria.

"Having looked at the needs of the average TV user, we've added a range of other novel features such as a personal profile reflecting individual user interests, a personalised user interface, and a new level of parental control," he adds.

As well as these features, Zignal also incorporates an integrated voting, reminder and messaging system that allows viewers to comment on content directly to the service operator, who in turn is able to build up a profile of each user's interests and communicate directly with the customer.

Nerve-centre of the system is the Zignal Enterprise Server, which provides interoperability between any number of subscribers, a complex IPTV head-end, and a standard management interface that allows for near straight-from-the-box deployment of IPTV services.

Designed to TeleManagement Forum standards for ready connectivity with all leading CRM, OSS, NMS, BSS systems, the server can operate using any legacy system in an operator's existing technology portfolio, without the need for costly and time-consuming replacements, making it ideal for deployment by all Tier One and Tier Two companies. In addition, Zignal functions equally well on PAL, NTSC, HDTV and mobile platforms.

"Magnet Networks' marketing approach tells our customers always to settle for more, and with Zignal, we believe our customers are getting more than they bargained for," says Magnet CEO, Ingvar Gardarsson.

"We're confident that Zignal is taking home entertainment to a new level. We particularly liked its profile-driven solution, and felt very confident in offering it to our customers for all of our TV, radio and VoD services. Throughout its development lifecycle, we worked very closely with Industria developers on customising the solution to suit our network topology. We're very excited about our future with Zignal as we look to launching new services such as nPVR, Pause Live TV, Mobile TV, integrated TV / VOIP, and our soon to be deployed hospitality solution," he concludes.

Industria and Zignal are appearing at Stand 65 at the IPTV World Forum, which is being staged at the Olympia exhibition centre, London, from March 6 - 8.