mPhase Technologies today announced that Beyaz Holding Company, owner of Turkey's leading television news and entertainment station, has aired a segment on its "The Economy Today" series, describing the benefits of a planned digital television service over the privatized national telephone network.

Beyaz Holding and mPhase have formed a joint venture, mPhase Teknoloji, which is awaiting a license to deliver the Internet television (IPTV) service targeted for delivery via Turk Telecom, the soon-to-be privatized national telecommunications company.

Pending regulatory approval and conclusion of a definitive agreement with Turk Telecom's new owners, mPhase Teknoloji's IPTV service will offer Turkish consumers unprecedented interactive TV and high-speed data services over a broadband network infrastructure. mPhase is providing the equipment and technical video expertise for the deployment, while Beyaz-owned Kanal 7 is leveraging its extensive media asset and brand by aggregating content and managing the marketing of the services.

In anticipation of the planned services, Kanal 7 has aired a segment of its "The Economy Today" featuring an interview with Kadir Yalcindere, general manager of mPhase Teknoloji, who explains the advantages of IPTV as compared with its over-the-air broadcast service, including a broad selection of channels, superior quality, and premium subscription programming. The broadcast, coincident with imminent talks for Turkey's membership in the European Community, also stresses the benefit of a broadband communications infrastructure and high-speed internet services to the nation's competitiveness.

"We are excited about the prospect of providing the advanced information and entertainment services that the Turkish public craves and the global marketplace demands," said Ismail Kaharan, CEO of Beyaz Holding.

Necdet F. Ergul, mPhase's chairman, who is Turkish-born, noted: "We have crossed an important milestone in our plans to bring to the Turkish public the advantages of IPTV."