Digital Identity, Italy's largest streaming media developer and services provider and California based EdgeStream, Inc announced that they have entered into a partnership to provide the ‘Next Generation Video on Demand and IPTV Streaming Technology platform" in Italy. With this agreement, Digital Identity will enable its network with the EdgeStream software and also License the EdgeStream technology to customers who will then be able to provide uninterrupted DVD quality video on demand streaming content to every broadband user in Italy and globally using the public Internet. With the availability of the EdgeStream platform, content providers and owners across Italy are now assured of delivering a quality experience to their consumers at the lowest cost per stream while building profitable businesses.

With this agreement, Digital Identity will now be able to bring to market the ‘Next Generation Video Streaming Technology' to the Italian network and will facilitate true TV and DVD quality video on demand streaming applications to all broadband connected clients in Italy. The companies also said that the software can be embedded for applications in set top boxes, hand held devices and entertainment hub ready TV's and PC's.

"We currently enable more than 75% of all streaming traffic on the Telecom Italia network", said Vicinio Bernardini, CEO of Digital Identity. "The smooth delivery of video streams to homes and offices has been both technically and commercially challenging in spite of huge investments in infrastructure made by the traditional content delivery networks and telcos. We are seeing a tremendous growth in internet traffic and broadband adoption in Italy and consumers are craving for high quality video content. By deploying the disruptive EdgeStream platform, we will be able provide our customers broadcast quality IPTV and video on demand applications with a Quality of Service similar to expensive private IP networks and Cable/Satellite TV", continued Mr. Bernardini.

"Our goal is to become the de-facto standard for enabling broadcast quality IPTV and video streaming applications over the public Internet", said Rajeev Sehgal, Chief Business Development Officer of EdgeStream. "EdgeStream's core Internet Congestion Tunnel Through (ICTT) technology, supported by advanced Continuous Route Optimization Software (CROS), Real-Time Performance Monitoring (RTPM) software and a Self-Healing Network Architecture, will enable our partners and customers to migrate to a reliable platform which is able to mitigate the negative effects of latency and packet loss and cost effectively provide error free DVD quality video on demand streams over the public Internet".

"Today anyone, from anywhere in the world, leave alone Italy, can go to our web site www.edgestream.com and if they have enough bandwidth at the last mile, can stream a broadcast quality video from our demo page without interruptions and rebuffering that is typical of Internet video streaming today", said Sehgal. "We have developed a very potent and significant technology for video on demand to a global audience. This is first such technology which can lay claim to this Holy Grail".