Lucent Technologies announced a strategic alliance with Orca Interactive, a global market leader in developing applications for IPTV, to deliver solutions that help service providers offer secure, mass market- Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and next-generation multimedia services to end customers at any time on any device.

Leveraging Lucent's expertise in secure, carrier-class networking and leadership in broadband networks, advanced video applications, and network design and integration, and Orca's leadership in IPTV middleware and video integration, this alliance delivers a market-ready solution through a strong channel relationship. Under the multiyear agreement the companies are also collaborating on joint development to enhance service providers' ability to address the quality and control issues associated with deploying IPTV.

With this partnership Lucent continues to enhance its end-to-end integrated IPTV delivery solutions - deployable today - that allow carriers to cost-efficiently deliver secure and highly-reliable bundled voice, video and data services. The solutions are based on open standards, and will give consumers the ability to have access to blended lifestyle services in the near future anywhere at any time with the quality of service (QoS) that they have come to expect. Lucent has integrated Orca's RiGHTv IPTV middleware platform into its network infrastructure solutions for the delivery of video applications. Leveraging its network and application integration capabilities for multivendor networks, Lucent Worldwide Services (LWS) supports the solution with network design, deployment, integration and maintenance and management services to increase speed-to-market and reduce operational costs for service providers.

Service providers benefit from the Lucent solution because it allows them to get to market quickly for faster revenues and greater market penetration, leveraging their existing embedded base of IP-capable access equipment. The scalable architecture of the solution also allows service providers to save on capital and operational expenses. End users will benefit by being able to personalize services, such as on-demand video, interactive TV, and voice and video communications, on a number of devices.

"When Lucent combines our expertise with Orca's RiGHTv middleware platform, we give our customers the best IPTV delivery solution today, and lay the foundation for deploying advanced multimedia services in the future," said Rob Piconi, vice president and general manager, Broadband Solutions, Lucent Technologies. "We're a leader in delivering IP TV, and our strengths, tied to a deep understanding of both security and quality of service for carrier grade networks, represent key differentiators that are critical for our customers as they begin to deploy IPTV services. We also have an unparalleled understanding of networks - both wireline and wireless - and a unique vision for providing what we call "blended IP Multimedia services" over these networks. Working with Orca, a leader in IP TV middleware, we have a highly-scalable, market-ready solution that can be customized to meet our different customers’ needs."

"Lucent is a leading partner for addressing the IP TV market and delivering new technologies that bring better service control to the operator, reduce the total cost of ownership and allow operators to stay ahead of the IPTV innovation curve," said Haggai Barel, CEO, Orca Interactive. "This announcement represents Orca and Lucent’s significant mutual commitment to accelerating the deployment, viability, security and quality of service of IP TV and video services."

As part of the agreement, the two companies are announcing a series of joint development initiatives, including:

• A flexible, easy to program subscriber user interface (SUI) using Orca's SUI software development kit (SDK).
• Ensuring that copyrighted content is delivered securely to the right end user at the right time adhering to service level agreements
• Managing quality of services requirements and network management integration.
• Integrating innovative Bell Labs applications with Orca's RIGHTv solution for blended lifestyle services anywhere, anytime, on any device.
• Continuing to support open standards for developing IPTV applications