We are very happy to bring you the first forums on the Internet dedicated towards IPTV. Our intent for these forums is to answer questions, foster discussions, and increase awareness of IPTV technology and how it will impact peoples' lives.

Well, we wouldn't be completely honest if we didn't admit that with as much bickering going on between cable and telephone companies in the U.S., we definitely expect some steamy debates to take place over how people predict IPTV will shape up over the year. And, of course, a day just couldn't go by without a good-ol' fashioned anti-Microsoft debate.

To reach the forums, you can always access them via our toolbar or click here.

This is our roundup of individual forums:
IPTV
IPTV Service Providers
IPTV Industry Discussion

Interactive Brand Development, Inc., announced that Interactive Television Networks, Inc., formerly XTV, Inc., has merged with Radium Ventures, a public company. Interactive Television Networks (ITVN) is an emerging provider of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) hardware, programming software and interactive networks. As disclosed by Radium with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, pursuant to the merger agreement, IBD is receiving 5,529,222 restricted common shares of Radium.

A new survey from Kagan Research, ASIA PACIFIC MULTICHANNEL MARKETS 2005, forecasts that the top 13 Asia Pacific countries' aggregate multichannel subscriber base will grow from 188 mil. in 2004 to 356 mil. by 2015, driven primarily by a high-growth Chinese market. Other industry statistics and projections, based on relevant macro data and Kagan's respected 10-year forecasting model, include:

-- IPTV platforms are expected to develop in nine of the region's 13 countries, increasing subscriber share from less than 0.3% in 2004 to 9.4% in 2015. IPTV revenue share is projected to rise from 0.7% in 2004 to 12.9% in 2015.

Today Barry M. Aarons of the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) -- an independent, public policy organization based out of Dallas -- submitted written testimony to the Texas House Regulated Industries Committee. Mr. Aarons, an IPI senior research expert and telecom expert, was originally invited to testify on local franchising and licensing requirements for new, competitive technologies, including IPTV and Satellite.

"To force multiple licensing and franchising throughout hundreds of burgs and hamlets is a mid twentieth century solution to a 21st century application," says Mr. Aarons.

"The local franchise and licensing system in telephone and cable television, two distinct and different forms of service, was a workable system. But it was based on a uni-modal technological structure that no longer exists and no longer applies."

China Mobile, the country's largest wireless carrier, has selected Nortel to upgrade its optical backbone network in Zhejiang province to address accelerating subscriber growth and prepare for migration to third generation (3G) services. Zhejiang Mobile, a provincial affiliate of China Mobile, operates the province-wide network.

A handful of emerging technologies and services will account for a growing share of telecom spending by carriers and technology suppliers over the next six to 12 months, as the industry accelerates efforts to build and deploy next-generation networks, according to a report released by the subscription research service Light Reading Insider.

Powered from end-to-end by the Siemens SURPASS Home Entertainment solution, Belgacom is now delivering commercially available Internet protocol television (IPTV) to its customers as part of its asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) offering, announced the Siemens Communications Group.

This Fourth of July weekend, SBC, the second-largest U.S. telecommunications company, will make their strongest move to lure customers away from the cable companies.

According to executives with SBC they see a two- to three-year window to grab customers as cable companies such as Comcast and Time Warner ramp up their voice services. SBC, under Project Lightspeed, is planning on rolling out their own video service (IPTV) next year.

Symmetricom, Inc., a worldwide leader in precise time and frequency products and services, announced an upgraded TimeProvider edge clock system that increases network performance for services such as Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) and voice over IP (VoIP). Symmetricom's precise clock and timing distributor now features integrated Global Positioning System (GPS), making it a standalone primary reference source (PRS) and eliminating the need for small and remote central office customers to purchase or use separate PRS equipment. Also added to the TimeProvider is a rubidium option on the input-output-clock (IOC) card providing a quality level exceeding industry holdover requirements.

Innovative IPTV Solution Provides IOC with More Channels and Video Streams While Using Less Bandwidth

Occam Networks Inc., a supplier of innovative Ethernet- and IP-based loop carrier equipment to telecommunications companies worldwide, and Infogate Online Ltd., a leader in software solutions for IPTV, video on demand (VOD) and games on demand over broadband networks, announced that the two companies have deployed Windows Media Video 9 (Microsoft's implementation of VC-1, the proposed SMPTE standard) in the IPTV access network of Virginia-based Citizens Telephone Cooperative to provide the independent operating company (IOC) with a more efficient means to deliver additional TV channels and video streams with less bandwidth. This is the first deployment that combines Windows Media Video 9 for video on demand (VOD) and MPEG-2 on the same middleware platform in a live telco access network.

Telewest's trial service provides broadband internet users with free, high-quality TV content using Narrowstep's TelVOS platform ( Television Operating System). The platform provides scheduled, 24 x 7, archive, highlights, video on demand and the ability to broadcast live events via four channels which play out around the clock like traditional TV channels.

Orbit E-Commerce, Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement to merge with Hollywood Classics Network, Inc. ("HCN") a privately held California corporation. HCN provides programming and advertising to independent television stations, Multiple Systems Operators (MSO's) controlling cable stations and direct broadcast satellite companies. HCN has a large classic film library from Hollywood's "Golden Era" as well as a 24-hour television network that will feature classic movies, talk shows, celebrity interviews and programs for consumers of all ages.

Wave7 Optics Inc., the world's leading supplier of IP video and point-to-multipoint Ethernet PON FTTP (fiber-to-the-premises) systems for residential and business services, announced that the Wabash Mutual Telephone of Celina, Ohio has selected Wave7's "Last Mile Link" (LML) fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network equipment to deliver a high-quality triple play of IP-based voice, television and data services to residential and business customers in areas outside of their Celina "central exchange" area. WMT currently has 1300 access lines in its service region.

Total broadband solutions provider Industria and BitBand, a leading provider of video content distribution and delivery solutions over IP broadband networks for Telcos, have partnered to offer advanced IPTV solutions to Telcos and Service Providers.

ADC, a leading supplier of infrastructure solutions for fiber-to-the-x (FTTX) networks, announced that Consolidated Telecommunications Company (CTC) of Northern Minnesota is deploying ADC's OmniReach ^TM FTTX solutions as the foundation for providing their customers with all-fiber Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) and high-speed data services as part of a competitive build-out scheduled to begin this summer.