Verimatrix, a leading developer of IPTV content protection and security solutions, announced the live installations of its Verimatrix Content Authority System (VCAS) with two leading independent telecommunications carriers: Canby Telephone Association and Progressive Rural Telephone Co-op. Offering IP-based television service for live broadcasts and Video-on-Demand (VOD) content is becoming a key competitive advantage for regional telecommunications carriers.

IPTV service revenue, subscribers, and capital expenditures are increasing rapidly, says a new report by analyst firm Infonetics Research, IPTV Equipment and Services Market Outlook.

Worldwide IPTV service revenue will skyrocket to over $44 billion in 2009, according to the report. DSL providers account for the bulk of service revenue now, but cable broadband providers will also migrate to all-IP triple-play services in the next few years, possibly offering wireless services as well.

VeriSign, Inc., provider of intelligent infrastructure services for the Internet and telecommunications networks, and Airspan Networks, worldwide provider of broadband wireless access networks, including 802.16-2004 and 802.16e WiMAX systems, announced that Airspan has selected the VeriSign ® Custom Device Certificate Service to help prevent the pirating of broadband wireless services. Airspan will embed VeriSign digital certificates in its WiMAX- certified customer premises equipment devices (CPE), allowing them to meet security requirements for 802.16-2004 and 802.16e WiMAX standards, and to prevent device cloning and service pirating. Airspan is the first company to deploy these VeriSign services in its 802.16 WiMAX platform.

The TelcoTV conference kept us busy this week. Triple play, VoIP, and IPTV services were blinking in bright lights as companies announced new partnerships, products, and rollouts. If you haven't been in the loop, take a look at our week in review for the latest IPTV news.

In other headlines, there are two articles in particular we found interesting this week:

• First, drop on over to informitv to read William Cooper's first-look at the BBC's integrated Media Player (iMP). The article is a great write-up by a seasoned professional and includes over 10 screen shots of the future player.
  
  iMP - First impressions of BBC media player trial
  Informitv - November 7, 2005
  "The BBC iMP or integrated Media Player project is a broadband service that will enable selected television and radio programmes to be downloaded over the internet up to seven days after first transmission. Based on experience with the trial service, informitv offers an extended review of the innovative offering."
  
  
• Next, don't miss this entertaining column by the great writer, John Dvorak.
  
  Whitacre: Threat or Menace? You Tell Me
  PC Magazine - November 7, 2005
  "Worse, they (Whitacre or Newsweek—you tell me) believe that the "triple play" is phone, Internet, and mobile. The triple play in anyone's parlance refers to three services that come over one conduit. How do you get mobile over the one conduit that is carrying phone and Internet? This is a flaky and wrong use of the term. In fact, it's an idiotic use of the term. It's as if in baseball you'd call two outs and a hot dog a triple play. It just makes no sense unless you want to call any three things, no matter how discrepant, a triple play."

Here are some other good reads...

Research and Markets has announced the addition of Digital TV Markets 2005: Developments in the Europe and the US to 2009 to their offering.

Digital TV Markets 2005 studies the growth of digital TV in Europe and the US - from 2004 to 2009. It reviews the key platforms of satellite, terrestrial and cable as well as the emerging IPTV services. The leading operators in each market are also discussed and their subscribers are forecasted. There is also an analysis and forecast of the PVR market in each country.

Calix announced that it will acquire Optical Solutions, Inc., the recognized industry leader in gigabit passive optical network (GPON) deployments. The addition of Optical Solutions' standards-based, field-proven GPON products to the Calix portfolio of access solutions creates a market-leading access powerhouse. According to Infonetics Research, Calix and Optical Solutions occupy the #1 positions in their respective markets. In the second quarter of 2005 Calix claimed the top slot for broadband loop carrier (BLC) shipments for the eighth straight quarter while Optical Solutions continued its overwhelming lead in FTTP GPON deployments.

BroadLight announced that Millinet, a leading broadband access equipment vendor in Korea, has selected BroadLight's complete End-to-End (E2E) GPON product solution for deployment in Korea. The two companies intend to deliver GPON equipment to Korea Telecom for providing cost-effective capacity for IPTV, VoIP and high-speed internet.

The HomePNA Alliance announced the addition of SBC Laboratories Inc. ("SBC Labs"), Scientific-Atlanta, Optical Solutions Inc., Analog Devices, Samsung Electronics, Readylinks, Sendtek, and ITOCHU Corporation as new members and the appointment of SBC Labs to the Board of Directors. The addition of SBC Labs, which will represent the SBC companies on the board, builds on HomePNA's strong momentum with telephone companies in deploying the next generation of home networks designed for triple play services. The new members include industry leaders in facilitating the delivery of IP enabled entertainment services.

IPTV has finally morphed from relative obscurity to prominence, but operators haven't fully explored IP technology's full potential, according to Jeffrey Soong, CEO of Hong Kong-based IPTV enabler Broadband Network Systems Ltd (BNS).

Speaking at a panel at the Ninth Economist Telecommunications Roundtable in Hong Kong this week, Mr. Soong said that as consumption patterns of video programs continue to change, IP technology gives IPTV operators the ability to offer content and services across multiple access platforms with innovative business models, a key advantage over cable and satellite operators.

SkyStream announced that Heartland Communications has selected SkyStream's Mediaplex-20 digital headend to provide IPTV services to its subscribers throughout Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois. Heartland now offers its subscribers the triple play of video, voice and data services, including 120 video channels through its IPTV service, using a hybrid MPEG-2/MPEG-4 Mediaplex headend.

KyLinTV announced the launch of 500 hours of new content, introducing another popular Chinese program to its growing list of offerings. The debut of "Chinese Law and Society" brings one of the most highly rated reality shows from China to KyLinTV subscribers in North America.

Tellabs announced Multiple Dwelling Unit (MDU) support for its Tellabs 1600 Series Optical Network Terminal (ONT) product line. This capability enables service providers to leverage existing wiring in multi-dwelling buildings, such as apartment complexes or university residence halls, in Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) deployments.

Nortel's IPTV solution uses a service provider's broadband network to deliver television, video, and other advanced services to subscribers. By integrating Nortel's industry-leading SIP-based multimedia communication technology into the television experience, IPTV subscribers can use their TVs to communicate and interact with their friends and family through a variety of media, such as voice, instant messaging, video, and picture sharing. In addition, Nortel's solution works with wireless devices such as PDAs and cell phones.

While analysts expect IPTV services to generate more than $600 million in 2009, ILC and Envivio Inc. have teamed to help service providers make these predictions a reality.(a) Pairing ILC's network control software MaxView with Envivio's complete line of MPEG-4 encoders, middleware and decoders, the two companies have created solutions that allow service providers to quickly and cost-efficiently rollout and fully manage premium IPTV services such as video on demand (VoD), digital video recording (DVR) and interactive TV (iTV).

Terayon Communication Systems, Inc. announced the industry's first 'telco-optimized' solution that allows telecommunication service providers to create new advertising revenue streams to support their ambitious rollout of IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) services.