SBC CIO Confirms Project Lightspeed Timing, Milestones at Analyst Conference; Successful Technical Field Trial of IP-based Video
November 03 2005 - 1:00PM
Business Wire
Providing an update on Project Lightspeed, SBC Communications Inc.
(NYSE: SBC) announced the SBC companies have recently concluded a
technical field trial of IP-based services, which successfully
demonstrated that the technology works in a real-world environment.
During the two-month trial, which concluded last month, SBC
companies successfully delivered Internet Protocol (IP)-based TV
programming, video-on-demand (VOD), high-speed Internet access and
other features to employee households in San Antonio. This was the
second of two employee field trials. "The conclusion of our field
trials and successful delivery of these new IP-based entertainment
services was a significant program milestone," said Andy Geisse,
chief information officer, SBC Services, Inc. "IP is the next big
thing. We're going to change the face of television with an
IP-based platform that enables integration, personalization and a
high-quality entertainment experience." Addressing a group of
industry analysts hosted by IBM in New York today, Geisse confirmed
that the next phase of Project Lightspeed - a controlled market
entry - is set to begin around the end of 2005/early 2006 in
neighborhoods in San Antonio, Texas with a limited number of
subscribers. SBC companies expect to scale the offerings beginning
in mid-2006 - adding features and functionality and entering more
markets across the companies' 13-state operating region. The
technical field trial tested IPTV and high-speed Internet access at
approximately 40 SBC employee homes. The trial evaluated the
installation process, platform capability, and network equipment
and customer-premise equipment performance. Using VDSL in
conjunction with gigabit Ethernet technology, bandwidth of 20-25
megabits per second bandwidth was achieved, sufficient to provide
four streams of high-quality video (including one high-definition
stream) per line, high-speed Internet access and, in the future,
consumer VoIP service. "We've taken our plans to deploy this new,
IP-based technology from concept to reality in one year," said
Geisse. "While there is still work to be done, I'm encouraged by
our fast progress and confident in our ability to scale this
market-changing entertainment technology." The SBC companies are
evaluating the results of the field trial and evolving its
offering, systems and equipment. Ongoing lab testing will be
conducted in part at a systems integration lab jointly created with
Alcatel and housed at an Alcatel facility in Plano, Texas. The lab
tests the end-to-end functionality of the IP-based platform. SBC
companies will use a similar approach to prepare for the scaled
launch. About Project Lightspeed Project Lightspeed is the SBC
initiative to expand its fiber-optics network deeper into
neighborhoods to deliver SBC U-verse(SM) TV, voice and high-speed
Internet access services. SBC companies expect to reach
approximately 18 million households by the first half of 2008 as
part of initial deployment, using fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) and
fiber-to-the-premises technologies. Using FTTN, the companies plan
to bring fiber to within 3,000 feet on average of customers' homes.
Instead of using a traditional broadcast video system, in which all
content is continuously sent to every customer's home, SBC
companies will use a switched IP-video distribution system. In the
switched IP-video network, only the content the customer requests
is provided to the customer, freeing up bandwidth to be used for
other applications and more content. SBC is using the Microsoft(R)
TV Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) Edition software platform
and working with Alcatel to provide access, routing, and
aggregation infrastructure equipment and video system integration
services. SBC companies are working with Scientific-Atlanta to
provide IP video network equipment that would enable SBC to
acquire, process, encode, and distribute digital media content to
subscribers. The company is working with Amdocs for billing,
customer relationship management (CRM), ordering and payment
mediation products, and Amdocs consulting and systems integration
services. SBC companies will use next-generation Internet Protocol
TV (IPTV) set-top boxes from Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola for
the scaled launch. IBM servers will be used in SBC IP video
offices. These servers - including acquisition, distribution,
notification, video-on-demand and other servers - will encrypt
video, add digital rights management, allow for fast channel change
and other features that will allow delivery of a high-quality,
IP-based video service to customers. Additionally, SBC companies
are working with IBM to develop a service delivery platform (SDP)
that will be used to collect and aggregate transactions from the
billing, customer relationship management (CRM), ordering and
billing systems. SBC plans to use Leapstone software, which
provides subscription and content management capabilities, channel
mapping information, and product package information within the
SDP. About SBC SBC Communications Inc. is a Fortune 50 company
whose subsidiaries, operating under the SBC brand, provide a full
range of voice, data, networking, e-business, directory publishing
and advertising, and related services to businesses, consumers and
other telecommunications providers. SBC holds a 60 percent
ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which serves more than 52
million wireless customers. SBC companies provide high-speed DSL
Internet access lines to more American consumers than any other
provider and are among the nation's leading providers of Internet
services. SBC companies also offer satellite TV service. Additional
information about SBC and SBC products and services is available at
www.sbc.com. Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking
Statements Information set forth in this news release contains
financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are
subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ
materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results
is contained in SBC's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. SBC disclaims any obligation to update or revise
statements contained in this news release based on new information
or otherwise. SBC is a registered trademark of SBC Knowledge
Ventures, L.P. (C) 2005 SBC Knowledge Ventures, L.P. All rights
reserved.
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