The first IPTV deployment in Ireland will offer subscribers telephony, broadband internet, multi-channel television and video-on-demand services over a single fibre-optic cable using internet protocols.
The deployment is led by Magnet Networks, which is owned by an American investment group, Columbia Ventures Corporation, and supported by Industria, a Nordic broadband company.
Magnet has teamed up with a number of Irish property developers to roll-out fibre-optic services to new developments in the Dublin area. Accessed through a digital gateway box installed in each home, services are fed into every room in the house.
As part of the agreement with Industria, Orca Interactive will provide the video server, encoder and content protection for the deployment.
“We have an ambitious project to roll out a fibre network to provide TV over IP applications such as broadband, video, music, games, video telephony and other interactive applications,” said Ingvar Gardarsson, chief executive of Magnet Networks.
“Orca has the proven expertise that will enable us to quickly launch our first phases of the project. RiGHTv provides an easily customisable user-interface and flexibility that make it a good fit for our Dublin project and the awakening IPTV market.”
Alon Laor of Orca Interactive added: “Fibre is the emerging choice for its last mile architecture. Ireland is one of the countries that is a true early adopter of these technologies and is creating a model for other installations.”
The system will use a video-on-demand solution from BitBand. Although initially a small-scale deployment, it is believed to mark the first use of fibre to the home in Ireland.