Alcatel and Microsoft Forge Global IPTV Alliance

Alcatel and Microsoft Corp. have announced a global collaboration agreement designed to rapidly accelerate the availability of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services for broadband operators world-wide.

Alcatel and Microsoft expect that this precedent-setting agreement between a leading provider of Triple Play and a leading provider of software solutions will expand the quick growing ecosystem of IPTV industry partners. The relationship is set to change the economics of the IPTV industry dramatically, and will bring powerful benefits to both partners who now have the ability to provide global solutions at a minimised cost.
 
Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO said of the alliance:
‘Alcatel and Microsoft will usher in a new generation of exciting entertainment, information and communication services, enabled by the marriage of powerful broadband networks and advanced software.”

The series of joint initiatives include developing and customizing new applications to meet the unique needs of different cultures and markets around the world, enhancing application and network resilience for better reliability in large-scale deployments,integration of content, security and digital rights management to ensure secure delivery of high-quality content, managing quality of service through intelligent video packet handling ,and end-to-end integration of management systems for the application platforms and all components of the network including the home network.

Alcatel and Microsoft will develop an integrated IPTV delivery solution allowing consumers to benefit from receiving personalized services through multiple devices. A few examples of the services potentially available through multimedia-connected home networks include on-demand video streaming applications, interactive TV, video and voice communications, photo, music and home video sharing, and online gaming.
 
The integrated solution builds upon Alcatel's leadership in broadband, IP networking, development, and integration of end-to-end multimedia and video solutions, and Microsoft's leadership in TV software solutions and connected-entertainment experience across consumer devices.

The Alcatel/Microsoft® integrated solution can help IPTV service providers reduce deployment costs and shorten time-to-market for IPTV services as they transition to mass-market deployments of IPTV.

"We are excited to cooperate with Microsoft and benefit from its leadership in TV software delivery platforms and innovative consumer experiences delivered across devices in the multimedia-connected home," said Serge Tchuruk, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alcatel. "We are committed to integrate the current Alcatel video solutions with Microsoft TV IPTV Edition, resulting in a market-leading integrated offering."

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said;
 "Alcatel's deep understanding of broadband service providers and leadership in broadband solutions and integration make them a natural partner for us. Aligning our efforts will give customers an unmatched network-access, software-delivery and systems-integration solution."