BT to Offer TV Over Broadband Service by Mid-2006

 BT plans to trial TV over broadband services powered by Microsoft TV IPTV Edition in early 2006, with delivery of a commercial service expected to begin in the summer of 2006.

BT and Microsoft have partnered in order to work towards building the triple-play, with an eye to the converged or connected home of the future. Gavin Patterson, Group Managing Director of BT Retail said "BT and Microsoft share a common vision for converged entertainment in the home. TV over broadband services will play an important role in BT’s triple-play offering for consumers."

Moshe Lichtman, corporate vice president of the Microsoft TV division at Microsoft said that "Microsoft TV IPTV Edition will enable a full suite of integrated entertainment and communication services that will set the bar for what consumers will expect."

The service goes well byond the delivery of just IPTV; the long-term intention is the ability to deliver the home hub. The Microsoft TV platform already allows network operators to integrate the delivery of pay-TV services with other broadband services delivered to PCs, telephones, game consoles, mobile devices and other devices in the home using a common set of back-office and network systems.

The Microsoft TV IPTV Edition software platform enables broadband network operators to deliver video content and services to their customers using their existing and next-generation broadband networks. The platform includes standard- and high-definition channels, on-demand programming, digital video recording, and interactive program guides. The platform also offers enhanced features including instant channel-changing and picture-in-picture functionality using multiple video streams.

BT are currently unable to reveal anything further about their forthcoming IPTV service, but for updates please visit http://www.bt.com.