Shanghai Telecom selects Siemens as its partner for IPTV

Dec 21, 2005--Chinese wireline operator Shanghai Telecom Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Media Group (SMG) will be collaborating with Siemens Communications in connection with the commercial introduction of its Home Entertainment solution.

The solution has been in successful test operation since mid August. By the end of February 2006, 5,000 households in the Shanghai borough of Pudong will be able to enjoy digital television over the Internet (IP TV). Siemens Home and Office Communication Devices will deliver the Gigaset M358 IP settop box, that has been adapted for the Chinese market.

Market research institute In-Stab predicts that IP TV usage will soar, especially in China, in connection with the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. More and more attractive applications and an increasingly mature technology are expected to push the number of subscribers to 4.5 million and generate set-top box income of some US$231 million. China’s 360 million TV viewers and around 25 million broadband users represent gigantic Home Entertainment subscriber potential.

Siemens will initially be supplying and installing a turnkey wall-to-wall solution for 5,000 subscribers at Shanghai Telecom: From video streamer right through to service and the set-top box, which merely needs to be connected to a DSL telephone line and the television set. In addition to IP TV, the IP network will also offer the network operator’s subscribers an entire package of additional new applications that all run on the television set.

They include fast Internet access, a digital videotheque (Video on Demand), digital recording of TV programs (PVR, or Personal Video Recording) and videotelephony, made possible by means of a webcam on the TV set. In addition, interactive services are also possible, like dynamic wagering during live sport telecasts, for example, which is highly popular in China.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.shanghaitelecom.com.cn
http://www.smg.sh.cn
http://www.siemens.de/communications