REGINA – SaskTel said it will make 27 high definition channels available over its Max TV service this month.
It held a press conference in Regina today to announce it is the first telco TV provider in North America to commercially deploy HD as part of an IPTV offering
"With crystal clear resolution and theatre quality sound, Max HD customers will experience the latest in home entertainment," said SaskTel president and CEO Robert Watson, in a release. "We are extremely proud of our world-class infrastructure and our Next Generation Access Infrastructure (NGAI) program that enables HDTV is SaskTel’s largest single capital project ever undertaken."
SaskTel’s capital investment in its Next Generation Access Infrastructure (NGAI) program will be $136.5 million in 2006 and more than $310 million over the next five years (a lot of money for a province with a million people). "This network upgrade is bringing fibre optic cable closer to the home and in addition to enabling HDTV, it will result in the ability of SaskTel to provide faster high speed internet connections, more television streams, VoIP technology and other emerging services. Max HD will be available in areas where SaskTel has completed its network upgrade which is on-track for completion by year-end," adds the release.
Beginning today, new customers can sign up for Max service and receive Max HD Ultimate for $59 per month for four months. Max HD Ultimate includes 27 Max HD channels, 13 regular theme packages, Movie Central, HD Adventure, access to Max Front Row, 35 Saskatchewan AM/FM Radio Stations, 45 Galaxie Music Stations and High Speed Internet service.
"The people of Saskatchewan will now have access to the most complete portfolio of entertainment services available," said Hubert de Pesquidoux, president of Alcatel’s North American activities and SaskTel’s major equipment supplier. "We are pleased to strengthen our relationship with SaskTel, and to be part of yet another first as they continue to pioneer entertainment services delivery in Canada, and drive the evolution of the IPTV industry."
The HD service rollout is enabled by Alcatel’s IPTV software development and services including the company’s Triple Play Service Delivery Architecture (TPSDA), which includes the Alcatel 7750 Service Router, 7450 Ethernet Service Switch, and 7330 ISAM fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) platforms. The Alcatel 5620 Service Aware Manager and 5526 Access Management System provide management for the TPSDA network.
