SBC, 2WIRE TO LAUNCH ADVANCED TV SERVICES

摘要

SBC plans to move well beyond its core local phone business in 2005 with a home entertainment service that combines satellite TV programming, digital video recording, video on demand and Internet content over a new set-top box. The company Mon. announced a deal with 2Wire to launch the service by mid 2005. The joint venture is part of SBC’s push to provide home entertainment through high-speed fiber and DSL, the companies said. The new service will be available to customers who get both SBC Dish Network and SBC Yahoo DSL services and will bundle in Yahoo photos and music. The package will consist of a satellite TV receiver, personal video recorder and storage for digital photos and music. 2Wire’s MediaPortal technology will combine the offerings and let customers access photos and music and schedule their digital video recording remotely. nnSBC Media Solutions CEO Ed Cholerton said the service will offer “a complete, personalized and seamless entertainment and communications service” competitors and cable TV providers can’t match. The product complements SBC’s recently announced 10-year $400 million agreement with Microsoft to deliver next-generation TV services called IPTV over the SBC fiber network.