Portugal Telecom selects DS2 powerline technology for advanced, HD-ready IPTV

UPA-compliant Powerline technology helps Portugal Telecom´s MEO TV achieve ambitious subscriber growth.

Valencia, Spain, 15th April, 2008 – DS2, the leading technology innovator and global supplier of high-speed powerline communications technology and Portugal Telecom, the leading operator in the Portuguese telecommunications market, announced today that DS2´s UPA-compliant 200Mbps powerline technology has been selected to offer a remotely-managed, multi-channel IPTV service over power lines or coaxial cable that substantially reduces installation time and costs.
Portugal Telecom's IPTV subscribers can opt to install three Set-Top-Boxes (STB). The service supports simultaneous streaming of one HD channel and two SD channels on multiple TVs in the home. Thanks to the flexibility provided by DS2's powerline technology, Portugal Telecom's subscribers can install their STBs anywhere in their homes, without the need for any new wires. Taking advantage of the technology’s inherent robustness and flexibility, Portugal Telecom can use either the home coaxial network or the existing electrical wiring for IPTV content distribution. More than 60% of all MEO TV subscribers use DS2's 200 Mbps technology over electrical wiring as the standard home networking solution. The other 40% uses a variety of networking options, including DS2 technology over coaxial cables.

Service Providers deploying IPTV networks face significant problems to distribute IPTV services to every room in a subscriber’s home. Most homes do not have the cabling required for reliable IPTV distribution, and the option of installing these new cables in each home is very expensive and disruptive for the consumer. Wireless technology (802.11-based) does not have the bandwidth or the reliability required to carry HD video and suffers from interference problems in dense urban environments. DS2's 200 Mbps powerline technology provides a robust and secure connection using the existing electrical wires for the distribution of multiple IPTV channels throughout the home, even in densely populated areas.

DS2 technology reliably delivers multiple TV channels simultaneously, and has enough bandwidth to support HD services. In addition to guaranteed bandwidth, customizable QoS and reliable operation, only DS2-based solutions the support the DSL Forum's TR-069 remote management protocol a key feature for network management and control.

Victor Dominguez, VP Sales at DS2, said "As Service Providers continue their efforts to provide advanced video, audio and data services, they need an easy way to deliver those service anywhere in their customers' homes in a cost-effective way. DS2's UPA-compliant Powerline technology provides the perfect solution to Service Providers that want a reliable solution today and that need guaranteed interoperability with next generation 400 Mbps powerline technology."

UPA-compliant Powerline technology has helped to make Portugal Telecom's offering more attractive and convenient to consumers than competing satellite or cable TV services. During 2008, Portugal Telecom plans to increase its subscriber base by over 340%. Equipment manufacturers Comtrend Communications (http://www.comtrend.com) and Corinex Communications (http://www.corinex.com) provide UPA-compliant 200 Mbps network adapters to Portugal Telecom. Both Comtrend's and Corinex's devices are based on DS2' chipset and both have satisfied the exhaustive interoperability tests required to obtain the "UPA Plug Tested" logo.