Ruckus Wireless selected by Sonaecom to support nationwide IPTV service in Portugal
Ruckus MediaFlex NG enables wireless IPTV to 3.6 million households targeted throughout Portugal
Ruckus Wireless has today announced that it has been selected by Sonaecom, Portugal's second largest telecommunications provider, to supply its MediaFlex multimedia wireless systems for Sonaecom's fast growing Clix SmarTV IPTV service.
Smart Wi-Fi is a ground-breaking technical advance in Wi-Fi that for the first time allows delay-sensitive traffic and services, such as digital TV and voice, to be reliably transmitted over standard 802.11 frequencies.
Launched in April 2006, Clix SmarTV was the first IPTV service offered in Portugal. It remains the only IPTV service available to Portugal's 3.6 million households.
With the Ruckus MediaFlex system, Portuguese consumers will now be able to extend the location freedom that they enjoy with Wi-Fi technology to their television viewing experience. The Ruckus MediaFlex allows Clix and its customers to place televisions virtually anywhere within their home without running cumbersome and costly cabling to each TV.
The Ruckus MediaFlex system is based on standard 802.11g Wi-Fi that allows Sonaecom to cut installation times in half by requiring only a single installation technician to be on site.
"The Ruckus system delivers economies of scale that let us dramatically reduce installation times and the costs associated with those installations, while allowing us to speed the rate at which IPTV installations can be performed," said Susanna Barbato, Sonaecom's director of IPTV. "Our goal is to make the installation experience as quick and pleasant as possible for our customers. Smart Wi-Fi technology is enabling precisely this."
Barbato noted that Sonaecom's goal is to move to a self-install model where consumers can simply receive the Ruckus MediaFlex or purchase it in a retail outlet and install the system themselves. This will provide IPTV on demand and enable the installation of additional TVs as quickly and as easily as needed. "Self-installation allows the subscriber to drive the installation process when it is convenient for them, without being handcuffed by the operator."
In the longer term, Sonaecom can use the Ruckus MediaFlex system to support both IPTV and data within each subscriber's home. Each Ruckus MediaFlex router supports multiple wireless networks, each of which can be devoted to a specific service with distinct parameters and security settings.
"Sonaecom chose Ruckus Wireless because they think like their customers," said Selina Lo, president and CEO of Ruckus Wireless. "Consumers want location freedom and instant gratification for all their multimedia content and services - all without wires. Smart Wi-Fi is the only technology that can deliver this today."
Reaching 1.6 million homes with its national network, Sonaecom currently offers a full range of triple-play services to broadband subscribers. Portugal has one of the highest penetration rates of PayTV in Southern Europe and 1.4 million broadband access lines. Sonaecom delivers IPTV over an ADSL2+ infrastructure offering broadband speeds of 12 Mbps and 24 Mbps at EUR29.90 and EUR39.90 per month respectively. For a nominal price, consumers can purchase the Ruckus MediaFlex router and adapter to support location-free IPTV.
Sonaecom offers a complete triple-play bundle and a variety of IPTV packages within its Clix SmarTV brand. Clix SmarTV includes a complete line-up of MPEG-2 broadcast television, video on demand (VOD) and subscription video on demand (SVOD), with more than 100 channels and several entertainment packages including premium broadcast from Discovery Channel, Disney, and movies from major Hollywood studios including Warner Bros and Buena Vista. The packages are priced from EUR8.90 to EUR34.50 per month.
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