Telia customers first to try HDTV via broadband
As the first major broadband operator in Sweden, Telia will begin to test HDTV via their broadband network. The trial period will last for six months, and is scheduled to begin in late November. Approximately 70 households in Stockholm and Gothenburg will participate in trial.
The date for commercial launch has not yet been decided. However, given that the trial period is a success, a selection of Telia’s broadband customers in Sweden may be offered HDTV already sometime during 2008.
Telia is the fastest growing performer on the Swedish television market. During 2007, the company went from approximately ten thousand customers to a quarter of a million. Today, nearly 25% of all Telia broadband customers have also selected the Company’s TV service. Now Telia is ready for the next step, by introducing a number of customers to HDTV via their broadband network.
“All indications show that HDTV will grow rapidly in Sweden during the next few years”, says Erik Hallberg, head of the Broadband Services Business Area at TeliaSonera in Sweden. “This test will not only help us evaluate the technology, but will also provide us with feedback on what customers want in terms of content,” says Hallberg
The tests will be conducted in two locations: the newly built (NCC) housing association, Varpen, in Segeltorp, just outside Stockholm; and Lanterna, an HSB housing association located in Eriksberg in the Gothenburg harbor area. All of the selected households will have access to a LAN network that is fiber connected to the telecom exchange.
Set-top boxes (STB’s) will be distributed and a number of HDTV channels from SVT (Swedish National Television), Silver, Voom and Lux will be provided.
There is no cost for participating in the trial, but participants will be asked to answer questionnaires that will be distributed both during and after the trial period.
The 6-month trial period will begin on November 26th in Stockholm and on December 3rd in Gothenburg. The date for commercial launch has not yet been decided. However, given that the trial period is a success, a selection of Telia’s broadband customers in Sweden may be offered HDTV already sometime during 2008.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements made in the press release relating to future status or circumstances, including future performance and other trend projections are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements due to many factors, many of which are outside the control of TeliaSonera.