SES Americom Delays Satellite Video Offering

SES Americom Inc. confirmed at the TelcoTV Conference & Expo that its IP-PRIME satellite service package, which was due to launch months ago, will now not be generally available until early next year.

The delay in the launch of the satellite-based video service offering, which is available as a turnkey package for those lacking the money to buy, or the time to develop an IPTV entry, could cause delays for rural and lower-tier providers looking to enter the industry.

Bryan McGuirk, president of media solutions for SES Americom, cited unspecified problems with set-top boxes as the cause for the delay of IP-PRIME, which is currently still in beta trials with four rural telephone companies.

“In all our hopes and dreams, it would’ve been out earlier this year,” said McGuirk, in reference to the turnkey IPTV service package. “We’re still in trials with the original four telcos.” The trials were announced at the annual National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) conference in early February and were due to conclude by the summer.

SES Americom’s IP-PRIME was heralded at last year’s TelcoTV conference, and again at the NTCA meeting, as a potentially alluring offering for smaller telcos because it included the content, delivery system and related equipment needed to provide IPTV service.

The company describes its fully managed IP-PRIME solution as “bringing together components and partners including Globecomm Systems Inc., Harmonic Inc., Amino Communications, NDS, International Data Corp., Scientific-Atlanta and Siemens to create an end-to-end service with encoding, middleware, scrambling, content protection, satellite receivers, conditional access, set-top boxes, service management and integration services.”

McGuirk chose to view the delay as a glass half-full situation, saying the months that have passed have enabled it to add features and content to IP-PRIME that it wouldn’t have included had it launched as originally planned.

“[The delays] gave us the opportunity to add programming, high definition and more channels and vendors, and more time to hit volume shipments of set-top boxes,’’ said McGuirk, noting that the service package had been slated to launch with standard-definition channels.

SES Americom announced at TelcoTV this week that MTV Networks, Scripps Network, The Weather Channel, Fox News Channel and “a host of popular TV and music networks” have signed IP-PRIME transport agreements, taking the IPTV lineup to 290 channels.

BellSouth, which AT&T Inc. is attempting to acquire, has been testing the IP-PRIME headed solution for nearly a year, according to the SES Americom press announcement.

SES Americom Inc. www.ses-americom.com

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