We'll get there eventually Art. The digital age is arriving quickly:
Monday June 14, 4:07 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.
Innovative Digital
Launch System Helps
Propel Scientific-Atlanta Explorer 2000
Set-Top to Early Success
Dedicated Launch Teams, Promotional Materials and
Network Monitoring Contribute to Operator Success
and Consumer Satisfaction Throughout The
Deployment Process
ATLANTA, June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientific-Atlanta's Digital
Launch System is having a positive impact on the early success of
the company's award-winning Explorer® 2000 platform. The
innovative launch system helps cable operators begin to realize new
revenue more quickly by providing support and tools that facilitate
implementation, deployment and consumer acceptance of the
Explorer 2000 set-top and digital interactive network.
Scientific-Atlanta's Digital Launch System consists of three main
components that provide cable operators with comprehensive
support throughout the process of installing, launching and
maintaining their digital interactive networks:
* A dedicated Digital Launch Team responsible for ensuring the successful
installation and deployment of Scientific-Atlanta's digital interactive
network in each cable system.
* A Digital Launch Kit containing clipart, logos and other items MSOs
could use to create marketing and customer education materials.
* A Network Operations Center that provides around-the-clock monitoring
to alert cable operators to potential network problems before they
occur and respond to outages quickly.
''We developed the Digital Launch System in response to our
customers, who asked us to help them accelerate the launch of digital
interactive TV because of overwhelming subscriber demand,'' said
Jim McDonald, Scientific-Atlanta's president and CEO. ''The
Explorer 2000 set-top already has been launched commercially in
nearly 40 systems throughout North America.''
The Scientific-Atlanta Digital Launch Team is headed by Sherita
Ceasar, vice president of digital launch deployment. Ceasar reports
to the Company's Chief Operating Officer and has a staff that
includes a team of dedicated Launch Managers who coordinate
every aspect of the digital launch at each customer site.
''Throughout four generations of perfecting an interactive digital
network, Scientific-Atlanta has developed a proven, step-by-step
process to help cable operators manage the incredibly complex task
of merging cyber and fiber effectively,'' said Ceasar. ''This process
helps us complete successful implementations more rapidly so that
operators can begin delivering profitable interactive services to their
customers sooner.''
Scientific-Atlanta's Digital Launch Kit provides operators with a
source of promotional and educational materials such as product clip
art, logos and product guides. The Digital Launch Kit is designed to
give cable operators a concise marketing program with the basic tools
needed to promote set-tops and digital interactive services to
consumers.
The Scientific-Atlanta Network Operations Center, located in metro
Atlanta, is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by engineering
professionals who monitor cable operators' networks to ensure
maximum uptime. By alerting operators to trends, such as weather
conditions, that can lead to potential problems, Scientific-Atlanta's
Network Operations Center helps prevent problems from causing
outages. ''We continuously monitor our customers' networks,
therefore our Network Operations Center staff can address an outage
situation quickly; often before the operator is even aware there is a
problem,'' said Ed Haynes, Vice President, Technical Services,
Scientific- Atlanta.
Consumer response to the Explorer 2000 set-top shows that
Scientific- Atlanta is delivering on its promise to change the way
consumers interact with their TVs in 1999.
''I love it! I'd mortgage my house to keep the box,'' said Tami
Rubin, an Explorer 2000 set-top user in Charter Communications'
Glendale, CA., system.
Commenting on the Explorer 2000's interactive program guide,
another Charter subscriber, Lori Ackerman said, ''I no longer use
my TV Guide. I just let the subscription run out. I don't need it
anymore.''
With one million subscribers in its Montreal system, Videotron relies
on the fact that the Explorer 2000 set-top is easy to install. Videotron
customers can self-install Explorer set-tops which they pick up at
SuperClub Videotron stores, video rental stores owned by Videotron.
Videotron received 4,000 telephone inquiries in just one week after it
launched digital interactive services over Explorer set-tops earlier this
year. And the demand hasn't slowed down. Videotron estimates the
company is currently adding about 1,500 digital customers a week.
Scientific-Atlanta is changing the way consumers interact with their
televisions through its award-winning Explorer 2000 set-top and
end-to-end digital interactive network. As the gateway to a whole
new generation of interactive TV, e-mail, Web-browsing,
e-commerce and other services, the Explorer 2000 set-top is
expected to give operators a powerful platform for expanding their
consumer offerings and developing new revenue streams.
To date, seventeen cable operators in the U.S. and Canada have
committed to deploying Scientific-Atlanta's digital interactive system.
One hundred systems have been shipped to date; seventy-nine to
customer sites and an additional twenty-one to partners and
developers. Sixty-four systems have been fully installed at customer
sites and nearly forty of these have commercially launched to paying
customers.
Among the major systems in North America already committed to
deploying Scientific-Atlanta's Explorer 2000 set-top and digital
network are Adelphia Communications in Buffalo, New York and
Toms River, New Jersey; Charter Communications in Glendale,
California; Cox Communications in San Diego, California, Las
Vegas, Nevada and Phoenix, Arizona; Time Warner in Austin, Texas
and Tampa, Florida; and Videotron in Montreal.
Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. (NYSE: SFA - news; sciatl.com )
is a leading supplier of broadband communications systems,
satellite-based video, voice and data communications networks, and
worldwide customer service and support.
''Forward-looking statements,'' as defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995, may be included in this news release.
A variety of factors could cause Scientific-Atlanta's actual results to
differ from the anticipated results expressed in such forward-looking
statements. Investors are referred to Scientific-Atlanta's Cautionary
Statements (Exhibit 99 to the Company's most recent Form 10-Q),
which statements are incorporated into this news release by
reference.
Explorer is a registered trademark of Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. All other
products or brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective owners.
SOURCE: Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. |
