iBEAM Broadcasting Teams With Williams Communications' Vyvx Services to Build Internet Broadcast Network
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iBEAM Broadcasting Teams With Williams Communications' Vyvx Services to Build Internet Broadcast Network
Agreement Will Bring Quality of Traditional Broadcasting to the Internet
SUNNYVALE, Calif. and TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 2000-- iBEAM Broadcasting Corporation, a leading Internet Broadcast Network, and Williams Communications (NYSE:WCG - news) today announced a three-year, multi-million dollar agreement that will significantly increase iBEAM's network capacity and functionality in delivering streaming content to edge servers and regional datacenters located around the Internet.
Under the new agreement, Williams Communications' Vyvx© services will provide iBEAM with redundant teleport services, collocation opportunities and space segment bundled with the Williams Multi-Service Broadband Network(TM) for aggregation and distribution of Internet video and audio. These services will allow iBEAM to leverage the best of Vyvx broadcast-quality satellite and fiber transmission links to deliver Internet content to iBEAM's network of MaxCaster(TM) servers. iBEAM's MaxCaster servers are located at the ``edge' of the Internet, close to the end-user. The Williams hybrid fiber-satellite network will feed the MaxCaster servers, allowing iBEAM to deliver streaming content on the Internet backbone without congestion or quality degradation.
Vyvx customers include all major broadcast and cable television networks and affiliate stations, news services, professional and collegiate sports organizations, individual broadcast stations, production studios, national advertisers and advertising agencies.
``Teaming with Vyvx was an obvious choice for us,' said Peter Desnoes, president and chief executive officer of iBEAM. ``Vyvx has proven its ability to deliver high-quality video and audio for the largest traditional media companies. By working together, iBEAM and Vyvx can bring this same level of fidelity, reliability and mass audience scale to Internet Content Providers.'
``Simply put, the abilities of iBEAM and Vyvx are obviously complementary and signify a big step in the evolution of streaming media,' added Laura Kenny, president and general manager of Williams Communications' Vyvx services.
Vyvx's teleport and satellite systems include fully protected usage of dedicated Ku-Band transponders on Loral Skynet's TelStar 7 satellite, a capacity that allows distribution of Internet streaming video and audio content to the edge of the Internet. Vyvx will provide iBEAM with redundant uplink facilities and enable iBEAM to initially operate at a data rate of 70 Mbps, expandable to nearly 1 Gbps. These capabilities will help iBEAM offer Internet Content Providers and Internet Service Providers - and thus mass audiences - a potentially better-sounding, more attractive, highly reliable and less expensive Internet broadcasting system.
``Our customers - and consumers - will appreciate the streaming performance on the iBEAM Network(TM),' iBEAM Vice President of Operations Services and Support, David Brewer said. ``With our data rate, capacity, and TelStar 7 access, our service will be highly scalable and reliable.'
iBEAM will be an anchor tenant for Vyvx's hybrid fiber and satellite Internet distribution network via its TelStar 7 capacity, an advanced satellite designed for Internet applications. The service is effective immediately.
``Our hybrid solution is going to drive the future delivery of digital content,' said Wes Hanemayer, vice president of Vyvx Teleport and Satellite Systems. ``Through our services, iBEAM's customers will have both geographically diverse and redundant satellite delivery systems.'
About iBEAM Broadcasting Corporation
iBEAM Broadcasting Corporation, headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., was founded by data communications, television, and telecommunications professionals in 1998. iBEAM has developed a new network architecture that bypasses Internet congestion to bring broadcast quality streaming video and audio to mass Internet audiences. iBEAM delivers value for Internet Content Providers by offering network scalability and high-fidelity video/audio at a lower cost than other distribution methods. iBEAM's customers include major media and entertainment companies. For more information about iBEAM's broadcasting services, visit ibeam.com, or contact the company at 645 Almanor Avenue, Suite 100, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, telephone 408/523-1600.
About Williams Communications Group, Inc. (NYSE:WCG - news) and Vyvx
Vyvx solutions meet customers' multi-media transmission needs through integrated fiber-optic, satellite and teleport services. A service of Williams Communications based in Tulsa, Okla., Vyvx operations span the United States, with offices in Miami and Singapore to serve markets in Latin America and Asia. Vyvx transmission paths include fiber, satellite space segment, fixed and transportable earth stations to enable worldwide distribution of broadcast news, sports, advertising and special events. The Vyvx transponder inventory is linked to the Williams Multi-Service Broadband Network(TM) through its four U.S. earth stations.
Williams Communications, through its subsidiaries, is North America's only exclusively carrier-focused fiber-optic network and the largest independent source of end-to-end integrated business communications solutions -- data, voice or video. Video and multimedia services are marketed under the Vyvx© brand. Based in Tulsa, Okla., Williams Communications has 9,000 employees primarily in North America, with offices in Europe and Asia and investments in South America and Australia. Approximately 85 percent of WCG stock is held by Williams (NYSE:WMB - news) which, in 1985, became the first energy company to harness its core competency as a builder of networks to enable competition in the communications industry. For additional information, visit the following websites: www.williamscommunications.com or www.williams.com. |
