OT B: LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES: Lucent Technologies launches new venture in broadband
video, GeoVideo Networks, for HDTV-quality Internet video over fiber
(COMTEX)
MAR 29, 2000, M2 Communications - MURRAY HILL, N.J. -- Lucent Technologies
(NYSE: LU) today announced a new venture that will assemble the first video
network designed solely for the Internet.
Called GeoVideo Networks, Inc., the company will deliver HDTV-quality, real-time
bi-directional Internet Protocol (IP) video over an international fiber network
for a host of business-to-business Internet video applications, in the
financial, medical, government, news, and entertainment industries. For example,
TV production crews could use GeoVideo Networks to send remote video to a studio
for editing.
GeoVideo Networks will also serve consumer applications, including
video-on-demand and electronic cinema, in the near future.
Metromedia Fiber Network, Inc. (Nasdaq: MFNX) will supply the metropolitan and
the long-haul optical network infrastructure, and its AboveNet subsidiary will
supply global IP services to GeoVideo Networks, which will develop video hubs in
key markets throughout the world.
Top public television stations are developing plans with GeoVideo Networks to
jointly market and sell GeoVideo Networks services and make their production
studios available to GeoVideo Networks customers. CSRG Digital L.L.C., a group
of 27 public television stations, covers 50% of the U.S. broadcast audience.
GeoVideo Networks is owned by Lucent's New Ventures Group, Thomas Weisel
Partners, the Ocepek Group, Crest Communications Holdings, and East River
Ventures.
GeoVideo Networks plans to have a presence in more than 60 markets worldwide
within the next five years. Its first year rollout in the United States will
encompass New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Dallas. London will
be the site of its first international network hub.
"The Internet has not been ready for high-quality video transport until now. The
launch of GeoVideo Networks brings several key aspects of this equation together
for the first time, including the right network architecture, the right video
products, and the right investors, " said Tom Uhlman, president of Lucent's New
Ventures Group. "This venture capitalizes on the best video technologies from
Bell Labs and takes them to the next step in offering a truly end-to-end
Internet video solution." Lucent Digital Video, the leading manufacturer of
MPEG-2 encoders, will be the preferred supplier of video encoding and gateway
equipment for GeoVideo Networks.
"Broadband video for the Internet age has arrived -- GeoVideo Networks aims to
assemble the most sophisticated network for broadband video services the world
has ever seen," said Cliff J. Schorer, president and co-CEO of GeoVideo
Networks. "The opportunity to serve businesses with high-quality IP video has
never been greater, and we believe we have the best mix of partners and
solutions to make this a reality." Tony Ocepek, chairman of Riverside No. 2
Ventures, is also co-CEO of GeoVideo Networks. Ocepek was previously senior vice
president of OmniAmerica, Inc., which built, owned, and managed transmission
towers for wireless communications providers such as radio and television
stations, and merged with American Tower Corporation in 1999.
"Video over fiber has been a natural step in the evolution of broadband
networks, and we believe GeoVideo Networks will support this growing trend
well," said Stephen Garofalo, chairman and CEO of Metromedia Fiber Network. "We
share GeoVideo Networks's goal of supporting the customer all the way to the
desktop." Sid Ahuja, director of the Multimedia Communications Research Lab at
Bell Labs, the research and development arm of Lucent Technologies, will consult
with GeoVideo Networks as its executive scientist.
Ahuja played a key role in developing the first multimedia collaborative system,
Rapport, at Bell Labs in the 1980s, and is a noted expert on wide-area networks.
"The marriage of high-quality content and production expertise from PBS
affiliates, along with robust technology from Lucent and its partners will
create a powerful presence in local markets across the country," said Dr. Bill
Baker, president of WNET-TV, New York's PBS affiliate. "We believe that GeoVideo
Networks will enable us to further serve our community and to continue our
leadership in the New York production industry." In addition to its streaming
and hosted services, GeoVideo Networks will offer a PC-based product, the
GeoVideo Browser, for desktop access to video.
The GeoVideo Browser will provide 30 frames per second video with high-quality
48 kHz stereo audio and a total of 16 individual video windows that can be
manipulated simultaneously on the desktop. With this application, TV editors
could produce programs more quickly and at lower cost.
GeoVideo Networks will store customer content, ranging from full-length feature
films to corporate training material, for a monthly fee. In addition, the
company will provide videoconferencing services and high-speed video transfer
services.
The GeoVideo Network will support optical speeds of OC-3 to OC-192 and beyond,
and will also support T1/T3 and DSL configurations.
Standard definition and high-definition (HDTV) video, both streamed and stored,
will be supported.
The GeoVideo Networks offer enables any standard business LAN to offer secure,
private video communications directly to the desktop.
Renowned video systems designer John Turner, of Turner & Associates, will act as
chief consulting engineer for GeoVideo Networks. He will assist the company in
building out its network, starting with a New York-Los Angeles link that will
connect PBS affiliate WNET-TV in New York with PBS affiliate KCET-TV in Los
Angeles.
Formed in 1997, the mission of CSRG Digital L.L.C. is to develop
revenue-producing ventures for its 27 member stations.
"Public television stations have been in the vanguard of video technology for
several decades, having been the first TV stations to broadcast closed
captioning, stereo broadcast audio, and high-definition television," said
William Kobin, president of CSRG Digital, L.L.C. "This is a unique opportunity
for public television stations to continue the development of new video
technologies for Internet applications and generate revenue for essential new
technology and production of digital content." Kobin and Dan Schmidt, chairman
of CSRG and president and CEO of WTTW-TV, the Chicago public television station,
will act as the primary representatives of the group.
Metromedia Fiber Network, Inc., the leading provider of end-to-end optical
network and Internet infrastructure, is revolutionizing the fiber optic
industry. By offering virtually unlimited, unmetered bandwidth at a fixed cost,
Metromedia Fiber Network is eliminating the bandwidth barrier and redefining the
way broadband capacity is sold. The company is extending metropolitan optical
networking infrastructure to the end user in strategic top-tier markets,
enabling its customers to implement the latest data, video, Internet and
multimedia applications. For more information about Metromedia Fiber Network,
please visit the company's Web site at mmfn.com.
Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, designs and
delivers the systems, software, silicon and services for next-generation
communications networks for service providers and enterprises. Backed by the
research and development of Bell Labs, Lucent focuses on high-growth areas such
as optical and wireless networks; Internet infrastructure; communications
software; communications semiconductors and optoelectronics; Web-based
enterprise solutions that link private and public networks; and professional
network design and consulting services. For more information on Lucent
Technologies, visit its Web site at lucent.com.
GeoVideo Networks, headquartered in New York City, is building a global network
for the delivery of broadband Internet Protocol (IP) video services for a wide
range of business customers. For more information, please visit
geovideo.net.
Note to Editors:
GeoVideo Networks is hosting a Webcast at www.geovideo.net and a media
conference call concerning this announcement Tuesday, March 28 at 11:30 am
Eastern Time. In the U.S., the dial-in number is 800-230-1085; outside the U.S.,
the dial-in number is 612-332-0342.
The call will be replayed starting at 2:30 pm EST on March 28 and will end on
11:59 pm on March 30. The dial-in number for the replay is 800-475-6701 in the
U.S.; outside the U.S., 320-365-3844. The access code for the call is 508019.
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(C)1994-2000 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTDCONTACT: Chris Pfaff, Lucent
Technologies
Tel: +1 908 582 7571
e-mail: cpfaff@lucent.com
David Bikle, Lucent Technologies
Tel: +1 908 582 4120
e-mail: dbikle@lucent.com
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