MPEG-2(IBM?) internet access via DTH satellite in Scandinavia......................................
-HARMONIC LIGHTWAVES: Scandinavia's first high-speed Internet satellite service powered by New Media
Presswire - February 18, 1998 16:03
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M2 PRESSWIRE-18 February 1998-HARMONIC LIGHTWAVES: Scandinavia's first high-speed Internet satellite service powered by New Media Communication -- A Harmonic Lightwaves subsidiary (C)1994-98 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
* New Media provides Tele2 and ViaSat with complete system for delivering high-speed Internet access via satellite
It was announced today that New Media Communication, Ltd., a subsidiary of Harmonic Lightwaves, Inc., (Nasdaq: HLIT) is supplying Connect2Sat - Scandinavia's first satellite-based, high-speed Internet service - with a complete solution for offering subscribers high-speed Internet access. Connect2Sat is being offered by Tele2 and ViaSat, Scandinavia's leading satellite, cable and Internet service operators. The service was recently launched in Sweden and Norway, and is expected to be launched in Denmark in the second quarter of 1998.
New Media's integrated and complete solution enables satellite, cable television and wireless cable operators to offer subscribers high-speed Internet access and other innovative data services. An end-to-end solution, from the data gateway transmitter at the satellite uplink, to the end-user receiver card in the subscriber's PC, the system supports Internet access at speeds of up to 48 Mbps via satellite - the industry's fastest. The system fully complies with Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) and Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) 2 standards.
Currently, Tele2 has configured its service to be more than twice as fast as ISDN, and the company is offering the service to the 900 thousand direct-to-home (DTH) satellite dish owners in Sweden, Norway and soon in Denmark. The total number of potential customer households is greater than that of all other Scandinavian satellite operators combined. Shortly the service will be sold by ViaSat's distribution network of approximately 4,000 authorized dealers.
"The basic service we offer allows subscribers to surf the Internet at the amazing speed of 200-300 Kbps. Imagine downloading a file that would take 10 minutes with a standard 28.8 Kbps phone modem, in less than a minute!" said Ulf Johansson, NetCom's product development manager.
"Now we are able to offer our customers not only television channels, but also Internet and this is without our customers having to buy digital set-top boxes," said Peder Ramel, managing director of Nordic ViaSat. "It's tremendously exciting to be the first company to launch Internet services geared to the future."
"The New Media team is very proud to have been chosen to provide the platform for this innovative service," said Effi Atad, president of New Media. "The combination of our state-of-the-art technology with ViaSat and Tele2's commanding presence in Scandinavia is a winning combination."
About Tele2 - NetCom systems AB
NetCom system AB, established in 1993, is the leading alternative supplier of telecom services in Scandinavia. The company carries on business in the areas of GSM mobile telephony (in Sweden under the brand name Comviq and in Norway through the stock-exchange listed company NetCom ASA), and public telephone and computer communications (in Sweden under the brand name Tele2, and through the subsidiary companies Tele2 A/S in Denmark and Tele2 Norge A/S in Norway). The group is also involved in the field of cable TV services. The company is listed in the Stockholm Stock Exchange, and on Nasdaq under the symbol NECSY.
About ViaSat
ViaSat is part of the Modern Times Group, and distributes a large number of channels and packages, such as TV3, ViaSat Gold (a package consisting of TV6, ZTV, Sci-Fi Channel, VH-1, Nickelodeon, 3+, Travel, Playboy TV, European Business News, The History Channel, TV1000 and TV1000 Cinema), and the CTV package (BBC Prime, CNN International, Discovery Channel, MTV Television, EuroSport, TCC, Cartoon Network, TNT, Sky Entertainment, and Sky News and National Geographic Channel.)
ViaSat have more than 900,000 DTH subscribers, and have 400,000 households connected to its SMATV networks; together with the 400,000 customers taken over from Kabelvision, this means that ViaSat now controls 1.7 million satellite TV households in the Scandinavian region.
About New Media Communication
New Media Communication, Ltd. is a leading provider of high-speed Internet and data broadcasting systems for satellite, cable and wireless cable (LMDS and MMDS) networks. New Media is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harmonic Lightwaves. The company's systems were developed in alliance with IBM and Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, and have been deployed worldwide since 1995. Based in Tel-Aviv, Israel, New Media maintains offices in the United States and has a worldwide distribution network. For more information, please call 972-3-623-6222 or check New Media's website at www.nmcfast.com.
About Harmonic Lightwaves
Harmonic Lightwaves, Inc. designs, manufactures and markets digital- and lightwave-based communications systems that deliver video, audio and data over hybrid fiber/coax (HFC), satellite and wireless networks. Harmonic's advanced solutions enable cable television and other network operators to provide a range of broadcast and interactive broadband services that include high-speed Internet access and video-on-demand.
Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Harmonic maintains its New Media Communication subsidiary and an R&D facility in Israel, along with a sales and support center in the United Kingdom. Harmonic is ISO 9001-certified and employs more than 250 people. The company's stock is traded on the Nasdaq stock market under the symbol "HLIT."
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the emergence of new markets and services, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of the risk factors set forth in documents that Harmonic Lightwaves files with the SEC, specifically reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q.
Editors Note: Product and company names used here are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
*M2 COMMUNICATIONS DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY FOR INFORMATION PROVIDED WITHIN M2 PRESSWIRE. DATA SUPPLIED BY NAMED PARTY/PARTIES.* |
