Video-on-Demand Solution in Italy - e.Biscom Deploys BitBand’s Vision™ & Maestro™
San-Jose, California, December 12, 2000
[FAC: Excerpt: "As there are no cable operators in Italy, e.Biscom is the first Italian provider of broadband access." Sweet Pickings, I'd say.]
-Italian households enjoy MPEG2 high-quality on-Demand movies over Fiber-to-the Home network-
BitBand Inc., an innovator in VoD technology, announced today that its new Vision and Maestro total VoD solution for media streaming has been implemented and is providing commercial services to Italian households in the Milan metropolitan area, over the e.Biscom advanced Fiber-to-the-Home network. Deployment all across Italy and in other European countries is anticipated within the next few years. Through HanseNet, eBiscom is already present in Hamburg, Germany.
Through its subsidiaries (FastWeb, e.BisMedia, B2Biscom, HanseNet and e.Voci) and affiliates (Metroweb and Smartcity) e.Biscom provides broadband communications and multimedia services to both business and residential customers, with a fresh approach that encompasses the entire value chain of the information society (deployment and management of an IP-based fiber-optics network, broadband integrated services, creation of video Internet content and B2B services).
Fastweb, e.Biscom’s arm for broadband telecom and ISP services, selected BitBand’s solution for its innovative technical approach which provides a flexible, scalable and secure platform, and stable and predictable streaming services. Another major factor contributing to e.Biscom’s decision is BitBand’s cost model, that enables e.Biscom to launch its services cost-effectively and to subsequently expand, as the network roll-out allows the connection of more and more customers.
Antonello Russo, responsible for Streaming Media development, highlights BitBand’s "total devotion and professionalism" in providing technical support at the networking and streaming levels, and in logistics issues as a "major added value, to organizations implementing innovative technologies in a competitive commercial market".
David Milloh, BitBand’s VP for Marketing & Sales, said: "We are very proud of the opportunity to be part of a commercial and technological effort, which is a trail blazer on a global scale. We appreciate e.Biscom’s decision to choose us as partners in their leading-edge venture, and the close cooperation we enjoy as we tailor our solution to meet their specific requirements".
e.Biscom, Through FastWeb and Metroweb, are deploying a native IP high capacity Fiber-to-the-Home infrastructure, providing advanced digital communications and multimedia services to more than 500 metropolitan areas in Italy (46 of which have more than 100,000 inhabitants). In Milan alone, the primary area in which e.Biscom has launched its services, close to 1,000km of infrastructure and 60,000km of fiber-optics have been put into operation. Fastweb is utilizing this network to offer integrated voice, broadband Internet, value added services (VPN, Bandwidth on Demand, etc.) and Video (live and on-Demand) to both corporate and household sectors. Fastweb’s service to business customers commenced in March 2000 and is currently in use by more than 200 companies. The full residential offering was successfully launched in September 2000. As there are no cable operators in Italy, e.Biscom is the first Italian provider of broadband access.
About Vision & Maestro VoD total media streaming solution:
Bitband’s solution enables the emerging IP broadband industry to cost- effectively provide VoD today, across all scalability range, from small communities, hospitals and hotels to carriers and large SPs . BitBand’s Vision Clustered 1U rack-mounted Appliance-Servers, preeminently outperform competing video servers by offering a unique combination of Telco-grade performance, scalability, reliability, availability and security, together with an extremely low cost of purchase and ownership.
About e.Biscom:
e.Biscom is a developer and operator of telecommunications, Internet and media related ventures in Italy. The company was founded in September 1999 by a group of Italian managers and entrepreneurs with a significant track record in the establishment and management of major telecommunications projects and successful start-ups, both in Italy and globally. E.Biscom aims to leverage the unique skills of its team in the management of integrated IP networks and in the development and provisioning of broadband services and innovative Video Internet content, in order to become a leader in Italy, and throughout Europe, of the broadband technological revolution. E.Biscom has been listed on Italy’s Nuovo Mercato market for high-growth stocks since March 2000 (IPO proceeds: 1.6 bn Eur; Market cap. As of Dec. 1, 2000: 5.7 Bln US$). For more information visit www.ebiscom.it.
About Bitband:
BitBand Inc. (www.bitband.com ) develops and markets premier high performance VoD appliance-server technology. Founded in January 1999 by a group of leading veterans in Networking, Internet and hardware & software development, BitBand is a privately owned US incorporated company in which Sequoia Capital and Cisco Systems have invested. Capitalizing on its extensive experience in technology development projects with major corporations such as IBM, General Electric, WindRiver, Elscint, Elbit, and LanOptics, BitBand’s R&D team conceived and developed Vision & Maestro "from the ground up" to provide Telco-grade service of movie quality VoD at the most attractive price in the market.
Contact:
Dorit Almog
Marketing Communications
+972(3)608 1900
Dorit@bitband.com |
