DT’s O’Sullivan: Hybrid IP strategy best
October 13, 2011
By Colin Mann
Internet bandwidth and speed issues mean that a hybrid IP and satellite strategy is generally the best means of deploying telco TV services in Europe, according to Gerry O’Sullivan, VP, Global TV and Entertainment at Deutsche Telekom.
Delivering a Keynote Speech at the The Future of Digital Media Distribution conference in London, O’Sullivan told delegates that although Europe likes to think it has fast Internet speeds compared with the US, “to Asia, we look like a Third World country!”
He said that operators could either wait for bandwidth to become available, or go for market reach. “We go for the best of both worlds, with a hybrid satellite and IP model. There is also the benefit of being able to provide niche and local programming that satellite can’t provide.” Deutsche Telekom currently operates IP-based entertainment services in eight European territories. “’We’re active in fifty markets worldwide, so there’s some work to do,” he admitted.
He suggested that TV used to lead in technology innovation, but other devices were now driving TV, and said he didn’t necessarily believe that Connected TV was doing the pay-TV industry a favour at the moment, questioning the User Experience such devices offered.
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