From Branislav Pekic in Rome Portugal's Zon Multimedia is launching the Zon Net Wideband service, offering connection speeds of 100 Mbps by using a hybrid technology which combines coaxial cable and fibre optics. Following a successful pilot in Lisbon, the service will be commercially launched for 200,000 households in Lisbon and Porto. Zon plans to […]

Orange and Canal+ have signed a multi-year agreement to allow Orange triple play customers who are not eligible for TV by ADSL to subscribe to Canal+ and/or Canalsat, as well as Foot+ by satellite. In 2009, Orange triple play customers with satellite TV will be able to receive these offers directly on a single ADSL/satellite […]

Time Warner Cable subscribers may not have Viacom channels, including Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, VH1 and 15 other networks for the New Year as they are set to go dark as part of a license agreement renewal dispute between the two companies. Viacom asked Time Warner Cable for an increase of just under 25 cents […]

Tiscali TV IPTV service will cease at the end of the year. The company has told subscribers the December fee be waived. The company has struggled to attract more than 50,000 subs since it failed to strike a pay-TV deal with Sky Italia. Instead it offered themed channels and 'personalised' or self-scheduled TV. The network […]

Numericable, Orange and SFR signed an agreement setting out the conditions for sharing fibre optic cables in buildings installed by either of them. The companies agreed to implement a 'single mode' solution in zones where they currently deploy, or soon plan to deploy, their networks. Each residence will be equipped with a special fibre allocated […]

The US cable industry has agreed to halt the transition of nearly all channels from analogue to digital tiers during the first two months of 2009 to minimise potential consumer confusion about the federally mandated switch-off of over-the-air analogue TV signals on February 17, 2009. National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) president Kyle McSlarrow revealed […]

The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) has approved the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) technology standard for incorporation into the next version of its Networked Device Interoperability Guidelines, scheduled for release in early 2009. The guidelines aim to ensure that network operators and consumers can be assured that new services and products introduced into the […]

Jupiter Telecommunications, the largest multiple system operator (MSO) in Japan based on the number of customers served, has revealed that the total subscribing households as of November 30, 2008 served by J:COM's 18 consolidated franchises reached 2.92 million, up 282,600, or 10.7 per cent since November 30, 2007. Combined revenue generating units (RGUs) for cable […]

Google has said it is committed to principles of equal network access, after a report said it approached Internet carriers with a proposal to create a “fast lane” for its content. Google’s telecom and media counsel in Washington, Richard Whitt, said in a company blog that the search powerhouse offered to place its servers within […]

Virgin Media has confirmed that it will introduce network monitoring technology in 2009 to specifically target and restrict BitTorrent traffic. The move will represent a major policy shift for the ISP/cable provider. Virgin Media currently temporarily throttles the bandwidth of its heaviest downloaders across all applications at peak times, rather than targeting and shaping specific […]