BigBand Partners With WilTel, EG

ORLANDO, Fla. -- BigBand Networks, Inc., a leading provider of broadband multimedia platforms for broadcast television and on-demand services, and WilTel Communications, a leading provider of customized communications solutions, today announced a digital video networking collaboration. At SCTE Cable-Tec Expo, the two companies are exhibiting an integrated solution concept combining BigBand Networks’ digital video routing and processing platforms with WilTel Communications’ network services, to demonstrate IP transport of high-quality programming between cable headend facilities. This can cost-effectively source digital cable content from any facility over any distance, while enhancing service reliability through automated redundancy switching to alternate facilities when problems are encountered.

“Combining our strengths, BigBand Networks and WilTel Communications can provide new opportunities for cable operators to optimize cost effectiveness and service assurance,” said Mark Davis, vice president of professional services, BigBand Networks. “The networking capabilities of the BigBand BMR platforms, combined with WilTel’s MPLS-enabled IP backbone, address current industry needs, with upgradeability for emerging solutions.”

---In a separate release---

ORLANDO, Fla. -- BigBand Networks, Inc., a leading provider of broadband multimedia platforms for broadcast television and on-demand services, and EGT, Inc., an emerging leader in digital video technology and products, today announced a partnership for more and better digital video services over cable networks. BigBand Networks is providing the BigBand BRE20 digital video encoding platform which is based on EGT technology. The BRE20 complements the BigBand BMR and BME platforms, extending digital functionality and efficiency benefits to content with analog origination. This enables multiple solutions, including achievement of all-digital cable services through digital simulcast as a gradual migration path achieved by BRE20 encoding and network edge decoding.

“EGT’s high quality video encoding with reliability and bandwidth efficiency has driven BigBand Networks’ selection of them as a partner,” said John Connelly, executive vice president of marketing and business development, BigBand Networks. “The BigBand BRE20, based on EGT’s technology, shares many characteristics with our other platforms including intensive media processing, networking protocol agility, and modular upgradeability.”

BigBand Networks Inc.

WilTelCommunications Group Inc.