Swisscom Picks Microsoft IPTV

ZURICH and REDMOND, Wash. -- Microsoft Corp. and Swisscom/Bluewin today announced their intention to work together to test and deploy television services based on newly announced Internet Protocol television (IPTV) technology being developed by Microsoft(r) TV. As the premier broadband services provider to Swisscom, Switzerland's leading telecommunications company, Bluewin plans to be one of the first companies in Europe and among the first in the world to conduct a trial of pay-TV services over an IP broadband network using IPTV technology being developed by Microsoft TV. Bluewin and Microsoft will jointly explore delivery of engaging, high-quality digital TV programming and video over Swisscom's asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) broadband network through the use of Microsoft TV IPTV technology. Through this initiative, Bluewin plans to provide an interactive new way for subscribers to receive the information and entertainment they want, where and when they want it.

"We're pleased to be working with Microsoft TV to jointly test new IPTV solutions," said Adrian Bult, CEO of Swisscom Fixnet, which controls the subsidiary Bluewin. "IPTV holds the promise of offering richer TV services to our customers, which will ultimately provide them with more choice and better control over their TV experience. Microsoft TV's end-to-end solution will enable us to more easily and efficiently begin testing these new services. Bluewin is at the forefront of ushering the revolution into Switzerland."

Microsoft TV's planned IPTV solution will combine the state-of-the art quality and compression efficiency of Microsoft Windows Media(r) 9 Series, which has approximately three times the efficiency of MPEG-2 and twice that of MPEG-4, providing network operators substantial bandwidth savings in the delivery of live and on-demand services in standard and high-definition formats. The Microsoft TV IPTV solution is designed to support standard and high-definition channels, on-demand programming and interactive program guides, as well as future service offerings that leverage two-way, interactive platforms.

"Microsoft TV's IPTV solution can deliver high-quality, cost-efficient, next-generation media and viewer experiences," said Moshe Lichtman, corporate vice president of the Microsoft TV Division at Microsoft. "We look forward to helping Bluewin maximize the value of its network and programming service. Bluewin is well-positioned as one of Europe's leading broadband service providers to kick off our new IPTV effort and transform the market for advanced video services."

Microsoft Corp.

Swisscom AG