Grant of Licence
January 08 2004 - 8:08AM
UK Regulatory
RNS Number:0078U
Emblaze Ltd
08 January 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bezeq and YES to Pilot Interactive TV Services over ADSL using Orca
Interactive's IPTV Solution
Announcement follows groundbreaking decision by Israeli Ministry of
Communication granting YES the license for a pilot to broadcast TV over Bezeq's
ADSL networks
Ra'anana, Israel, January 8, 2004 - Orca Interactive, an Emblaze Group company
(LSE: BLZ) and global market leader in developing applications for interactive
TV services, recently announced the licensing of Orca's RiGHTv software
solutions (RiGHTvTM XVOD, RiGHTvTM XBIP and RiGHTvTM Core) to Bezeq, Israel's
national telecommunications provider and YES, the Israeli Satellite TV company,
for the deployment of interactive TV services pilot in Israel. These services
will include live TV channels and VOD (Video On-Demand) delivered over Bezeq's
ADSL network. The launch, which is the first IP streaming deployment in Israel,
is scheduled for January 2004 in greater Tel Aviv area.
Subscribers will now be able to watch TV through an ADSL connection with
unlimited access to all regular scheduled programs. In addition, users will be
offered video on demand services for a "Blockbuster like" feel in their own
home. Trick Play capabilities (pause, rewind, fast forward etc.) are offered for
VOD and TV series. Subscribers will be able to enjoy browsing the Internet
directly from their Television sets and have access to interactive games, which
they can play with other players using the same service. Using a TV cam will
enable users to videoconference one another from the comfort of their own living
room, expanding communication experience with family and friends.
Orca's RiGHTv applications are highly scalable solutions that facilitate the
deployment of complete commercial iTV services. RiGHTv XVOD allows operators to
supply subscribers with video content on demand and to incorporate
advertisements and t-commerce features in an interactive TV service. RiGHTv XBIP
allows operators to create and manage live TV and NVOD channels over broadband
networks.
Orca's platform is Telco-grade to ensure service high-availability and
cost-effective scalability. The platform also supports multi-device service
delivery to enable heterogeneous environments of set-top boxes as well as
convergence by exposing some services to the PC and wireless devices.
Haggai Barel, CEO Orca Interactive, said: "YES is a very innovative company at
the forefront of launching iTV services in Israel. Its vision to provide an
exciting range of interactive services, using the Orca solution, utilizes to the
maximum our extensive expertise in the market. Our technology will enable YES
subscribers to enjoy video-on-demand, videoconferencing and interactive games
for the first time. Today's announcement is a further endorsement of our
leadership in the market, providing iTV solutions as part of operator's "triple
play" strategy."
8 January 2004
Enquiries:
Emblaze
Haggai Barel +972 9 7699700
Doron Cohen +972 9 7699831
Hagit Gal +972 9 7699339
Brunswick
Harry Chathli, Craig Breheny, Chi Lo +44 207 404 5959
Notes to Editors
About YES Satellite Services
YES Satellite Television is leading a new revolution in the entertainment world
in Israel that is changing the multi-channel viewing habits of Israelis. YES is
offering a large quality selection of relevant channels to meet a variety of
tastes and has introduced a new standard of high quality audio and video
broadcasts that have never been seen before in Israel. For the first time ever,
Israeli subscribers are able to choose their viewing packages and pay according
to what they choose. YES launched its broadcasting in July 2000.
About Bezeq
Bezeq is Israel's national telecommunications provider. Established in 1984, the
company has led Israel into a new era of communications based on the most
advanced technologies and services.
Bezeq serves all over the state's population, with revenues exceeding $ 2.1
billion. The corporation supports more than 3 million analogue voice
subscribers, and over 200,000 digital voice, video and data communication
customers.
Bezeq is a semi-private corporation (54 % of its share capital is owned by the
government of the state of Israel. The company is on the verge of
privatization).
About Orca Interactive
Orca Interactive, a member of the Emblaze Group (LSE: BLZ), is a leading
provider of middleware solution to enable xDSL and FTTx operators to offer
enhanced entertainment services such as broadcast TV, video-on-demand and
interactive services. Our applications deliver compelling and differentiated
services to maximize the revenue stream of the operators. Orca's user-friendly,
end-to-end applications enable delivery and management of VOD, TV channels, EPG,
NVOD, Pay-Per-View and e-commerce for related merchandise.
Orca Interactive has formed strategic partnerships with BitBand, GooMe, ECI, HP,
Kasenna, Kreatel, Microsoft, nCUBE, NDS, Nokia, Optibase, Pace, Samsung and
more.
www.orcainteractive.com
The Emblaze Group (Emblaze LTD)
The Emblaze group of companies shares a common vision to lead the market
transformation to rich media personal communication.
The group consists of four companies: Emblaze Systems, a leading provider of
media centric end-to-end solutions for wireless multimedia; Orca Interactive, a
global market leader in the development of highly scalable solutions for
commercial iTV services; Emblaze Semiconductor, a fabless IC company
specializing in highly integrated digital multimedia chips for
telecommunication, consumer and security markets; and AlphaCell a wireless rich
media smart phone design house
Emblaze Ltd is a global company with offices in Europe, America, Asia Pacific
and the Middle East.
www.emblaze.com
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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