Until two years ago, the best that television viewers in Cyprus could expect , apart from free to air local channels , was two subscription based analogue terrestrial channels – one showing sports and the other films. Times have now changed however, and the choices for the viewer have grown.
CYTA (Cyprus Telecommunications Authority) has recently introduced miVision - a pioneering IPTV service that fulfils all the customer’s needs in terms of entertainment, information and communication . “Cyprus is an ideal market for miVision’s service due to the country’s young subscriber base; a technology savvy age group, who are likely to be interested in the services miVision has to offer,” comments Costas Pantziaros, miVision’s project manager. miVision works on Cyprus’ 4Mbps broadband connection, ensuring high video and audio quality and a fast and effective link-up.
The service provides several thematic channels, Hollywood Studio movies on demand, access to a broadband TV portal with useful local information, the capability to send and receive e-mails from the TV set, the use of an Electronic Program Guide (EPG), all through personalized menus, enhanced with parental control access criteria. Consumers can access a catalogue of TV and Video content, which has a precise search facility. The IPTV link-up can also monitor viewing habits and make suggestions for potential viewing opportunities based on previous patterns.
Although a relatively recent service for the island, miVision already has over 2,000 subscribers, and expects to have up to 8,000 by the end of 2005. It is becoming an increasingly well-known brand with potential subscribers, making CYTA respected as a telecom operator, as well as a TV service provider. Already, in terms of reach, the service covers 60% of Cyprus’ population.
Launched in Cyprus on 1 st October 2004, miVision uses
Amino Communication’s AmiNET110 set-top box
Amino was selected by miVision over all other brands of set-top box for a host of different reasons, as Pantziaros explained, “We asked Alcatel, who supplied the platform and middleware on which the system is based, for a list of potential set-top box providers. They returned with a choice of four names that were called to participate in a tender. Of prime importance was to select a set-top box that could most easily be integrated into Alcatel’s middleware, as well as the conditional access system implemented by NDS. Out of the tendering process Amino was successful and provided STBs for the commercial deployment, based on techno-economical criteria”.
It was essential to ensure that the network’s security was not compromised via the set-top box, or for that matter any of the other components of the system. “The AmiNET110 was extensively tested to ensure that it had could work hand in hand with NDS’s conditional access system.“ commented Francis Reeder, Amino’s software manager.
Reeder explained Amino’s main challenges when integrating their set-top box, “This was the first time that Alcatel and NDS had worked together, but this has turned out to be a winning combination – for example, Alcatel has already invested eight person years into the Amino/Alcatel integration.”
The Amino STB also stood out from its rivals due to its superior aesthetics and interfaces. The box is much more compact than its rivals, measuring just 228 x 210 x 40 mm, and has a modern and elegant design. The very competitive price was another attractive point for miVision. “We recognised that these qualities were exactly what we were looking for in order to create a secure and well-priced service,” said Pantziaros.
miVision held a demonstration of its service at The National Exhibition 2003 in Cyprus, which illustrated to possible subscribers the attractions of a service that encompassed more than just 2 channels. And, despite the arrival of satellite and cable companies on the island, miVision offers further benefits that others could not, including better reception of a high quality digital picture and sound , no need to install aerials or satellite dishes, and most importantly its interactivity and true on-demand services.
In contrast to the current pseudo-on-demand services offered by the other providers, miVision’s consumers can opt to watch a video at their chosen time, without having to wait for it to begin broadcasting at regular intervals. True video-on-demand provides the ability to pause, fast-forward, and rewind their on-demand video at will. This is only possible due to the high bandwidth up-link broadband capabilities not available with cable or satellite TV.
In the next six months, miVision plans to introduce interactive games, also in an on-demand format. Enhanced interactive TV applications and voice over IP are two further avenues that miVision expects to explore and implement in the future.
“miVision’s future pricing strategy is something that is likely to improve its popularity with potential subscribers” suggests Pantziaros. “We plan to reduce subscription costs to even lower levels than at present, and will even offer a further discount for those subscribers who already have DSL installed, both of which make it very price competitive”. In addition to this, miVision is looking at the prospect of offering voice-over-IP as a free service, potentially meaning users can have lower telephone bills when calling other miVision subscribers.
It could be argued that when prospective subscribers are investigating which service to choose - IPTV, satellite or cable – miVision has the upper hand over its rivals, due to its true video-on-demand, voice-over-IP, and interactive gaming services, which set it apart from the others. When it comes to making a selection from the available providers, all offer a range of channels, but it is only IPTV that can offer such a comprehensive package. To this end, miVision is confident that its offering has the capability to make it a favourite amongst the island’s subscribers.
