NBN to lead pay TV way for SingTel
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 12:02 PM
SINGAPORE--Local carrier Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) believes the ability of its Internet Protocol television (IPTV) network to interoperate with the next-generation national broadband network (NBN) will be the company's key differentiator in the pay TV market.
Allen Lew, SingTel's Singapore CEO, said the country's plans to roll out its fiber network next year would be a "game changer", as SingTel's IPTV set-top box is already compatible with the NBN. This is not the case for the company's only pay TV rival and current market leader StarHub, Lew said at a media conference Wednesday to announce SingTel's second quarter financial results.
Asked if there are plans for both players to co-share content, he noted that because StarHub's existing architecture is different and not built to work with the NBN, initiatives to share content will require a change in set-top boxes.
"If we do decide to use their network, and that's a big 'if', then we have to contend with the fact that at 2012 [when the NBN is expected to achieve 95 percent coverage], we have to change the set-top box again and the impact that would have on customers," he said.
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