Telefonica Taps Microsoft Mediaroom for its IPTV Global Video Platform Deal

Telefonica announced its plans to tap Microsoft Mediaroom for its advanced, over-the-top and IPTV (News - Alert) platform for all operations. The giant international software provider, Microsoft, is on its way to release a new OTT and IPTV platform for diverse operations of the international telephone company Telefonica (News - Alert).

This new advanced platform, particularly a Telefonica-specified variant of innovative Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV platform, will be named the Global Video Platform.

This new platform describes the API framework and technology for future deployment as well as for pre-existing agreements for Mediaroom, defined by subsidiaries of Telefonica in Brazil, Spain and Chile. But Movistar IPTV in Chile and Vivo TV Fibra in Brazil have already been launched and deployed using Mediaroom, further representing the first deployment leveraging Telefonica-specified GVP.

It is expected that other properties of Telefonica will roll out GVP as advanced upgrade to its IPTV services, supporting future launch and deployments of OTT and IPTV.

To facilitate the speedier and smoother launch of Global Video Platform across Chile, Brazil and Spain, the international telephone company has entered a “multi-year strategic agreement with Microsoft (News - Alert),” specifically utilizing Microsoft’s comprehensive Mediaroom product suite in order to power OTT services and Pay-TV.

In this context, Vivek Dev, director of Digital sales, Telefonia Digital, today stated that video is fast emerging as a booming market, and the company strives to play an important role in delivering advanced pay-TV services to customers in Latin America and Europe.

This new GVP platform will enable Telefonica to reflect the rapid and deeper changes that are happening in the market. It also offers the convenience and ease of a convergent and global platform, while maintaining immense flexibility on the content of Telefonica’s local businesses. It will also allow Telefonica to cater to diverse customer requirements to have seamless access to video content on an “ever-expansive range of services.”

The company believes GVP deployment will enable them to deliver feature-rich, high-performance and differentiated television services over its managed broadband network and non-managed broadband services at the same time. A comprehensive range of advanced features that Telefonica aims to offer to the TV subscribers are multi-screen, time-shifting, and multi-device capabilities.

Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV and OTT services are set to be utilized across multiple devices like Xbox 360, set top boxes, smartphone and tablets. Since Mediaroom includes advanced technologies like Internet Information Services Smooth Steaming, Microsoft Silverlight and Microsoft PlayReady, the giant IT Company is guaranteeing the delivery of TV services across multiple screen types and different networks, which can be done through a single common technology infrastructure.

"In today's world, operators [such as Telefónica] face increased competition and [end users] are more demanding. We aim to work with our partners to deliver the highest quality of service, giving them a platform on top of which they can drive innovation, offer scale and assist in driving cost out of the business,” commented Kurt Steck, general manager, Operator Technology, TV and Services Business.

Telefonica is the leading Spanish multinational in terms of market capitalization and among the largest private telecommunications companies in the world.