Telenor to test digital TV via telephone net

The first pilot users in Stavanger and Sandnes will be connected to an upgraded trial net based on VDSL in October. By next summer, one thousand Telenor customers will have the opportunity to test out the new, interactive content services via the telephone network.

The new VDSL system will provide a considerable number of private customers and companies in Norway a ‘sneak preview’ of high quality content services such as digital TV and super-fast Internet through the telephone lines. The offer has been made possible through a comprehensive test project for broadband connection under the direction of Telenor.

The Telenor project, called Hybrid Broadband Access, will offer the high quality broadband services several places in Norway, with transfer speeds of up to 25 Mbit per second. The objective of the project is to test out broadband services of the future, which are based on VDSL technology. This will be accomplished both by upgrading today’s telephone network for customers and upgrading and combining radio systems, interactive satellite systems, cable TV net, and the terrestrial digital broadcasting network.

Telenor will first test out VDSL over the telephone lines, which will then become a channel for delivery of TV-based content, as well as fast Internet connections. Through this test project, customers will receive free access to up to 30 digital TV channels and a PC connected to the Internet via their own VDSL set-top box.

The VDSL pilot programme will be carried out in a series trial runs, from this fall until next summer in Stavanger, Sandnes, Svolvær, Beito and Oslo.

«Telenor has a tradition of being among the first telecommunications operators to test out and adopt new technology. This opens up a number of new possibilities that can make life easier for many people. The Hybrid Broadband Access trial project proves that Telenor is on the forefront in Europe with VDSL and the possibilities it affords users», said Telenor CTO Berit Svendsen.