Ericsson boosts Chinese presence with Wuhu VOD deal

Ericsson has strengthened its position in China by deploying a VOD system for Wuhu CATV, a cable operator serving the Anhui province of the country.

Wuhu CATV, which already offers more than 100 TV channels to over 300,000 consumers, is deploying a system that includes the Ericsson OpenStream Digital Services Platform by, enabling it to offer viewers personalised features, including time-shifted TV and networked PVR.

“The number of pay TV subscribers [in China] is expected to increase from 362 million in 2010 to 481 million by 2016 according to Informa, and we are pro-actively taking the necessary steps to ensure that our existing and future viewers can enjoy innovative, next generation TV services,” said Wang Hao, general manager, Wuhu CATV. “We therefore required a system that offers the capability to scale our services quickly and easily with field proven open standard interoperation in a multi-vendor environment. Ericsson’s solution offers us all this, as well as the reliability and level of performance that we needed.”

Ericsson’s Xport Time-Shifted TV solution, which also forms part of the deployed system, manages multiple sites simultaneously over a centralised management console, eliminating the need for personnel at each remote location, and narrowing the opportunity for error by having one source handle all programming. It also allows for the centralised control and management of the programme recording, in accordance to contractual obligation.

Ericsson will be exhibiting at IBC on Stand 1.D61