29 September 2005
BT is set to launch Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) from "late summer 2006", it has emerged.
According to trade publication the Register, the telecomm firm hopes that IPTV, which is digital TV transmitted through a broadband connection, will prove a big hit with customers.
Andrew Burke, chief executive officer (CEO) of BT Entertainment, speaking at the Enhanced TV Show in London yesterday, said BT would deliver a combined digital terrestrial television receiver and broadband receiver, so providing a dovetailed service between internet and digital TV.
The Register cites the possibility of adding a "VoIP facility to dial up friends while watching a football match, or the ability to build your own personal schedules".
Meanwhile, Elena Branet, senior marketing manager at Microsoft TV, with whom BT developed its set-top box technology, said that "IPTV would allow viewers to use picture in picture channel surfing, see caller ID on their TV sets, or watch TV while messaging a virtual community of friends and family".
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