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SingNet issued licence to roll out
commercial IPTV services |
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A new two-tier licence framework for
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) rolled out by the Media Development
Authority of Singapore (MDA) today (15 Jan 2007) aims to further
facilitate the growth of IPTV services in Singapore, leading to tangible
benefits for the industry and consumers. |
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Consumers can look forward to more and newer
forms of diverse programming content as more players enter the market to
provide IPTV services to meet the different needs of both mass and niche
audiences. |
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Industry players will also benefit from the
greater flexibility offered under the new licence framework as it
promotes a more conducive and business friendly environment. They can
leverage on new technological trends and business models as they roll
out IPTV services for different market segments. |
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Two-tier licence framework |
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"We took into consideration the developments
in technology in a rapidly evolving media landscape and local industry
feedback when factoring flexibility in this licence framework to address
the needs of niche IPTV players vis-┐-vis mass market IPTV players while
ensuring that consumer interests are not compromised," explained Ms Ling
Pek Ling, Director, Media Policy, MDA. |
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"This will enable the entry of more industry
players looking to provide a wide range of IPTV services to consumers
including those who are currently not served or not well served by
existing broadcasters. At the same time, consumers can look forward to
richer and diversified content," she added. |
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The tiered IPTV licence framework offers
service providers two types of licences : |
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• Nationwide Subscription TV
Licence: Players providing services that have wide reach (over
100,000 subscribers) and impact. They will be awarded a Nationwide
Licence, similar to that for a mass market pay TV operator. |
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• Niche Subscription TV
Licence: This facilitates the entry of new niche players
offering IPTV services which have limited reach (100,000
subscribers or less) and impact. The licensee would be subject to
a lighter licence framework. For example, niche licensees will not
be required to carry the local free-to-air channels. |
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Where the subscriber base exceeds
100,000 subscribers, the following secondary criteria will be used
to determine if the operator can still qualify as a Niche player
to allow those targeting niche market segments like the expatriate
community and hotels to grow their business and improve their
business case: |
• Location: whether the service is
offered chiefly to specific non-residential locations in Singapore
• Language: whether there is a high percentage of foreign language
content
• Reach and impact of the channels |
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Key licence conditions for Nationwide
and Niche Subscription TV Licence can be found in Annex A. |
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SingNet issued a nationwide IPTV
licence |
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In line with the new licence
framework, MDA has issued SingNet Pte Ltd, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications Limited, a Nationwide
Subscription TV Service licence to roll out commercial IPTV
services. |
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More information on the application of
the new licences is available at
http://www.mda.gov.sg. |
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About IPTV (Internet Protocol
Television) |
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IPTV or Internet Protocol Television
refers to the delivery of video or TV signals using Internet
Protocol (IP). Globally, many telecommunication operators (telcos)
have deployed or are at various stages of deploying IPTV services. |
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IPTV uses the IP network and
communication protocols to deliver television programmes to
viewers via a broadband connection and a set-top box connected to
their television. These programmes can be in the form of either
full scheduled channels and/or video-on-demand content. |
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IPTV represents a change in the
business model of TV broadcasting as it is now easier for a
service provider to seamlessly integrate scheduled TV programmes,
Video-on-Demand (VOD) programmes and other interactive
applications into a comprehensive offering. It also enables the
entry of more service providers targeting niche audience segments. |
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Besides the telcos and incumbent
broadcasters who are trying to extend their offerings to the IPTV
space, smaller niche players such as VOD operators, content
aggregators and media houses are seeking and exploring new revenue
streams by targeting niche market segments with innovative
content. |
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A key feature of IPTV is its
interactivity. IPTV networks allow for two-way communication
between the service provider and the viewer. IPTV service
providers can tap on this feature of IP networks to offer on top
of TV content, T-commerce, Voice-over-IP, video conferencing and
other interactive application such as gaming, as part of a
comprehensive suite of services. |
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More..... (Annex A) |
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Source:
www.mda.gov.sg News Release 15
Jan 2007 |
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FrontPage Edition: Tue 16 January 2007
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