UK telco unit BT Wholesale has chosen Cisco’s Content Delivery System as
the ‘backbone’ for its open online video delivery network – Content
Connect – which is designed to improve the experience of watching and
listening to digital content on the web.

BT aims to use the technology to establish broadband as a TV platform
with Content Connect able to deliver digital content on any computer, TV
or mobile device on behalf of UK ISPs, giving broadcasters access to a
large end-user base, irrespective of service provider or technology.

BT Wholesale recognises that many media groups already use content
delivery networks, but that in many cases these services only reach the
edge of the ISP network, with the final stage delivered ‘over the top’
with no guarantees on the quality of service.

The collaboration with Cisco aims to ensure that BT’s next generation
Content Connect platform can cache content deep in the broadband network
and so deliver it much closer to the end user – avoiding congested areas
of the network. This, in turn, should enable broadcasters to provide
video content – and in the future live TV – with an assured level of
service all the way to the viewer, providing uninterrupted access even
at peak times. This provides broadcasters with the predictable user
experience critical to supporting advertising or pay models.

BT Wholesale expects to introduce its Content Connect service in early 2011.

Categories: Articles, IPTV, OTT