SmartLabs helps Baltcom to remotely upgrade all subs to SmartTUBE5
April 19, 2018
SmartLabs announces that it has worked in partnership with Latvian Internet and television operator, Baltcom, to successfully migrate their subscribers to SmartTUBE5, the latest version of SmartLabs’ service delivery product, without swapping their legacy STBs and without the need for an engineer to visit.
The project involved the migration of the entire subscriber base from Baltcom’s legacy interactive TV platform to the new SmartLabs multiscreen solution. The critical objectives of the project were to make the migration totally transparent for every subscriber and, following migration, to offer existing and new subscribers access to the state-of-the-art multiscreen services delivered by SmartTUBE5.
Working closely with Baltcom’s operational departments, SmartLabs’ experts developed and prepared the procedure to enable client software, running on legacy STBs in the subscribers home, to be remotely replaced with SmartLabs’ firmware. SmartLabs used it indepth experience to ensure every stage of the project, including the preparatory stages, comprehensive testing, pilot projects and upgrade activities, were conducted in a way that minimized risk, impact on the customer and timescale.
Pilot projects that were run before the final release generated excellent subscriber feedback that led to important software modifications that helped to minimize any disruption caused by the service change, improve usability and ensure customers immediately appreciated the benefit of the service upgrade.
Baltcom consider the migration project to have been a complete success and all Baltcom subscribers, both new and old, have access to the new user-friendly SmartTUBE5 STB interface which offers linear and on-demand services supported by multiscreen applications for iOS and Android mobile devices and PCs.
“We needed to develop a simple and reliable procedure for migration and upgrade of software on subscriber devices. SmartLabs people did great, the process ran smoothly, and all our subscribers got access to the new features and services,” Baltcom’s CTO and Board Member Dmitrijs Nikitins notes.
“We are ready to provide operators with comprehensive support in the development of their services. SmartLabs can successfully solve a variety of tasks, including migration under special conditions. It is clear how important it is for the operator to maintain loyalty among the existing subscribers and offer them the services on the new platform without hardware replacement. As far as I know, Baltcom subscribers have fully appreciated the operator’s care and our work,” SmartLabs CEO Mikhail Grachev says.