MTS Allstream readies for expansion

Dan O'Shea — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:16:14 -0400

At the IPTV World Forum North America last month in Chicago, Kelvin Shepherd, president of consumer markets at Canadian IPTV pioneer MTS Allstream, said the carrier was planning to expand outside of its home market of Winnipeg, where it has collected more than 80,000 IPTV customers. The telco is now a step closer to making that happen after gaining regulatory approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to offer service in nearby Portage la Prairie. MTS also has its sights set on Brandon, Manitoba.

MTS Allstream is the largest IPTV service provider in Canada, and Shepherd said at the Chicago event last month, that after almost six years in business, the next phase of IPTV maturity for the telco would be characterized by expansion to counter the reality of increasing competition. Much of it is expected to come from the over-the-top video providers that actually run over telco networks.

For more:
- see this report at Digital Home Canada

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MTS Allstream visited Chicago last month. MTS Allstream report
Bell Canada and Ixia have been looking at IPTV quality. Bell Canada report

MTS Allstream faces IPTV maturity

Dan O'Shea — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:44:35 -0400

U.S. telcos are starting to accelerate their IPTV strategies and generate excitement, but North America's real proving ground for IPTV is Canada, where MTS Allstream and SaskTel each have been in the TV market for more than five years. That became evident as Kelvin Shephard, president of consumer markets at MTS Allstream, talked about the company's IPTV progress last week at the IPTV World Forum North America in Chicago.

The Manitoba telco now has 33 percent market share for IPTV, and more than 78,000 customers in the area of Winnipeg, Manitoba. A telco like AT&T may have far more IPTV customers, but it can't yet claim that kind of market share in any of its individual markets. "It's more than we expected we would have at this point," Shephard said. "But it's still growing."

As its IPTV service matures, MTS Allstream is encountering a competitive reality that remains on the horizon for other telcos. It has been able to withstand aggressive promotions and discounts from local cable TV competitors, but Shephard acknowledged the company is starting to see more competition from over-the-top Web video content providers. "Non-traditional competitors are emerging, and we are enabling these folks to be able to do these things over our own network," he said. "That's something we have to think about and something we are working on understanding."

Among other challenges, Shephard said programmers continue to expect a lot in terms of security, encryption and reliability, and are not shy about applying their considerable leverage to get what they want. "We need to work with them and help them create more opportunities for viewer loyalty and targeted marketing." In-home wiring also continues to present challenges to driving down IPTV installation times.

Recent accomplishments include the launch of a Local Expression local content channel. Meanwhile, the near future will see the company expand beyond its comfort zone of Winnipeg, while strengthening its channel line-up, migrating to the Microsoft Mediaroom platform, and providing high-definition and whole-home DVR capabilities.

-Dan

Mts Allstream

MTS Allstream readies for expansion

MTS Allstream faces IPTV maturity