Luxembourg-based vendor SES has announced that Verizon Fios has become the latest pay-TV provider to sign on to its 4K distribution platform trial.
Under the agreement, Verizon will receive test content from SES’ pre-packaged UltraHD satellite-delivery platform, which combines HD channels and reception equipment.
“Verizon’s network is uniquely positioned to bring its customers the most innovative content solutions, including 4K/UHD,” said Erin McPherson, VP of programming and content strategy for Verizon, in a statement.
SES currently has trial agreements for its managed Ultra HD platform with Frontier Communications, Marquette-Adams in Wisconsin, Buckeye Broadband in Ohio and Southeast Michigan, Service Electric Cable TV in Pennsylvania and enTouch Systems in Texas.
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SES said the first wave of trials kicked off last summer with Cable America in Missouri, Golden West Telecommunications in South Dakota, MTC Cable in New York and Sjoberg’s Cable TV in Minnesota.
These trials deliver 4K to customers either through managed IP multicast DOCSIS 3.0 streams (versus over-the-top internet connections) or traditional digital QAM transport streams.
“This collaborative agreement between SES and Verizon marks an important milestone in the development of our Ultra HD solution,” said Steve Corda, VP of business development for SES in North America. “Leading television services providers, such as Verizon, are evaluating our platform as a way to integrate scalable and dedicated satellite bandwidth into their Ultra HD launch plans. With more than 4.5 million video subscribers, Verizon Fios represents an exciting addition to our overall effort aimed at making Ultra HD more affordable and faster to market for TV services providers across the region.”