Etisalat Entertainment Network wins global innovation award

Telecoms provider, Etisalat and Verimatrix, a provider of multi-screen digital TV services around the globe, have been presented the Global Telecom Business Innovation Award in the Video Service Innovation category for the Etisalat Entertainment Network.

The Etisalat Entertainment Network is a new and secure, regional, end-to-end content delivery platform that is set to accelerate the adoption of digital content services on any screen regionally and is set to be adopted by telcos and ISPs throughout the Middle East and Africa, the companies said.

Matthew Willsher, CMO, Etisalat, said, “From TV on smart phones, laptops, tablets and PCs to High-Definition and 3D content at home, the Etisalat Entertainment Network has the power to deliver the television services the consumer wants, when they want it, wherever they may be. We have over ten years’ experience of working with television producers and broadcasters and through our extensive investment in next generation networks and our award winning Smart Hub and wholesale team, we have developed a unique and compelling proposition for all operators across the region.”

The Etisalat Entertainment Network will be offered by Etisalat’s Carrier & Wholesale team through its Smart Hub and offered to regional telecommunications and Internet service providers (ISPs), according to Etisalat. “It will enable any operator partnering with Etisalat to provide premium syndicated television content, across multiple screens (TV, smart phones, tablets and computers) via different networks (fixed and mobile) anywhere in their area of operation,” Willsher said.

This solution, which has been developed in association with Verimatrix and Etisalat platform partners that have integrated with the Verimatrix platform, ensuring that Etisalat Entertainment Network offers broadcasters the ability to have their content delivered to users regardless of the end device with one of the most robust and flexible content security solutions available today.

By incorporating the Verimatrix Video Content Authority Solution (VCAS™) 3 architecture into the Etisalat Entertainment Network’s back-end systems, content owners will be able to publish their content once, and trust that it will be protected and delivered in a controlled way, it was reported. This provides access to a very large potential audience with the ISP or telcos existing customers through a partnership with Etisalat.

“Verimatrix continues its singular focus on securing revenue streams for operators deploying advanced multi-network, multi-device video services. Etisalat Entertainment Network is clearly one of our most significant and ambitious deployments for IP-based video,” commented Tom Munro, CEO of Verimatrix. “We are proud to have been recognised for our part in this visionary offering.”

The first country to benefit from this new generation of services will be the UAE and by the end of 2011, more than 350,000 subscribers will be enjoying a next generation Etisalat IP and over the top (OTT) service, through many different types of end devices. This will reinforce Etisalat’s position as the largest ‘telco-TV’ operator in the Middle East.

In the near future, according to Etisalat these services will be offered to Etisalat’s family of operators in 18 countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East and will also be marketed by its award winning Carrier and Wholesale team to other operator groups in the region.

The Global Telecoms Business Innovation Awards were first presented in 2007, at a dinner attended by 160 industry leaders from around the world. In 2011, twice that number of people attended including chief executive officers, chief technology officers and other leaders from operators and vendors throughout the world.

In presenting the awards Alan Burkitt-Gray, editor of Global Telecom Business, said, “This is the fifth time we have run the Global Telecoms Business Innovation Awards and this year we saw more nominations, from a greater range of operators and vendors, than ever before. We started the Awards in order to celebrate what the industry is doing, making a huge difference to the world, to all of us in business and as consumers. Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners and to Etisalat and Verimatrix for the Etisalat Entertainment Network.”