Mexican telephony and broadband provider Axtel just fired up an IPTV. Ericsson said it is providing managed services, consulting and systems integration for the service.

The initial launch is in Mexico’s three largest cities: Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.

The system was deployed using a number of Ericsson TV solutions, including an MPEG-4 AVC headend for linear and on-demand standard-definition and high-definition TV channels, as well as the Ericsson Multiscreen TV Solution. The navigation guide is from Mirada.

A key factor in Axtel’s decision to choose Ericsson was Ericsson’s ability to offer a network operations center (NOC) and video management infrastructure to help mitigate operational complexities and risks, according to the vendor.

Nicolás Brancoli, vice president of Ericsson Latin America and Caribbean, said: “This contract marks the beginning of a new partnership between Axtel and Ericsson and underlines our commitment to offer innovative solutions to our customers. It allows us to help Axtel meet consumers’ growing demand for TV services that offer greater control and interactivity.”

Ericsson has to date signed more than 240 IPTV contracts. These include commercial multi-screen contracts; IPTV system integration projects; IPTV headend contracts; and IPTV infrastructure contracts for access, metro transport and IP edge.