* EuroNews nets wider distribution
EuroNews said it will gain access to U.S. and Canadian broadband users following a distribution deal with TVext.
EuroNews offers a bevy of international news from a European perspective. In the U.S., it also has distribution with Cablevision Systems Corp. and EchoStar Communications. The service is offered in seven languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian.
“This partnership represents a new way to expand globally and reach viewers who want news with a fresh perspective on world events,” said EuroNews Chairman and CEO Phillippe Cayla, in a statement.
* IP Unity adds veeps
Media and application server vendor IP Unity has expanded its executive ranks with the appointments of Michael Anderson to VP of services and operations, and J.D. Vaughn as VP of sales-North America.
Anderson is late of SonicWAALL, while Vaughn joins IP Unity from BayPackets.
* Huawei puts Conexant inside
Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is powering a new line of cable set-tops with silicon from Conexant Systems.
Its new line of InfoLink C2510 boxes, outfitted with Conexant’s CX2415X MPEG A/V broadcast decoder family, is set for deployments in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Guizhou.
* CableLabs stamps Siemens policy server
Siemens Networks LLC said CableLabs has awarded PacketCable Multimedia (PCMM) qualification to its PCS-5000 policy server.
The PCMM architecture is designed to inject QoS into a wide range of IP-based applications, including voice, video, and gaming.
* DirecTV successfully lofts back-up satellite
DirecTV successfully launched a new spot-beam satellite the company will use for back-up capacity. Once positioned, the DirecTV 9S satellite will also be used to deliver standard definition local services. The company has two more satellites scheduled for orbit next year. DirecTV 10 and DirecTV 11 will be used to offer HD channels.
* Wisconsin utility gets FTTH seal of approval
The Reedsburg Utility Commission has qualified for The Fiber-Connected Home certification from the FTTH Council. The certification recognizes service providers that install fiber-to-the- home, and is used as a marketing tool for the service provider as well as for home sellers. Reedsburg Utility Commission has deployed fiber to more than 4,000 homes and businesses in Reedsburg, Wis.
* Vonage subs get free AccuWeather updates
Vonage America has arranged to provide to its U.S. customers free weather forecasts from AccuWeather.com. Vonage subscribers can call 700-WEATHER from any Vonage enabled device and get current weather conditions, five-day forecasts and severe-weather warnings, for any U.S. zip code. Accuweather codes its weather data in synthetic speech markup language (SSML); callers will hear the data translated into a synthetic voice speech.
