* Blue Ridge provisions with Ceon
Blue Ridge Communications will provision IP voice and data services via a multi-year agreement with Ceon.
Under the deal, Blue Ridge will handle those functions, including order management, via Ceon’s Integration and Provisioning Suite (IPS). Ceon noted the IPS platform is also capable of provisioning IP-Centrex, hosted PBX, digital video and IPTV services.
Blue Ridge serves more than 180,000 homes in the Blue Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
* DirecTV offers early look at FX original
DirecTV is leveraging its pay-per-view system to give viewers an early look at Black.White., a new original series from corporate cousin FX.
DirecTV customers will have the ability to watch episodes of the series up to 48 hours before they premiere on FX. The broadcast debut is set for March 8. DirecTV will offer the special PPV window starting today (March 7) through April 10. Customers who take the early window will pay $2.99 per show.
* OEN, Tut partner on IPTV
Optical Entertainment Networks (OEN) is deploying a range of IPTV services powered by a headend supplied by Tut Systems.
OEN will leverage the Tut Astria Content Processor to support a fiber-fed “Fision” video service that eventually will become available to 1.6 million homes in Houston.
Tut said more than 160 service providers worldwide presently are using the company’s IPTV headend platform.
* Plano pops wireless canopy
The city of Plano, Texas is building a wireless Internet system based on technology from Motorola Inc.
The resulting municipally-delivered service will tap Motorola’s Motomesh and Canopy backhaul system to deliver data services across the city in the licensed 4.9 GHz band.
The city’s public safety and municipal personnel will use the system. Included in that group is Plano’s fleet of about 200 police vehicles.
Initially, the city will seed the deployment by installing hot spots in police and fire stations, libraries, City Hall and court buildings. Phase two of the project will create a wireless broadband “cloud” covering the entire city.