Virgin Media said today that it will be using gear from Cisco to support its IPTV distribution platform and help upgrade its legacy digital TV infrastructure.
Virgin Media will deploy Cisco’s Digital Video Headend technology in all of its regional and central headends to enable growth in standard-definition and advanced high-definition TV services.
Deployed across Virgin Media’s national fiber-optic network, Cisco IP core and edge network technologies will provide high-speed distribution between the central and regional headends and will support delivery to Virgin Media’s high-speed access network.
Once it’s finished, the new TV platform will be capable of delivering advanced services to more than 12.6 million United Kingdom households.
Cisco said Virgin Media’s upgraded TV distribution platform will be extensively based on its technology, including Cisco’s IP Next-Generation Network core and edge routing and switching, digital video headend, and system management and monitoring offerings.
The project, managed by Cisco, includes installation, full system integration, the priming of third-party elements and support provided by the Cisco Advanced Video Services Group.
Upon completion, Cisco said the new simplified infrastructure will help Virgin Media reduce its operating expenses, support the rollout of new conditional access security services, and accelerate the introduction of new standard- and high-definition services.
