InfoCom Says IPTV Players See New Business Opportunities in the Business Market

Stuttgart, Germany, May 13, 2009 --(PR.com)-- With an increasing number of tourists flocking the country annually, tourism has become a lucrative industry in Lithuania. It is no wonder, therefore, that the Lithuanian incumbent, TEO LT, is targeting the hospitality sector as a new business opportunity. The operator already has around 40 000 residential IPTV subscriptions in 2008, and until recently (February 2009), launched Interactive GALA for Business, targeting the hospitality market such as hotels, cafés and companies with customer care units with specific targeted services.

TEO’s initiative is only one of the most recent IPTV service launches for the hospitality sector. Similar IPTV tailored services deployed include Swisscom (Swisscom Hospitality Services’ digital TV service) and Sasktel’s Max Entertainment. Aside from telecom operators, solution providers such as Hoist Hospitality Group have been marketing specific IPTV solutions for tourist resorts addressing the Scandinavian and Russian markets.

IPTV providers have also seen opportunities in healthcare sector. In Sweden, for example, senior citizens living in an apartment complex have access to a health-themed TV channel and have checks done through the TV/Internet in a nearby hospital. “Elderly patients living in the surroundings of the city of Karlskrona, can have their ailments checked through TV via connection to staff in the Tullgårdens healthcare clinic.” InfoCom’s analyst responsible for the research stated, whereby “…users utilise a set-top box, standard remote control and a webcam to interactively communicate with the staff on the clinic.” In China, several e-health projects have been launched focusing on delivery of outpatient services in Shanghai. “Pilot trials have started in early 2007 with an aim to link 20 000 families, 11 hospitals and community centres throughout Shanghai” the analyst in InfoCom’s Manila office stated, “Similar to its Swedish counterpart, the service can be accessed via a health TV channel, available through the local IPTV service brand, BesTV (China Telecom)”, enabling subscribers to undergo health consultations online.

“These new services give a complete new perspective to the IPTV business” the Manila expert confirmed, “as such applications are highly differentiable from existing IPTV services for residential customer or for the tourist sector: here the focus can go well beyond entertainment with services targeting topics such as prevention, wellness, nutrition, rehabilitation, and probably many more”.

About this research: InfoCom’s research activities go far beyond what is traditionally intended by telecom consultancy, covering also new telecom services and applications. If you wish to know more about it, do not hesitate to contact us.

About InfoCom: InfoCom is a market research and consultancy company with over 20 years experience providing strategic analyses and planning assistance to stakeholders in the telecommunications, IT and multimedia industries. InfoCom’s independent and fact-based analyses highlight trends and opportunities, supporting decision makers to understand market dynamics in order to improve their competitive advantage.

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