TDE.L Regulatory News (TDE)

19 Jul 2006 09:00

Telefonica O2 Czech Republic, A.S.19 July 2006 > PRESS RELEASE - 19. 7. 2006 > TELEFONICA O2 CZECH REPUBLIC LAUNCHES PILOT OPERATION OF IPTV Telefonica O2 Czech Republic has launched a pilot operation for Internetprotocol television (IPTV), offering the firm's employees around 30 programs,including the opportunity to download films on demand, during the first phase.The offer includes Czech and Slovak channels, along with news, documentary andchildren's channels. There are about 250 films available for download. At thesame time, the pilot operation will test the sales channels of these services.The company wants to expand coverage progressively in the same manner as it hasbeen doing for broadband Internet, which has gradually become available to 90%of all fixed telephone lines over two years. Telefonica O2 Czech Republic will begin offering television through fixedtelephone lines in the third quarter of 2006. It will be possible to watchtelevision in the MPEG4 format. In order to preserve the comparable quality andthe same resolution as digital television, half data stream is sufficient incomparison to the MPEG2 codec. The operator is thus able to work with a datastream of around 2.8 Mbps speed, while the speed is around 4-5 Mbps for digitalbroadcasting. Because of the upcoming offer, Telefonica O2 Czech Republic is graduallylaunching the new ADSL 2+ technology, which will more than double the currentspeed of fixed telephone lines. The new capacity will thus be fully used forIPTV. The operator adopted the service from its parent company Telefonica, which hasbeen offering it commercially since 2004 under the name Imagenio. In Spain,300,000 households are using it at this time. For further information, please contact: MARTIN ZABKAPress SpokesmanTel: +420 271 463 359Fax: +420 271 469 896e-mail: martin.zabka@ct.cz About Telefonica O2 Czech Republic Telefonica O2 Czech Republic, a.s., is the first integrated operator in theCzech Republic. It was formed on July 1, 2006 by the merger of the country'sleading fixed line operator, CESKY TELECOM, a.s., and the strongest Czech mobileoperator, Eurotel Praha, spol. s r.o., into a single telecommunications company.The organization currently operates nearly eight million lines, both fixed andmobile, making it one of the world's biggest integrated operators. Telefonica O2 Czech Republic offers the most comprehensive portfolio of voiceand data services in this country. Special attention is paid to the use ofgrowth potential, particularly in the data and Internet sectors. Telefonica O2Czech Republic operates the country's largest fixed and mobile network,including a unique 3rd generation network, CDMA (for data) and UMTS, enablingthe transport of voice, data and video. Telefonica O2 Czech Republic also offersthe largest network of WiFi hotspots in the country. About Telefonica Telefonica O2 Czech Republic is a member of a powerful international group,Telefonica S.A, which operates in 19 countries and whose customer base includesmore than 180 million clients worldwide. Telefonica currently ranks among theworld's most dynamic telecommunications companies with a strong position inWestern Europe and Latin America. In terms of market capitalization, Telefonica S.A. ranks among the globalleaders of the telecommunications industry. Its business activities areprimarily focused on fixed and mobile markets, with broadband regarded as a keyto successful development. About O2Telefonica O2 Czech Republic is part of the O2 Group within Telefonica SA. Itwill adopt the O2 brand for all consumer-facing activities. O2 comprises mobile network operators in the UK and Ireland, along withintegrated fixed/mobile businesses in Germany and the Czech Republic. It alsoowns 50% of the Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture businesses inthe UK and Germany respectively as well as having 100% ownership of Be, aleading UK fixed broadband provider. In addition, the group includes O2 Airwave,which supplies secure digital communications to the emergency services and otherpublic safety organisations. O2, a Telefonica company, is headquartered in Slough, UK, and has more than 35million customers across Europe. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange