Interesting article on El Reg (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05...hoice_network/)

Interesting indeed - but I'm struggling to see who would want to buy a whitelabel IPTV service.

Sky: No way, they've got all the rights they need and are building their own network with easynet. They could add HC to it, but what would be the point? They don't have anything Sky doesn't already, or couldn't get with ease.

NTL:Telewest: Maybe, but only if it could extend their reach beyond existing cable areas. So "no" as HC is only operational in London, where they already have an infrastructure.

BT: No - their broadband infrastructure is massive, and BT Vision has all the rights HC has and more already in place for launch.

Rival Broadband Companies: Potentially, but they would presumably need their own investment in support staff, and marketing - a big outlay when your competitors are Sky, BT and the cable firms. They may just view it as a financial black hole.

Not sure that HC only being a London operator would be a problem. I think the point of the venture (if indeed it is going ahead) is to offer IPTV over others LLU network, therefore removing the cost of unbundling from HC. Still don't think NTL would be interested though.

Large areas of London don't have cable and never will. They can't lay the cable and its a waste of money. Expanding via IPTV would be a cheaper option for NTL.

NTL / Telewest aren't likely to purchase services as they have extensive metro networks in London which would heavily reduce the cost of backhauling their own unbundled exchanges, and NTL at very least already has a DSLAM supplier which they've trialled in London.

I can't say at all that it surprises that Homechoice were unable to raise the finance for their rollout, in the financial year to March 2005 they lost £46.5 million, the year before that £1.5 million. The lenders would probably like to see some money flowing into the company before they throw a load more money at them.

The main interest of Video Networks to another company would be their technology, the HC set top is a great piece of kit, for most being able to access London only won't be a huge turn on and a larger rollout would be necessary, however HC have no network of their own and have only very recently begun to use peering at LINX so a nationwide rollout would be far more difficult than the London rollout they've done so far.

The London network is probably a load of rings of LES circuits rented from BT and the rings of exchanges backhauled again with BT circuits to their own server centres, or a star network branching out from the server centres. A nationwide rollout would need the renting of some long distance circuits and slightly different architecture and maybe extra server centres and would be more expensive per exchange than the recent London rollout has been since the BT price cuts to unbundling.