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Broadband access provider Excite@Home this week introduced its commercial service strategy to allow content distribution networks media to flow content through its broadband network infrastructure.

The strategy, unveiled late Wednesday, expands Excite@Home's commercial use and streaming content flowing through its high-speed Internet backbone. Excite@Home is deploying the services with content distribution networks from iBEAM Broadcasting Corp., Akamai Technologies, Inc., and Microcast, Inc.

Currently, Excite@Home is the only company offering content distribution networks a distribution channel to reach its growing base of broadband subscribers.

Excite@Home's high-speed backbone is an asset that makes content distribution services a natural next step in the company's corporate strategy to deploy broadband services for residential and commercial use worldwide.

Mark O'Leary, Excite@Home executive vice president said it would continue to expand the commercial uses of its broadband network to enhance subscribers' online experience.

"The content distribution networks such as iBEAM, Akamai and Microcast have recognized the need to deliver superior content to broadband subscribers," O'Leary said.

iBEAM, Akamai, and Microcast provide high-performance Internet content delivery services that need to run over a high-speed network to maintain quality images, audio and video. Through direct access and network data services, the three companies will be able to connect directly to and distribute through Excite@Home's dual OC-48 Internet backbone.

Peter B. Desnoes, iBEAM president and chief executive officer, said its pleased to be one of the first companies in place take advantage of Excite@Home's advanced streaming servers.

"The result of this agreement will be better quality streaming media for end-users and for content providers," Desnoes said. "The broadband services that Excite@Home provides combined with iBEAM's streaming technology will result in a first-rate Internet broadcast experience."

Avi Freedman, Akamai vice president of network architecture, said the partnership would provide world-class content for broadband subscribers.

"Akamai became the largest content and streaming delivery company by solving the Internet backbone and peering problem for over 1,000 content provider customers, and Excite@Home has the most valuable broadband network based on its large subscriber base," Freedman said. "This partnership supports our commitment to maintaining the world's largest distributed delivery network and gives Excite@Home users an enhanced end-to-end broadband experience for Akamai customers' world-class content and streaming media."

Microcast, which is currently co-located in many of the same central office facilities as Excite@Home, will leverage this unique condition to directly connect to Excite@Home's network.

Paul Nash, Microcast chairman, chief executive officer and co-founder, said it would continue to buildout one of the largest streaming networks with the means to deliver the content.

"Microcast is building out one of the world's largest video streaming network which will achieve its full potential by reaching Internet users throughout the nation," Nash said. "Because of their impressive backbone capabilities, partnering with Excite@Home will help us provide content owners with the foremost streaming services available while also reaching the greatest number of consumers."

Excite@Home currently offers residential and commercial broadband services from its global footprint capable of service of 87 million homes under long-term cable and DSL contracts.

Excite@Home offers consumers broadband services over cable-modem, DSL and high-speed commercial Internet services. It has approximately 13.5 million cable franchise homes under contract outside of North America and provides localized versions of the Excite services in 10 leading international markets.