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 DS
L 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.
