HONG KONG, 28 AUGUST 2008 – The cable TV (CATV) operator in China’s Hubei province is in the first phase of a major digitisation programme.
The RMB63 million (US$9.2 million) contract was awarded by the Hubei Chutian Broadcasting Network Co. Ltd (Hubei Chutian), to Singapore Exchange listed DMX Technologies Group Limited, an information technology enabler and digital media technology provider.
Under this initial contract, DMX’s digital media segment will provide solutions for a cost effective and scalable digital TV services rollout to less than 10 per cent of the entire customer base of Hubei Chutian, before the end of 2009.
By leveraging on the DMX’s EdgeSmart STB resources management system (STBRMS), the massive rollout of digital STB is expected to become more manageable and cost effective.
Digital TV services roll-out
This agreement follows breakthroughs with two provincial operators in Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia this year; which also have aggressive plans for their digital TV services roll-out over the next few years.
Hubei Chutian, which has an estimated 3.5 million subscribers in the province, has aggressive plans to digitise their customer base ahead of the 2015 mandate set by the government in the People’s Republic of China (the PRC).
According to industry estimates, the government-led transition from analog to digital television in China, which is expected to be completed by 2015, is forecast to record a compounded annual growth rate of 45 per cent between 2007 and 2012.
