Infinite Convergence (www.infinite-convergence.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Infinite Computer Solutions (India) Limited (BSE: 533154, NSE: INFINITE) today announced the appointment of Chee Leng Loy as its regional vice president for Asia Pacific and Middle East (APME). Loy joins Infinite Convergence to direct all sales, business development and channel partner engagements for both carrier and enterprise clients across the region. Based in Singapore, Loy will also influence product portfolio direction to meet the needs of emerging markets.

With its new leadership, technology pedigree and proven solutions, Infinite Convergence is well positioned to capitalize on the growth in mobile as subscribers grow from 4.6billion in 2009 to an estimated 6.3billion in 2014, and the mobile messaging market surges to $233 billion (US), growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9.1 percent.

“Loy’s technical expertise and proven sales track record of success makes him the perfect executive to grow Infinite Convergence’s presence in a region where mobile communication is engrained in every facet of daily life,” said Anurag Lal, chief executive officer of Infinite Convergence. “Our industry leading messaging solutions’ superior performance across legacy and emerging wireless technologies (LTE/4G, IMS, 3G, 2G) allows carriers to provide the integrated communication solutions the market is increasingly demanding.”

APME is a key region for Infinite Convergence. Because of the region’s size and diversity, and the need to develop telecom and enterprise channels, the company sought an expert to lead this important region. Loy brings in more than 15 years of sales, business development and operating experience in both the telecommunications industry and enterprise mobility. Loy joins Infinite Convergence from iPass Inc. (NASDAQ: IPAS), where he served as managing director of Asia and Japan. Throughout his career – which also includes management positions at British Telecom Asia, KPN (Royal Dutch Telecom) Asia and The Strategis Group – Loy led regional teams in managing both direct and indirect channels in carrier and enterprise arenas. He has had direct sales engagements with most Tier 1 wireless carriers in Asia Pacific.

About Infinite Convergence
Infinite Convergence, a wholly owned subsidiary of Infinite Computer Solutions (India) Limited (BSE: 533154, NSE: INFINITE), was formed in 2010 from an alliance between Infinite Computer Solutions and Nokia Siemens Networks (formerly Motorola). Infinite Convergence provides innovative messaging and wireless communication solutions to mobile operators and enterprises. Currently supporting more than 100 million subscribers globally, Infinite Convergence provides a complete range of scalable SMS, MMS and RCS messaging infrastructure and solutions to Tier 1 and Tier 2 wireless operators. The company’s cloud-based messaging centers add scalability to the rich product feature-set. Headquartered outside Chicago, Infinite Convergence employs 200 people in the USA and India. For more information visit www.infinite-convergence.com.

Follow Infinite Convergence on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nxtgenmsg

Disclaimer
Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such statements due to risks or uncertainties associated with our expectations with respect to, but not limited to, our ability to successfully implement our strategy and our growth and expansion plans, technological changes, our exposure to market risks, general economic and political conditions which may have an impact on our business activities or investments, changes in the laws and regulations, including with respect to tax incentives and export benefits, adverse changes in laws, increasing competition in and the conditions of the Indian and global IT services industry, the prices we are able to obtain for our services, wage levels for IT professionals, the loss of significant customers the monetary and interest policies, inflation, deflation, unanticipated turbulence in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, equity prices or other rates or prices, the performance of the financial markets globally, changes in domestic and foreign laws, regulations and taxes and changes in competition in the information technology/telecommunication industries. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company.

# # #

A white paper commissioned by Vesta Corporation, a global pioneer and leader in electronic payments, highlights the significant opportunity that remote payments present to mobile operators.  The white paper, compiled by Informa Telecoms & Media, reveals that end-user revenues from m-commerce services, delivered over cellular networks, are expected to grow to more than US $22.5 billion by 2014.  These m-commerce services will include mobile banking, remote mobile payments, local mobile payments and mobile money transfers.

According to Informa Telecoms & Media, money transfer services are expected to drive end-user revenues of six billion dollars by 2014.  This represents a significant and immediate commercial opportunity for mobile operators compared to NFC technology, which requires a large upfront investment and is expected to take at least three or four years to reach critical mass.

Mobile operators continue to try and identify a strong position in the content and services value chain, particularly as the applications market is currently dominated by over-the-top (OTT) providers.  These same OTT players are also trying to seize the NFC market initiative from the operator community.  The study reveals that having a suite of m-commerce services will be instrumental in helping operators increase customer stickiness, reduce churn and drive incremental revenues in the longer-term.

Mobile operators are perfectly placed to capitalize on this market opportunity. They have the strategic capability to use their existing prepaid charging experience as a basis to develop airtime transfer services.  These can then be extended to deliver mobile payments and money transfer offerings as demonstrated by leading operators in developed and developing markets.

“By driving the adoption of mobile wallet functionality through prepaid top-up, content purchases and bill payment services, operators can increase their subscribers’ comfort levels with m-commerce transactions,” said Joshua Rush, VP Marketing at Vesta Corporation.  “This will enable operators to position themselves at the heart of the m-commerce value chain, ahead of over-the-top players and in pole position to claim a significant share of the projected revenues.”

According to Informa Telecoms & Media, enabling m-commerce services can also help operators benefit from the growth of the mobile applications market.  Many over-the-top providers launching app-stores are interested in using operator billing to generate a large number of paid-for transactions, despite having to share revenue with the operators.  Therefore, operators can generate additional revenues by enabling the billing and payment for third party mobile applications, assuming they can negotiate competitive rates of commission with the application store providers.

“M-commerce clearly presents exciting opportunities to mobile operators,” says Shailendra Pandey, senior analyst, mobile content and applications at Informa Telecoms & Media.  “It makes sense for operators to place more focus on utilizing their existing top-up and billing systems to drive m-commerce market growth.”

Pandey continues: “to do this effectively, it is important that operators form partnerships with other players that have specialist knowledge and proven technology in the m-commerce and e-commerce space.  This will ensure they develop and deploy secure and attractive services for their subscribers.”

Notes to editors: The full whitepaper can be downloaded here; alternatively please email vesta@ccgrouppr.com to request a copy.

About Vesta Corporation

Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with operations in Europe and China, Vesta has been a pioneer and worldwide leader in electronic payment solutions since 1995. Vesta offers a full suite of payment services that can reduce and eliminate PCI scope and costs for wireless operators.  Vesta has established long-term, successful relationships with leading telecommunications and financial companies including AT&T, Boost Mobile, Bank of China, Bank of Ireland, Chase Paymentech, China Mobile, China Telecom, Cricket Communications, Green Dot, Metavante, NetSpend, O2, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and Vodafone.

For more information, visit: www.trustvesta.com.

About Informa Telecoms & Media

Informa Telecoms & Media (www.informatm.com) is the leading provider of business intelligence and strategic services to the global telecoms and media markets.

# # #

RGB Networks, the leading provider of scalable multiscreen IP video delivery solutions, today announced that at IBC 2011 Swisscom Broadcast, a leading Swiss provider of fully managed multiscreen TV services to the European B2B customer segments, will be demonstrating the transmission of its IP-based multiscreen TV services utilizing RGB’s Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG™) and TransAct Packager. The RGB multi-device delivery solution forms a key component in Swisscom Broadcast’s technology blueprint to support streamed media over private and public Internet to televisions, PCs and mobile devices, and will be showcased at RGB’s stand (4.C78) delivering live video over the Internet from Swisscom Broadcast’s headend to multiple devices on the stand.

Operating one of the major headends in Switzerland with approximately 400 TV channels, Swisscom Broadcast is quickly developing into a key supplier of fully managed IP-based video and audio services. Using the latest IP video distribution techniques, Swisscom Broadcast is building standards-based architectures to supply complete IPTV and OTT services to new and existing operators looking to update their legacy technology deployments.

To be demonstrated at RGB’s IBC 2011 stand will be live streams from Swisscom Broadcast’s headend utilizing RGB’s VMG to transcode program streams. These streams are formatted for a large number of different end user devices of varying resolutions and decoding capabilities for delivery via both adaptive streaming and traditional single bitrate environments. Working in conjunction with RGB’s TransAct Packager, this integrated solution provides streams in Apple HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) standard delivery format, Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming and Microsoft Smooth Streaming outputs, enabling them to fully address adaptive streaming for HLS-compatible devices, and the new Flash/Silverlight-powered platforms such as Android and Windows-based devices.

“Swisscom Broadcast is truly changing the face of the IP video market with its innovative solutions,” said Simone Sassoli, Vice President, International at RGB Networks. “Swisscom Broadcast has identified a growing market opportunity and is strategically adapting its infrastructure to scale to meet this and future industry needs. We are delighted that RGB was one of the key technology providers selected to help facilitate this change.”

At IBC 2011Swisscom Broadcast’s live IP-based video service will be demonstrated using RGB’s VMG and TransAct Packager on multiple devices including a TV, laptop, iPhone and iPad on RGB’s stand (4.C78).

About Swisscom Broadcast

Swisscom Broadcast Ltd. has been an independent subsidiary of the Swisscom Group since 2002. With around 240 employees and over 500 transmitter sites, Swisscom Broadcast is the leading Swiss transmitter of terrestrial radio and television signals throughout Switzerland. Swisscom Broadcast’s service offering ranges from the transmission of audio and video signals and the aggregation, preparation and broadcast of TV programs and video content to complete, multi-screen IPTV solutions. A broad spectrum of forward-looking, temporary communication, information and IT services for event organizers and media enterprises completes its service portfolio. For more information, visit: www.swisscom.ch/broadcast

About RGB Networks’ TV Everywhere Solutions

RGB’s TV Everywhere solutions include its award-winning Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG), the industry’s highest capacity transcoder, capable of simultaneously transcoding 500+ MPEG-2 and MPEG-4/H.264 video streams into the growing number of formats required to serve an ever-expanding array of end user devices. The VMG utilizes a truly carrier-class chassis with extensive redundancy features to ensure reliable operation at all times.

Complementing the VMG is RGB’s TransAct Packager, an advanced adaptive streaming solution that ingests MPEG-4/H.264 video programs and outputs multiple versions of each program encoded at different bit rates which are then packaged in the Apple HTTP Live Streaming, Microsoft Smooth Streaming and Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming formats.

Working together, the TransAct Packager and the VMG comprise the industry’s most complete, flexible and highly scalable solution for delivering live and on-demand video to PCs, tablets, mobile devices and set-top boxes.

About RGB Networks

RGB Networks enables video service providers to migrate to a multiscreen environment for the delivery of linear and on-demand video over managed and unmanaged IP networks. Wide adoption of the company’s solutions is based on core strengths in transcoding, advertising and overlay insertion, and statistical multiplexing. RGB’s solutions for video delivery to TVs, desktop and mobile devices are built to deliver the highest video quality at the best price-performance on the market—they uniquely offer the density and scalability required to support the growing demands of consumers with integrated functionality that simplifies operators’ network architectures and minimizes operational costs. RGB’s products are deployed by over 200 cable, telco, satellite, OTT and mobile operators in 30+ countries. Venture capital firms Accel Partners, Comcast Interactive, Focus Ventures, Granite Ventures, Institutional Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, and Mitsui & Co. Venture Partners have invested $63 million in the company. RGB is a private, profitable company based in Sunnyvale, California with offices around the world. For more information, please visit www.rgbnetworks.com.

# # #

RGB Networks, the leading provider of scalable multiscreen IP video delivery solutions, today announces the addition of a new member to its award-winning Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG™) product family, as well as increased transcoding capacity for its TCM module. The unique VMG line of modular, chassis-based products enables video service providers (VSP) to cost-effectively deliver and monetize video services to TVs, PCs, tablets and other mobile devices in any size deployment.

“With operators going live with TV Everywhere IP video services, it’s becoming clear that consumer usage and the growing number of end user devices is putting a significant strain on network equipment to keep up with the demand,” said Brian Johnson, Director, Product Marketing for RGB Networks. “In consultation with our customers, we have developed the VMG 8 to address their desire for increased capacity, scalability and reliability, while still minimizing rack space and power requirements.”

RGB’s new VMG 8 inherits all the field-proven transcoding, transrating, ad insertion and other advanced video processing capabilities of the VMG family, and packages them in a new seven rack unit (RU) high carrier-grade chassis. The VMG 8 holds up to eight modules, providing a compact alternative to RGB’s larger VMG-14 that can also accommodate RGB’s recently-added AMP module — a flexible Linux-based blade developed initially for real-time audio transcoding — without exceeding the chassis’ capacity when a back-up module is added.

The VMG-8 enables VSPs to better meet their growing TV Everywhere requirements, including addressing an increasing array of applications and supporting an ever expanding range of end user device types, each adding to transcoding capacity requirements. The VMG 8 is ideal for small to medium-sized deployments or deployments at the edge, and is complemented by the widely-deployed VMG 14, which offers even greater capacity, allowing for the simultaneous processing of over 500 streams in a single chassis.

VSPs can utilize the VMG 8 to deliver a complete multiscreen TV Everywhere service with exceptional reliability. In its fully redundant configuration the VMG 8 can be configured with three video transcoder modules, one audio transcoder module and a single controller module for transcoding programs to over 140 streams for delivery to any IP-enabled device. In this redundant configuration, each module type has a back-up which can take over operation should the primary fail. Complementing its module redundancy, the VMG 8’s reliability is further enhanced with back-up power supplies and cooling fans which automatically take over in the event a primary unit fails.

Additionally, the VMG 8 has been designed to be ‘future proof.’ Utilizing higher power cooling fans and power supplies, it can support future modules with greater power or cooling requirements, enabling VSPs to deploy the VMG 8 today to meet their current needs, while ensuring that the chassis will support new modules as they become available. The flexibility of the VMG 8 is further enhanced by its ability to be powered by either AC or DC power supplies integrated within its chassis. This feature enables VSPs to install the VMG 8 in any headend, hub or other network location regardless of the existing electrical infrastructure.

The VMG-8 and the VMG-14 also benefit from recent enhancements to the TCM transcoder module, enabling transcoding of up to 60 SD or HD inputs and 240 adaptive bitrate outputs per VMG 8 chassis and up to 132 SD or HD inputs and 528 outputs per VMG 14 chassis.

All VMG chassis come with intuitive HTTP/Java-based control, while also offering SNMP support for integration into a facility-wide network management system. With reduced input/output Ethernet cabling, in-chassis redundancy and intuitive browser-based control, the VMG product line is unmatched in providing the lowest total cost of operation.

About RGB Networks’ TV Everywhere Solutions

Complementing all members of the VMG line is RGB’s TransAct Packager, an advanced adaptive streaming solution that ingests video programs encoded at different bit rates and outputs them packaged in the Apple HTTP Live Streaming, Microsoft Smooth Streaming and Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming formats.

Working together, the TransAct Packager and the VMG 8 or VMG 14 comprise the industry’s most complete, flexible and highly scalable solution for delivering TV Everywhere to all video-enabled IP devices.

About RGB Networks

RGB Networks enables video service providers to migrate to a multiscreen environment for the delivery of linear and on-demand video over managed and unmanaged IP networks. Wide adoption of the company’s IP video solutions is based on core strengths in transcoding, advertising and overlay insertion, and statistical multiplexing. RGB’s solutions for video delivery to TVs, desktop and mobile devices are built to deliver the highest video quality at the best price-performance on the market—they uniquely offer the density and scalability required to support the growing demands of consumers with integrated functionality that simplifies operators’ network architectures and minimizes operational costs. RGB’s products are deployed by over 200 cable, telco, satellite, OTT and mobile operators in 30+ countries. Venture capital firms Accel Partners, Comcast Interactive, Focus Ventures, Granite Ventures, Institutional Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, and Mitsui & Co. Venture Partners have invested $63 million in the company. RGB is a private, profitable company based in Sunnyvale, California with offices around the world. For more information, please visit www.rgbnetworks.com.

# # #

Cablemás, the second largest cable television operator in Mexico with more than one million subscribers, is undertaking a comprehensive digital simulcast upgrade of its networks using products from RGB Networks, the leader in high-capacity multi-screen video delivery solutions.

The upgrade has already been completed in several of the more than 40 cities Cablemás serves throughout Mexico, including Cuernavaca, Tijuana, Juarez, Merida, Cancun and Acapulco. This upgrade enables Cablemás to reclaim substantial amounts of analog bandwidth and to offer its subscribers advanced digital cable services, including high definition television (HDTV).

“With such an extensive upgrade to undertake, we needed to ensure that we selected a solution that would be both cost-effective and reliable,” said Favio Cervantes, Director of Engineering for Cablemás. “Upon careful review, we selected a suite of field-proven products from RGB Networks that are simple to deploy and maintain, and provide the quality that we are committed to delivering to our subscribers.”

“Cablemás is undertaking an ambitious digital upgrade that will enable them to expand their current offerings, increase their subscriber base and maintain their market leadership,” said Lou Mastrocola, Vice President, Americas Sales for RGB Networks. “As pioneering Latin American operators like Cablemás prepare their networks for the next generation of digital video services, the market for our proven digital simulcast solutions remains strong.”

Cablemás is deploying several RGB products as part of its digital simulcast upgrade, including  the Broadcast Network Processor (BNP) for statistical multiplexing, transrating, grooming and ad splicing, Simulcast Edge Processor (SEP) for edge decoding, and Modular Media Converter (MMC) for ASI to Gigabit Ethernet conversion.  The performance, reliability and cost-effectiveness of these products has already been proven in over 100 digital simulcast deployments throughout the Americas.

About Cablemás
Cablemás is the second largest cable television operator in Mexico based on number of subscribers and homes passed. As of March 30, 2011, Cablemás’ cable network served one million cable television subscribers, 375,000 high-speed internet subscribers, and 210,000 telephony lines, with more than 2,900,000 homes passed.

Cablemás is, operating in 49 cities throughout Mexico as of March 30, 2011.

Cablemás has consistently introduced innovative products in Mexico and provides a “Triple Play” bundled service package of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony.

More information about Cablemás can be found at www.cablemas.com

About RGB Networks
RGB Networks enables video service providers to migrate to a multi-screen environment for the delivery of linear and on-demand video over managed and unmanaged IP networks. The company’s success is based on core strengths in transcoding, advertising and overlay insertion, ultra-dense modulation and statistical multiplexing. RGB’s solutions for video delivery to TVs, desktop and mobile devices are built to deliver the highest video quality at the best price-performance on the market—they uniquely offer the density and scalability required to support the growing demands of consumers with integrated functionality that simplifies operators’ network architectures and minimizes operational costs. RGB’s products are deployed by over 200 cable, telco, satellite, OTT and mobile operators in 30+ countries. Venture capital firms Accel Partners, Comcast Interactive, Focus Ventures, Granite Ventures, Institutional Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, and Mitsui & Co. Venture Partners have invested $63 million in the company. RGB is a private, profitable company based in Sunnyvale, California with offices around the world. For more information, please visit www.rgbnetworks.com.

# # #

ZuluTime, LLC (www.zulutimecorp.com) announced today issuance of US Patent #7,876,266, “Harmonic Block Technique for Computing Space-Time Solutions for Communication Networks,” covering a new architecture that enables wireless networks to become “location aware” through normal communications traffic on those networks. Simply by their involvement in a ZuluTime software-enabled wireless network, smartphones and other networked devices can be immediately located and positioned with greater accuracy, particularly in distortion-rich environments.

Unlike other location-based services that require a device to interpret network information to determine a position, the ZuluTime network architecture and technology are the first to put location intelligence on the network. A ZuluTime network can immediately learn the location of any device as soon as that device connects to it, with accuracy in a few meters versus tens of meters with existing solutions. The ZuluTime technology is particularly well-suited for indoor applications, and is capable of precision positioning on wireless networks of any variety, including Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, enhanced GPS, wireless sensor networks, ZigBee and even Near Field Communications (NFC). This unique technology agnostic approach addresses concerns of IT and mobile media departments with respect to future scalability and migration to newly adopted wireless protocols.

The patent claims address the rudimentary data gathering and data sharing components necessary to weave location capabilities directly into the fabric of wireless network operations. Accuracy and latency is greatly improved for indoor applications, from the tens of meters and tens of seconds in most current methodologies down to aisle-level and a few seconds with ZuluTime. This means that smartphones and similar devices can be now located accurately and generate navigation services for the user in interior spaces where GPS signals cannot penetrate or yield low accuracy.

“This initial patent teaches how basic engineering practices can harvest and share information from the normal packet traffic of wireless networks, eliminating the need for network synchronization, monitoring or classic ‘master references,’” said Geoffrey Rhoads, ZuluTime’s co-founder and holder of more than 300 U.S. patents. “Imagine the services and analytics that can be created for such applications as retail. A big box retailer can know the shopping patterns of every customer that walks into its store with a switched on phone without violating any privacy. Shoppers can opt in for a wide variety of experience-enhancing services such as location-relevant coupons, navigation maps leading to items on specific shelves and summoning a customer service rep to the exact location where the shopper is standing.”

The announcement of the patent comes as retail and social location-based services are gaining significant growth and consumer adoption. The ZuluTime solution locates a shopper’s smartphone persistently at aisle level during the shopper’s trip throughout an entire store. Retailers and brands can then generate personalized, relevant offers based on the shopper’s location, loyalty program profile and real-time shopping behavior in the store. Through extracting the X,Y and Z coordinates of a shopper with time codes, retailers can observe individual shopping paths, dwell times and changes in shopper behavior based on offers, displays or changes in store layout.

About ZuluTime
ZuluTime is innovating and evolving position, navigation and timing (PNT) technologies for wireless networks. The company’s patented architecture enables wireless networks to become “location aware” through normal communications traffic that occurs on those networks. Simply by their involvement in a wireless network, smartphones and other networked devices are located and positioned in interior spaces with far greater accuracy, even in distortion-rich environments where GPS signals cannot penetrate. ZuluTime technology greatly expands opportunities for location-based services in retail, social networks and industrial applications without embedded technology or special rule sets or synchronization. ZuluTime is privately held and was formed in 2006 to develop new inventions in position, navigation and timing (PNT) technologies for wireless networks. For more information visit www.zulutimecorp.com.

# # #

General Communication, Inc. (GCI) (NASDAQ:GNCMA), Alaska’s largest telecommunications company serving more than 130,000 cable television subscribers throughout the state, will use the TransAct Transcoder from RGB Networks to stream live coverage of the annual Iditarod race to its subscribers’ PCs with the same quality it delivers to TVs. The Iditarod is Alaska’s most popular sporting event and this year’s race begins on Saturday, March 5.

“For us Alaskans, the Iditarod is a weeklong Super Bowl and delivering this year’s race to the TV and PC is a key step in eventually offering a full ‘TV Everywhere’ service with live and on demand programming available for our subscribers on their TVs, PCs and mobile devices,” said Greg Pearce, Vice President and General Manager of GCI’s Business Services. “The impressive transcoding performance of RGB’s TransAct Transcoder gives us what we need for this year’s Iditarod and provides the capabilities and confidence to move to a full three screen offering in the future.”

At its central headend in Anchorage GCI is using RGB’s TransAct to transcode video of the Iditarod in real-time from the MPEG-2 format used by cable networks to the MPEG-4/H.264 format that’s better suited to streaming to PCs over the Internet. GCI is also using the TransAct Transcoder to create multiple individual streams at different screen resolutions and bit rates to accommodate the wide variety of PCs and broadband speeds used by GCI’s subscribers. Finally, GCI takes advantage of TransAct’s advanced packaging capabilities to package the individual streams into the Microsoft Smooth Streaming video delivery application.

“Consumers are increasingly demanding their TV experience be available to them on their PCs and mobile devices and we are working with forward-thinking service providers like GCI to make TV Everywhere a reality,” said Ramin Farassat, RGB Networks’ Vice President of Product Marketing. “Our TransAct product line, along with our carrier-class Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG), gives us the industry’s broadest portfolio of multi-screen solutions for delivering TV Everywhere. Our solutions can cost-effectively meet the needs of small service providers and scale to deliver multi-screen services for cable operators with millions of subscribers.”

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is an annual sled dog race across more than 1,000 miles of Alaska and which takes as many as 15 days to complete. The race has been held since 1973 and its popularity has grown beyond Alaska and the U.S., with race teams from foreign nations increasingly joining the competition.

About the TransAct Transcoder

The TransAct Transcoder is an integral component of the RGB Networks TransAct family of products and is specifically designed for the needs of today’s new media environments. The TransAct Transcoder supports on-demand transcoding (ODT), file-to-file and live stream transcoding as a software license or as a 1RU appliance for optimal flexibility in delivering file-based or live content to mobile, Internet TV and IPTV domains.

The TransAct Transcoder couples industry leading transcoding, concurrency, output quality, and real-time performance with a comprehensive suite of popular video delivery applications including RTSP streaming, HTTP Progressive Download, and Apple HTTP Live Streaming (HLS).

About GCI

GCI is the largest telecommunications company in Alaska. GCI’s cable plant, which provides voice, video, and broadband data services, passes 90 percent of Alaska households. GCI operates Alaska’s most extensive terrestrial / subsea fiber optic network which connects not only Anchorage but also Fairbanks and Juneau / Southeast Alaska to the lower 48 states with a diversely routed, protected fiber network. GCI’s satellite network provides communications services to small towns and communities throughout rural Alaska. GCI’s newly constructed statewide mobile wireless network seamlessly links urban and rural Alaska for the first time in the state’s history.

A pioneer in bundled services, GCI is the top provider of voice, data, and video services to Alaska consumers with a 70 percent share of the consumer broadband market. GCI is also the leading provider of communications services to enterprise customers, particularly large enterprise customers with complex data networking needs. More information about GCI can be found at www.gci.com.

About RGB Networks

RGB Networks enables video service providers to migrate to a multi-screen environment for the delivery of linear and on-demand video over managed and unmanaged IP networks. The company’s success is based on core strengths in transcoding, advertising and overlay insertion, ultra-dense modulation and statistical multiplexing. RGB’s solutions for video delivery to TVs, desktop and mobile devices are built to deliver the highest video quality at the best price-performance on the market—they uniquely offer the density and scalability required to support the growing demands of consumers with integrated functionality that simplifies operators’ network architectures and minimizes operational costs. RGB’s products are deployed by over 200 cable, telco, satellite, OTT and mobile operators in 30+ countries. Backed by principal investors Accel Partners, Kleiner Perkins Kaufield and Byers, and Comcast Interactive, RGB is a private, profitable company based in Sunnyvale, California with offices around the world. For more information, please visit www.rgbnetworks.com.
# # #

PCCW will showcase the Next Generation Hotspot technology during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain next week. More than 50,000 senior mobile industry leaders from 200 countries who attend the Congress may witness the power of the technology which enables seamless roaming between 3G and Wi-Fi networks.

The demonstration will be held at the Cisco exhibition booth at the Congress (Hall 8, Booth No. A70) between February 14 and 17. The Next Generation Hotspot technology rides on IEEE 802.11u and 802.1x specifications in conjunction with Cisco’s Wi-Fi  equipment technology, Aicent’s Wi-Fi roaming connectivity and PCCW’s state-of-the-art EAP-SIM authentication infrastructure that is showcased on an 802.11u enabled Samsung Galaxy S smartphone.

Mr. Richard Midgett, PCCW’s Managing Director of Wireless Business, said, “PCCW is pleased to have partnered with Cisco for more than three years on successful commercial operations of Wi-Fi network offloading using their advanced Mobile IP, EAP-SIM authentication and authorization solution. This has enabled PCCW to provide seamless roaming between our 3G and Wi-Fi networks and offer customers an unparalleled data network access experience. This long-term partnership has been instrumental in the development of one of the first data-offloading infrastructures in the world and has evolved into a powerful pioneering force in the development and application of the most advanced Wi-Fi technology in the market.” He added, “The advanced Next Generation Hotspot technology is the first of its kind in the industry which enables our 3G mobile customers to enjoy seamless international roaming on partnered Wi-Fi networks in overseas countries. Equally, this technology also opens up our Wi-Fi services more effectively for ease of use by inbound visitors. It provides faster Wi-Fi network discovery and selection, enables the device to logon automatically and provides secure access to partnered Wi-Fi networks.”

PCCW has been operating its Wi-Fi offloading solution in its Hong Kong networks for more than three years. This seamless connectivity between its 3G and Wi-Fi networks enables customers to enjoy the Company’s innovative multimedia services, including live streaming of video and music which demand substantial network capacity, anytime anywhere. With its leadership and experience, PCCW is eminently placed to serve the needs of fast expanding customers using smartphones and tablets.

About PCCW Limited
PCCW Limited (SEHK:0008) is the holding company of HKT Group Holdings Limited (HKT), Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications provider and a world-class player in Information and Communications Technologies. PCCW also holds a majority interest in Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited, and overseas investments including the wholly-owned UK Broadband Limited.

As the provider of Hong Kong’s first quadruple-play experience, PCCW/HKT offers a range of innovative media content and services across four platforms – fixed-line, broadband Internet access, TV and mobile. In addition, the Group meets the sophisticated needs of the local and international business community, while supporting network operators with cutting-edge technical services and handling large-scale IT outsourcing projects for public and private sector organizations. To learn more about PCCW and HKT, please visit www.pccw.com.

About Aicent
Serving more than 3 billion mobile users around the world, Aicent, Inc. is a leading provider of data network services and solutions for global mobile operators. To enable interoperability between Aicent customers and other networks, Aicent operates one of the world’s largest GPRS and 3G network eXchanges, connecting to over 160 operators, including nine of the world’s ten largest. Through extensive peering arrangements, the Aicent network reaches nearly all GPRS/3G operators around the world. Aicent also operates integrated mobile messaging services, including one of the world’s first and largest multimedia messaging eXchanges, and offers other value-added services to help carriers maximize revenue opportunities. For more information, visit www.aicent.com.

# # #

The Wireless Broadband Alliance (“WBA”), a pioneer in global wireless broadband roaming for public Wi-Fi networks, has announced that its membership numbers are swelling as 10 more influential organisations join the Alliance.

At the 18th WBA Roundtable Conference & WBA Partners’ Day in Auckland 2010, new technology members joining the alliance will include global giants such as Intel and Google, leading Wi-Fi network vendors such as Aruba Networks, Meru Networks and Ruckus Wireless, as well as the specialist roaming solution providers Accuris Networks and Aicent Inc. New operator members include NTT DOCOMO, one of the world’s largest mobile communications operators and TTNet a leading broadband operator from Türk Telekom group. These additions bring the total number of new members joining the group in 2010 alone to 16.

The Alliance now includes a unique mix of leading technology providers and ecosystem partners in addition to the leading Wi-Fi, mobile and broadband network operators from across Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Chris Bruce, CEO of BT Openzone and chair of the WBA said, “All of the WBA Partners have always been united by two common objectives. Firstly, these organisations want to work together to make the Wi-Fi experience easier for the customers. Secondly, there is a real focus on creating new opportunities for 3G Wi-Fi roaming. We are excited about welcoming new partners because, with their own new perspective and expertise, they can only help us make these objectives a reality.”

Lynn Liu, president and CEO of Aicent Inc. said, “Because of its ubiquitous use around the world, Wi-Fi is evolving into an important mobile access technology for Aicent’s mobile operator customers. As one of the most important global Wi-Fi specification bodies, the WBA is instrumental in the creation of Wi-Fi roaming standards. Aicent is working with WBA members as partners in the creation of the framework for global Wi-Fi roaming. What’s more, the WBA provides Aicent an essential forum to engage in strategic industry and commercial discussions with important industry peers.”

Gilbert Little, Chairman of Accuris Networks said, “Seamless integration and roaming between 3G and Wi-Fi networks has become critical for many mobile operators. We have been working with our customer base to make data offload and Wi-Fi roaming a reality and we feel the best way to realize this in the wider marketplace is to work with Alliance. We look forward to help accelerate the adoption of the required elements within the mobile and Wi-Fi networks and in the devices to enable Mobile operators to leverage the many benefits of integrated Wi-Fi access.”

Cedric Gonin, Orange Wi-Fi Director and Co-Chair of the WBA said, “The key challenge faced by Wi-Fi ecosystem is to provide a homogeneous customer experience. This can be addressed only if the operators, device and networks manufacturers and roaming service providers all share a common objective and work together to build it. We are happy that by extending the WBA community to different kind of ecosystem players, we are now well positioned to make it happen shortly.”

The Alliance’s efforts to make Wi-Fi services easier and more secure for customers are ongoing. The most recent example has been the WISPr 2.0 trial which was launched at the last WBA event in June 2010. The trial has aimed to demonstrate how mobile, cable, WiMAX and broadband service providers can seamlessly connect to Wi-Fi networks by taking advantage of WISPr 2.0 specification. This WBA trial now includes 20 industry participants including Wi-Fi, Mobile and WiMAX operators along with roaming hub providers, network infrastructure and technology vendors. At the Auckland event, the early adopters of WISPr 2.0 specifications from the WBA membership are expected to share initial results. A number of mobile operators are participating in the next stage of the trial to show how WISPr 2.0 can help support seamless Wi-Fi connectivity and 3G-Wi-Fi offload opportunities from mobile devices using EAP-SIM authentication.

The 18th WBA Roundtable Conference is being co-hosted by WBA member Tomizone Limited from New Zealand, one of the largest providers of Wi-Fi Hotspot services in Australasia and the Pacific. At the conference, the WBA members will also discuss the roadmap for further enhancing Wi-Fi user experience, inter-operability and service delivery. The work-areas are expected to include new developments to support a seamless Wi-Fi experience, 3G-Wi-Fi offload and roaming interoperability and compliancy requirements.

The WBA’s goal is to drive wireless broadband adoption globally by developing common commercial and technical frameworks for Wi-Fi interoperability across networks, technologies and devices. Members jointly develop specifications to deliver reliable, trustworthy and seamless wireless services.

About the Wireless Broadband Alliance
The Wireless Broadband Alliance (“WBA”) was founded in 2003 by leading telecoms operators. Its goal is to drive wireless broadband adoption globally by developing common commercial and technical frameworks for interoperability across networks, technologies and devices. It helps its members to deliver quality services with consistent customer experience and reliability to the users worldwide.

The WBA members have successfully implemented commercial Wi-Fi roaming globally using WBA WRIX (Wireless Roaming Intermediary Exchange), an award winning modularised standard service specification developed by WBA. The WBA WRIX makes it easier to implement roaming between WBA members and reduces times to market for new operators interested in expanding the global roaming footprint. The WBA is also collaborating with other industry forums to further enhance WRIX and help harmonise wireless broadband roaming standards including support for Dual Mode devices and WIMAX roaming.

The WBA includes pioneers in the wireless broadband field and its 46 members include leading operators and technology providers with a strategic focus on enabling seamless Wi-Fi services across devices, technologies and networks. The current Board members of WBA are AT&T, BT, Boingo, Deutsche Telekom, Orange France, Portugal Telecom/TMN, True Corporation & Tata Communications Internet Services. Collectively, the WBA members operate over 180,000 Wi-Fi hotpots worldwide and have a pool of more than 350 million subscribers across Europe, Asia Pacific and Americas. For more information, visit www.wballiance.net.

About Aicent, Inc.
Serving more than 2.5 billion mobile users around the world, Aicent, Inc. is a leading provider of data network services and solutions for global mobile operators. To enable interoperability between Aicent customers and other networks, Aicent operates one of the world’s largest GPRS and 3G network eXchanges, connecting to over 150 operators, including nine of the world’s ten largest. Through extensive peering arrangements, the Aicent network reaches nearly all GPRS/3G operators around the world. Aicent also operates integrated mobile messaging services, including one of the world’s first and largest multimedia messaging eXchanges, and offers other value-added services to help carriers maximize revenue opportunities. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Aicent has regional offices in the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe. For more information, visit www.aicent.net.

# # #

RGB Networks,  the leader in network video processing, today announced that its award-winning Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG) has received a coveted 4 Diamond rating in Broadband Gear Report’s esteemed 2010 Diamond Technology Reviews. The VMG was recognized for its advanced “three screen” capabilities which enable cable television operators and other video service providers deliver live programming to TVs, PCs and mobile devices.

“Receiving a high 4 Diamond ranking from the Broadband Gear Report’s panel of esteemed cable engineers clearly shows that the industry recognizes the unique value proposition offered by the modular, carrier-class VMG,” said Nabil Kanaan, Sr. Director, Product Marketing for RGB Networks. “The VMG can make the goal of ‘TV Everywhere’ a reality, enabling video service providers to quickly and efficiently scale from small three screen trials into large service deployments.”

This is the latest honor for the VMG, which last month won the award for “Best Digital Video Processing Technology” in Cable & Satellite International magazine’s annual CSI Awards.

To date, the VMG has won four awards in recognition of its advanced capabilities and potential for enabling a new generation of video services delivered seamlessly to any device at any time and over any network. The VMG enables this three screen delivery using an innovative modular chassis design that utilizes hybrid underlying technologies—FPGA, ASIC, general purpose processors—while allowing in-chassis implementation of multiple applications with carrier-class high availability.

The VMG is currently being used by several major U.S. and international cable operators in their trials of three screen services. The VMG has also been commercially deployed with several cable and telecom carriers which are taking advantage of its advanced transcoding capabilities to deliver more high definition programming to their subscribers.

The Broadband Gear Report’s Diamond Technology Reviews, launched in 2005, is an unbiased technology review program utilizing a distinguished panel of engineering executives from major U.S. cable television operators to judge each submission.

About Broadband Gear Report
Broadband Gear Report (BGR) is the cable and telecom industry’s premier source for product and technology news and is the most successful and fastest growing online outlet for product information and deployments; reviews and rankings; technology expertise; and buyer/seller facilitation. BGR’s portfolio includes online, print and video assets, all designed to help network operators build, upgrade and maintain high-performance communications networks. BGR, backed by over 70 years of combined industry experience, delivers its email, online, print and video production services to over 20,000 subscribers. To subscribe, consult http://broadbandgear.net/subscribe/

About RGB Networks

RGB Networks enables video service providers to migrate to a three screen environment for the delivery of linear and on-demand video over managed and unmanaged IP networks. The company’s success is based on core strengths in transcoding, advertising and overlay insertion, ultra-dense modulation and statistical multiplexing. RGB’s solutions for video delivery to TVs, desktop and mobile devices are built to deliver the highest video quality at the best price-performance on the market—they uniquely offer the density and scalability required to support the growing demands of consumers with integrated functionality that simplifies operators’ network architectures and minimizes operational costs. RGB’s products are deployed by over 200 cable, telco, satellite, OTT and mobile operators in 30+ countries. Backed by principal investors Accel Partners, Kleiner Perkins Kaufield and Byers, and Comcast Interactive, RGB is a private, profitable company based in Sunnyvale, California with offices around the world. For more information, please visit www.rgbnetworks.com.