Press News

Budapest, November 16, 2006

Introduction of T-Home TV on the Hungarian market encountered demand exceeding all previous expectations. Nine days after the commercial launch of the service several hundreds of orders were received by T-Online Hungary from various points of the country. As it is known the company was the first to launch IPTV service in Hungary on November 6.

T-Online Hungary was the first in Hungary to start preparations in the autumn of 2005 for introduction on IPTV service. Simultaneously with the major network, platform and content developments internal technical tests were started in the spring of 2006. After a public test operation phase started in September in Budapest and several countryside sites with the involvement of T-Online customers on November 6 sale of the IPTV service started.

The reason behind the high demand for T-Home TV is that the new digital television service offers a special experience of television watching not seen so far. Currently T-Home TV offers 53 television channels and three radio channels, as well as numerous additional comfort functions on the existing television set without the use of computer, only with a remote controller at a very attractive price. Some functions which should be highlighted: digital videotheque, various program recording functions, electronic program guide, transmission pause, children lock, delay, playback, picture in picture, presentation of billing and package information and other interactive possibilities, such as reading freemail messages on the screen. Some television channels offer also selection of language and teletext.

T-Home TV that was developed by T-Online Hungary in cooperation with T-Com is available within Magyar Telekom’s service area in Budapest and five other cities (Nyíregyháza, Debrecen, Székesfehérvár, Pécs and Zalaegerszeg) subject to a technically enabled access point. IPTV service penetration will be extended in 2007 as a result of continuous developments and is expected to be available in most large cities in Hungary. It is expected that the number of subscribers will reach by the end of the year several tens of thousands.