T-Systems unveils latest developments for radio and television T-Systems will be showcasing the latest developments for broadcasting at the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA). Digital radio and television offer consumers pictures and sound with higher quality as well as additional information like images and background reports. The Deutsche Telekom systems house will be presenting media professionals in Berlin with fast transmission links via Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and the Internet Protocol (IP).
In the last few years, Deutsche Telekom has been putting a nationwide network for Digital Radio (DR) into operation together with the regional transmitter network operators. This network currently covers more than 60 percent of the population. The new radio broadcasting service based on fully digital transmission not only transmits music of CD quality, but also texts, pictures and additional information such as background reports. Digital Radio will replace FM analog radio in the near future. Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) will transmit bits and bytes in future via short, medium and long wave. To this end, T-Systems will be presenting highly sophisticated methods of modulation at IFA that will enable stereophonic transmission on medium wave.
Digital terrestrial television is a further highlight (Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial, DVB-T). T-Systems has launched pilot projects in several German regions, among them Berlin and Brandenburg, in order to implement this broadcasting platform. The ZDF television channel will be using it during the IFA to launch the "ZDF mobil" program. In connection with this, T-Systems will also be unveiling an Electronic Program Guide: the so-called EPG tells the user what's on TV and also provides background reports' and this independent of program providers.
Fast networks for large amounts of data
With ATM Broadcast Services, T-Systems will additionally be presenting the media industry with a powerful network for transmitting audio and video data. New interfaces and network functionalities as well as the possibility of integrating IP-based platforms via ATM add to the various uses of these services. In future, T-Systems will provide ATM lines at key broadcast locations: reporters will then be able to use the ATM infrastructure for a set period via an access code.
In the Audio Video Services product area, T-Systems will be demonstrating new streaming technologies for multimedia transmission. These are based on the Telekom Broadcast Network, a network that transmits and distributes multimedia content on the IP platform with high speed. The homepage on the Internet can thus be turned into a radio or TV channel. With T-DSL (Deutsche Telekom's Digital Subscriber Line), films can be piped in TV-like quality into living rooms via the PC.
Information about T-Systems "T-Systems" is the second largest system house in Europe with 37,000 employees (as of January 31, 2001) and a total revenue of approx. EUR 10 billion. In addition to mobile communications, Internet and network access, Deutsche Telekom has defined the systems solution sector as one of its four strategic growth areas. In a unique way, this new company bundles worldwide expertise from the telecommunications and information
technology (IT) sectors. debis Systemhaus - a joint venture of T-Systems International GmbH (50.1 percent) and DaimlerChrysler Services AG (49.9 percent) - provides the necessary long-term IT experience and Deutsche Telekom provides the relevant telecommunications knowledge in T-Systems . The new company, T-Systems , started operation in Germany and over 20 other countries in February 2001.