CASCADE and True in Ground-breaking Launch to Revolutionize Bangkok's IPTV Market

CASCADE and True in Ground-breaking Launch to Revolutionize Bangkok's IPTV Market

April 20, 2006

    HONG KONG, April 20 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- CASCADE
Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of PCCW Limited,
announced that it had completed building and installing an
IPTV system for True Digital Entertainment Company Limited
in Thailand.  True Digital Entertainment Company Limited is
a subsidiary of True Corporation Plc, Thailand's only fully
integrated communications company and leader in convergence
lifestyle solutions.  As the leader in broadband service in
Thailand, True has launched Thailand's IPTV (Internet
Protocol Television) service that will revolutionize the
TV-viewing experience in Bangkok for its broadband
subscribers.  With QualiTVision, CASCADE's IPTV Solution,
True's subscribers will be able to enjoy DVD-quality movies
and TV programming via broadband connections to their
homes.

    CASCADE Limited designed, built and maintains PCCW's
now TV network, the world's largest IPTV deployment.  now
TV has attracted over 549,000 subscribers in Hong Kong
since its launch in 2003.  CASCADE's QualiTVision, the
proven IPTV solution used by now TV, gives True a
self-contained turnkey solution with unlimited scalability.
 True currently dominates Bangkok's broadband market and
will now be able to offer IPTV services, such as broadcast
TV and video-on-demand to increase its revenue streams. 
With IPTV and its added value services, True is targetting
over half a million broadband customers by the end of 2006.


    CASCADE's complete IPTV solution employs network-based
conditional access (network CA), which unlike traditional
content security and anti-piracy mechanisms that rely on
smartcards or software in set-top boxes, cannot be easily
compromised.  Since the "right-to-see" is built
directly into the broadband network equipment on True's
premises, it gives subscribers and content providers the
highest level of security beyond the reach of unauthorized
access.

    CASCADE's feature-rich middleware uses state-of-the-art
technology and enables True to implement flexible marketing
strategies to fit its business needs.  Using the very
latest MPEG-4 compression technology, subscribers to True's
new IPTV service will be able to enjoy DVD-quality video
delivered to their homes, even at a transmission bandwidth
of only 2 Mbps.  CASCADE's QualiTVision solution offers the
highest quality technology and gives True a customized and
complete solution to fit their specifications.  CASCADE was
chosen by True among four leading vendors.

    Mr. Paisit Vatjanapagom, True's general manager,
Broadband Broadcast and Multimedia, said: "CASCADE's
experience and their ability to give us a complete package
is very attractive to us.  Their complete solution with
fully integrated and proven middleware is customizable and
user-friendly, enabling us to deploy IPTV service cost
effectively, securely and quickly.  The Network CA and
middleware are both important factors for us, both in what
we can offer to our customers and what we can give in
reassurance to our local and international content
partners.  CASCADE's packaged solution lets us keep to the
promise at the heart of our vision, which is to be the
leader in convergence solutions to fulfill the changing
lifestyles of Thai consumers in line with global
communications technology developments." 

    Mr. W.W. Chan, CASCADE Limited's Managing Director,
said: "We are pleased to offer True a turnkey solution
and provide them with a complete IPTV service.  We will
apply our experience and knowledge with developing now TV
in Hong Kong to helping True expand its business into IPTV.
 As a 'trusted partner' of our customers, and with a proven
track record in the field, we look forward to providing
True an extremely high level of content protection and
revenue assurance for its cost-effective IPTV business. 
CASCADE Limited is among the largest technical services
providers serving telecoms operators and other
network-reliant organizations in Asia Pacific."

    About CASCADE Limited

    CASCADE Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong
Kong's PCCW Limited and employs more than 3,000
highly-skilled engineers and technical experts.  As well as
meeting PCCW's complex technology requirements, which
include providing a network availability rate of 99.999%,
CASCADE Limited pursues IPTV business opportunities all
over the world.  The company also offers a wide range of
other services, such as designing, building and operating
network infrastructures, operations centers and integrated
network management systems, as well as providing
outsourcing and technical consultancy.  To learn more about
CASCADE Limited, please go to http://www.cascade-ltd.com .

    About True 

    True Corporation Public Company Limited is Thailand's
only fully-integrated communication solutions provider,
convergence solutions leader and premier lifestyle enabler.
 True provides consumers, small and medium enterprises, and
corporations with a full range of voice, data and
multimedia solutions customized to meet their needs.  The
company is the largest wireline service provider in
Bangkok, the largest broadband provider in the country and
a major player in the wireless, cellular and Internet
markets.  Principal subsidiary companies in the True Group
include UBC, Thailand's dominant pay television operator,
and True Move, a major mobile phone service provider.  For
more information please visit: http://www.truecorp.co.th .

    For media inquiries please call:

     Hans Leung 
     PCCW
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  CASCADE Limited