IPTV equipment sales on the up

Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and switched digital video (SDV) sales are on the up, according to new research.

Communications market research company Infonetics Research has suggested that the market has increased by 12 per cent in the first quarter of 2008.

The firm's report into the growth indicates that the growth in the market is being driven by an increased number of service providers releasing new IPTV networks or expanding existing networks.

It is also thought that the market is expanding thanks to the introduction of switched video capabilities within digital TV networks, which means subscribers get more high definition content.

"While most of the segments we track in the IPTV market are seeing consistent quarterly growth, IPTV middleware is going to be an especially interesting segment to watch," commented Jeff Heynen, directing analyst for IPTV at Infonetics.

It is estimated that the IPTV market is now worth approximately £660 million pounds worldwide.

It was also announced today that Nippon Telegraph, Sony and a number of others are unifying their technical standards for IPTV.