Amsterdam // 2004-09-10

Dutch national project for broadband innovation selects PacketFront for its next generation FTTH platform

PacketFront, the next generation broadband infrastructure provider and leader in open access fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) technology, has announced at IBC 2004 that it is working with Kenniswijk BV, the company implementing the innovative Kenniswijk Project, to help build its FTTH environment in Eindhoven. The Kenniswijk Project is the Netherlands´ most important national consumer Information Communications Technology (ICT) and infrastructure scheme, initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs to investigate the social and economic impact of broadband in a community environment.

The Kenniswijk Project has been set up as a vision of the broadband future, where the impact of digital service delivery to selected households in the Eindhoven region is closely monitored and assessed. PacketFront’s Intelligent Broadband Solution has been selected by Kenniswijk BV to enable the provision of ‘triple play’ broadband services - TV/video, telephony and Internet – to residents in this area, thereby realising the full potential of the FTTH network. PacketFront’s solution also enables multiple service providers to offer competing broadband services to Kenniswijk’s households over this one physical network infrastructure.

"One of the main aims of the Project is to really push the limits of what a fibre-optic infrastructure is capable of delivering," said Henk Koning, general manager of Kenniswijk BV. "As such, we needed a platform that not only accommodates the introduction of triple play services, but that also creates an environment which stimulates the development of innovative service offerings and applications such as e-health and distance learning. The PacketFront solution is perfect for our needs. It is both on the cutting edge of broadband technology, and also inherently flexible in the way it allows us to control and provision services."

The key component of PacketFront’s Intelligent Broadband Solution is BECS™, the award-winning service control and provisioning system. BECS enables operators to build and manage fully automated broadband networks with on-demand, self-provisioning functionality. This gives households the ability to increase capacity and change services for themselves, cutting out the delay of waiting for a third party to make the changes.

"Kenniswijk’s commitment to getting the most out of broadband for consumers is laudable, and we are very happy to be working with them as part of this project," said Martin Thunman, CEO of PacketFront. "Kenniswijk is fascinating for us because it is also a learning environment. It is designed to investigate how broadband-enabled households use the internet, whether services such as e-health are feasible, and if residents feel more or less involved in their neighbourhood. This kind of feedback is invaluable in guiding the way in which we develop our technology in the future."

The contract with Kenniswijk has been signed via PacketFront’s Dutch partner, Isolectra, part of the TKH group. Isolectra will act as a skill-centre and be responsible for the implementation of the PacketFront solution.

About the Kenniswijk Project
Kenniswijk is an initiative of the Dutch General Directorate of Telecommunication and Post (DGTP) of the Ministry of Economics. Kenniswijk is an experimental environment in the Eindhoven area where consumers have access to innovative products and services in the area of computers, (mobile) communication and internet. The intention is that the developments within the Kenniswijk-area are, on average, two years ahead of the rest of the Netherlands in 2005, resulting in a "consumer market of the future".

About Kenniswijk BV
Kenniswijk BV is a public-private co-operative organisation that operates with national and international companies and institutions, the public sector, government departments and consumer and resident organisations. The company focuses on realising the consumer market of the future, which by the end of 2005 will be two years ahead of average market developments. In order to achieve this, Kenniswijk BV coordinates and facilitates innovative (broadband) services and broadband infrastructures. The development and use of these innovations is boosted by, among others, subsidy instruments for companies and consumers. Go to www.kenniswijk.nl for more information.