CWC To Incorporate The Net With Its Digital Cable Service

Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) has announced that it plans to use internet browser software in its digital cable television services. It has placed an order with Network Computer Inc. (NCI), an affiliation between Oracle and Netscape, for the DTV Navigator – software which will use the internet to deliver interactive services to customers’ televisions.

Graham Wallace, chief executive of CWC said: “The DTV Navigator platform allows us to exploit fully the benefits of our integrated broadband network to provide unparalleled levels of interactivity and speed of access to a wide range of services and applications.”

When it launches digital cable TV in Autumn, CWC will offer ‘on demand’ movies and programmes in conjunction with BSkyB, up to 200 channels and television-based internet access. The company is also planning on launching further interactive services based around education, information, home shopping and banking.

CWC assures that the DTV software is compatible with set-top boxes from ‘virtually’ any manufacturer and will support a wide variety of services and applications which can be written in the standard internet languages HTML and JavaScript. This prevents the need to rely on proprietary technical support.

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