Sezmi and YTL to Deploy Wireless Hybrid TV Platform in Malaysia

BELMONT, Calif. and KUALA LUMPUR — Sezmi and YTL Communications, the Internet arm of YTL Corporation, Malaysia’s leading utilities and infrastructure company, today announced a partnership to launch Asia’s first converged intelligent TV and Internet service, which will provide wireless delivery of all consumer entertainment and communications services to homes and mobile devices in Malaysia by the end of 2011.

The wireless “quadruple play” service will be the first of its kind in the world, offering voice, data and television services to the home and mobile devices over a hybrid broadcast and 4G wireless network. This hybrid television component of the offering is based on Sezmi’s comprehensive television solution, which has already been successfully deployed in the U.S. market. The Malaysian system is being developed and deployed by Sezmi in partnership with YTL Communications and will establish Malaysia as a digital broadcasting hub for the Asia Pacific region.

Sezmi’s partnership with YTL marks a significant digital leap for Malaysia, giving consumers ubiquitous access to high-quality HD content, and empowering users with intelligent TV, education and Internet all in one service offering. It also marks Sezmi’s entry into the global marketplace as the only complete, end-to-end solution for hybrid broadcast and broadband television services.

Through the partnership, Sezmi will design and manage the build-out of the digital TV network, and provide the platform and professional services to deploy the entirety of technologies and systems required to operate the hybrid television service in a manner that is integrated with a broad range of consumer devices. Sezmi will also support YTL through existing content partnerships to deliver a rich and complete TV offering inclusive of live television, on-demand movies and shows and Internet video.

In many regions of the world, over-the-air broadcast technology remains the predominant platform for TV. The high cost of upgrading to landline infrastructure capable of supporting television services is simply prohibitive. Combined with emerging wireless broadband infrastructures, Sezmi’s hybrid TV approach is the most effective means of deploying next-generation television services, taking the television experience to a level well beyond anything possible on broadband alone. YTL’s deployment in Malaysia underscores the power of Sezmi’s approach, with a complete quad-play service being delivered over a pure wireless network.

As the the only company in the world with a complete next-generation television platform that is specifically designed for capital-efficient deployment in constrained broadband environments such as YTL’s 4G WiMax network and other existing telco infrastructures such as DSL, Sezmi is poised to take advantage of a huge global opportunity in hybrid television. Industry research firm In-Stat said in a recent report that it expects hybrid set-top boxes to see a compound annual growth rate of 40% between 2010 and 2014, growing to a $1.3 billion dollar industry.

Sezmi is unique in its ability to provide the comprehensive set of systems, end user technology, and entertainment and professional services required to help partners quickly launch this advanced television platform. Furthermore, Sezmi’s wireless reception system, with the most advanced digital TV smart antenna in the market, makes existing TV broadcast much more accessible and reliable for consumers.

“Through our partnership with YTL, Sezmi is helping to deliver an unprecedented range of new wireless services that dramatically raises the bar for television entertainment,” said Buno Pati, cofounder and chief executive officer of Sezmi. “We are very excited to work with a partner like YTL who is passionately committed to such an extraordinary transformation of Malaysia towards a new digital era.”

Sezmi has created a platform that delivers the most advanced personalized digital TV user experience. The solution seamlessly integrates traditional broadcast television, on-demand movies, interactive content and the rapidly growing realm of web video contents in an easily self-installed system that automatically recommends, records and organizes the customer’s favorite shows and movies. Furthermore, the Sezmi architecture has been built to directly support a personalized and integrated experience across multiple screens that include mobile, PC and tablet devices.

Wing K. Lee, CEO of YTL Communications said, “YTL Communications started with a clean slate to build the world’s first converged 4G network in Malaysia. Sezmi shares our vision of delivering amazing new experiences. As experts in next-generation television who have already developed and deployed a hybrid television network in a demanding market such as the U.S., Sezmi brings to us a deep understanding of both customer and technology requirements needed to deliver to Malaysia the world’s first all-wireless hybrid-TV service to enrich the lives of consumers. This is a natural continuum of convergence enabled by our advanced 4G network that delivers amazing experiences to our customers and to bring positive change to Malaysia.”