ZAP selects ARRIS for Network DVR and VOD in Africa

ZAP Selects ARRIS APEX3000 to Support New Services Such as Network DVR and VOD in Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — ZAP, a television service provider in sub-Saharan Africa, has chosen the APEX3000 from ARRIS Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARRS) to enable delivery of network DVR (nDVR) and video on demand (VOD) services.

The solution was deployed by ARRIS Select Value Added Reseller (VAR) Satcab, a Portuguese based company focused on the design and the delivery of professional, digital media projects.

The APEX3000 is able to merge network traffic in an agile and flexible way. Service providers, like ZAP, face increasing demand for narrowcast channels to support growing consumer entertainment desires, such as expanded VOD libraries and nDVR. The need for a solution – such as the APEX3000 – to increase channel capacity has never been greater.

The deployment at ZAP follows the successful use of the APEX3000 solution by NOS, ZAP’s sister company and one of Portugal’s premier providers of Internet and TV services. NOS deployed the APEX3000 in 2013 to efficiently manage the exponential rise in popularity of catch-up services. Following the implementation in Portugal, the APEX3000 became ZAP’s recommended solution with the deployment being facilitated by SatCab.

Luis Henriques from ZAP said: “Providing value-added services to our subscribers will ensure we continue to be the provider of choice for our customers. The rising demand for catch-up TV meant we had to upgrade and improve our delivery network and the ARRIS APEX3000 was an ideal choice as it allowed us to consolidate video and data services in an agile and flexible way. Not only can we offer services we know our subscribers want, but we also ensure our network can effortlessly scale up as we grow.”

A Better Entertainment Experience

Increased content choice and people’s busy lives have driven the demand for catch-up services. The ARRIS 2014 Consumer Entertainment Index (CEI) showed that binge-viewing is becoming ubiquitous with 80 percent admitting to watching multiple episodes of a series in one sitting, and the most popular way to binge-view content is via a free catch-up service. This appetite to watch more TV in a single sitting has meant that DVR technology has had to improve to keep pace. The CEI report also showed that 62 percent of DVR owners said they had to delete programs because they ran out of space, and this caused frustration 74 percent of the time in homes surveyed. ZAP’s deployment of the APEX3000 facilitates the move to an nDVR model and alleviates concerns about local storage, a trend that is growing across the industry.

“We know that the best way for service providers like ZAP to ensure subscriber loyalty and expand their customer base is to be at the forefront of the entertainment experience. VOD and nDVR are clearly at the center of this new wave of advances that are improving entertainment. Our APEX3000 Universal Edge QAM is integral to this as it connects legacy architectures with a new converged platform, essential to transforming networks for tomorrow’s viewing experiences,” said Steve McCaffery, Senior Vice President, EMEA and APAC, ARRIS. “This deployment will help reduce future upgrade expenses and offer the scale that ZAP needs as it continues to grow in the region.”

“We have a large experience with QAM modulators”, said Martin Jahn, CEO of Satcab S.A., “and we immediately recognized the potential of the APEX3000 and the benefits that it can offer to our customers. This product is definitely the reference for cable operators that need a high density platform for video and data services.”

APEX 3000: Density to Meet Demand

The APEX3000 was built with capacity in mind; the installation of a high-density QAM within a network leaves channels left over for future DOCSIS data use. While for some service providers the migration to a CCAP is planned for the future, the need for a product that can increase channel capacity now allowing for full transition later has never been greater. The APEX3000 is designed not only to serve as this bridge for future rollouts of CCAP, but also to meet growing demand for narrowcast video.

ARRIS will be exhibiting in the Satcab Booth, #03, at the upcoming Africa Com conference on Nov. 11-13, 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa.