Telenor Selects Next Generation TANDBERG Television MPEG-4 AVC for Norwegian Digital Terrestrial TV

TANDBERG Television’s MPEG-4 AVC video compression and IP systems to play critical role in digitalization of Norway’s terrestrial TV network

Upgradeable solutions from TANDBERG Television to enable a clear path to a High Definition future

Southampton, UK, October 2nd 2006 – TANDBERG Television (TAT.OL) today announced that Telenor Broadcast Holding AS has awarded it an important contract to provide technology and expertise that will support the historical move to digital terrestrial TV (DTT) for Norway. As part if its expanded frame agreement with Telenor, TANDBERG Television will provide its latest products, many of which were launched last month at the IBC exhibition in Amsterdam. The system will include TANDBERG Television’s next generation EN8030 MPEG-4 AVC encoders, the new TANDBERG iSIS 8000 IP multiplex system and its field proven nCompass control and monitoring.



“The move to digital terrestrial television is an historic landmark in Norway and we have selected TANDBERG Television as our DTT technology provider. The company’s flexible IP multiplexing technology and its next generation MPEG-4 AVC encoders will enable us to build a DTT network with a flexible digital television infrastructure that can support the introduction of increased channels and new video services,” says Torkel Aamodt Thoresen, Technical Product Manager at Telenor Satellite Broadcasting. Telenor Satellite Broadcasting will be building and operating the encoding and multiplexing part of the Norwegian digital terrestrial network.



Telenor has a one-third ownership of Norges Televisjon (NTV) which holds the DTT license in Norway. The other partners in NTV include the broadcasters NRK and TV2. Trials of both standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) digital television will start in January next year. The commercial roll-out of the SD service will commence in September 2007.



The DTT platform will use the MPEG-4 AVC video compression standard which will allow NTV to take advantage of bandwidth saving benefits of up to 50% over MPEG-2. This enables NTV to deliver better quality pictures and more channels within the bandwidth of the terrestrial spectrum, and also to achieve the eventual transition to HDTV.



“To be able to complete the successful migration from analog to digital, NTV needs to be able to offer a strong viewer proposition with high quality pictures and broad content choice. The bandwidth savings of our industry leading MPEG-4 AVC encoding and the efficiency of our IP systems enable DTT operators such as NTV to make their business models work and to look forward to introducing new compelling consumer services such as interactive, on-demand and high definition television that help to attract and retain viewers,” says Eric Baron, President of TANDBERG Television EMEA.

About Telenor Group

Telenor is one of the largest mobile operators worldwide with ownership interests in 13 mobile operators across Europe and Asia, constituting a total subscriber base of 100 million. Telenor is Norway’s largest telecommunications company and one of the fastest growing providers of mobile communications services worldwide. Telenor is also the largest provider of TV services in the Nordic region. Visit www.telenor.com for more information.

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting provides extensive television broadcasting services for distribution, contribution and occasional applications to Canal Digital, all the Nordic Broadcasters and many other broadcasters throughout Europe, using its hybrid network comprising of three satellites, terrestrial circuits, two international teleports and four remote earth stations. Additionally, it provides fixed satellite communication and uplinking services for data and remote Internet applications together with VSAT and broadband services in Europe and the Middle East. Visit www.telenorsbc.com for more information

About TANDBERG Television

Whether it’s advanced compression systems, on-demand or interactive television, TANDBERG Television (TAT.OL) delivers the technology and expertise that is moving digital video forward. The company’s award-winning solutions are used by the world’s leading network operators, broadcasters and content owners to deliver new viewer experiences and advertising opportunities. With a broad suite of open, standards-based products, TANDBERG Television offers the highest quality digital TV solutions including IPTV, HDTV, video-on-demand, advertising on-demand, and interactive TV applications to customers in the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa. For more information, please visit www.tandbergtv.com.

Contact Information

Dwight Witherspoon

TANDBERG Television

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