Verizon hints on next-generation FiOS software
The September 14 edition of the Wall Street Journal details some of the struggles Verizon had had in working with Microsoft to expand the software and features of its set-top boxes and digital video recorders. The article also provides some hints on what’s to come for Verizon FiOS service in the next six months.
According to the WSJ article, Verizon began its work with Motorola and Microsoft back in 2004. Verizon planned to roll out features on its service in three phases, with each phase adding progressively more features to the set-top box hardware and the FiOS TV service. However, they’ve encountered a number of obstacles with the Microsoft software because the code is too slow for the Motorola hardware. Finally fed up with repeated Microsoft’s delays and ineptitude, Verizon took matters into its own hands and assigned company engineers to the project.
The third and final phase of Verizon’s plan is codenamed Project Mercury. Among the goals of this software is to make it much easier for customers to use the company’s video-on-demand services. The project is currently slated for completion and deployment in early 2007, with potential test deployment in one or two markets before the end of the year. Unfortunately, details beyond that are sparse for now.
See the full article at WSJ Online.