BT's video-over-broadband due next summer

BT has revealed a few more details about its much-anticipated video-over-broadband service, which is due to launch within a year.

Speaking at the Enhanced TV Show in London this week, Andrew Burke, chief executive of BT Entertainment, said BT planned to generate money from features such as personalised schedules and messaging services such as VoIP conferencing. Burke confirmed that BT was targeting late summer 2006 for the commercial launch of the service.

According to Digital-Lifestyles, Burke also said BT's IPTV device will combine a digital terrestrial television receiver with a broadband receiver, allowing it to receive TV signals through the air and also down a user's broadband connection. It is thought this will allow users to get video-on-demand over their broadband connection.

BT said back in June it had chosen Microsoft's TV IPTV Edition software for its IPTV package, and admitted that the service wouldn't include a full TV schedule.

IPTV is a key part of a BT project codenamed Nevis, which aims to develop broadband-based services for devices other than PCs.

Graeme Wearden writes for ZDNet UK