AT&T, the century-and-a-quarter old telecommunications provider, is branching out into cable-style television service, and Conway could be the seventh Arkansas city to get it.
The company's "U-verse" television service involves transmitting a television signal from internet-style servers through AT&T's existing fiber-optic cable infrastructure and to a receiver box hooked up to a standard TV set.
The service was recently made available to parts of Little Rock, North Little Rock, Benton, Cammack Village, Maumelle and Sherwood, and has been launched in 53 markets outside of Arkansas.
"This is part of the new AT&T," spokesperson Ted Wagnon said Wednesday. "This is not traditional cable TV. It uses internet protocol, or IP, to deliver a more interactive service; for example, all of the channels, pay-per-view, etc., reside on an AT&T server. When (the viewers) select it, that video signal comes from our server into that home or that television. Because that programming resides on the server, you can have things like picture in picture whether or not your television was manufactured with that capability or AT&T yellow pages search on-screen."
Wagnon said the TV server and network of fiber-optic cables, which would also continue to carry traditional telephone and internet information, are capable of transmitting high-definition live or pay-per-view television signals to tens of thousands of customers simultaneously. So far, more than 40 HD channels are offered, and local channels and emergency broadcasts would also be provided.
Wagnon agreed that storing and broadcasting the thousands of on-demand and network video and audio files, many of them in high-definition, over what are, effectively, internet connections and to a receiver box that is basically a "mini-computer" does require "a hoss of a server."
According to AT&T press releases, U-verse is powered by arrays of man-sized Sun Microsystems Sun Fire X4500 "Thumper" servers. It is said that the entire Library of Congress could be stored on a single "Thumper" with room left over for another 1.5 Libraries of Congress thanks to a dual-Opteron setup, 48 hot-swappable SATA drives, four gigabit NICs, a HyperTransport link with 6.0 GBps access between processor and memory, something called a Solaris X-86 and several other high-tech devices and bits of new-age electronic wizardry understood only by the experts.
The task of finding one's intended TV program on the U-verse, according to a video demo found at AT&T's Web site, "has never been easier."
If the service is brought to Conway, rates would likely start at $44 per month for a "family channels" package.
The service would compete directly with Conway Corp. cable and satellite TV providers.
Conway Corp. CEO Richie Arnold said U-verse, as he understands it, offers channel packages similar to those available through Conway Corp.
"What will set us apart will be service," Arnold said. "We pride ourself in putting the customers first and trying to offer a high level of service with much the same programming."
Conway Corp. also offers on-demand video, including locally-produced programming.
Before the Conway City Council approves the modification an existing telecommunications agreement with AT&T to permit the sale of U-verse service, the company and city must agree on a fee to be paid the city from profits gathered by AT&T for video services equitable to that paid by Conway Corp.
(Staff writer Joe Lamb can be reached by e-mail at joe.lamb@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1238. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit)
