Japanese Government Plans to Unify IPTV Standards
March 15, 2007
Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is planning to unify domestic IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) standards currently developed separately by two consortia: one led by consumer electronics makers including Matsushita and Sony, and the other by telecommunications companies such as NTT. The Ministry plans to set up in April 2007 a committee in charge of the endeavor and conduct field trials in September of the same year following establishment of the national standard. Moreover, in a bid to go international, the Ministry wishes to tender the Japanese standard to the International Telecommunication Union by the year-end and start applications in 2008.