India’s Fastway taps Synamedia for converged headend

India’s fifth largest MSO Fastway Transmissions has tapped Synamedia to provide its converged headend.

Fastway is the first provider in India to go live with Synamedia’s Converged Headend solution, according to the technology company.

According to Synamedia, the deployment will allow Fastway to bring together its video service and IP workflows to deliver a broadcast-quality viewing experience on any screen for its subscribers, managed through Synamedia Video Network Service Manager.

Synamedia’s headend platform includes acquisition and multiplexing, encoding, transcoding, ad insertion, packaging, content protection, origin services and IP transport.

According to the tech outfit, Fastway is one of the first large operators in India to transition to a software-centric video processing platform. The Converged Headend will be deployed on premise and is designed to be extended to the cloud, or a hybrid environment in the future.

Fastway will use Synamedia virtualised Digital Content Manager (vDCM)  to help it make money from its content investments and accelerate the trial and launch of new channels and services in the future, according to Synamedia. The operator already uses Synamedia solutions for broadcast, security, IP delivery and set-top software.

Prem Ojha, CEO at Fastway Transmissions Group, said: “Deploying a Converged Headend Solution is an important technology investment as we set out our ambitious plans for new services and subscriber growth. This resonates with our strategy to enhance our customer service experience on an ongoing basis and will act as a catalyst for the growth of our video and triple play subscribers. The Synamedia team not only solved our technical challenges, they were able to look several steps ahead to ensure we have the best building blocks in place for the future.”

Sue Couto, EVP and general manager of Asia Pacific and Latin America for Synamedia, said: “The pace of change in the Indian pay TV industry is relentless and competition is intense. With Converged Headend, Fastway will benefit from a single workflow for both cable and IP streams, making it possible to quickly adapt to local market needs with new services.  This more streamlined, efficient infrastructure will deliver operational efficiencies, cut costs and give subscribers a high-quality viewing experience on any screen.”