Update on VOD trials

In Alcatel Telecom Antwerp, together with Alcatel Telecom Stuttgart (Germany) and Alcatel Telecom Velizy (France), the development of broadband exchanges started in 1986 as research project. It resulted in a first demonstration at Telecom Geneva 1991. In the last year the broadband product became mature, and the first commercial projects became reality. Beside some pure broadband projects, a number of video on demand projects making use of broadband networks were started and contracts were signed with the customer. The projects are all considered as trials by the customer; and consequently they are all of a more or less small size. Currently the intention of the customers is to run first a field trial with a limited number of subscribers and for a limited time, before any large deployment is done. The paper describes two field trial projects that have been put into service: the BT market trial and the Belgacom trial.