Siemens Digitalizes BBC Broadcasting for 60 Million Euros

The BBC has contracted with Siemens’ IT group Siemens IT Solutions and Services for the design, construction, and launch of new infrastructure for encoding and multiplexing, as well as management services until 2015, as announced in a statement from Siemens.

The project, valued at over 60 million euros (40 million pounds), will enable the BBC to successfully transition from analog to fully digital broadcasting. This is one of the largest and most complex encoding and multiplexing projects in the world.

Encoding and multiplexing is a complex process of compressing and converting various elements that make up the output television signals into a form suitable for transmission to terrestrial and satellite digital receivers. The BBC is determined to achieve a transition to fully digital broadcasting of TV programs in the UK. This contract will allow the BBC to replace and consolidate its encoding and multiplexing infrastructure while simultaneously increasing its transmission capacities. The contract with Siemens enables this TV broadcaster to deliver a high-power terrestrial digital signal that will reach 98.5 percent of the UK population by the end of 2012. Siemens IT Solutions and Services will complete the implementation of the solution within two years and manage the service until 2015.

Siemens IT Solutions and Services already provides IT solutions for digital production, archiving, and transmission for several TV stations. Through these projects, Siemens IT Solutions and Services confirms its leading position in the media industry, according to the statement.

Siemens IT Solutions and Services is a leading global provider of IT solutions and services. It covers the entire chain of IT services from a single source, from consulting to system integration, all the way to IT infrastructure management. Furthermore, Siemens’ IT Solutions and Services division expands the offerings of other Siemens groups to software development and IT solutions. With its comprehensive expertise and specific knowledge of individual industries, Siemens IT Solutions and Services brings significant added value to its clients. The new Siemens group was established in January 2007 and employs 43,000 people. According to U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), the group generates annual sales of approximately 5 billion euros, of which 60 percent is generated outside the Siemens group. Additional information can be found at THIS ADDRESS.