Nokia is chosen supplier to British Digital Broadcasting

8th March 1998

UK production site will make Nokia set-top boxes for world's first digital terrestrial service

Nokia Multimedia Network Terminals has been awarded the "most significant UK contract" in its history by British Digital Broadcasting (BDB), the joint venture between Carlton and Granada Television. Nokia will produce digital terrestrial set-top boxes for the launch of BDB's digital terrestrial services later this year. Nokia is amongst the first companies to have been awarded such a contract and BDB is the world's first order for digital terrestrial set-top boxes. The contract represents a multi million pound agreement between the two companies.

Nokia plans to produce these set-top boxes in Scotland and Sweden, supporting local industry. Nokia was invited to tender for the production of the decoders at the end of 1997 and provided a decoder specification based upon its reputation for producing easy to use, innovative and extremely reliable products.

"This is our first order for Digital Terrestrial Terminals and one of the most significant commercial tenders that we have ever been awarded. Our competitive edge in Digital Video Broadcasting together with our investment in research and development has been key in this tender and we are now reaping the rewards. Nokia currently has the lions share of the digital satellite set-top box market within the UK," says Graham North, director of sales and marketing, Nokia Multimedia Network Terminals.

"British Digital Broadcasting is leading the development and deployment of terrestrial digital television and we are very excited to be part of this evolution in broadcasting. Our expertise in this market means we are exceptionally well-placed to meet the demand that will be generated once transmission of programmes begins and Nokia will bring to the market a product that is both state of the art and extremely dependable."

Nokia Multimedia Network Terminals is Europe's leading manufacturer of satellite receivers, with over twenty years' experience in analogue production for satellite TV, and is the largest supplier of digital set-top boxes for satellite and cable in Europe.

Sources