VOKA video service - interactive digital television provided by A1 and operating on the SPB TV platform - has been launched on the trains of BelRW, the national railway company of Belarus.
Belarusian Railway (BelRW), the company operating the railway network in Belarus, has launched VOKA video service (interactive digital television provided by A1) on the SPB TV technology platform.
This is a large-scale national project that made hundreds of popular films from the VOKA library immediately available to BelRW travellers. The content to be viewed during the travel will be regularly updated. Each train has a physical server installed, so its passengers may use the video service only through the BelRW internal network.
The technology solution for launching VOKA in trains was provided by SPB TV. This is the first time when such full-fledged OTT solution (involving the use of the Rosing platform’s core) was implemented at transport facilities in conditions of limited equipment capacity and data throughput.
In the near future, full integration with the operator’s network is planned with the aim to increase the functionality for the end user.
“We are constantly striving to ensure that our users have the opportunity to get a new viewer experience, and we are doing our best to surprise them not only with the new content, but also with modern technologies. The launch of VOKA on BelRW trains – thanks to the cooperation with our colleagues from SPB TV – became another important step in this direction. I am sure travellers will appreciate the new format and level of leisure accessible on trains,” – says Anton Bladik, Deputy General Director for Digital Platforms and Content at A1.
SPB TV CEO Kirill Filippov believes there is a high chance the developed solution will enjoy popularity in the media market: “That was the first case of implementing such a solution. We are planning to further develop this kind of format of TV services, while envisioning great opportunities for its application. This experience showed that SPB TV’s technology solutions and developments make it possible to create both large-scale multinational projects and small local services."
A1 is a provider of telecommunications, ICT and content services in Belarus. There are more than 4.9 million subscribers of A1 mobile services in the country; over 1 million Belarusian households use the company’s services. A1 also provides OTT and IPTV services under the VOKA brand, as well as offers data storage and cloud services based on its own data center.
SPB TV is a leading provider of technology solutions for digital television and online cinema services. SPB TV technologies are used by telecom operators and media companies in many countries of the world. The Research and Development Center of SPB TV Group of Companies is a resident of the Skolkovo Innovation Center.