No abstract

In Alcatel Telecom Antwerp, together with Alcatel Telecom Stuttgart (Germany) and Ncatel Telecom Vel& (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 larger deployment is done. The customer wants to lhave some early experience with Video On Demand; hence it is also for him a complex business : beside buying and installing the required network equipment, VOD servers and customers premises equipment's, he aIso has to provide video content like movies, TV programs, etc., and hewants to