After working out technical problems, Swisscom rolls out Microsoft TV IPTV Edition and offers customers a choice between ADSL and VDSL Swiss consumers are now able to use their high-speed Internet connections to view television as part of a service that Swisscom AG officially launched on Tuesday after delaying the offering for more than a year. The Bluewin TV service uses the IPTV (Internet Protocol television) software platform developed by Microsoft Corp. The service will initially offer more than 100 TV channels and more than 500 video-on-demand films. Additional features include an electronic program guide with details of current and upcoming programs, a live pause function and remote recording via mobile phone or the Internet. The Microsoft TV IPTV Edition software platform — a core component of the Bluewin TV offering — has been chosen by several other European network operators eager to carve out a chunk of the nascent IPTV market. They include: BT Group PLC, Deutsche Telekom AG and Telecom Italia SpA. After having experienced some technical problems with Microsoft’s initial IPTV product and with the set-top boxes, Swisscom decided to delay commercial service until now. Earlier this month, Deutsche Telekom launched its IPTV offering, based on VDSL (Very-high-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line) technology. By comparison, Swisscom offers customers a choice between ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ) and VDSL. However, the higher bandwidth supported by VDSL allows two TV channels, or streams, to be transmitted simultaneously over a single access line, allowing customers to record one channel while viewing another, the operator said. Around 75 percent, or 2.3 million people in Switzerland, have high-speed Internet connections and are thus able to receive the Bluewin TV service. Of these, 2 million have VDSL connections. The basic monthly fee is 29 Swiss francs (US$23). Technology Industry