Is scalability problems effecting Microsoft?

Filed in archive IPTV on January 26, 2007

AT&T Inc.'s rollout of its new U-verse IPTV television service is being delayed by glitches in the Microsoft Corp. technology. At least that is what was written in the Wall Street Journal. My read of the people and the project suggests that 'scalability' may be the issue.

And that answers a question that I've had this last month: namely, why isn't AT&T promoting U-verse in the neighborhood that I live in even though it is supposed to be available to me? AT&T Chief Financial Officer Rick Lindner said in an interview that they decided against heavy marketing of the TV service because it doesn't want demand to increase until the problems are solved.

AT&T executives discussed their TV rollout yesterday as the san antonio-based company posted fourth-quarter results, its first financial report since its $86 billion acquisition of BellSouth Corp. Mr. Lindner chalked up any issues with its TV rollout to "normal new-product development" and said that AT&T plans to offer TV to eight million homes by year end. "We're adding customers slowly, watching the platform and trying to train our technicians and improve installations," Mr. Lindner said.