I recall last week when a high-level Microsoft executive said to me that they were pleased with Microsoft IPTV adaption in North America and Europe, but their company needed to find more partners in Asia. Well, it didn't take long to see movement on that front.

Today, Singapore Telecom, Southeast Asia's largest telecommunications operator, selected Alcatel-Lucent to provide an an end-to-end IPTV solution. That solution integrates with Microsoft TV's IPTV edition. The Alcatel solution also includes HP ProLiant servers and video headends from harmonic.

Right now, this is in the technical trial stage. But since Singapore Telecommunications is Southeast Asia's largest telecommunications operator, it could lead to significance in the world of IPTV.