Arqiva Adds New Services and Increases DTT Picture Quality with New TANDBERG MPEG-2 Platform.

TANDBERG EN8100 enables Arqiva to add 2 new channels per multiplex for UK digital terrestrial expansion

SOUTHAMPTON, England -- TANDBERG Television, part of the Ericsson Group (NASDAQ:ERIC), today announced that Arqiva has deployed revolutionary new MPEG-2 video compression to update its UK digital terrestrial (DTT) transmission infrastructure. TANDBERG Television was awarded the contract after extensive technical evaluation and competitive tender. Crucial to the deal is the recently announced TANDBERG EN8100, the world's most powerful, high density MPEG-2 broadcast encoder.

The new TANDBERG Television compression system has enabled Arqiva to add two additional channels per 16QAM multiplex and to achieve an improvement in picture quality. The two additional channels bring incremental revenue to Arqiva, provide more choice to the consumers of the highly successful UK Freeview DTT service, and demonstrate the technology gains of the TANDBERG EN8100 in tightly constrained environments.

Michael Finchen, Director of Digital Platforms for Arqiva says, "We are delighted with the performance of the new TANDBERG MPEG-2 platform, it has delivered results beyond our expectations. TANDBERG Television's commitment to MPEG-2, the close relationship we have with their engineering and commercial teams and the unprecedented performance of the EN8100 were critical factors in our selection of the company, and key contributors to the success of this project."

The TANDBERG MPEG-2 solution for Arqiva includes compression, multiplexing and systems management, as well as project integration and commissioning. A number of test platforms, and two live platforms were all delivered within agreed timescales.

Roger Bolton, EVP of compression systems at TANDBERG Television says, "We have a strategic relationship with Arqiva and are delighted that our technology is helping them to launch new services and achieve better quality. There is a great deal of interest in our new MPEG-2 platform from broadcasters and operators around the world and I am proud that we continue to lead the compression market with business model enabling solutions."

"The EN8100 is ideal for digital terrestrial operators such as Arqiva because of the performance it delivers and its ability to support legacy MPEG-2 set-top-boxes. We are fully committed to the DTT market and to MPEG-2. We recognise the importance of gaining efficiency in existing MPEG-2 multiplexes, especially given the big push from operators wanting to deploy HD using DVB-T2," says Simon Frost, Business Development Director at TANDBERG Television.

The TANDBERG EN8100 will be demonstrated at IBC, along with a number of other compression industry firsts, on the joint Ericsson and TANDBERG Television booth (1:D61). Additional information on the EN8100 can be found at: http://www.tandbergtv.com/productview.ink?productid=3112

About TANDBERG Television TANDBERG Television, part of the Ericsson Group, delivers the multimedia technology and expertise that is moving digital video forward. Whether it's advanced compression systems, on-demand or content distribution, the company's award-winning solutions are used by the world's leading broadcasters, operators and programmers to deliver new viewer experiences and advertising opportunities. With a broad suite of open, standards-based products, TANDBERG Television offers the highest quality solutions for Digital TV, HDTV, VOD, and IPTV. For more information, please visit www.tandbergtv.com

About Ericsson Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 1 billion subscribers and has a leading position in managed services. The company's portfolio comprises of mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision "to be the prime driver in an all-communicating world" through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 75,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 209 billion (USD 32.2 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.

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