Vodafone Germany plans hybrid media gateway TV service - CEO

Vodafone Germany CEO Friedrich Joussen has unveiled more details about the company's plan to launch its own TV services during an interview with German newspaper Die Welt. He said that the operator wants to create a central media gateway from its DSL routers using the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standards instead of providing TV via set-top boxes. Vodafone TV will also be available for satellite and cable TV customers, according to Joussen when asked if the operator is not too late with its TV offer. He also said that Vodafone Germany sees enough possibilities to grow organically without the need for acquisitions and confirmed that Vodafone will launch commercial LTE-based broadband services via the 800 MHz frequencies in April 2011 to connect rural regions.