[Satellite TODAY Insider 01-20-11] U.K. set-top box hardware manufacturer Pace signed a deal to provide Canal Digital Sweden with Pace’s MDC1000 head-end platform in an effort to expand the company’s presence in the Nordic market, Pace Networks General Manger Andrew Ward told Satellite TODAY Insider. 
   The Pace headends will receive content from Telenor´s Thor satellites via standard dishes. The signal then will be sent into the MDC1000 and then out to cable networks with no changes required in the access networks. Pace hopes the deal will enable Canal Digital to grow capacity in the headends when required and allow them to introduce IPTV and broadband service.
   “The deal is an important one for us as it demonstrates the quality and flexibility of our solution. Canal Digital Sweden will now only use Pace for these headend upgrades. The Pace Networks offering is compelling for Canal Digital Sweden, as it provides the digital infrastructure they need to access networks where the business case could not be made to work with traditional headend vendors,” Ward said.
   Canal Digital is the second DTH operator to work with Pace, which entered into a technology agreement with Viasat Broadcasting in 2010. Viasat also announced in late 2010 it plans to launch 3-D TV services across the region.
    “We see there being a good level of growth opportunities in the Nordic region, and we already deliver services to Canal Digital in Norway and Sweden and to Viasat. We also have qualified resellers who handle the independent networks,” Ward said. “The Viasat deal announced in 2010 was an extension of our ongoing set-top box supply agreement with them. This has positioned us as a key partner in their set-top box program, where we were first to launch both PVR and HD products with them.”
    Ward believes the Nordic region has been resilient in the face of tough economic conditions and that demand for entertainment in this region has not been significantly affected. “If anything, TV consumption in the home has increased during the recession, as a growing number of people are choosing to watch quality content in the home rather than going out for their entertainment,” he said.

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