CenturyTel to test video in Wisconsin

CenturyTel said today that it would conduct a video services trial in La Crosse, Wis., early next year.

The trial, which will be done only in select neighborhoods, represents the first move in what many access vendors hope is a larger deployment. The company, however, only has committed to rolling out the services in additional neighborhoods after a successful trial period.

During the trial, the company will evaluate many of the operational aspects of video service including the ordering process, service delivery, provisioning, marketing and billing.

CenturyTel had put out an RFP to vendors earlier this year, but has since created an internal triple play council to re-evaluate all of its options, including striking a deal with a direct broadcast satellite provider as have SBC, Qwest and BellSouth.

During the company’s second quarter earnings call, CEO Glen Post said he was interested in SBC’s relationship with EchoStar because it allowed a carrier for the first time to own the customer by integrating billing for voice, data and video services. Previous agreements between DBS providers and telcos often involved both brands and little integration beyond some joint marketing activities.