Cable & Wireless adopts NCI platform

Network Computing Inc. will deploy its DTV on-screen navigator with Cable & Wireless in the U.K. According to terms of the deal, C&W will license NCI's platform, which will be used with multiple vendors' set-top boxes. C&W currently passes 6 million homes in the U.K. and also has cable holdings in Hong Kong and Australia.

The plan is to use the NCI platform to deploy multiple Internet-based services in different networks, according to Ian Mecklenburgh, head of Internet and new media initiatives for C&W.

"For us, the beauty of the approach is we can re-implement this in Australia because it's technology-agnostic," he said. "One of the biggest standards out there is the Internet."

In its U.K. deployment, NCI's platform will be used only for basic functions, including digital TV.

"Part of the reason for phasing in services is so people don't get overwhelmed," said Dave Limp, vice president of consumer marketing at NCI. "They won't have a browser on their set, but they're going to have things like telex, which is something the U.K. and Europe have had for years."

The first Internet application likely will be something mundane such as e-mail, said Mecklenburgh. The NCI system can be implemented for less than $100 per set-top, compared with several hundred dollars for other options.