ATLANTA and SHANGHAI, China, June 28, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Asia Broadband Inc. (Pink Sheets:ASAB) (www.asiabband.com) announces an agreement with Access Devices Inc. (Pink Sheets:ACDJ) (www.accessdevices.com) -- developer of digital television equipment (DVB and IPTV) -- to jointly develop IPTV products, infrastructure and content management for the People's Republic of China. China: Growth, Prosperity and Potential
Building on its success in the online education market, the company plans to make use of its highly regarded content, in particular its children's 'edutainment' products, as an opportunity to participate in the early deployment of IPTV services in Shanghai. Shanghai -- a vast, enterprising city the size of New York -- should prove an excellent testing ground for the combination of the Access Devices Inc. technology bundling with compelling content from Asia Broadband Inc. The partners anticipate that their early work will provide a notable market advantage as IPTV services are rolled out across China to mass market over the next few years. The agreement spans business and technology development, right through to the deployment and support of IPTV services.
Yuguo Zhang, the CEO for Asia Broadband, said, "Asia Broadband is pleased to join forces with Access Devices. We are enthusiastic about the potential of this new platform for the delivery of our programs and products which is complementary to our existing PC based web products. Access Devices is a company that shares our vision of business opportunities within the rapidly growing IPTV market. IPTV platform licenses are likely to result in incremental revenue opportunities for our company in addition to expanding our content delivery channels."
Anthony S. Walton, Access Devices' CEO, commented, "We are delighted to be working with such a capable and respected business as Asia Broadband. Their experience and understanding of the Chinese market, coupled with our proven IPTV technologies, has the potential to create a powerful force within this blossoming and highly regarded nation."
About the Agreement
Asia Broadband and Access Devices will both play to their strengths. Asia Broadband will supply management, infrastructure, relationship development and content licensing. Access Devices will provide IPTV technology, including intellectual property, plus engineering and manufacturing support.
About Asia Broadband, Inc.
Asia Broadband, Inc. is wholly focused on becoming a leading provider of online and blended online/offline educational programs in China and throughout Asia. Asia Broadband operates in China through its 95% owned and controlled Chinese subsidiary, Shanghai Broadband Network, Inc.
Asia Broadband, Inc. is a company incorporated in Nevada with its operational offices in U.S., Canada, U.K. and Mainland China. The Board of the Directors and management are comprised of top entrepreneurs with many years of demonstrable success and world-class business experience gained in the finance markets, education, information technologies and telecommunication industries, both in the West and in Asia.
The major business of Asia Broadband is:
-- Investing, acquiring and controlling e-learning and online
education assets in Asia.
-- Becoming a market leader in delivering blended learning education
solutions to both children and adult learners in China.
-- Transferring and localizing e-learning platforms and solutions
to the Asian region.
About Access Devices, Inc.
Access Devices, Inc.'s principal operating subsidiary, Access Devices Digital, designs, controls manufacture, and sells digital TV (DVB) access equipment and Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) equipment, generically referred to as set-top boxes (STBs). The company has a range of designs, including:
Digital Video Broadcast:
-- Digital Terrestrial TV decoder (DVB-T) products for the
U.K. Freeview service and variants for European TV services.
-- Digital Terrestrial TV decoder (DVB-T) products with
conditional access (CA) for access to premium TV content,
such as that broadcast by TopUpTV in the U.K. and
various developing premium services in Europe.
-- DVB-T Personal Video Recorders -- with and without
conditional access -- for U.K. and European markets that
are expected to follow the U.S. example and show rapid
and substantial growth.
Internet Protocol TV:
-- IPTV (Internet protocol TV) products providing video-on-demand
over DSL.
-- Combination DVB-T decoder with an IP delivery/return path.
-- Access Devices Digital's IPTV products enable 'on-demand,'
'time-shifted' services and true real-time interactivity.
The company's products can seamlessly combine the TV broadcast
and IP delivered content to enable broadcasters to develop
new services across entertainment and commerce.