|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Nokia Opens New Factory in Motala, Sweden, to Produce Multimedia Terminals
August 21, 1996
Last year, Beta-Technik gave Nokia a breakthrough order for delivery of 1 million multimedia terminals for the reception of digital TV-programs in European homes. This is the largest single order so far for multimedia terminals in Europe. Beta- Technik is a company in the German Kirch Group, a leading media company in Europe. Production of the terminals has already started and significant volumes of the so-called 'd-boxes' have been made. There are some 25 million households in Germany. Over 1 million already have access to pay-TV and in four years the number of digital-TV viewers is expected to exceed 6 million.
'The d-box' which will turn a normal TV-set into a PC has been developed by Nokia. The TV can thus be used for receiving the growing number of digital satellite-TV- programs as well as interactive services like home shopping, dataprograms, CD- ROM-services as well as e-mail and telefax. The walls between entertainment, data- services and telecommunication have thus disappeared.
By agreeing on the standard DVB/MPEG2* for all European digital TV-transmissions it is expected that it will be adopted also by many other countries. The future global market for digital multimedia terminals is predicted to have an enormous growth potential where European technology will play a leading role.
Nokia´s production of digital multimedia terminals as well as analog satellite receivers and decoders has been concentrated to Motala, Sweden, where the first tests with satellite-transmitted TV-programs took place already in 1976. Today, Nokia is a leading manufacturer of satellite receivers in Europe.
Nokia Multimedia Network Terminals' new factory will employ a staff of 300. The production capacity will be approximately 1 million 'd-boxes' per year and the factory will have space for further expansion.
| |
