Intel's software enabling program helps bring 'digital' closer to home in the Middle East

Based on the arrangement, Awalnet's DSL subscribers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be offered Active Mania's ACTISUITE* solution featuring a host of new services; namely multimedia on demand, audio on demand, video on demand, single and multiplayer gaming, video conferencing, online TV shopping, news, and weather services. The bundle will initially be offered in Riyadh and will soon move on to reach other cities throughout the Kingdom.

"People today expect PCs and consumer electronics to work together easily and reliably," said Sharad Gandhi, Director of Marketing Campaigns and Strategies in the Corporate Marketing Group of Intel Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), "Users are accumulating digital content on their computers that they want to move effortlessly between devices in their houses for maximum flexibility and enjoyment. As such, various industries are joining efforts to create the value proposition that can help realize the era of the digital home. At Intel, we want to work with the developer community as well as the consumer electronics industry, PC vendors, ISPs and content providers to achieve this objective. We are happy about today's announcement, as it shows how users in Saudi and possibly others areas of the Middle East can now benefit from Entertainment PCs to add value to their in-home entertainment experience"

Based on the Intel® Pentium® 4 processor with Hyper-Threading Technology1 and the Intel® 915 Express Chipset, the Entertainment PC combines the functionality of audio and video devices with the power of a high-end PC -- packaged together in a slim form factor that can fit in a living room entertainment rack. The Entertainment PC enables consumers to store and manage personal media including photos and home movies, and to access digital entertainment - including movies, music and recorded TV programs - from a single remote control device.
Operating over an Entertainment PC, ACTISUITE -which has already been implemented in private homes in the region- is an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) delivery solution designed to enable users to easily and efficiently access improved next-generation TV services including web browser software, multimedia solutions and interactive applications over existing broadband networks.

"Thanks to new computer form factors and with IP networks reaching scale and maturity, the next generation of TV services is within our reach" said Roula Zakhour, Active Mania's managing director "The availability of Entertainment PCs that can take advantage of powerful platforms such as the Intel Pentium 4 Processor with HT technology, yet provide a consumer electronics-like experience, creates a strong value proposition that will answer the growing need for on-demand entertainment services."

ACTISUITE's range of video management and delivery to consumer TV experiences makes it easier for operators to get started and quickly expand their businesses.

"Broadband has always been poised as the catalyst that will make new and improved things happen over the internet" said Abdallah Aldubaikhi, President of Awalnet "Therefore we have been looking to collaborate with other companies to deliver on this promise to our users. Having worked with Intel on prior projects, we naturally turned to them to help us find the best ways to make the digital home come true for our projected 15 000 DSL users in 2005 in Saudi Arabia"

"We are happy to have played a part in making this cooperation possible," concluded Dave Ryan, Intel's director of software enabling in EMEA. "Digital home applications have the potential of opening brand new doors before regional software developers, so it is key for Intel to work with local companies to help them take advantage of this opportunity."