Swiss consumers are now able to use their high-speed Internet connections to view television as part of a service that Swisscom AG officially launched on Tuesday after delaying the offering for more than a year.

The Bluewin TV service uses the IPTV software platform developed by Microsoft.

The service will initially offer more than 100 TV channels and more than 500 video-on-demand films. Additional features include an electronic program guide with details of current and upcoming programs, a live pause function and remote recording via mobile phone or the Internet.

The Microsoft TV IPTV Edition software platform -- a core component of the Bluewin TV offering -- has been chosen by several other European network operators eager to carve out a chunk of the nascent IPTV market. They include: BT Group, Deutsche Telekom AG and Telecom Italia SpA.

After having experienced some technical problems with Microsoft's initial IPTV product and with the set-top boxes, Swisscom decided to delay commercial service until now.

Earlier this month, Deutsche Telekom launched its IPTV offering, based on Very-high-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) technology.

By comparison, Swisscom offers customers a choice between Asymmetric DSL and VDSL. However, the higher bandwidth supported by VDSL allows two TV channels, or streams, to be transmitted simultaneously over a single access line, allowing customers to record one channel while viewing another, the operator said.

Around 75%, or 2.3 million people in Switzerland, have high-speed Internet connections and are thus able to receive the Bluewin TV service. Of these, 2 million have VDSL connections.

The basic monthly fee is 29 Swiss francs ($23).

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.