Plus: Qwest says it can bid on government contracts again; Akamai, Macromedia team on Flash delivery.
DirecTV inked a three-year, $69 million contract with AT&T last week. DirecTV has been an AT&T customer for 10 years. The contract will support new IP-based technologies such as VoIP throughout the satellite television service company including its customer service call centers.
DirecTV uses AT&T’s voice services to support its customer service operation and AT&T data services to support its enterprise network. DirecTV also uses AT&T’s BusinessDirect customer portal to access real-time network performance reports, request trouble tickets, and troubleshoot and resolve network-related issues.
Qwest last week said it has been cleared to bid on U.S. government contracts after completion of a two-and-a-half-year review by the General Services Administration. The GSA took into account, among other things, significant changes in company management and the company’s ethics program, Qwest says.
During the review period, Qwest continued to win contracts from federal entities including the U.S. Mint and Air Force bases. Qwest provides communications services for the Department of the Treasury, National Institutes of Health, Department of Labor, Department of Energy, Internal Revenue Service and even the GSA.
Akamai Technologies and Macromedia are teaming to give end users a quick, secure way to speed the delivery of Flash video to desktops. The companies last week announced the immediate availability of Akamai Streaming for use with Macromedia Flash. Executives say the service will eliminate the need to deploy video on-demand applications across multiple browsers and platforms because users will be able to instantly view video using Flash Player.
Content providers upload media such as movies, product demonstrations, corporate announcements and sales training to Akamai’s EdgePlatform, where it is stored and delivered on demand. Pricing depends on use.
