Digital+ selects Aldea for delivery of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Digital+ to utilize Aldea in offering the best quality and most technologically advanced coverage of the World Cup

MONTREAL, May 10 /CNW Telbec/ - Aldea Solutions, Inc. a leading provider of international video broadcast transmission services and Digital+, majority-owned by Sogecable, today announced plans to collaborate on the delivery of complete coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup from beginning to end.

Digital+'s subscribers throughout Spain will be able to enjoy the matches in HDTV and the 10 best matches will be broadcast in 3D for the first time in history.

Aldea will deliver the broadcasts from studios in Johannesburg, South Africa to Digital+'s main studio in Madrid via its state-of-the-art fiber optic network.

The companies expect the entire nation to be watching as the Spanish national team is a favorite for this summer's World Cup, having won the European Cup Final in 2008.

"Digital+ has always been on the leading edge of technology and we chose Aldea based on their history of innovation and quality of service delivery", said Jose Amselem, Director of Communications. Amselem explained that: "We were looking for a cost effective solution with minimal latency in the transmission of the signal. Indeed, we will need to deliver multiple HD and SD feeds between Johannesburg and Madrid, with data and bidirectional communications for coordination purposes, and all these goals are very well met by Aldea. It has been a smooth and coordinated project between both companies".

Lionel Bentolila, CEO of Aldea, added: "To ensure the best possible service and experience throughout this unique global event, Aldea is using diverse high-capacity fiber-optic routes out of South Africa, and is implementing the latest high-quality transport and video encoding technology platforms. The event will be managed by an experienced 7x24 technical support team in South Africa, as well as a dedicated operations and monitoring team at Aldea's headquarters in Montreal, Canada".

Juan-Felipe Gonzalez, VP of Worldwide Sales for Aldea, added: "This deal represents a win-win for Aldea, Digital+ and its subscribers as the two companies combine to offer world-class coverage of the most important sports contest of the year".

    
    About Aldea
    -----------
    

Aldea Solutions Inc. is a leading provider of broadcast-quality video services and solutions for the television, film and media industries. The Company provides end-to-end worldwide transmission services using fiber facilities. The Company operates the first pan-American fully automated fiber-based network for broadcast services with points-of-service in major cities throughout the Americas, and with international points-of-presence in Europe. www.aldea.tv

Aldea is a fully owned subsidiary of Marcatel.

    
    About Marcatel
    --------------
    

Marcatel, established in 1996 in Monterrey Mexico, offers voice, data and telecommunication infrastructure services throughout Mexico via its high capacity fiber optic network covering more than 5,000 route-kilometers. www.marcatel.com

    
    About Digital+
    --------------
    

Digital+ is a subscription television service in Spain operated by Distribuidora de Televisión Digital S.A. (DTS).It is a subsidiary (100%) of Sogecable owned 100% by Prisa Multimedia Group. Digital+ is the result of the merger between two pay TV platforms existing in Spain in July 2003. www.plus.es

For further information: Karen McCone, Vice President, Technology and Marketing, Aldea Solutions Inc., [phone], Fax: [phone], [email protected]