Having a deployment to point to is a good step. It's also significant simply because there were so many delays. Ready Resources Regardless of the Portugal deployment's success, the Redmond, Washington-based company's resources give it an advantage over other ITV companies, according to Snowden. They aren't dependent on ITV in the near term, so that puts them in a much better position. Loss of Control Snowden said Microsoft does face new challenges in dealing with cable companies that do not want to lock themselves into Microsoft's technology.
Cable operators are adamant about having multiple suppliers.
The Gartner analyst also said Microsoft is using its Ultimate TV satellite set-top box to spur ITV efforts by cable operators. It's helping to push things along.