Northwest Communications Coop, serving over 6,000 customers in western North Dakota, joins the growing list of video operators switching to MG-TV from Innovative Systems.

When asked why NCC continues to operate in the video business, Plant Manager Ryan Olson states that offering a triple play of broadband, video, and voice helps them remain competitive in markets beyond their ILEC. Competitors companies intend to continue offering video services, and Olson states that including video in their service bundle will allow them to reach more customers’ homes.

NCC selected Innovative Systems because other North Dakota companies had switched to it, enabling system component sharing for their local off-air channels using the InnoCoder from Innovative. NCC and other video operators have found that having localized servers resolves the transport issues encountered with their previous middleware vendor.

NCC is implementing MG-TV in several phases. The first phase, which is mostly complete, focused on streaming customers, while the second phase will involve migrating their legacy IPTV customers.

Olson advises video operators, whether experienced or new, to seek opportunities for knowledge and skill-sharing with neighboring non-competing companies that offer video services.