Iowa Video Provider Says Rural Market Not Ready for Cord Cutting

LAWTON, Iowa - July 12, 2018 - PRLog -- Western Iowa Telecom is currently in the process of moving customers off their RF cable system and have chosen the Innovative Systems IPTV Middleware Solution for the delivery of the customer experience. According to WiaTel's General Manager Heath Mallory, their customers are not opting for an exclusive OTT video experience in their homes and says WiaTel is investing in technology that better fits the rural consumer who is comfortable with a linear video format.

Mallory says that his customers are taking advantage of OTT offerings, but they are doing so while maintaining their traditional video service. When comparing RF to IPTV head to head, the decision to go with IPTV was based on lower operational costs. Mallory says Innovative Systems video is the best solution on the market when you consider provisioning, subscriber management, and service upgrades.

The Innovative Difference Over Cable

Some of the major upgrades WiaTel's customers have commented on include whole home DVR, the Weather App and Restart TV, features that were unavailable with their cable system. WiaTel is also joining a growing group of video providers who are not offering premise-based DVRs, opting instead for hosted Cloud DVR on the InnoStream™ Video platform.

Video Growth from Rural Fiber  Expansion

Mallory acknowledges that content costs are not going to go down, but by investing in companies like Innovative helps to reduce operational costs and by using tools like channel stats reporting they can make decisions on eliminating channels that no one is watching and reducing some of those content expenses.

About WiaTel

Western Iowa Telecom has been providing communications service to communities in Northwestern Iowa for over 50 years. WiaTel offers a full suite of services including broadband, video, phone, network, and computer support. Visit  www.wiatel.com

About Innovative Systems

For many years, Innovative Systems has been a leading provider of solutions for the North American Tier 3 market with nearly 1200 systems deployed.eLation™, our OSS solution, includes integrated billing, financials, automated provisioning, ACS, and Staking and Mapping. The InnoStream™ server is our one-platform approach to IPTV solutions such as Middleware, VOD, Cloud DVR, Restart TV, HLS Packaging, Conditional Access, and the new IS-5112W set-top box.  The APMAX™ hardware platform provides enhanced voice and hosted business solutions. The Innovative Systems Print Division specializes in full color printing of variable data statements and invoices for industries including telecom, utilities, and sanitation. For more information, visit www.innovsys.com.