Government of Lombardy, Italy Using Digisoft's iTVBox

Cork, Ireland, June 20th, 2006 - Digisoft, a Cork, Ireland-based provider of technologies for developing, deploying and managing interactive TV applications that has enjoyed a fair amount of success in the Italian market (note: the company is also attempting to penetrate the US market and now operates an office in Louisville, Colorado), says that Lombardia Servizi, the technology division of the regional government of Lombardy, Italy, has purchased and taken delivery of its iTVBox product.

According to Digisoft, iTVBox will allow Lombardia Informatica, a Lombardia Servizi-subsidiary that was established in 2004 to build IT systems and services for Lombardy, to rapidly design and develop in-house government interactive TV applications (often referred to as tgovernment applications) for free-to-air local and national digital terrestrial television (DTT): the Lombardy government is launching the applications as part of an Italian government drive to make government services available to Italian citizens via DTT. The applications are based on the DVB-MHP standard. "The take-up of DTT in Italy has been very strong; there are now over four million families in Italy watching free-to-air digital TV," Fintan McKiernan, Digisoft's SVP of sales, said in a prepared statement. "As almost all of the DTT set-top boxes in Italy are MHP-enabled, it means that all of these families can utilize these new services from the comfort of their armchair at home." Added Antonio Lasi, general manager of Lombardia Informatica: "Interactive TV is changing the way people interact with their government. It's easy to imagine that people would much prefer to submit a government application from the comfort of their own home by simply using their remote control and their TV, rather than losing half a day crossing town to wait in line to perform the same operation." Digisoft's deal with Lombardia Servizi will also see Lombardia Informatica joining its international developer group, which Digisoft says will allow it to tap into and share interactive TV development capabilities with an international research and development community.

For more information:

Fintan Mc Kiernan: Senior Vice President EMEA Sales, Digisoft.tv Ltd.
Web: www.digisoft.tv
email: fmc@digisoft.tv
GSM: +353863811031