Microsoft today announced its second-largest worldwide IPTV customer in Deutsche Telekom AG, which will use Microsoft TV IPTV Edition software platform over a VDSL network.

“This is now our ninth commercial deployment announcement and the largest in Europe,” said Ed Graczyk, director of marketing and communications for the Microsoft TV. “They will begin deployment in mid-2006.”

T-Com, a DT company, is building the VDSL network and initially will reach 10 major markets in Germany, including Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Munich, with services expected to reach 50 megabits per second. T-Online, also part of DT, has been testing the IPTV platform.

“In recent months, the experts at T-Online have run the Microsoft TV platform through extensive tests, and we are convinced that we will be able to offer excellent-quality IPTV services that will expand as we need them to,” said Kai-Uwe Ricke, chairman of the Board of Management for Deutsche Telekom AG, in a prepared statement. “IPTV delivered via VDSL will enable better, more service-oriented, more interactive and, above all, more customised television. With this advanced television service, Deutsche Telekom and Microsoft are writing another chapter in our long-standing cooperation, tapping new markets and together exploring exciting new growth opportunities.”

Other IPTV customers in Europe include T-Online in France and Ya.com in Spain, as well as BT, Telecom Italia, Swisscom and TDC in Denmark, Graczyk said. AT&T and Verizon have both announced commercial deployment of IPTV in the U.S. and BellSouth, Bell Canada and Reliance Communications in India are trialing the Microsoft platform.