Irdeto First in Class to Meet New China CAS Standard

First foreign manufacturer to receive Class A SARFT certification, mandating increased levels of reliability, security and scalability for conditional access systems

BEIJING, China — Irdeto (JSE: NPN), the global leader in securing and delivering premium content and digital assets, has been awarded the latest Class A certification from the State Administration for Radio Film and Television (SARFT). Irdeto is the first international technology company to receive this certification, which mandates increased levels of specification for providers of conditional access (CA) systems in the areas of reliability, security and scalability.

The original CA certification standard was defined in June 2003 by SARFT, and has been updated recently to reflect technology advances, increases in subscriber numbers and the impact of digital television services. The new certification raises higher requirements from the perspectives of simulcrypt and smart card operating systems, common interface support plus security. The CA certification is highly valued as it represents that all elements of Irdeto’s CA solution are fully compliant and interoperable for China’s Digital TV market.

Graham Kill, CEO of Irdeto, commented, “Since 1969, Irdeto has set new standards and sought government certifications that validate our approach to conditional access systems. I am proud that Irdeto is the first foreign company to meet the demanding standards of SARFT. Aligning with these guidelines, which is a precursor for device convergence and the migration toward digital TV, is yet another demonstration of our commitment to the Chinese market that is reaching new heights every year.”

The increased rigor of SARFT Class A certification accompanies an important inflection point for China’s broadcast industry. According to an In-Stat report from May 2010, Asia now accounts for over 50 percent of the global pay TV market, with China alone comprising a 26 percent share. At the same time, increasing bandwidth availability and the Chinese government-driven Triple Network Convergence Policy, calling for the unification among the country’s Internet, telecom and TV broadcasting networks, is quickening the pace at which operators must contend with an increasingly diverse and complex set of media devices and distribution options. In this evolving landscape, it is crucial the value of the content being distributed is maintained.

Irdeto’s CA solution offers high levels of security and the best renewability in the industry to ensure operators can easily, securely and cost-effectively expand their media service business to respond to changing consumer demands and growing threats. Designed as a protection model for high value content formats, the solution leverages a state-of-the-art hardware platform, software technology and cryptography that ultimately lead to a very robust protection plan.