RDK now powers 25 million STBs and broadband gateways

Wednesday, May 17th, 2017
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RDK Adoption Expands Around the Globe

  • More than 25 million devices running RDK deployed by operators worldwide; Up 67% from same time last year
  • Past year included new deployment plans announced in Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, the United States and Canada
  • RDK community membership surpasses 300 companies

LONDON — At the 2017 Connected TV World Summit, RDK Management, LLC today provided an update about the continued global adoption of RDK (Reference Design Kit) software solutions that provide a common platform for powering customer-premises equipment (CPE) for TV and Internet service providers.

“Due to the passion and maturation of our community, the RDK has become a prime software development platform that powers more than 25 million set-top boxes and broadband gateways used by pay TV operators around the world,” said Steve Heeb, President and General Manager of RDK Management, LLC. “On both the video and broadband front, operators are actively embracing our transparency and open-source software, collaborating with leading technology companies, and contributing new innovations back to the RDK community. Together, we’ve embraced the best practices of the software industry, enabling operators to iterate faster than ever before.”

RDK-V and RDK-B

RDK software enables TV and Internet service providers to standardize certain elements of CPE and to easily customize the applications and user experiences that ride on top. It enables operators to focus their attention on enhancing customer experiences that drive business results, rather than technical interoperability issues.

The RDK-V (video) software solution provides a common method to manage various video functions on set-top boxes such as tuning, IP video, third party DRM, and media streaming. Operators that have built new UIs atop the RDK are reporting metrics such as, higher customer satisfaction, increased television viewing, and higher VOD purchases.

The RDK-B (broadband) software solution provides a common method to manage various broadband functions on gateways, such as home-networking interfaces (e.g. Wi-Fi and Multimedia over Coax Alliance [MoCA]), device management, diagnostics, and smart home / IoT interfaces (e.g. Bluetooth, Thread and Zigbee).

Both software solutions are available at no cost to RDK licensees in an open source manner, and RDK community member companies can contribute software changes and enhancements to the solution. RDK Management, LLC also disclosed that it is working with members to identify other areas within the “connected home” for possible use of RDK software on new classes of devices.

RDK Deployments and Community Usage

Since this time last year, the number of RDK devices deployed by operators globally rose to 25 million from 15 million, an increase of 67%. Notably, over this period, NOS launched its nextgeneration 4K service based on RDK in Portugal. Liberty Global continued to deploy RDK devices throughout its global footprint. In Canada, Shaw launched a next-gen service which relies on RDK, and Rogers Communications announced plans to do so next year. In the United States, Cox Communications expanded its new TV service which runs on the RDK, and Comcast continued its RDK-Based X1 nationwide deployments. In Germany, new RDK deployments include both Vodafone (formerly Kabel Deutschland) which launched its new GigaTV video service, and Tele Columbus which launched its new advanceTV service. Most recently, in Switzerland, The Quickline Group, confirmed it was using a RDK-based STB software solution for its new TV service.

More than 25 total cable, satellite and telco providers across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia are members of the RDK community and are in various stages of evaluation, testing, trials, or deployment. There are also now more than 300 technology companies in the RDK community across CE manufacturers, SoC vendors, software developers, and system integrators. In general, new RDK software is released every two weeks, and member companies are downloading RDK software components more than one million times every month.

Upcoming RDK Events

Leading members of the RDK community are speaking today at The 2017 Connected TV World Summit. From July 18-20, RDK Management, LLC will host a Technology Summit for licensees in Horsham, Pennsylvania, which will include intensive hands-on technical training of RDK-based hardware, software, and emulators. At the annual IBC conference in Amsterdam, RDK Management, LLC will host its annual RDK European Summit for operators on September 19, 2017.