Opera selected by ZyXEL Communications for new line of set-top boxes

Thursday, January 8th, 2009
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OSLO, Norway — Opera Software today announced that ZyXEL Communications, the world’s leading broadband access solutions provider, has selected Opera Devices 9.5 to bring the full Internet to its new Linux-based set-top box (STB) series. In addition to giving ZyXEL STB users access to their favorite Web pages optimized for the TV screen, Opera serves as the presentation engine on the STB series.

ZyXEL has grasped the full potential of Opera’s SDK by using Web technology and open Web standards to create the user interface, menus and other applications for the STB.

“The set-top box is no longer a foreign object in the home. We are definitely seeing an increase in customer demand,” said Dr. Herman Chen, Assistant VP of IPAV product division at ZyXEL Communications. “We chose Opera due to its solid international reputation and its longevity in the IPTV market. Opera also helped us get our products to market faster by offering us Web technology as a means to create content on our devices.”

ZyXEL intends to release its Opera-enhanced line of STBs primarily in the Nordic region, where Opera has long been a staple on STBs and TVs. Their target customers are service providers who are looking to enhance their subscriber options with a powerful new way to access the Internet, as well as video-on-demand and other services.