Latens to Protect Digicable's 12 Million Subscribers

Latens wins contract to supply world’s first large scale downloadable software Conditional Access solution for “one-way” DVB networks

BELFAST, UK — Latens, the leading provider of downloadable software conditional access (CA) for digital Pay-TV, today announces that it has been awarded the contract to provide its Latens BCAS next generation conditional access system to Digicable Network (India) to protect and enable a national broadcast cable Pay-TV network with an estimated subscriber base of over 12 million.

Latens BCAS is being deployed to cable subscribers over a “HITS” satellite distribution system that is part of Digicable’s nationwide roll-out plans. The nationwide roll-out will begin with 20 cable headends in major cities and then expand into other areas. This offering is designed and built so that cable networks delivering services based upon the Digicable solution can support a diverse range of consumer set-top boxes and PVRs available in the Indian market.

Jagjit Kohli, CEO of Digicable Network (India) is described as a doyen of the Indian cable TV industry. He is the former CEO WWIL. Mr Kohli and his partners were instrumental in the set-up and growth of earlier digital cable and satellite Pay-TV networks in India. “We are focused on delivering the future of television in India, and giving our customers the best viewing experience,” says Jagjit Kohli, CEO, Digicable Network (India). “We have a very experienced team, commercially and technically, and we are used to working with Conditional Access vendors. We knew that we had to work without the costs and limitations of smartcards to create the advantage needed for the Indian market. We evaluated a number of potential solutions and Latens had the only viable solution in terms of security, functionality, scalability and cost of ownership savings. We also spoke with reference customers and found Latens had an enviable reputation for delivering complex projects and supporting their customers. This kind of partnership was very important to us.”

“We are pleased and proud to be working with Digicable on such a major deployment,” says Jeremy Thorp, CEO, Latens. “Digicable’s management have worked extensively with Pay-TV and legacy CAS systems in India, so they really understood the benefits of deploying the Latens software CAS instead of smartcards. They also carried out a thorough security validation of all software CA solutions on the market and concluded that Latens BCAS provides superior anti-piracy technology and strategies as well as a number of compelling business benefits.”

Latens BCAS is the world’s first secure, downloadable, fully DVB compliant softwarebased Conditional Access System for Pay-TV broadcast networks over cable, satellite and digital terrestrial networks. This new deployment makes Latens the only CAS vendor to have standards based, software CAS deployed and protecting valuable Pay-TV services for operators with one-way broadcast networks, two-way DOCSIS cable networks, IPTV over FTTH and XDSL and hybrid systems, confirming Latens’ leadership in next generation software based Conditional Access solutions.