ANT and Unihan Partner to Target Japanese IPTV Market

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

Cool.revo announced as first Japanese customer

ANT Software (London: ANTP), the provider of software and services for the delivery of digital TV, today announced that Unihan, a wholly owned subsidiary of AsusTek (Taipei: 2357), has licensed ANT Galio Browser for its new set top boxes. The first customer for the new Unihan set-top box is the leading Japanese Contents Delivery Systems (CDS) Integrator and Service Provider Cool.revo who plans to roll-out innovative new IPTV services in Q1 2009.

Sean Kim, VP & General Manager Asia & Russia Markets, ANT, said: “Unihan has a proven record in rolling out successful set-top box solutions in high volumes. By licensing ANT Galio Browser it is able to deliver a robust platform on top of which, service providers such as Cool.revo are able to deliver exciting new IPTV services.”

Analysts predict that IPTV subscribers in Asia will grow from 2.7 million in 2006 to over 33 million by 2012*. Japan and Hong Kong are currently the most mature markets contributing to about 60% of the total Asia/Pacific subscriber population in 2006. These markets are expected to continue to lead Asia/Pacific in IPTV development.

Dr. Steve Huang, General Manager, Unihan, commented: “We selected ANT Galio Browser for our latest set-top box solution as it is one of the most flexible solutions available. By using it, service providers can change the look and feel of the user interface much more easily than with other market offerings. Due to its open standards based design, operators like Cool.revo can also use ANT Galio Browser to create and add new applications really quickly, enabling them to innovate in ways that they haven’t been able to previously.”

Toshiaki Sakuma, President, Cool.revo, added: “The end-user experience is paramount to the success of our service. We provide compelling, intuitive applications and services to our customers. ANT and Unihan share our commitment to deliver this with a robust, reliable solution.”

*In-Stat report: “IPTV In Asia: Carriers Start The Battle” (May 2007)