India's KCCL deploys Cardless security from Conax on ALi chipset

KCCL launches Cardless security solution from Conax including latest chip technology from ALi

• New project is enabling KCCL’s 3000 independent cable TV networks to expand their Conax Contego™ security hub to include Cardless CA clients and drive rapid digitization in South India

MUMBAI, India — Conax, a leading global provider of solutions for securing digital video content distribution on all networks and devices, today announced that Kerala Communicators Cable Ltd has entered a pilot project to deploy the new Conax Cardless solution launched in September at IBC Expo. KCCL is a consortium of over 3000 independent cable TV networks in Kerala, South India. The pilot project includes an upgrade of KCCL’s existing Conax Contego™ security back-end to include support for the new Conax Cardless secure CA client. The solution consists of Conax Cardless CA and uses Coship STBs with secure chipsets from ALi Corporation, seamlessly complementing the existing card-based STB population. Coship is one of the vendors in a portfolio of licensed STB partners for the Conax Cardless offering.

KCCL operators represent 70% of cable TV services in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala – a region with a population of 33 million people. The enhanced Conax Contego security hub will empower KCCL network operators to easily operate both Smart Card and Cardless clients and differentiate between security requirements of diverse consumer groups and content. Now KCCL will be able to offer a cost efficient solution for targeting low ARPU segments and enabling rapid digitization – as well as reducing churn.

Through a strategic partnership with ALi Corporation, the Conax solution will provide KCCL with a highly secure Cardless solution utilizing a unique combination of hardware (security) and software security; for a revolutionary level of protection not available in pure software solutions. The secure software is executed within a purpose-built hardware protected environment (Secure Execution Environment) within the ALi chipset, the main CPU in the set-top-box level of protection. KCCL has chosen to deploy Conax security evaluated set-top-boxes from Coship. To enable rapid development of the cardless set-top-boxes from Coship and other STB vendors, Conax and ALi are providing a reference design with an embedded Conax Cardless security core.

Mr. Nassir Hassan Anwar, Director, KCCL, “We are pleased to further strengthen our relationship with security partner Conax based on the Conax brand value, long experience and reliability in India, 24/7 support, flexibility of operations and open policy for STB selection. Upgrading KCCL’s security back-end to include Conax Cardless, using Ali chipsets and Coship STBs, will allow member operators to easily create new product offerings using cards or cardless clients based on varied consumer groups. The Conax solution will continue to enable KCCL operators with a future-proof, secure roadmap.”

The combined solution will enable KCCL to capture new business in the next phase of digitization in South India, while expanding their platform for additional business models and content offerings. The Conax Contego solution will also provide KCCL with easy upgrade for integrating future offerings such as VOD, multiscreen and over-the-top content viewing.

Tom Jahr, EVP Products & Partner, Conax, “Conax is very proud that KCCL, a forward-thinking consortium with a unique business model and vision for the future, has chosen to partner in the Conax Cardless pilot deployment. Our aim is to enable KCCL to benefit from the best of both worlds, employing the cardless solution for low-end video content and smart card security for premium content. With the new solution, Conax is providing KCCL with the comprehensive and flexible tools for developing secure business models and capturing future growth.”

Tony Chang, General Manager of International Business Unit, ALi Corporation, “Only a few months after the launch of Conax Cardless security solution at IBC including the latest generation of ALi’s secure cable STB SoC, we are proud that KCCL has chosen Conax Contego supporting both Smart Card and Cardless clients with ALi’s secure chipsets. Using the reference design provided by ALi and Conax, we are pleased that Coship was able to rapidly deploy a cardless STB, thus together we are enabling KCCL to rapidly respond to different market needs. This also further confirms the technical leadership of ALi’s secure chipset solutions in both standard and high definition, as well as the partnership with Conax on delivering cost effective cardless solutions to the low APRU segment.”