Cablemas strengthens its security platform with Conax' open DVB[i] Conditional Access solution - for increased quality and functionality of its digital service

By Conax Staff | Tue, 31 Aug 2010

Mexico City, August 31st, 2010: Cablemas, the country's second-largest cable-TV operator is optimizing its digitization with the Conax cutting-edge content-security platform. The new solution will improve quality and functionality by including redundancy, 24/7 and Evolution Digital STBs.

Cablemas provides voice, video and data (triple play) services for close to 1 million subscribers in Mexico. Through the new platform, customers will benefit from higher quality digital-TV service and a wide range of TV-package options. Digitization of the cable-TV service will strengthen its complete "triple play" offering with the full advantages of a digital environment. Evolution Digital LLC is supplying 200,000 SD and HD STBs (standard- and high-definition set-top boxes), also known as digital terminal adapters (DTAs).

Carlos Alvarez, Managing Director of Cablemas Telecomunicaciones S.A. de C.V, said, "We are very satisfied with our partnership with Conax, our content-security partner, for the deployment of the Cablemas digital platform. We are confident that our combined choice of Conax for security and Evolution Digital for DTAs, will give Cablemas the necessary added value to offer the optimal level of security, quality and functionality needed in such a competitive market as Mexico."

The new solution features added-value improvements to the current analogue content packages for Cablemas customers.

"Adding a blue-chip operator like Cablemas to our customer portfolio is a significant achievement for Conax in Mexico and the entire North American market," Rohit Mehra, Conax VP for North America, said. Conax offers the market an open platform with its Digital Video Broadcasting Conditional Access (DVB CA) solution, allowing operators to choose their STB providers from an extensive list, according to their platform needs."

"Conax and Evolution provide a complete solution that includes the best Conditional Access and the very latest STB features, which meet Cablemas' stringent technical and commercial requirements," added President of Evolution Digital, Brent Smith. Both Conax and Evolution bring years of experience in customizing solutions for operators on a standardised open platform."

Conax joins forces with iexpertus in Mexico (www.iexpertus.com)
Conax has entered a business partnership with iexpertus, a business-development consulting group with considerable experience in Information and Communications Technologies (ICT's) for the Mexican and foreign markets. With the support of iexpertus, Conax plans to open a sales and support office to provide streamlined service to the Mexican market.

About Cablemas Telecomunicaciones (www.cablemas.com)

Cablemas is the second-largest cable television operator in Mexico based on number of subscribers and homes passed. As of 2'Q-2010, Cablemas' served 953,535 cable television subscribers, 325,231 high-speed internet subscribers, and 180,255 telephone services, with over 2.7 million homes passed.

Cablemas is the concessionaire with the broadest coverage in Mexico, operating in 49 cities throughout the country's residential, industrial and tourism regions as of 2'Q-2010. Cablemas has consistently introduced innovative products in Mexico being the first cable operator in the country to provide a "Triple Play" bundled service package of cable television, high speed internet and telephony. More information about Cablemas can be found at www.cablemas.com.

About Conax (www.conax.com)

Conax, a leading global provider of security solutions for digital TV and content distribution, provides content protection for premium pay-TV content via all types of networks - cable, satellite, IP, terrestrial, and MMDS. Through its global network of partners, Conax is able to offer state-of-the-art content security to more than 350 digital TV operators in over 80 countries around the globe. Conax headquarters are located in Oslo, Norway, with subsidiaries in USA, India, Germany, China and Brazil and sales & support offices in Russia, Singapore, South Korea and Canada. Conax is part of the Telenor Group (www.telenor.com). Telenor Group has telecom operations in 14 countries, 174 million mobile subscriptions worldwide and is among the largest mobile operators in the world.

About Evolution Digital (www.evolutionbb.com)

Evolution Digital, LLC was formed to provide cost-effective solutions for small-to-medium size cable operators to stem the loss of subscribers to DBS and Telco competition. By using Evolution Digital's low-cost DTA converter, operators can reclaim analog bandwidth and use that additional bandwidth to enhance their HD and high-speed data offerings. Once momentum is regained, Evolution Digital provides products to win back lost market share and prepare the market for next generation, "over-the-top" content with ever increasing ARPU as TV and high speed data merge. Evolution Digital is committed to open standards for both set-top boxes and content security, providing operators with choice previously unavailable.