Irdeto, a subsidiary of multinational South African media group Naspers and the proven expert in content security for digital TV, IPTV and mobile networks, announced today that its Irdeto Mobile Broadcast security solution has been selected to protect the pioneering DVB-H trials of South African broadcasting companies
MultiChoice and
M-Net.
The MultiChoice and M-Net trial, which started in November 2005 under a test license, is building unique South African mobile broadcast expertise and yielding invaluable consumer insights amongst trialists in Soweto, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban. The South African field trialists will be amongst only a few in the world with DVB-H-enabled mobile phones tuned in to full live coverage of the 2006 World Cup.
"MultiChoice is committed to pioneering new technologies that support the company's mission of enriching lives. With this mobile TV project we continue to show MultiChoice's and South Africa's ability for innovation, and Irdeto has always been solidly behind us in making that a reality," said Nolo Letele, CEO of MultiChoice."
The Irdeto Mobile Broadcast CA solution, the world's first deployed content security system for mobile broadcast TV, was first implemented by South Korean pioneer TU Media Corp. for their Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (S-DMB) service, commercially launched in May 2005. Additional commercial deployments, including both Terrestrial DMB and DVB-H are planned for this year in Europe and Asia.
Irdeto's mobile TV solution is deployed in more than one million devices, and is licensed to more than 20 device companies. These companies have introduced over 40 types of mobile TV devices, making Irdeto the undisputed leader in service protection for mobile TV.
"MultiChoice's choice of Irdeto for their DVB-H project means that Irdeto is now the only company in the industry that has deployed content security solutions for S-DMB, T-DMB and DVB-H," said Graham Kill, CEO of Irdeto. "Our successful collaboration with operators like MultiChoice and so many of the world's leading mobile device manufacturers proves our joint ability to provide consumers with the rich multimedia broadcast experience they are wanting to enjoy as well as making Irdeto the most experienced player in mobile broadcast TV security."