Latens Systems, a pioneer and leading supplier of dynamic, software-based Conditional Access, announced that Com Net Inc., an Ohio-based company offering advanced telecommunication services to 21 Independent Local Exchange Companies (ILECs), has chosen Latens Conditional Access solutions to secure the delivery of video content through Com Net's affiliates. The Latens CA system will combine with Minerva iTVManager Middleware to provide Com Net with a secure end-to-end IPTV delivery platform.

"As telephone companies planning to launch IPTV services our LEC customers need the technologies we deploy to provide carrier-grade strength and security," says Randall Plaisier, CTO, Com Net, Inc. "We selected the integrated Latens and Minerva solution because, following our rigorous evaluation process it provided the best combination of robustness, scalability and content packaging flexibility."

"The close integration between Latens CA software with our iTVManager platform provides Com Net with a robust, scalable and cost-effective solution for its IPTV rollout," says Matt Cuson, Minerva's Director of Product Marketing. "We are excited to be able to offer Com Net a state-of-the-art, secure IPTV service delivery platform."

Latens CA systems are next generation, standards compliant conditional access systems optimized for the broadband IPTV market and have been designed to maximize the revenue earned and retained by the operator. Latens highly scalable solutions are technically advanced and provide operators with unsurpassed levels of security and flexibility.

"Our tight integration with Minerva's leading IPTV Middleware offers operators a unique price/performance advantage. Com Net is the second joint Latens/Minerva customer we've announced since we recently completed the integration with Minerva's Middleware," said Andy Mathieson, Director, Latens. "We look forward to announcing many similar contract wins in the near future for our combined IPTV solution."

Minerva iTVManager provides the necessary tools to manage all key aspects of an IPTV service. Operations ranging from channel and media asset management to service packaging and pricing, as well as subscriber and device management, are easily performed using iTVManager. Providers that already have a business support system (BSS) or operations support system (OSS) solution for back-office service management can easily integrate Minerva iTVManager into their platform by using a robust set of APIs. Minerva iTVManager automates recurring processes like EPG generation, PPV scheduling and billing and supports High Definition Television.