SCM and Nagravision Achieve DTV Security Module Certification in Korea
April 02 2004 - 3:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
SCM and Nagravision Achieve DTV Security Module Certification in
Korea FREMONT, Calif. and CHESEAUX, Switzerland, April 2
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SCM Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCMM;
Prime Standard: SMY) and Nagravision S.A. today announced they
achieved certification of removable security modules for the Korean
digital television market. The security model is based largely on
the CableLabs(R) OpenCable(TM) CableCARD(TM) interface
specification, as used in the U.S. market. The SCM security module
is the first hardware platform certified against the specification
in Korea. The groundbreaking certification of the Nagravision
conditional access system on the SCM security module opens the door
for both companies to begin deliveries of conditional access
modules and systems. The Korean government, which selected the
OpenCable standard, projects that the DTV market will grow to as
many as nine million households over the next several years. SCM
and Nagravision developed and manufactured the security module
following the OpenCable specifications, then worked together to
implement the Nagravision conditional access system on it. The
CableCARD device is ready for deployment and will be available to
cable operators within the next three months. The CableCARD for
Korea is based on a proven hardware and software platform that SCM
developed, and both companies expect to begin volume deliveries in
Korea over the next one to two years. SCM and the Kudelski Group,
the corporate parent of Nagravision, have a long experience of
jointly providing CAMs to operators in Europe. The
Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA), a non-governmental
IT standards setting body in Korea, conducted the evaluation and
issued the certification, the first such certification awarded
outside the United States. "TTA's testing facilities and expertise
are crucial to the success of Korea's transition to digital
broadcasting technology. It is the only way to ensure these
products meet users' needs, conform to standards and provide
interoperability," said In Sup Cho, managing director of TTA.
"Nagravision was the first supplier of conditional access systems
(CAS) to the Cable Industry in Korea, so we are clearly delighted
to be the pioneer CAS vendor to achieve TTA certification for our
security module. The achievement of this significant milestone is
further evidence of our R & D investment in the Korean market
and also strengthens our position as the leading supplier of Tier 1
Conditional Access Systems in Asia," said Peter Iannazzo, vice
president sales Asia Pacific, Nagravision S.A. "Korea is the first
nation to launch advanced digital cable TV services based on
OpenCable. It has the unique opportunity to establish an industry
that is profitable for all participants, while offering consumers
real choice," said Robert Schneider, chief executive officer of SCM
Microsystems. "Korea has a wealth of progressive companies that are
eager to establish themselves, at home and in the West. Adopting
OpenCable will help to ensure that Korea can maintain technological
cohesion with the United States." Building on its commitment to the
development of digital cable in Korea, SCM will partner with Korean
manufacturers over the next several years to make the security
modules locally. To support broad deployment by Korean cable
operators, SCM plans to drive the quantity price of these modules
to as low as $20 during 2005. The Digital TV Market in Korea In
November 2001, the Korean government selected OpenCable as the
technical standard for securing the country's digital cable TV
broadcasts. OpenCable, originally developed by Cable Television
Laboratories Inc. (CableLabs) for the North American cable TV
market, includes both hardware and software specifications. One
important feature of the standard is the CableCARD interface
specification. Unlike earlier generation set-top boxes, this
removable security module provides interoperability with multiple
cable systems. It is a small device, like a PCMCIA card for a
laptop computer, so it can be sold at retail locations. Digital
televisions will also accept the CableCARD module directly,
eliminating the need for a set-top box. By adopting this open
standards-based broadcast security model, the Korean government
hopes to create a digital television industry that is both
competitive for consumers and profitable for operators. Although
the Korean security module is based on the same U.S. OpenCable
CableCARD interface specification, the Korean security modules will
not operate with U.S. OpenCable devices, or vice versa, for
regional security purposes. The software specification, known as
the OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP(TM)), provides a common
software environment for deploying interactive services. In
February 2002, the Korean government also mandated that cable
operators adopt the OCAP standard, a decision that cable operators,
vendors and related organizations supported unanimously. Digital
cable TV broadcasting services in Korea are scheduled to begin
during 2004. Korean consumer electronics manufacturers are working
on a fast track to build OpenCable- and OCAP-based devices in order
to meet this schedule and satisfy market demand from both cable
operators and consumers. AboutTTA Since the establishment in 1988
of the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA), a
non-governmental IT standards setting body, it has been
contributing as a member of international standards organizations
as well as setting Info-Communication standards in Korea. Moreover,
since December 2001, TTA has been providing one-stop services, from
the establishment of IT standards to the testing and certification
for IT standards products. TTA is promoting the participation of
industry in standardization and also intensifies the collaboration
with international and national standards organizations such as
ITU, ETSI, T1, TTC, ARIB, TSACC and ACIF. TTA has a partnership
with CableLabs for OpenCable standardization and testing based on
MoU signed at October 2002. TTA also has a business partnership
with the world's leading testing organizations, The Tolly Group
(http://www.tolly.com/) and VeriTest of LionBRIDGE
(http://www.veritest.com/) in the U.S. For additional information,
visit the TTA website at http://www.tta.or.kr/. About Nagravision
S.A. Nagravision (http://www.nagra.com/) is the world's leading
independent provider of Open Conditional Access, advanced
management tools and integrated solutions for cable, satellite,
terrestrial and MMDS, FTTH and xDSL operators worldwide. Designed
for the Digital Pay TV, Pay Media over broadcast and Broadband
Networks, Nagravision's Conditional Access systems provide an
easy-to-use interface for controlling customer access rights and
managing smartcard based security in set-top boxes and other
devices. Nagravision's solutions provide Digital TV and content
providers with the tools to operate and manage a range of
interactive services that include e-commerce, interactive program
guides and multimedia-on-demand including VOD. Based on open
standards, they can easily be upgraded with new functions and are
scalable from one to several million subscribers. Nagravision's
Digital and Analog Conditional Access technologies are currently
being utilizedby leading operators worldwide representing over 35
million Digital and Analog subscribers. Nagravision is a division
of the Switzerland-based Kudelski Group (SWX "KUD") and has offices
in the United States, Singapore, China (Beijing and Shanghai),
Brazil, Spain, UK, France, Germany and Switzerland. About SCM
Microsystems SCM Microsystems is a leading supplier of solutions
that open the Digital World by enabling people to conveniently
access digital content and services. The company markets and sells
its smart card reader technology for network and physical access
and conditional access modules for secure digital TV decryption to
OEM customers in the government, financial, enterprise and
broadcasting markets worldwide. Global headquarters are in Fremont,
California, with European headquarters in Ismaning, Germany. For
additional information, visit the SCM Microsystems web site at
http://www.scmmicro.com/. NOTE: All trademarks are the property of
their respective holders. CableLabs, CableCARD,DOCSIS and OpenCable
are trademarks of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. DATASOURCE:
SCM Microsystems, Inc. CONTACT: Dr. Manfred Muller, +49 89 9595
5140, or , or Allan Phua, +65 65515233, or , both of SCM
Microsystems; or Deb Montner of Montner & Associates,
+1-203-226-9290, or , for SCM Microsystems; or Ivan Schnider of
Nagravision HQ, +41 21 732 0940, or ; or Anita Pang of Nagravision
Asia, +65 6831 9339, or Web site: http://www.tta.or.kr/ Web site:
http://www.nagra.com/ Website: http://www.scmmicro.com/
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