Russian operator Mostelecom, a subsidiary of National Telecommunications (NTK), will deploy advanced chipset pairing and Common Interface (CI+) technology from Conax to protect the content for its service reaching more than 2 million subscribers in Moscow. This will play a key role in a migration to DTV, with CI+ enabling connection of a new generation of devices directly without the need for a set-top box. This, in turn, will enable Mostelecom to employ new business models involving multiple screens beyond the traditional TV.
Also known as DVB-CI, CI+ is a common interface for direct attachment of supporting devices to DVB broadcast services and can involve either a physical module or software. As well as extending the range of devices that can be connected, CI+ also widens the choice of content security, giving operators extra antipiracy options. In the case of Mostelecom, Conax was competing against several other content security vendors.
