Media Center: Press Release

NDS Teams Up with HCL to Offer Cost-effective Solutions to India’s Digital Cable TV Operators


Highlights:
  • NDS-HCL partnership delivers world class cost-effective solutions to encourage small cable TV operators in India to migrate to digital broadcasting.
  • The end-to-end NDS solution includes market leading VideoGuard® conditional access, MediaHighway® middleware and NDS electronic programme guide
  • The collaboration between NDS and HCL is at the core of a growing consortium of vendors co-operating to deliver a complete range of services to support the development of digital cable TV in India

MUMBAI, INDIA - March 31, 2009: NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced a tie-up with HCL Infosystems, India’s premier information enabling, ICT system integration company, to enable local cable TV operators to launch digital services and increase their market share. The tie-up will leverage NDS technology leadership along with HCL’s deep understanding of the domestic cable and broadband markets. The two companies will co-operatively offer pre-integrated solutions that are quick to implement and integrate, ensuring fast time-to-market while minimising operational costs.

The collaboration between NDS and HCL represents the core of a recently established consortium of vendors whose common aim is to deliver a complete array of services designed to facilitate the development of the digital cable TV market in India. This is a unique collaboration for pay-TV in India, offering ‘best of breed’ multi-vendor solutions. HCI offers technology from a choice of industry-leading suppliers and vendors, including world-class solutions from NDS, giving operators flexibility to choose the path to digital TV that is right for their budget and strategy.

The NDS-HCL tie-up offers solutions that provide operators with the ideal foundation for migrating to digital and a comprehensive but flexible roadmap for the future, making it easy for operators to offer a wider range of new services, including IPTV and a variety of next-generation, converged solutions.

NDS offers an end-to-end package for digital pay-TV that is competitively priced, based on open standards, and features market leading solutions including VideoGuard® conditional access (CA), MediaHighway® middleware and NDS electronic programme guide tailored to the local market, all designed to help operators fast-track to digital TV.

Both HCL and NDS have well established track records as leading systems integrators, and together will manage all the elements necessary to launch a successful digital pay-TV platform. NDS CA and DRM technology currently protects over 99 million digital devices around the world. NDS MediaHighway middleware has been deployed in over 108 million devices worldwide.

According to Mr. George Paul, Executive Vice President, HCL Infosystems Ltd., “For over three decades HCL has been a pioneer in bringing the latest in technology to empower small and medium sized businesses in India. With this tie-up we aim to offer technology solutions that are affordable, scalable and highly relevant to cable operators in India. We are sure that our collaboration with NDS, as part of our growing consortium of co-operating vendors, will significantly promote the growth of the Indian digital cable TV market.”

Ms. Sue Taylor, Senior VP and General Manager Asia Pacific said, “With HCL and NDS, operators will get access to a choice of solutions. Our open standards-based solutions help operators keep costs down while offering a future roadmap that maximises choice. Together HCL and NDS are offering the most flexible range of solutions available.”

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About HCL Infosystems Ltd.
HCL Infosystems Ltd, with revenue (LTM) of US$ 2.8 billion (Rs. 12,439 crores) is India’s premier information enabling and ICT System Integration company offering a wide spectrum of ICT products that includes Computing, Storage, Networking, Security, Media & Entertainment, Telecom, Imaging and Retail. HCL is a one-stop-shop for all the ICT requirements of an organisation.

India’s leading System Integration and Infrastructure Management Services Organisation, HCL has specialized expertise across verticals including BFSI, Telecom, E-Governance & Power. HCLs offerings for banks cover Core Banking, Core Insurance, Financial Inclusion, MIS, BI, HRMS, CRM, Treasury, Cheque Truncation, Financial Switch, ATMs, Payment systems, Risk Management, Local language support for applications, etc.

HCL has India’s largest distribution and retail network, taking to market a range of Digital Lifestyle products in partnership with leading global ICT brands, including Apple, Cisco, Ericsson, Kingston, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Microsoft, Nokia, Toshiba, and many more.

HCL today has India’s largest vertically integrated computer manufacturing facility with over three decades of electronic manufacturing experience & HCL desktops is the largest selling brand in the enterprise space.

With India’s largest ICT services network that reaches every corner of India, HCL’s award winning Support Services makes it the preferred choice of enterprise and consumers alike.

HCL Infosystems has a 100% subsidiary that addresses the physical security technology system integration market. The subsidiary leverages technology to build a security framework called ‘Safe State’ that will safeguard life, infrastructure & society. For more information please visit us at www.hclinfosystems.in

About NDS
NDS Group Ltd. creates the technologies and applications that enable pay-TV operators to securely deliver digital content to TV STBs (set-top boxes), DVRs (digital video recorders), PCs, mobiles and other multimedia devices. Over 70 of the world’s leading pay-TV platforms rely on NDS solutions to protect and enhance their businesses. VideoGuard® is the world’s market-leading conditional access (CA) and digital rights management (DRM) technology, currently deployed on more than 99 million active devices, and safeguarding pay-TV service revenues exceeding $40 billion. NDS middleware, including MediaHighway® which enables a host of advanced services for subscribers, has been deployed on 108 million devices. NDS DVR technology, centred around XTV™, leads the global industry with 17 million units deployed. (Deployment figures as of 31st December 2008)

Headquartered in the UK, NDS remains committed to investing in R&D with over 75% of its employees dedicated to pioneering work at development centres in China, Denmark, France, India, Israel, Korea, UK and US. NDS has also implemented a host of initiatives aimed at reducing its carbon footprint and helping digital TV subscribers reduce energy consumption.

NDS Group Ltd. is a private company owned by the Permira Funds and News Corporation. See www.nds.com for more information.

Read about the latest developments at NDS and in the pay-TV industry in World Vision.

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For further information:
NDS
Cynthia Ritchie T: +44 (0)20 8476 8378
Director, Corporate Communications critchie@nds.com
Vanessa Griffiths-Green T: +852 2201 9151
Director Marketing & New Initiatives, Asia Pacific vgriffiths-green@nds.com
CMCG India for NDS T: +91 22 2447 3443
Shana Parihar, Director shana.parihar@cmcgindia.com
Breakaway Communications for NDS T: + 1 212 616 6006
Kelly Fitzgerald, Managing Partner kfitz@breakawaycom.com