Latens, a provider of software based conditional access system (CAS), announced that Telefónica del Sur (Telsur), one of the leading providers of quad play services in Chile, has achieved significant growth using Latens’ software-based CAS solutions.

Telsur offers a combination IPTV (News - Alert), voice, Internet and tele-vigilance services to Chile customers. The communications provider has achieved over 25,000 subscribers in Chile, according to sources at Latens.

Launched in July 2007, Telsur's wireless Internet TV (WITV) IPTV service is now in the second phase of deployment. The company has made significant investments in upgrading and expanding its network, IPTV services and feature set, said Latens officials.

Telsur IPTV service offers 120 channels of standard definition digital TV with Electronic Program Guide (EPG), Parental Control and Video on Demand (VoD) capabilities.

Latens’ software only Conditional Access (CAS) is highly integrated with Telsur's IPTV partners including Minerva's ITV middleware, set-top boxes from Amino and in-home multimedia distribution from Ruckus, said company officials.

The software-based CAS provides operators of IPTV, Cable, DTH, DTT and Hybrid networks with the most advanced content and revenue protection, claim Latens. Unlike the traditional legacy systems, Latens software CAS uses dynamically renewable technology which provides many advantages to operators over traditional smart-card based solutions.

The use of renewable technology allows operators to be confident of protecting revenue streams whilst reducing operational expenditure, company officials say. Latens’ software-only CAS also allows Pay-TV operators to follow a business model that reflects regional requirements, without the additional capital expenditure imposed by smart-cards.

In a release, Robert Massé, Gerente de Tecnologia de Telefónica del Sur, said Latens has been an invaluable partner throughout Telsur's entire IPTV deployment and growth phases helping us to overcome many problems and to become a leading IPTV provider. “As a software only solution, Latens CAS has allowed us to grow rapidly and scale without risk,” he said.

Alex Borland, business development director at Latens, said, “Securing the content of one of the leading IPTV providers in Latin America is a great endorsement of Latens software CAS.”

“We are proud to be working closely with Telsur as it further develops the network and are looking forward to continuing to support Telsur by protecting content and enabling the innovative company to grow its subscriber base,” Borland added.

Latens recently entered into a partnership with EchoStar Europe, a supplier of added-value, connected device solutions to the digital television industry, to integrate its state-of-the-art HDX-600, high definition (HD), hybrid digital video recorder (DVR) with Laten’s card-less conditional access system and ECO middleware solution, TMCnet reported.

In another such development, Orangeville, Utah-based Emery Telcom has launched IPTV services in Utah powered by Latens ECO middleware and pre-integrated conditional access system.