ALi Corporation has joined forces with Prime Electronics and Satellitics, a manufacturer specialised in developing and manufacturing digital communication products.
The aim of the partnership is to provide various set-top box solutions targeting emerging markets worldwide.
Mass production shipping of a DVB-T2 set-top box solution manufactured by Prime and powered by ALi chipset was initiated earlier this year to a national telecommunication operator for deployment in the Republic of Belarus, with about 3.7 million television households nationwide. This collaborated solution will provide DVB-T2 receivers to the people in the Republic of Belarus and open up opportunities in the growing STB markets in surrounding CIS member states.
ALi and Prime are also making ready a DVB-T2 free-to-air solution for Thailand, where the T2 system is expected to be up and running in 2014. According to the Thailand National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), 84% of the population in Thailand have access to television, 50% of which is via terrestrial or free TV. Prime is one of the first five manufacturers approved by the NBTC to provide set-top boxes in Thailand. With ALi’s chipset, the partnership platform aims at offering set-top boxes at affordable price points with enhanced performance to the Thailand market.
Looking forward, both companies are jointly working with a Tier-1 conditional access system vendor to offer advanced security solutions for the booming pay TV markets in Southeast Asia and Latin America, where pay TV penetration is estimated to reach 53% by 2018 and revenue to exceed US$26.7 billion, according to Digital TV Research.
Daniel Hsieh, General Manager of Prime Electronics and Satellitics, stated, “With superior R&D and manufacturing capabilities, Prime continues to provide top-class end products customised to meet all market demands. Now partnering with ALi, experienced and proficient at developing innovative STB SoC solutions, we will be combining the strength of both companies and expanding into greater market opportunities.”
Tony Chang, General Manager of ALi’s International Business Unit, commented, “ALi continues to work with world-class partners like Prime in providing best of breed, total solutions that ease development effort and shorten time-to-market. Prime’s revolutionary hardware/middleware designs powered by ALi’s innovative chipset solutions will bring high-quality, affordable STB technology within reach for viewers in high growth emerging countries around the globe.”
