Zenterio, a leading television and multiscreen solutions provider, announced today that Hrvatski Telekom (HT), a Deutsche Telekom (DT) majority-owned operator based in Croatia, has launched Zenterio OS software on subscribers’ set-top boxes (STBs) to power its new entry-level IPTV offering MAXtv.
The deployment is part of a comprehensive project by DT to harmonize the software programs powering the user experience for subscribers in Slovakia, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Romania, and Croatia. Zenterio OS provides HT with a complete, flexible, and independent software stack for STBs that enables a faster time-to-market for new services, with support for a DT-branded modern user experience and advanced features like live TV with fast channel change, start-over TV, catch-up TV, video on demand, network PVR, and cloud-based air shifting to mobile devices.
“Over the last several years, the television experience has become much more personalized and intuitive, making it an absolute requirement to provide on-demand content on every screen. To meet the complex market demands, we are focused on client software independence and harmonization,” said Goran Car, director of core network & service application platforms sector at Hrvatski Telekom. “Zenterio OS is central to our strategy, providing us with a rock-solid solution that offers more control over client devices, in addition to optimizing hardware sourcing; reducing backend integration time; and increasing our flexibility and reusability of hardware, software features, and software. This launch is a major milestone for Zenterio, HT, and the DT Group.”
By separating software from hardware and providing a harmonized and independent software layer, Zenterio OS reduces integration time and offers operators, such as HT, the flexibility to work with any STB vendor across different countries and ecosystems. Using Zenterio OS, HT can offer next-generation interactive television services to its customers faster and at a lower cost.
Zenterio OS offers a range of user interface (UI) solutions that can run on entry-level legacy boxes as well as high-end browser-based devices. Although the STB deployed by HT is a high-end box, it runs a UI based on Zenterio OS native technology, which is highly optimized. As a result, it can be easily reused on legacy boxes, enabling a quick and stress-free migration of already-deployed STBs, saving both capital and operational expenditures.
With Zenterio OS supporting a seamless combination of broadcast content with OTT services, HT can address the growing demand for premium television on every screen. Through its comprehensive monitoring and audience measurement capabilities, Zenterio OS enables HT to add advertising, improve consumer services, and introduce new revenue streams.
“We’re proud to be collaborating with Hrvatski Telekom in Croatia and the Deutsche Telekom Group, one of the largest multinational operators in Europe, on this extensive project,” said Jörgen Nilsson, CEO of Zenterio. “As operators around the world look to take back control of the user interface and drive better TV experiences, this deployment is a great example of how Zenterio OS enables increased flexibility, reliability, software independence, and harmonization.”
