Charter Leads Charge on Downloadable Security

Securing systems responsible for the delivery of service has always been a primary concern for telecommunications companies. With the threats posed to these systems rising at an alarming rate, service providers are seeking more efficient and effective ways of combating the often crippling dangers posed by people intent on gaining unauthorized access to their networks. Charter’s efforts in this regard will soon see it testing a cloud-based, downloadable security system for its new set-top boxes. This testing phase is expected to commence within the coming weeks.

New set-top box opens up a world of possibilities

The new security system that Charter is set to trial will be mounted on the “Worldbox” set-top device, which was unveiled in January at CES 2015. The integration of these new boxes into a proposed cloud-based service delivery network should see security updates being remotely pushed to the devices as soon as they become available. This is expected to significantly increase the speed with which the provider is able to respond to emerging security threats. It’s also highly likely that the introduction of this item of hardware and its supporting software ecosystem will eventually lead to the phasing out of the CableCARD-enabled set-top boxes that most Charter cable TV subscribers currently use. The potential benefits of such a switch are far-reaching.   

Charter’s new hybrid set-top box.
(Courtesy of cedmagazine.com)

The Problem with Piracy

Piracy has historically been one of the biggest problems affecting the cable industry. Unauthorized access to content delivery systems and signals has often resulted in subscribers experiencing noticeable drop-offs in the quality of service that they’re able to enjoy. This is in addition to the heavy (and often unmanageable) stress loads that these illegal actions typically impose on the networks responsible for the delivery of television service to customers. It’s anticipated that the introduction of a downloadable security solution will go a long way towards reducing both the prevalence and impact of these activities.

Charter poised to play pivotal role

The enormity and importance of the security issue is one of the main reasons why the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and various industry players have adopted a collaborative approach to the matter. Charter, which is represented in FCC’s commission document on the Downloadable Security Technical Advisory Committee (DSTAC) by SVP and Chief Technology Officer Jay Rolls, is among the companies leading this thrust. The provider’s prominent position is underpinned by its recent moves towards deploying “Worldbox” set-top boxes, which draw heavily on the Open Media Security (OMS) solution, in the coming months. Successful adoption of this standard and its associated technologies could pave the way for the FCC to achieve its objective of arriving at a platform-neutral security solution in the near future.    

Jay Rolls, SVP and Chief IT Officer of Charter Communications.
(Courtesy of cablefax.com)

   

  

Charting a course towards a more secure future

The future deployment of Charter’s downloadable security solution could be a game-changer. The imminent launch of the initial phase in this process of evaluation is due to commence shortly. If everything goes well, Charter subscribers could be in line to reap the various benefits expected to result from this development later this year.