Oberhausen, Germany – 5 September 2016 – EKT, a company specialising in the design and manufacture of Set Top Box & smart TV solutions and ACCESS Co, a global provider of advanced software technologies to the digital TV, automotive, mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) markets, announced the start of a long term cooperation whereby EKT will deploy ACCESS’ Chromium-based NetFront™ Browser BE as part of its solidTV software solution.

The ACCESS HTML5 technology solution will become a core component within EKT’s solidTV, a comprehensive STB middleware that can be deployed as a stand-alone solution or as the “engine” for third party HTML5 based User Interfaces or applications.

“By including ACCESS’ NetFront Browser BE within our solidTV middleware, EKT now supports HbbTV2.0, improved HTML5 compliance and the latest DLNA connectivity all from a single vendor packaged as SDKs that we can quickly integrate,” said Richard Smith, Founder and CEO at EKT. He continued “ACCESS is a world leader in HTML5 technologies and advanced technologies including DLNA technology components. Partnering with them enables us to concentrate on our core competences and improve our solidTV middleware. By taking pre-packaged SDKs for out target platforms, our engineers can focus on specific customer customisation and system integration.”

NetFront Browser BE has been specifically engineered to provide high standards compliance and to leverage the Chromium HTML5 engine. ACCESS offers improved resilience needed in embedded environments and support for extensions needed for the Digital TV market, such as HbbTV 2.0 and UK Freeview Play. NetFront™ Browser BE is built upon the ACCESS experience deployed in providing software for over 1.5 billion consumer electronics devices deployed worldwide. NetFront Browser BE can also be extended with optional modules for use in Operator environments requiring HTML5 Remote User Interface (RUI) or DLNA® VidiPathTM (CVP-2) capabilities.
“ACCESS has a history of innovation, and we are very pleased to add EKT, one of the rising stars of the Set-Top Box and smart TV business, to our customer portfolio,” says Dr Neale Foster, COO and VP Global Sales at ACCESS Europe. “EKT’s control of the STB middleware platform, combined with our expertise in building browsers that adapt to a wide range of devices and supplied conveniently as a software development kit, makes for a truly compelling partnership to serve this fast paced market.”

EKT will gradually introduce the updated solidTV solution with the ACCESS NetFront Browser BE to new and existing customers in the coming months. It will be available on a range of EKT designed hardware platforms for IPTV, OTT and hybrid.

About ACCESS Co. Ltd:
Since 1984, ACCESS CO., LTD. (Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers Index, 4813) has provided advanced IT solutions centered around mobile and network software technologies to telecom carriers, consumer electronics manufacturers, broadcasting and publishing companies, the automotive industry and energy infrastructure providers around the world. The company develops mobile software solutions that have been installed on over 1.5 billion devices, and network software solutions that have been used by over 300 telecommunication equipment manufacturers. Utilizing its network virtualization technology skills and knowledge, the company is currently focusing on the development and commercialization of Internet of Things (IoT) and media solutions that combine embedded and cloud technology. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the company operates subsidiaries and affiliates in Asia, Europe and the United States to support and expand its business globally. Learn more about ACCESS at www.access-company.com

About EKT:
Since 2007, Eagle Kingdom Technologies LTD (EKT) has specialised in creating innovative, customer focused solutions in the field of Set Top Boxes, Smart TVs and Modems. By combining Asian Know How and Western Management, EKT successfully blends DNA from both business practices exceeding customer expectation in design, technology, quality, communication and cost.

A global team of passionate professionals believe that nothing is sacred in our business and by challenging itself and its customers with new concepts and ideas the company keeps creating new opportunities for the entire industry.

Delivering a wide range of products, from Zappers to Advanced Hybrid Set Top Boxes, Operator TVs and Modems, EKT is one of the few business partners to offer a true one-stop solution for Operators. Certified and integrated with many CA, DRM and licenses, EKT is a partner of choice for many tier 1 operators around the world. Visit www.EKT-Digital.com for more information.

For more information please contact:

EKT contact
Mr. Jill Mulder – VP Marketing
Email: J.mulder@EKT-Digital.com

ACCESS contact
Ms. Segolene Roche – Platform PR for ACCESS
Email: segolene@platformpr.com