Kabel Deutschland licenses RDK

German cable giant Kabel Deutschland has licensed the Comcast-supported Reference Design Kit (RDK) for in-home devices from RDK Management. 

The RDK is a pre-integrated software bundle developed and licensed to create a common framework for IP and hybrid set-top boxes and gateways.

A number of device manufacturers and chipset vendors have already licensed the RDK software stack. RDK Management is a joint venture between Comcast Cable and Time Warner Cable, and Comcast’s vice-president of licensing and strategic development, Steve Heeb, was appointed president and general manager of the unit in September last year.

“The RDK provides a unified technological foundation for pay-TV operators and our ecosystem of partners,” said Lorenz Glatz, Chief Technical Officer of Kabel Deutschland. “Kabel Deutschland licensed the RDK because it is one of the most positive and promising developments in terms of standardization across device platforms. Not only will we benefit from global economies of scale, but it provides the basis necessary for innovation across our products and applications.”

“Kabel Deutschland is a leading pioneer in the industry, and we’re extremely proud that they have licensed the RDK for use in their product roadmap,” said RDK Management’s Heeb. “It is further testament to the growing interest among global pay TV operators to accelerate new product launch cycles. The RDK provides MVPDs [Multichannel Video Programming Distributors] with the underlying software layer needed to create more nimble and advanced services across STB, gateway, and SoC platforms.”