Microsoft Selects Symbio as a Microsoft® Mediaroom™ IPTV Set-Top Box Testing Partner

BEIJING, SAN JOSE, Calif. and TAMPERE, Finland, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Symbio, a leading software foundry and provider of outsourced product development solutions worldwide, today announced it has been selected by Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) as a Microsoft Mediaroom set-top box integration and testing partner.  Symbio will provide software quality assurance and testing services for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to test new STB models for deployment by Mediaroom's clients, enabling enhanced user experiences, faster time-to-market, and more choices of STBs for service providers and consumers.

According to a recent Broadband and Digitally-Connected Home report by Lee Ratliff, senior analyst at iSuppli, the leading market research firm focused on the electronics value chain, global shipments of IPTV STBs are projected to grow to 28.7 million units in 2010, up 48 percent from 19.4 million in 2009.  Shipments will also rise at a 25 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2009 to 2014.

Microsoft Mediaroom is the world's most deployed IPTV platform, with a global customer base delivering services to more than five million subscriber households.  Mediaroom is also enjoying increased deployments in emerging geographies and segments, where the business models can demand low-cost set-top boxes with high performance to ensure highly engaging user experiences.

"Symbio provides an efficient global service delivery network spanning multiple continents," said Steve Koepp, Senior Manager, Business Development, Media Platforms Business, Microsoft Corporation.  "As a set top box testing partner, Symbio supports Microsoft's goals of further scaling the Mediaroom set-top box OEM ecosystem and providing Mediaroom-based operators with more set-top box choices."

"Symbio is delighted to leverage our expertise in advanced product development and next generation entertainment services to work with Microsoft Mediaroom," said Jacob Hsu, CEO of Symbio. "Our focus on creating great user experiences and expertise around tight integration between hardware and software enable us to serve a strategic co-creation role, delivering digital TV services to the global market."

About Symbio

Symbio provides advanced software product development and engineering outsourcing services to the world's technology leaders. Symbio specializes in feature-rich software products for companies embracing the digital convergence transformation in communications and technology. By leveraging its deep expertise in mobile, embedded, Web-based, enterprise and user experience driven technologies, Symbio enables its clients to focus on their core competencies and scale up their product delivery pipelines. World-leading companies like China Mobile, IBM, Nokia and PayPal already rely on Symbio to bring new products to market with the highest quality, speed, cost-efficiency, and innovation. With global headquarters in Beijing, China, San Jose, USA, Stockholm, Sweden and Tampere, Finland, Symbio is the product co-creation partner companies trust to deliver integrated global software development with local touchpoints in the client's home market. For more information about Symbio, visit www.symbio.com.

Microsoft and Mediaroom are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

SOURCE Symbio