The announcement this week that SureWest Communications has chosen Widevine Technologies for its conditional access and digital rights management is a victory both for Widevine and for software-based security solutions.

SureWest pioneered IPTV deployment, and until recently was the largest U.S. deployment of the technology – at the end of the first quarter, the company has 20,445 video customers, a number AT&T has now probably past with its multi-city deployments. The Roseville, Calif.,-based company initially used a hardware-based security solution, but with its expansion, has shifted to a software approach, said Matt Cannard, vice president of marketing for Widevine.

One major advantage to the software approach is that it enables SureWest to extend its services to PCs and wireless devices, he said.

“They have invested heavily in their network,” he said. “They want to future-proofing their network and their business growth strategy. It’s a very competitive situation locally with cable, and this will enable them to add new revenue.”

“We are committed to meeting customer demand for new services,” said SureWest senior vice president and CTO Bill DeMuth, in a prepared statement. “With Widevine’s integration into our existing IPTV infrastructure, we expect to quickly deploy a successful and reliable solution. Widevine’s ability to protect content delivered on multiple platforms and multiple formats enhances our ability to roll-out new and improved services quickly. Acquiring the best content is critical for our success. Having a single security solution that fulfills the content owners’ requirements and our needs, with the flexibility to grow and deliver to the devices our customers want, enables us to remain very competitive.”

Widevine provides downloadable content protection, forensic watermarking and digital copy protection solutions. Its software-based approach uses a renewable client that replaces Smart Cards, which are subject to illegal cloned and must be physically replaced at higher cost.