CI+ is the abbreviated form of common interface plus. This term denotes a decoding technology which is primarily used in the pay television industry. It enables the decryption of encrypted television signals for reproduction on a television set without a separate set-top box.
This is accomplished through a CI+ module – an electronic device which is inserted directly into a compatible television set.
A CI+ module has similar dimensions to a standard credit card, but is much thicker. In order for a CI+ module to work, it must include a smart card linked to a pay TV service (a cable TV provider, for example). UPC, Switzerland’s largest cable TV operator, offers a CI+ module with a smart card which it markets under the Digicard trademark. UPC charges an additional monthly fee for the use of this module.
In Switzerland, CI+ modules have two main uses:
- Direct reception of encoded channels by cable TV customers
- Direct reception of Swiss public television broadcasts via satellite television
Customers of Swiss cable TV services can typically view the most popular channels directly on their television without a CI+ module. However, a CI+ module is required in order to watch more specialized channels without needing to have a set-top box. Channels which can only be viewed using either a CI+ module or a set-top box include the HDTV versions of popular German channels like RTL, SAT1 and Prosieben, the majority of channels in non-Swiss languages and many sports channels and special interest channels.
Some cable network operators offer a CI module with a smartcard, but Switzerland's largest cable network operator Sunrise (formerly UPC) no longer offers these.
Television viewers who want to watch public Swiss television channels via satellite TV using a satellite dish must use a certified CI+ module containing the Sat Access Card supplied by the SRG/SSR. You pay a one-time fee of 75 Swiss francs for this smart card. Residents of Switzerland do not pay additional ongoing fees for the service. If you live outside of Switzerland, you can still access public Swiss television stations via satellite, but you have to pay an ongoing fee of at least 120 francs per year.
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