How do companys control your services/packages ?

Question

How do all the comapnys like cable, satelite, telephone, mobile/cell phone, internet companys control the services that we use from them ?, i mean the type of software and os's they use.

Answer 1

OS mostly based on UNIX / LINUX derivatives (often highly customised).

Access control is based on a 'hand-shake' encryption system with 'keys' for each program / data stream 'type' and with algorithms that are changed every week or so ...

Satellite TV is the most secure with part of the access and decryption hardware contained in a programmable card .... every so often they change the cards ...