This is wonderful. Again something I've been advocating quite vocally. Actually, STBs should be openly available in the market. And operators should provide smart cards just like mobile SIMs.
Customer would then be able to decide what type of box he wants, what manufacturer he chooses, much like mobiles.
However, the STBs would then need to be able to support DVB-S, DVB-T and DVB-C technology for ideal usage. Also, manufacturers might include web access and web based content included. Something like Android/Apple TV.
Just imagine if we get something like that.