Time Warner Cable has launched a pilot service to allow cable customers with broadband to access cable television channels over their network connection -- The Broadband TV service is currently only available to some 9,000 subscribers in certain parts of San Diego, California. It will allow cable customers with the Road Runner broadband service to view selected channels on a personal computer, without any additional subscription. Basic cable customers will be able to see a limited number of channels, while those with higher levels of service will be able to see up to 75 channels. The Broadband TV service is delivered over the private data network of Time Warner Cable and it is not possible to access the service remotely, or to record programmes. The service currently only supports Windows PCs with Internet Explorer and RealPlayer 10. The trial service will be an interesting test of the attitude of programming suppliers to the delivery of their channels over a data network. It comes as major telecommunications companies in the United States are planning to launch IPTV or internet protocol television services to compete directly with the cable companies.
The industrial sector is on the eve of a wireless transformation, driven by an urgent demand for greater network capacity, reliability, and deterministic performance. Historically, manufacturers and mission-critical operations have relied on wired networks — favoring their predictability — because spectrum congestion in legacy 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands limited confidence in wireless for operational technology (OT) environments. However, with the introduction and rapid adoption of the 6GHz spectrum, compounded by significant advances in Wi-Fi standards, industrial facilities are now poised to embrace wireless LANs as the backbone for automation and digital innovation. Industrial WLAN Market Development Recent research from ABI Research forecasts that over 70 percent of industrial-grade wireless LAN access points (WLAN APs) shipped in 2030 will support the 6GHz band. This is a leap from 2 percent in 2023, highlighting a rapid and profound technological shift. The market for ruggedized indust...