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Market Segmentation for the Digital Home

Whether broadband service providers are ready or not, next-generation consumer applications have arrived, according to In-Stat. Wireline operators are investing billions of dollars in fiber optic cable deployment to introduce IPTV and triple-play service bundles.

Wireline, wireless integration is upon us with the launching of the first Fixed/Mobile Convergence (FMC) services in Europe and the U.S. Yet, these next-generation consumer applications are far different from the old telephone 'custom calling' days. Understanding the consumer, as well as the characteristics of broadband households, will be vital to success.

In-Stat published a research report that examines the lifestyles and behavior of multi-person broadband households in North America, as they relate to next-generation IMS consumer applications. Broadband households in the U.S. and Canada are segmented into six groups, each with a distinctive set of lifestyle characteristics.

Not surprisingly, household buying decisions are heavily influenced by demographic factors, interests and activities. For example, some households set daily schedules around their favorite TV programs, while others buy Personal Video Recorders (PVR). Some adults will buy for their teenagers, others do not.

Interest in next-generation consumer applications is as diverse as the broadband households, themselves. In-Stat belives that viewing IMS consumer markets from a different perspective can be both enlightening and ultimately profitable.

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