Digital Lifescapes

Residential gateway devices are critical to ensuring the successful delivery of multiple broadband service applications -- such as on-demand digital video, IPTV and VoIP -- to subscriber homes. These broadband service applications are required to help operators increase their revenue-per-subscriber, by positioning service providers as being able to offer more than basic Internet access. Infonetics Research recently conducted a survey of incumbent and competitive telecom operators in North America, EMEA, and CALA who use residential gateways and CPE to offer broadband and multi-play services. The resulting market study report captures service providers' strategies for deploying and pricing residential gateways, and their top picks for vendors, services, technologies, and features. "There is consistency among our survey findings from last year and this year: Service providers want to deploy residential gateways that are powerful and flexible and have multiple options for...

Voice-over-IP (VoIP) has revolutionized voice communication services over the past several years and has reduced long-distance calling costs for both residential and business broadband subscribers. It's now spreading from the traditional landline applications to the mobile phone user. Usage is on the rise, creating significant opportunity for mobile VoIP gateway equipment suppliers -- as expenditures in this space are expected to soar beyond the $6 billion mark in 2015, according to the latest market study by In-Stat. "Mobile VoIP has only recently begun being implemented in the business environment," says Amy Cravens, Market Analyst at In-Stat . One of the key benefits of mobile VoIP for enterprises is extending desk phone functionality to mobile devices. Business-oriented solutions will essentially enable the user's  mobile phones to become an extension of their desk phones and will deliver, in addition to voice, a unified communications experience -- includi...

Broadband service providers continue to evolve their customer premise equipment (CPE) requirements, as growing consumer demand and new multimedia applications expand the digital home market. According to the latest market study by In-Stat , residential gateway unit shipments were up 18.1 percent from the previous quarter and 37 percent from the same quarter last year. This growth surge was lead by Europe which posted more than a 30 percent increase in unit shipments. Technicolor was the global leader in both unit shipment and revenue market shares. "The overall Broadband CPE market grew in 2Q10 but this was predominately as a result of significant increases in Residential Gateway shipments," says Brad Shaffer, Industry Analyst at In-Stat. "This is a continuation of an on-going trend that began in 4Q09." Highlights from the In-Stat market study include: - Total broadband CPE revenues for 2Q10 were $1.52 billion. - D-Link saw the biggest revenue market sh...

New research from In-Stat reveals that the government vertical is among the strongest industry sectors for voice-over-IP (VoIP) service adoption. This makes sense, since government and education were the primary groups of legacy analog managed Centrex services. Based on the In-Stat market study, 48 percent of respondents in government institutions report that VoIP is deployed in at least one location. The research reveals interesting distinctions among key vertical segments. "Overall, integration is more critical than cost savings," says Norm Bogen, In-Stat research vice president. "However, cost is most critical in the education segment, while scalable features and capabilities are most important in the government segment." In-Stat's market study also found the following: - Verizon is the most cited Current Broadband IP Telephony Provider among government institutions, with a commanding lead over other providers. - AT&T has the leading position as a pr...

Innovation isn't a typical event at mobile phone service providers. If the Apple iPhone hadn't introduced the concept of "visual" voice mail, then it's unlikely that this capability would ever have been introduced by any SP. Likewise, the benefits gained from Skype and Google Voice will drive Voice over IP (VoIP) service evolution. In-Stat estimates the total number of mobile VoIP users will reach 288 million by the end of 2013. Of these, well over half will be associated with online mobile VoIP providers, under one-third will utilize mobile VoIP with traditional 3G MVNOs or mobile operators, and 11 percent with WiMAX/LTE operators. On a geographic basis, mobile VoIP will be heavily biased towards the more progressive Asia-Pacific region, particularly among the online mobile VoIP services. "The near-term opportunity for mobile VoIP is closely linked with the growing success of dual-mode phones and other Wi-Fi connected devices," says Frank Dickson, In-S...

Wi-Fi enabled handset shipments have exploded over the past year, and will continue to show strong growth over the next several years. With the increasing availability, Wi-Fi hotspot usage by handheld devices has increased significantly. As a percentage of total network connects, handhelds (mobile smartphones, etc.) increased from 20 percent in 2008 to 35 percent in 2009. By 2011 handhelds will account for half of hotspot connects, according to the latest study by In-Stat . Other factors are affecting handheld Wi-Fi usage growth as well. There are now a predominance of mobile carriers offering services within the hotspot market, resulting in the promotion of Wi-Fi enabled handset devices. New dual-mode Wi-Fi phones are coming to the market. Growth in applications, such as content download, or even more so VoIP over Wi-Fi (VoFi), will drive usage of handheld devices over the coming years. Emerging high-growth markets, such as China, are now witnessing the launch of new hotspot services ...

The top three important factors U.S. consumers cited in their purchasing decisions of Broadband Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) were speed, security, and Wi-Fi wireless range, according to the latest market study by In-Stat. The least important features were product brand, followed by "green" environmental friendliness. Meaning, it's a typical commodity consumer electronics product category. "While companies are marketing their "green" equipment features, the message doesn't appear to be resonating with consumers," says Joyce Putscher, In-Stat analyst. "Consumers want performance and security." It's not clear from the survey result if In-Stat asked about ease-of-use preferences, since poor device configuration design is often cited in prior consumer surveys of broadband CPE. The research also reveals that while 2008 was the slowest total global broadband (CPE) market growth of the decade, 2009 will be even slower. Fortunately, select...

Mobile Voice over IP (VoIP) is moving beyond its initial benefit, as a preferred approach to make inexpensive international calls from a mobile device, according to the latest In-Stat market study. While Mobile VoIP still poses a potential threat to mobile operator voice revenue, it also represents a dynamic new capability that promises numerous applications. In-Stat projects that by 2013 Mobile VoIP applications will generate annual revenues of $32.2 billion, driven by over 278 million registered users worldwide. One new application integrates Mobile VoIP into a unified mobile interface to social networking sites. In another new development, MVNOs and 3G operators without legacy networks are using Mobile VoIP to more cost effectively add voice to data offerings. In yet another scenario, a few carriers are using a form of Mobile VoIP, UMA, to support better indoor coverage and off-load macro networks. "Applications such as Skype and Vonage have influenced users to think of voice ...

The struggling global economy will slow the growth of Voice over IP (VoIP), but deployments remain wide-ranging at mitigated levels, according to a new market study by In-Stat. Slightly more than one in three U.S. businesses that have deployed VoIP use it exclusively. Many more businesses use VoIP as a partial voice solution. American businesses are also beginning to embrace voice-enabled IM capabilities, particularly among younger workers. "IP continues to be a partial voice solution for most businesses with VoIP, particularly among larger businesses," says David Lemelin, In-Stat analyst. "Therefore, there is significant room for growth even among businesses that have already adopted it." The research, "2008 U.S. Business VoIP Overview: Stick to Fundamentals," covers the U.S. business market for VoIP. The report analyzes and provides detailed end-user survey data by size of business. In-Stat's market study found the following: - 32 percent of Enterpri...

The evolution of the IP media phone product segment is just beginning. Nevertheless, the device has the potential to become the forth screen in the home, as well as potentially become a next generation business IP phone. Service providers and IP phone manufacturers are introducing media phones to add value to traditional voice telephones and enable IP-based services. Devices, such as the Verizon Hub and AT&T HomeManager, support both IP communications as well as delivery of Internet information and multimedia content. In-Stat is offering a free copy of their new media phone market research report, entitled The Media Phone Has Arrived ." In-Stat's market study found the following: - Consumer media phones will generate between $4-$8 billion in annual revenue, worldwide, by 2013. - Business media phones will generate $3.3 billion in annual revenue, worldwide, in 2013. - The U.S. market will open up in 2009, with Europe coming on line in 2010. The research report exami...

Infonetics Research reports that worldwide revenue from hosted VoIP and managed IP PBX services jumped 52 percent to $24 billion in 2007 after surging 66 percent in 2006, and is expected to grow in the strong double-digits through at least 2011. The Infonetics market study uncovered that hosted VoIP services continue to outpace managed IP PBX services by far, with residential services fueling market growth. While VoIP services are being embraced by consumers worldwide, businesses have been comparatively slower in their adoption due to various roadblocks. This is about to change, as technical issues are resolved. For example, many PBX manufacturers have already added SIP trunking interfaces to their equipment, and more recently, they've greatly expanded the list of certified service providers, and that's going to fuel the growth in SIP trunking services. These kinds of developments will boost the overall VoIP business services segment for years to come. Highlights of the Infonet...

Personal IP communications is the future of real-time communications for the individual user. This market segment is categorized into three areas including Web-based services, portals, and mobile thin-clients. Together, IDC forecasts these categories will represent more than $5 billion in annual spending in 2012. At the forefront of the evolution of "voice as an application" are new Web services platforms from vendors like REBTEL or iotum. Voice is becoming embedded in sites, applications, and other services, sometimes by third party developers but also by the original provider. Web-based personal IP communication comes in many shapes and sizes, ranging from widgets and applications for social networking sites, to Web sites that initiate the bridging of calls. IP communication clients for devices, like Truphone and TalkPlus, are integral to the growth of personal IP communication services. While some Web-based services offer a mobile solution via bridging capabilities over th...

What's really holding back fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) service deployment? Some analysts believe that it's technology and CPE cost issues, but I'm not convinced. I believe that it's service provider fear of current revenue stream cannibalization causing these delays. U.S. mobile network operators are just now starting to investigate the use of femtocell technology as a way to keep a lid on both backhaul costs and customer churn rates, but first-generation equipment prices are still too high for wide-scale deployment, according to the latest market assessment from Unstrung Insider. "If there's one safe bet regarding femtocells, it's that success or bust, they're guaranteed to go down in telecom history as one of the most-watched and most-hyped wireless technologies ever," notes Tim Kridel, research analyst with Unstrung Insider and author of their report. "Most U.S. service providers and equipment vendors are still trying to figure out where...

Approximately 54 percent of U.S. companies that have adopted IP communications have integrated it into their operations in a way that has changed business procedures and processes, according to the latest market study by In-Stat. However, adoption is still driven by traditional buying decision triggers, such as equipment end-of-life, lack of capacity, business partnerships, and internal IT initiatives, the high-tech market research firm says. "Contrary to popular belief, current deployment of UC applications, such as collaboration and unified messaging, are spread uniformly across businesses of all sizes," says Keith Nissen, In-Stat analyst. "Unified communication applications are not just for large enterprises." The research covers the market for unified communications. It provides a brief analysis of the business IP communication and unified communication adoption process. The document presents findings from an In-Stat survey of over 1,000 U.S. businesses in a wid...

Continued adoption by enterprises of applications and services based on IP technology is creating a new opportunity for providers of unified communications platforms, especially in vertical industries that are well advanced in the move to all-IP networks, according to the latest report published by Light Reading. "Enterprises face heavy pressure to streamline business processes and increase worker productivity, both of which can be accomplished through unified communications," notes Denise Culver, research analyst with Light Reading's VOIP Services Insider and author of the report. The greatest attraction may ultimately lie in unified communication's ability to deliver strong, targeted applications for enterprises in vertical market sectors, she says. "For example, the insurance industry has a strong need for presence-based and find-me or follow-me technologies, since most of its workforce is made up of teleworkers and road warriors," she explains. Despite t...

After dipping 1 percent in the previous quarter, enterprise telephony equipment manufacturers experienced an 11 percent jump in worldwide sales in 3Q07 to reach $2.6 billion, according to the latest study by Infonetics Research. Revenue and shipments increased in all enterprise telephony categories tracked by Infonetics, led by the TDM segment, which outpaced IP PBX sales in 3Q07, the report shows. "The Big Three (Avaya, Cisco, and Nortel) had excellent quarters, all growing well into the double digits," said Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst for enterprise voice and data at Infonetics Research. "The bump this quarter was partially due to seasonal factors, as the third quarter tends to be strong, but also because of increased demand across the board, even in the TDM segment. Overall, 2007 is on track for high single-digit growth over 2006." Highlights from the Infonetics Study include: - Cisco pulls away from the pack in 3Q07, after several quarters of neck an...