.gif)
BROADBAND WORLD FORUM - All eyes on Berlin
European Communications takes a look at the important issues up for discussion at the Broadband World Forum Europe
The success of broadband penetration into the access network is ushering in a new era of content for the residential consumer and enterprise end-user alike. Just what we mean by "content" is also undergoing transformation, as consumer devices and ubiquitous broadband service is enabling new kinds of entertainment beyond traditional TV - ones which include user-generated content, information, and video applications anytime, anywhere. As carriers around the world continue with wireline and wireless broadband deployment, they must begin to turn equal attention to how broadband usage of key applications - such as IPTV - will shape the future of the industry.
Many cutting-edge developments are taking place in the European broadband marketplace, such as advancements in IPTV. Many of the benefits of these advancements as well as accompanying issues and challenges will be discussed by top industry leaders and experts at the Broadband World Forum Europe 2007 in Berlin this October, hosted by Deutsche Telekom and organized by the International Engineering Consortium (IEC).
IPTV: On a global roll
Indeed, IPTV will be among the foremost topics in delegates' minds. Recent research from the Multimedia Research Group (MRG) indicates that there are approximately 15 million IPTV households worldwide, and that 576 IPTV service providers presently are active in the IPTV sector. According to Helmut Leopold, Chairman of the Broadband Services Forum (BSF), "Television on the basis of Internet protocol (IPTV) is on the threshold to the mass market."
According to the BSF, global IPTV growth will be pushed considerably by the Asia Pacific region with its emerging markets China and India, and Australia, whose IPTV offerings are entering the commercial phase. Worldwide growth will also be propelled by North America, where AT&T and Verizon are getting ready for countrywide IPTV rollout. For 2010, the MRG forecasts approximately 50 million IPTV households, 21.3 million in Europe alone.
"IPTV is red hot," says John Janowiak, President of the International Engineering Consortium (IEC). "This is the kind of application we're going to look closely at in Berlin."
Innovative applications
Several service providers to date have demonstrated the flexibility, individuality, and diversity of IPTV applications - and many of these will be presenting and participating in the World Forum. Such deployments have built upon the end-user addressability enabled by IPTV, as well as advances in fixed / mobile convergence (FMC).
One such case study involves individualized content for young children who are hospitalized for long periods of time. Telekom Austria met the needs of these kids for individualized programming by using RFID chips implanted within stuffed animals, each of which transmits the child's age, language, background, illness, and treatment program to a set-top box. This then yields content and applications appropriate for the individual patient.
"This kind of innovation is at the heart of the emerging broadband world," said Janowiak, "and it's the kind of forward thinking that will be characteristic of the World Forum."
Indeed, as innovative applications and platforms for IPTV proliferate, attention is being paid toward the future of IP-based information and entertainment services across multiple consumer devices. And the three main devices at present-and into the foreseeable future-are the TV, the PC, and the mobile handset. Service providers looking to remain competitive and profitable will need to understand how to deliver content across these platforms in a coordinated, effective, and controlled manner-and a profitable one at that.
"The world of broadband is converging toward an anytime, anywhere model," says Janowiak. "The IEC seeks to bring together industry players to squarely face and analyze these sorts of critical issues. In this sense, the Broadband World Forum Europe will play a central role in moving toward the future."
Share this article with others
Post to del.icio.us
Printed from http://www.eurocomms.com/features/111915/BROADBAND_WORLD_FORUM_-_All_eyes_on_Berlin.html
Comment on this article
Skip to comments
We encourage users to analyse, comment on and even challenge European Communications's articles, including the one above - 'BROADBAND WORLD FORUM - All eyes on Berlin'
User reviews and comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site.
Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site.