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Cisco bets on the future of video with contest: What do you wish your TV could do?

Cisco is doing its research in coming up with a contest designed to engage constituents interested in video platforms, and produce a smart video that portrays how video content could integrate with your TV in the future. Titled, “If your TV could do anything, what would you want it to do?” the contest throws down the gauntlet in asking for the best idea of what the future of TV should look like.

Research

Where did the idea come from? While researching the dynamics in the future demand for mobile content, Cisco pulled together statistics in indicating the potential growth in video over a wide array of platforms in the not too distant future. Referencing Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2009-2014, Cisco confirms the prediction in exponential growth in the way video is accessed in the future and maybe how your TV screen will interact with these platforms, where an increasingly mobile market is set to explode in capturing video. This in turn, sets the stage for how video could end up on your TV from many different venues.

From E-911 responders, police, and various security measures for government entities, both mobile and wireless technologies will allow real-time video of actual events taking place from external locations throughout the world. Cisco addresses current applications in helping communities to discover the benefits of such use with, Cisco Outdoor Wireless Solutions for Mobile and Wireless Video Communications and how it can help protect the safety and welfare of communities and their citizens.

Benefits:

Reduced danger to enforcement personnel
Safer citizens
Quicker response to incidents
Advance information in the field
Full connectivity on any platform
Easier installation while saving space and power

Appendix B: The Cisco VNI Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Methodology

Cisco predicts that it will not be the connection which will be the central traffic driver, but the device itself from the likes of smartphones, non-smartphones, laptops/tablets/netbooks, e-readers, digital still cameras, digital video cameras, digital photo frames, in-car entertainment systems, and handheld gaming consoles. It also forecasts the inclusion of the fundamental drivers in mobile data traffic coming from available variables like connection speed, pricing of connections and devices, computational processing power, screen size and resolution, and even device battery life.

TV does not necessarily mean, (TV in the traditional sense)

What does all this mean for consumers and businesses? The TV can be any kind of mobile device capable of capturing video and processing it across multiple platforms. Where will your TV screen be in the next two to three years? How will you view TV from a more traditional aspect? It certainly does not seem to reference the big screen home TV in a historical context, but forecasts the external access to video that can be captured, viewed and then uploaded to your big screen as a caveat. It will be as much a business concept and a personal one. However, do expect and get ready for unprecedented growth in video content applications for the mobile TV screen in the coming years.

Cisco Sees Flip Camera Catching on with Corporate Users (beet.tv)
The Sleeping Giant Awakes: Cisco Launches First Smart Grid Products (earth2tech.com)
Cisco to Buy Design Consulting Firm Moto (abcnews.go.com)

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The National Broadband Plan: Affordable-Speedy-Accessible-Competitive-Socially Sound

A connected America

The FCC’s recent release of its long awaited Broadband Plan has hit the streets with a resounding affirmation of what America needs with connectivity, competitiveness, affordability, speed, and social readiness. If the plan is adopted as proposed, America will truly benefit from the economics of a public-private partnership in creating a superior broadband pipeline for global success, see (National Broadband Plan: Connecting America).

The Plan Outline:

Accessible and Affordable to 100 million homes with speeds of 100 megabits upload and 50 download
Be (Number One) in Mobility access and speeds compared to any other nation
Create Universal Access for all Americans including the means, skills, and affordability; if they choose
Upgrade Community Schools, Hospitals and Government buildings for access to 1 Gbps broadband service
Create a Public Safety Wireless Network and access for all first responders
Promote a Clean Energy Economy, and ensure Americans are able to track energy consumptions through broadband

The Road Map:

Foster robust competition within the broadband sector to drive demand for increased network performance while lowering deployment cost of infrastructure; monitor and benchmark competitive behavior, provide consumers with performance of broadband services, reform access to right-of-ways, review wholesale access policies, and increase spectrum availability

Reallocate the existing Universal Service Fund to provide all Americans with access to broadband just as the plan was used to fund telephone service to all Americans in the 20^th Century
Reclaim Broadcast Spectrum in auctions of, (300 MHZ by 2015-500 MHZ by 2020), for the Wireless Industry and other ancillary uses thereby fulfilling a need to expand a burgeoning Mobile demand in connecting consumers, businesses, and the public sector
Promote E-rate and Rural Health Care Programs, support non-profit and government institutions with affordable and alternative means of connectivity to broadband infrastructures which allows lower investment costs by reforming incentive structures, licensing and data interoperability for all public organizations

Shifting Priorities

The FCC moved to gather existing spectrum from the Broadcast Industry to help free up space for the Wireless Industry, in much need of new spectrum on its continued growth forecasts. The benefactors will be companies like Cisco, providing network support, and Verizon and AT&T Wireless operators. Broadcasters will benefit from sharing in spectrum auction fees of their unused bandwidth.
The Universal Service Fund will be used to promote and incent companies to build-out their networks to underserved portions of the markets for wire-line and wireless access. This fund is severely outdated from its original intent of providing access to telephone service for the nation.

The FCC seems to have done its homework. Congratulations to the FCC commissioners, staff, and partners, for their hard work and dedication in creating a viable and workable solution for a National Broadband Plan roll-out for the next decade. While it is not heavy on regulation; the plan sets out a road-map to foster collaboration, innovation, investment opportunities, and transparency within its recommendations. Legislators should look to affirm the plan quickly and move forward with an innovative and economically sound superior broadband gateway for our public and private sectors.

Fred Campbell Responds to the FCC’s National Broadband Plan on BitsonBroadband.com (prweb.com)
TV broadcasters to fight FCC over broadband spectrum (newstatesman.com)
Wireless Carriers Celebrate FCC’s National Broadband Plan (blogs.wsj.com)
Plan would give 90% high-speed Internet (cnn.com)

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Broadband Competition and Pricing: Lessons Providers must Learn

: Image by believekevin via Flickr

I believe everyone can agree that Broadband Competition and Pricing are high on their lists of (all things broadband). Yes, consumers and businesses alike want a high quality broadband experience with dynamically fast upload and download speeds, and with seamless and unbridled applications to fill their Christmas wish lists.

It seems as though we are going in that direction, at least on the applications front, with innovators like Apple, Cisco, Motorola, and others, where competition is a daily fact of life; where CEO’s champion innovation, and speed to market, while continuing to find cost savings ways to offer a competitive product.

How are the incumbent land-line Broadband ISP’s fairing in the realm of innovation, speed to market, and cost innovation in producing a high quality product at a competitive price? I will give them a (C) on any standardized testing metric. And the reason remains that without sufficient competition, see (New FCC Report Boosts Case for More ISP Competition), a company’s desire or motivation to innovate; to produce a high quality product; provide the best customer service, at the lowest possible price, is just not there.

This kind of mindset can permeate throughout an organization where the (status quo) is accepted and championed; where being first to market with a great product is not needed, with no significant competition to worry about, see (ISPs Raise Broadband Costs — And Advocates’ Ire), and where a mature and declining linear programming market is continuing to produce significant returns, albeit in the short term. But wait, these companies built their networks with private funding and made them hard to emulate, while producing their innovations (during their day), and are now enjoying the spoils.

However, incumbents must act as though they have competition, simply because they will at some point – maybe sooner than later, and this must be drilled into every employee throughout the organization; not just in the isolated places where some level of competition exists. They must model themselves after the Apple’s, Cisco’s, and Motorola’s, and other innovators of the world.

This is a defining moment for the industry, as legislatures through the mantra of the FCC look for ways to create a Broadband competitive market, either through legislation or competitive factors, see (What Would Broadband Competition Look Like?). Now is the time to let go of the status quo and create new markets defined by innovation and price competitiveness. It is happening with the likes of Apple, Netflix, Boxee, Hulu, YouTube and others that value customer service and retention. So, roll up those sleeves and get to work; time is running out.