It's ADB and not Netgem buying Pirelli Broadband

Instead of Netgem, it's ADB buying Pirelli Broadband, as reported by CED. The set-top box/residential gateway convergence continues.

Avanquest and SoftAtHome Partner to Bring Parental Controls Elements to the RG

Avanquest Software and SoftAtHome have partnered to bring universal parental control capabilities to networking devices. With SoftAtHome's focus on residential gateway and set-top box software, this feature will apply parental controls to different types of home network devices, including smartphones, connected television, tablet computer, game console, and more.

We are already seeing strong uptake in broadband service provider-deployed parental controls software in Europe. From our Customer Support in the Digital Home: Europe study, we find that the French market leads others in current use and interest in these features. With multi-platform support, interest is likely to grow.

UPC's Horizon Gateway Revealed: Europe's Cablecos are Pushing RGs

Yesterday's news highlighted what NDS was expecting to show at SCTE next week in terms of a residential gateway platform. Today, there is an article highlighting the UPC Horizon Connected Home Gateway, which is expected to deploy across UPC's European network beginning in 2011.

The Horizon gateway will provide access for both broadband and pay-TV services, enable whole-home DVR, and allow any content stored on the home network (PCs and other storage devices) to be viewed on the main TV.

Liberty Global may share "über-box" with other operators

In an interview at the CTAM EuroSummit, Liberty Global Mike Fries said that his company is in discussion with other operators about adopting its forthcoming multimedia gateway box, which the company plans to roll out next summer.

Interviewed by CNN presenter Richard Quest at the summit, Fries said that Liberty was in “discussion with multiple operators” about the device. “We believe that there is a great opportunity for others to fall in line and benefit from this platform,” he said. In relation to the spec of the box, however, Fries said that the company had wanted to get the box rolled out in a relatively short time-frame, and had therefore not wanted to become involved in a consortium of multiple operators in designing it.

Celeno's wireless solution is going into the Liberty Global gateway

Here's a significant design win for Celeno: its wireless technology will be used in Liberty Global's multimedia gateway.

Pace is buying 2Wire

After buying Bewan Systems SA in March, Pace is now strengthening its telco residential gateway portfolio by buying 2Wire Inc. for an estimated $475 million. This will provide Pace, with entry into the U.S. market, as 2Wire has supported AT&T's triple-play and IPTV deployments for ten years. This acquisition is a clear example of the importance of home networking and managed services to today's service provider community.

So, about that "uber-box"...

While the European cable industry is enjoying itself in Brussels at the Cable Congress 2010, they also look to be making us look pretty prescient, too (so, thanks for the chocolates and the validation). Just two days ago, I had mused about whether we're going to see the "uber-box" emerge for the cable guys - this is the single point of convergence for data and video services and would replace the separate set-top box and residential gateway.

Liberty Global is apparently ready to roll with such a converged box. Liberty Global plans to deploy an IP-based home gateway some time this year, CEO Mike Fries told delegates at the Cable Congress in Brussels yesterday. Fries said the cost of such equipment had reduced significantly over the last year, so that the cable operator could now deploy a gateway for the same price it would formerly pay for an HD DVR. The planned gateway will be a six-tuner device with built-in wireless connectivity.

Convergence of the set-top box and RG?

We've been speculating for some time now about whether we are going to see the convergence between set-top box and RG functionality. In reports such as Set-top Boxes: Outlook and Connected Home: Global Outlook, we interviewed companies from both the service provider and the CPE side to identify the key catalysts and timing for the "all-in-one" box that
incorporates all data, communications, and entertainment access would impact their services and costs. Drivers for such deployments are the cable industry’s move away from all MPEG video delivery to IP and cost-savings – the one-box unit might allow for lower-cost or even no set-top boxes to be deployed. Today, the economic model for such deployments is only viable for households having three or more set-top boxes, only 17% of all U.S. digital cable households (14% of all broadband households).

Even as deployed separately, there are many synergies that the video-centric set-top box and the data-centric RG can leverage. It's probably one reason why a company such as Pace plc is purchasing Bewan, a residential gateway developer. Pace sees the acquisition as a way to enhance the converged services of operators and to allow entry into Middle Eastern and North African markets.

SMC is now in the cable gateway market

Two cable-related residential gateway announcements in one week? Things must be getting interesting. SMC Networks has launched a DOCSIS 3.0 gateway - the SMCD3USG. Some of the gateway's features include interfaces for MoCA, DECT, and 802.11n; and the ability to support value-added services such as home control and home security.

Technicolor (formerly Thomson) supporting ONO with residential gateways

Last summer, I had commented about the uptick in cable broadband-related residential gateway deployments. Cable operators are now starting to look at the residential gateway as a potential path to CAPEX reduction, as they seek to reduce costs on advanced set-top boxes and allow the RG to handle more video-centric functionality. Spanish cable operator ONO is working with Technicolor (formerly Thomson) to deploy RGs. Technicolor announced on Friday that it had deployed 250,000 RGs (the TCW710) to ONO.

Great CED Article: Why should service providers care about the home network?

I found a well-written article from CED titled "The Ascent of LAN" that examines the role of home networks and connected home services from the perspective of the broadband and pay television operator. Many of the thoughts expressed in the article are consistent with findings from our 2009 research, including:

• Home Networks for Consumer Electronics;
• Set-top Boxes: Outlook; and
• Connected Home: Global Outlook.

I think we're on the cusp of a rapid roll-out of advanced residential gateways from service providers that move beyond pure access services (allowing multiple computers to access a broadband connecting and including eMTA or VoIP support) to transport gateways that will take on more of a role of codec mediation, transcoding, remote user interface, and rights management and conditional access management. It should be a very interesting time to watch this space.

Residential gateways and home networks to open new revenue streams for service providers

Service providers will see a quick return on investment and be able to build new profits through residential gateway (RG) deployments, which will account for over 50% of all global home networks by 2013, according to Connected Home: Global Outlook.

This new report from international research firm Parks Associates finds U.S. broadband households with a home network from their service provider show a spike in interest in enhanced services such as home network tech support, managed Internet security and parental controls, and online file backup.

Connected Home: Global Outlook analyzes the worldwide market for home network deployments from broadband service providers, including the role of the RG and related solutions in reducing operational expenses, increasing customer satisfaction, and expanding connected home value-added services and features.

For the full press release, visit newsroom.parksassociates.com

CONNECTIONS Europe agenda: Connected Devices & Services

CONNECTIONS Europe will be held in Amsterdam on November 4 and covers the international landscape for connected devices and services with a European emphasis, including:

• Internet video and the TV experience
• Cloud computing and advanced TV and communications services
• Residential gateway or set-top box
• The impact of 3D TV
• The three-screen ecosystem
• The interface for online and user-generated content
• The companies best positioned to lead the connected home ecosystem

Attending CONNECTIONS Europe provides executives with networking and strategic planning opportunities.

• The development roadmap of the technologies and applications that will define the European and global digital lifestyle
• Identification of existing and emerging leaders in the connected home ecosystem
• Adoption and revenue forecasts of key connected device and service categories
• An examination of the business models which will drive the convergence in video and entertainment content and applications, online services, and communications.

European share of worldwide connected CE market approximately 40%

CONNECTIONS Europe to address connectivity, convergence as sales of connected consumer electronics double between 2009 and 2013

CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit released the preliminary agenda for its upcoming executive conference, November 4, 2009, which will feature consumer research and expert analysis on the role of connected consumer electronics (CE) and related services in the connected home ecosystem.The event, titled The Roadmap for Connected Consumer Electronics and hosted by international research firm Parks Associates, will take place in Amsterdam at the Mövenpick Hotel. The Summit features insight into European and global consumer markets from expert analysts and high-level executives representing the top international players in the markets for advanced digital products and services.

The sale and installation of home network-enabled consumer electronics products will more than double between 2009 and 2013 to more than 100 million units annually. The European market will be particularly strong in such categories as connected TVs, game consoles, Blu-ray players, network-attached storage, alternative set-top boxes, and whole-home DVRs. Sales and installations of such products in Europe will grow from 20 million units in 2009 to almost 40 million by 2013.

CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit will quantify demand and address the challenges and opportunities created as these Internet-capable devices are added the network in order to share content and expand interactive services. Rob Timmer, Senior Director Net TV, BU TV, Philips Consumer Lifestyle, will deliver the event’s Keynote Address.

Summit Sessions
Connected Europe: Trends and Numbers
Defining the New Video Experience
Evolution of the “Digital Furnace”: Residential Gateways and Set-top Boxes
Business Models for On-Demand Lifestyles
Enabling Technologies: Connecting It All
Wrapping It Up – Predictions for the Next Five Years

Deadline for speaker submissions is August 28, 2009.

Visit www.connectionseurope.com to submit or to register for the event.

A North American Cable Home Networking Effort

We've been watching for any cable moves into the home networking space, and it appears that we have a North American first. Rogers Cable is about to deploy DOCSIS 3.0 N gateways.

Home Gateway Initiative (HGI) Going Green

Obviously, a byproduct of the growing number of consumer electronics devices in the digital home will be increased power consumption. We've heard about some initiatives in Europe regarding standby power requirements for devices such as appliances and televisions, but this is the first I've heard of efforts aimed at CE equipment such as routers, modems, adn residential gateways.

According to a press release from the Home Gateway Initiative, they played an important role in developing the latest European Commission (EU) Code of Conduct on energy consumption of broadband equipment. This work has involved defining the operation states of customer premise equipment (CPE), as well as providing targets for the power consumption values of each functional component of the home gateway.

In line with the recommendations made, the HGI is now working on specifying low power mechanisms that allow the home gateway to consume the minimum power corresponding to its current level of activity, by looking at the individual subcomponents and assessing the existing power modes, and evaluating the implementation of additional low power modes. The work of the HGI on energy efficiency also extends deeper into the home network, involving the home gateway’s unique role as an always on device, orchestrating home automation.