Urges Telcos to press software companies for a simplified architecture and open interfaces 

Cautions most Telcos to not roll out undifferentiated "Me Too" video offers

SAN MATEO, CA - Detecon, Inc., a leading global telecommunications and information technology consultant, has released several key predictions and caveats for the emerging IPTV industry.  The paper, IPTV: Technology and Development Predictions, is a must-read for those interested in keeping current with IPTV technology and market developments.

“We can help service providers do the proper analysis for a more robust, more cost-effective IPTV deployment,” said Eckart Pech, CEO Detecon, Inc.  “Over the years, we’ve seen promising new technologies develop around the world and our experience can help US carriers better compete.”  Detecon, who has provided telecom consulting services in over 120 countries around the globe, offers valuable insights to how markets behave as technologies and competitors converge.

Detecon’s white paper outlines an array of IPTV architectures, explaining the core components of an end-to-end system.  The paper also takes two deep dives into the issues of channel change and video codec.  Detecon investigates the requirements IPTV imposes on the network for additional bandwidth and multicasting support.  The paper also describes several IPTV initiatives both in the US and abroad.

Detecon’s eye-opening IPTV predictions and caveats include a warning that popular IPTV middlewares might need some significant changes.  “Software companies are committed to IPTV and have invested a lot in marketing and engineering activities,” said the paper’s author, Dr. Patrick Pfeffer, Chief Network Architect at Detecon, Inc.  “But most of the releases are far too complex, and subsequent releases will likely be even more complex” warned Dr. Pfeffer.  “Software partially mitigates the lack of bandwidth in the local loop, but that doesn’t outweigh the potential risks.”  He urges Telcos to press software companies for a simplified architecture and open interfaces.

Dr. Pfeffer also cautioned that most of the current Telco IPTV models are undifferentiated “Me-Too” video offerings aimed at helping Telcos gain mere parity with the Cable MSOs, who are quickly deploying VoIP for Triple Play.  “We can help Telcos be more innovative by leveraging their communications leadership, while expanding into entertainment services” added Dr. Pfeffer.  “Building an IPTV capable network is certainly within reach for Telcos, but succeeding in the market will require a dramatic culture change.”

Other key findings include:

The Future of Television –Video on Demand?
VoD might be the killer app, but it is not restricted to movies and also includes TV programming recorded with NPVRs (Network Personal Video Recorders).  The problem is if VoD becomes a prevalent form of TV viewing (unicast vs. multicast), the current IPTV networks Telcos are building will not have enough bandwidth.

Renewed CAPEX:
The current ADSL network can not support IPTV and must be overhauled, with double the CAPEX needed to future-proof the network. This investment should benefit equipment manufacturers and lead to further concentration in the industry.

Small is Beautiful:
There are many successful deployments of IPTV across the world. Most of them are by small or medium size operators. Many large operators are struggling.

An executive summary of the paper is available at www.deteconamericas.com/iptv_paper.shtml.

About Detecon
With over 3,000 projects in 120 countries and more than 600 consultants on staff, Detecon is one of the world’s leading global consulting firms for the communications and information technology industry.  Providing business insights and technology services that help clients succeed, Detecon serves enterprises, service providers and government entities in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa.  Detecon, Inc. is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with other U.S. offices in San Mateo, California; Seattle, Washington and Mexico City.  Additional Detecon offices are located in key markets throughout the world.  Detecon is a fully owned subsidiary of T-Systems Enterprise Services GmbH, the brand for all Deutsche Telekom’s business customers.  Please visit us at www.DeteconAmericas.com.