HomePNA Blog

Home Network Management – an Activity Enabled by a Platform

By Rich Nesin, General Manager and Resident Philosopher, HomePNA

Six or seven years ago who would have thought that service providers would not only consider home networks to be part of their network but would want to manage them? Well they sure do now. According to an article in Billing and OSS World magazine last week, the home network enables service providers to partake in a host of other applications that span from utilities to health care. And lest we forget that pesky need to reduce service costs and especially minimize the number of service calls. This isn’t exactly news but neither is the requirement for remote monitoring and management – essential to providing a stable home network for these applications.

So today, instead of evangelists (like me) spinning the story, we have technologists and product managers at leading service providers like Verizon (who use MOCA for home networking) and TELUS (who use HomePNA) describing their plans for the home network.

By coincidence, I was discussing the very same topic last week with a respected engineer at another equally well known leading telco that uses HomePNA for its’ triple play IPTV service. He told me that, from their operations center, he had diagnosed a home networking problem in his boss’s house down to a loose coax connector on one of the set-top boxes. Turns out the boss had previously detached the connector while he was working on his entertainment center. Connector tightened; problem solved. The fix was verified by a quick to the operations center and, most importantly, no service call was required.

Well one reason (as my friend the engineer will tell you) that this particular service provider choose HomePNA was the attention to integrated remote diagnostics and management capabilities (and we at HomePNA believe that HomePNA 3.1 has best in class capabilities). And one reason for this blog is to talk about how this stuff is real and a lot of it is integrated into the residential gateways, set-top boxes and other equipment being installed being in customers’ homes today.

Verizon FiOS Tweets The Home Network

By Rich Nesin, General Manager and Resident Philosopher, HomePNA

Verizon is certainly making points with FIOS TV. Even though they basically provide cable TV over fiber and not IPTV, Verizon does install a, shall we say, non-HomePNA existing wire home network (OK, so it’s MOCA) when they deploy FIOS TV. Inside the home TV programs are carried over the coax as though they were provided by a cable company – which is to say without using IP. Verizon does use IP and the home network for VoD; and now for other stuff too.

As we blogged back in March, Verizon has officially announced some major new additions to its FiOS TV' service - the Widget Bazaar applications store, which includes a Facebook widget, a Twitter widget, and Internet Video on TV. Verizon also plans to have an open development platform so the hordes of programmers churning out Apple iPhone widgets can also write interactive FIOS applications made available through a widget bazaar (similar to the Apple App store - although I understand the offerings will be more controlled). And don't expect them to be clones of the applications you run on your PC or smart phone.

So add these to your over-the–top TV pleasures courtesy of IP and a home network: Twitter, Facebook, ESPN Fantasy Football and.... You'll find them in your FIOS TV Interactive Media Guide. So Tweet your most profound thoughts about the deep reality show you are watching. And Verizon says they will be releasing its Software Development Kit (SDK) soon so stay tuned for dozens more applications.

A Little Game of Television Domination

By Michelle Gamble-Risley, director of HomePNA Marketing and PR

All of those analysts out there that predicted that cable would dominate the telecoms when it came to the delivery of video services can get ready for a slow, but-ever-creeping-up coup. News out of Stifel Nicolaus, a research and investment firm, knocks out the notion like a painful sucker punch. The firm reports that for the first time, the growth of video customers should outpace the telephony gains among cable companies. We imagine executives at AT&T and Verizon, who largely view the cable MSOs as the television competition rather than each other, have already broken out in a triumphant dance of conquest. To add excitement to thrill, the report also suggests AT&T and Verizon will continue to take a nice bite out of their conquered market share over the next few years. Oh yeah, it’s good to be the conqueror!

Widgets and TV - Who Would Have Thought

By Rich Nesin, General Manager and Resident Philosopher, HomePNA

Did you see the blog from Verizon about opening their FIOS TV platform to independent developers? Well, we’re excited! Why? As we’ve mentioned before, Verizon uses cable TV technology for its television service (unlike most North American telcos including our favorite son AT&T that offer IPTV based TV service). Like the other telcos, however, Verizon does use IP over a home network for other services like Video on Demand (VoD) and of course Internet access.

So what’s the big news? Verizon is “opening up our widgets platform to outside developers so that FiOS TV customers can benefit from their creative ideas”. A widget is a portable chunk of code that runs on its own – a little application that provides a function that can be added to one or more different software platforms – platforms like browsers and now … FiOS TV. Today Verizon provides weather and traffic information on FiOS using widgets but they recently demonstrated a couple more – ones that add Twitter and Facebook onto the TV screen in ways that enhance their value.

Sound like the ever evolving browser on your PC? It should. With home networking and IP integrated into the set-top box, television viewing can evolve quickly as well further blurring the differences. By offering a Software Development Kit (SDK) to third party developers, Verizon is opening up the FiOS platform to a lot of creative software development minds.

Not Just another “Jack” in the Box

By Michelle Gamble-Risley, director, HomePNA Marketing and PR

If you think about IPTV as just another form of television entertainment, then you should realize that’s the equivalent of giving bored couch potatoes just another channel in their selection of thousands. At HomePNA we’ve touted the value of IPTV as being the “I” and the “P” part of the equation. We believe it would be a monumental mistake on a par with the thought that “video would not kill the radio star” to believe that integrating the Internet into the television-watching experience will not have a huge impact on subscriber rates.

“IPTV operators and other TV service providers don't want to be known only for delivering TV content to TV appliances,” according to columnist Dan O’Shea over at FierceIPTV . Well, of course not. Why be just another “Jack” in the bazillion of TV boxes out there? Makes no sense and also begs the question, “What’s the point of adding the IP part if not to bring online goodies into the TV’s capability?” A slow merge of TV and online media seems inevitable when you think about it. Don’t you want to be the next cool kid with the thousand of online channels to search, query, watch and enjoy? Of course you do.

So, big telco providers like AT&T U-verse and Verizon FIOS (even though Verizon doesn’t use IP for TV, it does use it for video on demand) with three screens IP strategies already prepared to pounce on the situation will be way ahead of the pack (and so will HomePNA!). So, we can all hum “IPTV killed the DVD star!” Hmmm… or maybe that’s Blue Ray (ouch). We agree with Mr. O’Shea that one key to getting there is transcoding – a multi-syllabic term for changing the way the data from different sources is encoded (MPEG 2, MPEG 4 etc) to allow it to be displayed by the set-top box -- which can be done at the distribution network’s head end, in the residential gateway, or in the set-top box itself. Which is another story.

Happy Days are Here Again!!

By Michelle Gamble-Risley, director, HomePNA Marketing and PR

It turns out AT&T U-Verse subscribers keep coming back for more based on customer satisfaction. Recent reports continue to provide great news on increasing U-Verse subscriber rates increasing each quarter, which makes everyone suffering from the malaise inflicted by too much bad news about the economy, very happy. In turns out that good old-fashioned customer service seems to be keeping subscribers happy and proliferating. While the cable companies cannot latch onto the same bragging rights, IPTV subscribers overall profess to be “very” or “extremely” satisfied with their service provider, according to Strategy Analytics. The report states that 80 percent of 842 U.S. Digital Television subscribers polled, responded they were very satisfied with their Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-Verse service. Meanwhile, competitors in the cable market report “low” satisfaction levels. So, the happy news just keeps coming as millions of couch potatoes settle in for the duration of the winter to sit in front of their cozy IPTV-enabled home entertainment center. Just bring on the popcorn!

Verizon FIOS, AT&T Uverse, and the Recession

By Rich Nesin, General Manager and Resident Philosopher, HomePNA

So much to write about, so little time. I was in the middle of a blog on the positive 4Q results from Netflix and Verizon FIOS last week when I saw the “Recession’s Silver Lining Ringing True?” article from Telecompetitor newsletter -- which said most of what I was going to say and said it pretty well: “But for the telecom sector, there may lay a silver lining. This beacon of light premise suggests that carriers who offer entertainment options may benefit from today’s economic climate. The thinking being that consumers will choose home based entertainment options over going out to save money.”

I would have included AT&T new 264,000 new Uverse TV customers bringing their total to over 1M  (although they did push the goal to pass 30M homes a year to 2011).

One difference between AT&T and Verizon is the penetration. Verizon claims 21% while AT&T’s 1M customers out of 17M homes passed works out to about 6% penetration. So what? AT&T uses VDSL to deliver Uverse over phone wires. When they say they “pass” 17M homes, they mean that they have installed the necessary VDSL equipment near 17M homes. Add a new VDSL line card to one of those equipment cabinets and you connect about a dozen or so new Uverse TV customers. Lot’s of upside there. Verizon’s approach requires them to run a new fiber cable to every new FIOS customer’s house. Either way, TV service is helping these telcos compensate for declining landline businesses while helping to add and retain broadband customers.

Beyond Digital … Delayed?

By Michelle Gamble-Risley, Director HomePNA Marketing and PR

Word on the street according to Fierce IPTV suggests that President Elect Obama may delay the imminent transition from analog to digital television for 90 days.  Not all telcos agree on the potential decision (maybe based on their own self interests) but HomePNA member AT&T appears to be prepared to support whatever will make a smooth transition. AT&T, which recently hit 1 million U-Verse subscribers, offers IPTV service over VDSL is already prepared to offer subscribers whatever they need. Transition or no transition, AT&T will go with it. Since not all telcos are created equal (and thou shall not mention a competitor's name in our blog) not everyone is as flexible. None the less, the ever-expanding IPTV base will not be affected by the transition in way, shape or form – U-Verse is already digital. No worries for the so-called "couch potato" economy apparently emerging during our current economic times. Most of the "couch potatoes" are already digital and don't even know it. So, they can collectively shrug and move on (from the room to room seamlessly, that is).

"Wolf! Wolf"

By Michelle Gamble-Risley, director, HomePNA marketing and PR

The headlines are overweight with serial proclamations that the "sky is falling" and quick! Run for cover. So I guess television viewers took heed and ran for cover all the way into the safety of their homes and straight for a comfortable couch and a great enhanced IPTV experience. They are apparently using their HD televisions to project rays of bright, exceptionally clear light to ward off stray pieces of falling sky. All the while enjoying their high-definition channels and multi-room DVR, which a few Chicken Little analysts suggested they would not do to save a dollar or two during these tough economic times. Turns out Chicken Little is really The Boy Who Cried Wolf!

News from competitor Verizon suggests Chicken Little might want to pack his bags and head for Toon Town. Verizon conducted a survey that found 57 percent of 1,026 adults will save a few dollars by staying home and watching not just more TV but enhanced TV. Imagine that! Escapist behavior when the world looks not so bright. And hey! While you're watching TV, why not beef it up a little? Makes sense to us. Certainly, recent announcements out of HomePNA member AT&T about their U-Verse subscriber increases support the survey results. So, the sky is not falling unless you're watching a show on the Disaster Channel on your fabulous IPTV!

Who'sYour Help Desk ??

By Richard Nesin, president, HomePNA

After blogging and evangelizing about telcos becoming the home owner’s PC help desk, it was nice to see a telco saying the same thing - and that thing reported in the Wall Street Journal (or the WSJ if you're really cool). Read on .... “More telecoms are offering tech-support services that extend beyond the phone line to the PC or TV. People want the same level of IT support they get in the workplace,” said Dan Alcazar, Embarq's consumer-marketing officer. "When you're at home, you don't have access to these kinds of things," he said. "It became apparent that there was a business opportunity there."

The July 31 issue of the WSJ article "Computer Glitch? Consider Calling the Phone Company” puts some meat on the bones by comparing the costs of services from AT&T, Verizon, Embarq, CenturyTel, Windstream, and Frontier Communications to Best Buy’s Geek Squad (hint, they’re cheaper). Although most telcos only offer support to broadband customers, some, such as Frontier, offer it to anyone. As someone that has personally experienced the thrill of being lobed back and forth like a birdie in a badminton game between Dell’s and Microsoft’s customer “support” desks, I say woo-hoo.

Of course the cost for providing this support will need to be driven down. According to the WSJ, Best Buy charges $300 for a house call. The telcos … a half to a third of that. Knowing as we do how much telcos hate house calls (a.k.a. truck rolls), you can guess where this is going. We expect to see even more emphasis on remote diagnostics and management and an increased drive in the Broadband Forum (formerly the DSL Forum) to complete the work of adding home network remote diagnostics to their Broadband Home suite of recommendations. We believe HomePNA has best-in-class capabilities and that this development is a win-win for industry and consumers alike.