[opendtv] Re: WiFi Grows Beyond Cellular Shadow | Multichannel
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 08:46:31 -0400
> On Oct 21, 2014, at 5:27 PM, Manfredi, Albert E
> <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Craig Birkmaier wrote:
>
>> Hey Bert
>>
>> And then there is the "really dense" network of cheap transmitters
>> approach, using unlicensed spectrum...
>
> Hey Craig, let's not get carried away. The really cheap transmitters would
> have to be really, really numerous, to obtain uniform coverage, AND they also
> require a really dense set of backhaul network connections. So, even
> something relatively cheap, when multiplied thousands of times over, and when
> the necessary backhaul is taken into account, ends up not being all that
> cheap after all, eh?
The costs are well distributed, AND there is huge investment going on in this
area, especially by the cable companies.
Consider this:
http://www.informa.com/Media-centre/Press-releases--news/Latest-News/Wifi-hotspots-set-to-more-than-triple-by-2015/
Wifi hotspots set to more than triple by 2015
Wifi hotspot numbers are set to grow from 1.3 to 5.8 million globally in the
next four years according to a report by market research company Informa
Telecoms and Media.
Global public wifi hotspot numbers are set to grow from 1.3 million in 2011, to
5.8 million by 2015, marking a 350 per cent increase, according to research
published by the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), and compiled by Informa.
Back haul is not a significant issue. The vast majority of homes and businesses
already have wired broadband, and the wires that deliver this service run
through every neighborhood. Remember that pole top cell site that Ron Economos
posted? There are already cities with dense Wi-Fi public networks.
What is far more important is the information in the story I posted. There were
two key stats:
> The local-area wireless broadband technology already carries more Internet
> traffic to consumers’ smartphones and tablets, laptops and PCs than licensed
> wireless and wired connections combined, according to data from the National
> Cable & Telecommunications Association.
>
> A Cisco Systems study has predicted that 52% of all worldwide mobile traffic
> will be offloaded to WiFi by 2018; in the U.S., that number jumps to 64%.
>
> Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts extolled WiFi prospects in a
> presentation at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media Communications and
> Entertainment conference in Los Angeles on Sept. 16.
>
> “We have a tremendous asset in WiFi,” Roberts said. “Our relationship with
> our customers and the people who are not our customers understanding how
> great and powerful a WiFi connection can be … is a great thing for our
> company and our investment.”
>
> In addition to its pledge to activate 8 million hotspots in its service
> territory by year’s end and joining with Cablevision Systems, Time Warner
> Cable, Bright House Networks and Cox Communications in offering customers
> free access to 250,000 hotspots across the country, Comcast has been busy
> laying the groundwork for other partnerships.
>
Even more important is the development of Wi-Fi First, the ability for cellular
and Wi-Fi networks to hand off sessions, both voice and data:
http://www.multichannel.com/news/technology/cable-best-positioned-wifi-first-shift-analyst/384470
> Cable Best Positioned For 'WiFi-First' Shift: Analyst
>
> The cable industry is “best positioned” to reap the benefits of voice and
> data services that prefer WiFi connections and use cellular networks as a
> backup, but it’ll likely be two or three more years before such offerings are
> ready for primetime, a leading industry analyst concluded in a new report
> that sizes up cable’s WiFi opportunities.
>
> While Comcast, Cablevision Systems and other cable operators are rapidly
> deploying WiFi hotspots in metro areas while also lighting up millions of
> “homespots” that broadcast second SSID signals as a perk to their wireline
> broadband services, the industry will be in a great spot to offer so-called
> “WiFi-first” services, MoffettNathanson Research partner and senior analyst
> Craig Moffett noted in the report, issued Monday.
>
Think of it this way Bert. If you subscribe to the extended basic TV bundle you
gain access to TV Everywhere. If you subscribe to cable broadband, you gain
access to Wi-Fi Everywhere.
> I've said this before, and you most likely ignored it. With cell systems, or
> hot spot systems, the OTA RF part of the journey becomes less and less
> significant. The RF part is merely a convenient replacement for the hookup
> cables. But as the importance of the RF portion diminishes, the cabled
> infrastructure required becomes more and more significant.
Yup. And that is why the cable industry is well positioned to succeed with
Wi-Fi First.
> Hype-minded journalists, naturally, ignore that last part.
It's only hype when you are predicting the future. The cable industry is
deploying this technology. And mobile device makers are adding this capability
to their devices. The iPhone 6 will allow hand-offs from Wi-Fi to cellular as
carriers implement the technology; T-Mobile expects to launch in a few months.
Regards
Craig
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