Knect365 for Cable Congress
In a recent report commissioned by Liberty Global, ADL
research posits that, “If the third industrial revolution leveraged the
development of electronics, IT and automated production, the ongoing fourth
industrial revolution is redefining the interactions between people, machines
and the environment, and redefining the way we live and work.”
Coining the term ‘GigaWorld’ to describe this emergent era,
the authors argue that the potential of ‘GigaApplications’ challenges network
operators to raise their game, as they consider the timing of their
investments.
“While some operators are actively investing, a significant
number are only partially committed,” it suggests. “We are at an inflection
point with a huge value at stake.”
That inflection point is front and central of the Cable
Congress agenda. According to Phil McKinney, President & CEO, CableLabs,
“together we will explore a vision of how future technologies will change the
way we connect and interact with each other in the next three to eight years.”
McKinney, who will deliver one of the opening keynotes,
adds, “The foundation of this vision is an ever-evolving network that
stimulates innovation and speeds progress. We challenge you to re-imagine
what’s possible at Cable Congress.”
CableLabs pinpoints embedded IoT devices which are able to
monitor us anywhere, a critical outcome being the ability to keep us safe and
healthy longer. “Technologies such as remote diagnostics, once thought of as
science fiction, rely on the high speed, secure, reliable wireless connectivity
and networking protocols enabled by the cable industry,” says McKinney.
This is just one aspect of Smart Cities and the way we use
network infrastructure to deploy new technology-enabled services in the best
interests of the community. Cable Congress goes further and asks how the social
impact of such services should be measured and what are the implications of
General Data Protection Regulation which comes into force in May.
Critical real-time two-way transmission characterizes
GigaApplications like Virtual Telepresence and Automated Living. Yet to ensure
sufficient Quality of Experience for consumers, the enabling infrastructures
and networks must provide new Quality of Service features in addition to
coverage and bandwidth. The industry is rapidly moving in this direction with a
series of technology transitions which advance DOCSIS technology to bring
Multi-Gbps broadband connectivity to the masses and which embrace SDN, NFV and
other virtualization technologies.
In this way networks increasingly become the central enabler
as they convey the data and interconnect devices and applications. Join the
CEOs of Tele Columbus, Virgin Media Ireland and the COO of Vodafone Germany as
they outline their technology roadmap and hear from Huawei about how
video-centric network strategies will revolutionise the cable business.
From Facebook to Amazon to Waze, artificial intelligence
(A.I) is changing the way we use and interact with technology. It’s also
transforming customer service. For example, Comcast announced earlier this year
that A.I and machine learning will be a priority in developing their next-gen
customer care programme.
If there’s ever an industry that’s primed for collecting
data and making it available to customers, it is cable. For years, quantitative
and qualitative research helped the industry understand consumers so how profoundly
could A.I and advanced analytics really benefit the customer experience?
Cable Congress also considers the impact that A.I is already
having on our daily lives. In particular, how does AI - in the form of digital
assistants like Alexa - influence our content discovery choices? How effective
are algorithms at determining objective news stories from fake ones? The
choices we make now impact our relationship with news organisations, with
political discourse and public life in general.
A.I is one of many areas where smart technology and content
is converging on the network. Indeed, the evolving dynamics between operators
and content providers has become central to forward thinking business strategy,
one represented at the heart of several conference sessions.
To enable rapid product evolution as well as to achieve
economies of scale, cable operators find themselves in the midst of transition
from DVB-C to all-IP as consumers look to curate their own bundled services of
content across multiple personal devices.
Executives from Viacom, Endemol Shine, AMC Networks
International among others debate whether it makes sense for pay TV operators
to invest in original content and share exclusive insights into how
direct-to-consumer OTT services from channels will impact the economics of pay
TV. If the triple-play was yesterday’s competitive silver bullet what is the
‘secret sauce’ for operators to attract – and retain – customers today? Hear
Comcast’s view on this.
A highlight is an interview with Sean Bratches, Managing
Director, Commercial Operations at
Formula 1 who explains the 360-degree reversal in approach to content
from the world’s biggest motorsport which previously kept rights closely
guarded. He is leading a reinvention of the fan experience using virtual
reality and YouTube among other innovative tactics. The implications for the
future relationship of cable operators and sports rights holders are not to be
ignored.
If cable is to maximise it role in public life via the IoT
at the same time as its revenue generating potential then government and
regulators must provide an optimum operating environment. There is no wiser or
more widely known advocate perhaps than Michael K Powell, President and CEO,
NCTA (The Internet & Television Association). In a must-attend opening
address, the former chair of the FCC will extend his argument that cable has a
critical role in the Information Revolution, from the US to Europe. In his keynote ‘Hands Across the Water: Our
shared interest in cable’s success’ Powell reiterates that broadband networks
require a light regulatory touch to grow and evolve rather than the
“debilitating impact of utility-style” micro-management.
“The biggest threat to innovation and improving consumer
experiences is not net neutrality, it is an internet that stalls and does not
get better,” Powell argues. “Tech innovation and network innovation are
symbiotic. Each depends on the other to keep up. Netflix could move from DVDs
to streaming because the network had become faster. In turn, because of Netflix,
consumers demanded and purchased faster speeds, which could justify new network
investment. That virtuous cycle is critical.”
However, Powell also identifies piracy as a major challenge
still to be tackled. A recent AT&T survey of more than 5,000 enterprises
around the world, revealed that only 10% feel confident that they could secure
IoT devices against cyber attack.
The cable industry has a number of initiatives under way
including work with M3AAWG (The Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working
Group) to improve how distributed denial of service (DDOS) information is
shared. The industry is also working with the Open Connectivity Foundation to
develop IoT security standards. Both efforts will help to combat cybersecurity
threats to both their networks and their customers but is it enough to defend
against increasingly sophisticated criminal cartels demanding ransom in hard to
trace bitcoin?
According to Cisco, there are currently 4.9 billion
connected devices today with an expected 12 billion by 2020. The fully matured
result of this rapid growth is a $6 trillion industry. Liberty Global itself
forecasts the GigaWorld innovation cycle to unlock a market of €250-660 billion
per year by 2025 in Europe alone. At the global level, we are looking at a
value of €1.3 - 3.5 trillion per year.
If even part of that value is realized then the industry
looks to be in rude health as long as it widens its outlook way beyond that of
the dumb pipe.
“Our vibrant and forward-facing programme for 2018 responds
to the extraordinary and everchanging industry we’re all now a part of,” says
Manuel Kohnstamm, President of event organizer Cable Europe. “No longer just
about content and carriage, Cable Congress sets the agenda for discussion
around infrastructure investment, content curation, innovation, consumer
trends, big data and analytics, smart homes, competitiveness and IoT. There has
never been a more invigorating or dynamic time to be in this industry nor at
its heart - Cable Congress.”
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