Cable Media - March 2018 20_CABLE MEDIA 2018 | Page 4

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News

Report : With WiFi , operators can improve in home footprint

According to research firm Parks Associates , more than 60 % of US broadband households with a networking router received that device from their broadband service provider . The findings are part of a new whitepaper , Staking a Claim in the Connected Home : Service Provider Solutions , sponsored by Calix , which addresses operator strategies to enhance this equipment and expand their footprint in the home , creating new revenue opportunities and securing their role as key players in the connected home . “ Operators have an established claim in the connected home by virtue of their existing customer relationships , but they are competing with many new products that promise improved Wi-Fi , smart home and voice controls , and enhanced data privacy and security . US broadband households now have an average of 9.1 connected devices ,” said Brad Russell , research director , Connected Home , Parks Associates . “ Providers can integrate these and other features into the equipment ( CPE ) they are deploying into subscribers ’ homes , consolidating multiple home services under unified support and premium WiFi coverage .” The whitepaper examines new approaches to optimise operator-grade CPE solutions , including support for all connected devices in the home , services to address consumer network troubles and privacy concerns , and new ways operators can support , manage , and monetise connected homes . “ One of the challenges around the Internet of Things and the connected home is that while consumers expect simplified user experiences , the reality is often far removed ,” said Pam Ferguson , AVP of product marketing for cloud and premises at Calix . “ This paper highlights research from Parks Associates that indicates that nearly one-half of smart home device owners experience technical issues . Further , thirteen per cent of consumers contact their service provider for help resolving smart home device problems , regardless of where the setup problems arise .” Additional findings include :

• 76 % of North American broadband households use WiFi as their primary connected technology .
• Currently 26 % of US broadband households own at least one smart home device , and annual sales of all connected home devices will increase to 442m units by 2020 .
• In the past year , 37 % of US broadband
households report that their WiFi network seems slow . “ If operators want to compete effectively in the connected home , they will need to add value through premium CPE and a quality consumer experience ,” Russell said . “ They already shoulder the blame when things go wrong with WiFi and the network , so they cannot continue to cede ground to new devices while their own services become commoditised .”
Virgin Media offers STB upgrade
UK ’ s Virgin Media is offering existing Virgin TV customers a free upgrade to its V6 box , giving them access to what the operator says is the very-best connected entertainment experience alongside ultrafast broadband .
In what is one of the largest customer upgrade programmes ever carried out in the UK , Virgin Media is accelerating the rollout of its best-ever box and will end the year with a majority of its TV customers using the nextgeneration , 4K-ready V6 . The upgrade programme comes as Virgin Media installs its millionth V6 box TV customer ; just over one year since it was first launched .
Customers who take a TV and broadband bundle will be able to upgrade their older set-top box for Virgin TV ’ s smallest , smartest and
fastest V6 box at no additional cost and with no re-contract requirements .
Eligible customers will be contacted in the coming weeks with details of how they can request their V6 box . Most will be able to self-install avoiding the need for an engineer visit .
Since the launch of the Virgin TV V6 box in December 2016 , and investment in a variety of exclusive programming , Virgin Media has continued to grow its TV subscriber base and has seen increased satisfaction from customers with the V6 . Approximately one in four Virgin TV customers already have the latest box .
“ We believe that our finest kit shouldn ’ t just be for new customers ,” said David Bouchier , chief digital entertainment officer at Virgin Media . “ So we ’ re kicking off one of the largest
existing customer upgrade programmes ever seen in the UK , accelerating the rollout of our best ever set-top box .” “ Our customers tell us
how much they love using the V6 box and watch more TV when they have one . As a central entertainment hub , fired by our superior ultrafast broadband , the V6 is built for apps and the best on-demand TV experience – whether it ’ s iPlayer , Netflix or thousands of Box Sets . Rightfully , our customers expect the best , and with top-notch TV to lightning-fast broadband , that ’ s exactly what they are getting .”
“ This is great news for consumers ,” commented Paolo Pescatore , VP , Multiplay and Media , CCS Insight . “ And you have to give Virgin Media a lot of credit . Until the launch of the V6 set-top-box , it was losing TV subscribers . Since its introduction , the box has turned around its fortunes in a cut throat market .”
“ Beyond the slew of features that the V6 box offers , Virgin Media is well positioned to aggregate all of the OTT video services that are rapidly emerging in the UK . With this in mind , the company should be more aggressive in securing more content with OTT providers to further strengthen its overall offering and complement its extensive cable broadband network . Its customer centric approach will resonate strongly with users and allow the company to stand out over its rivals .”
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