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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