Beware of the Unseen Competitor was a title of an article written many years ago that warned broadband operators of the rise of competitors from completely different market sectors. Of course, it is the Internet and the intelligence of the things that helps turn products into mere features and brings in competition from seemingly disparate industries. In the Korner below, there is an example of this sort of disruptive development that could signal a revolution in the transport industry.
FCC Net Neutrality Proposal Stirs Up Controversy- Reclassify or Not? by Alan Weissberger
On May 15th the FCC Commissioners narrowly voted to approve a framework for rules that would create an Internet fast lane, while trying to patch up the loopholes that would make that fast lane possible. The proposal from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler would ban broadband providers from blocking or slowing down websites, but leaves the door open for them to strike deals with content companies for preferential treatment, or fast lanes to customers.
Click here to read the rest of Weissberger’s article and add to the lively discussion that follows.
Cable Show 2014 Musings
The following are some observations from and reactions to the recent 2014 Cable Show.
- Impressive Demos
- Open Up DNS, Comcast
- Is it a Revolution or More of the Same
- Freedom to Be Creative
- Tap a WiFi Hot Spot
- 4K, 4K, 4K
- Stay Tuned
Click here to read more.
The Name Says It All
CBO (Community Broadband Operator) might be a better term to describe operators traditionally described as CATV (Community Antenna TeleVision). The vision of Steve Weed, CEO of Wave Broadband, and his team has become reality as they now have more broadband customers than video subscribers. With that context, he looks forward to the day, in the not-too-distance future, when a new form of Over-the-Top video provider – a virtual MSOs (Multichannel System Operators) – ride over Wave Broadband pipes, giving consumers more choice in video packages and bringing more value to the broadband connection.
Click here to read more and view.
An Incremental Approach to SDN/NFV
“All the intelligence and all the value is moving into software in the cloud,” said Andy Randall, GM Networking Business Unit & SVP Corp Development of Metaswitch. Randall talks about the transition to using commodity hardware with software defining how that hardware is used. Ultimately, a software-based approach will allow for operators to be more nimble in responding to customer and market demands.
Click here to view.
Are the Internet of Things (IoT) & Internet of Everything (IoE) the Same Thing? by Alan Weissberger
For quite some time, Cisco and Qualcomm have used the term Internet of Everything (IoE) to describe what almost everyone else refers to as the Internet of Things (IoT). McKinsey Global Institute’s Disruptive Technologies report calls out the Internet of Things (IoT) as a top disruptive technology trend that will have an impact of as much as $6 Trillion on the world economy by 2025 with 50 billion connected devices!
Click here to read more.
TiECON Flash: U.S. Dept of Commerce & TiE in Partnership to Promote Exports by Alan Weissberger
TiE Silicon Valley President Venk Shukla kicked off TiECon (The Indus Entrepreneurs annual conference) by stating that “wealth creation through entrepreneurship” was TiE’s principal mission (or reason for being). Also, that TiE was “deeply ingrained in Silicon Valley” through its members (over 11,000 from over 50 countries) which are at start-ups, established companies, VCs and private equity firms. The surprising announcement at TiECon is that the U.S. Dept of Commerce and TiE have entered a partnership to promote TiE U.S. member companies products and/or services that are sold abroad.
Click here to read more.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts:
- One step down, two to go. Big thanks to the city for bringing San Jose one step closer to getting @googlefiber http://twitpic.com/e3l3d4
- Live demo of a voice to calendar feature that took about 8 hours development at #mforum14. Wow!
- Using Amazon Web Services as a virtual lab to test 20M circuits. 1/60th cost. Great idea. #mforum14
The Korner – The Software Driven Car
As simple and as safe as a car combined with the benefits of a motorcycle is what LIT Motors promises with its C-1 electric vehicle. With a projected range of almost 200 miles, a top speed of over 100 miles per hour and anticipated pricing in the mid-20 thousands (before tax credits), the C-1 (working name) has potential to be a game-changer for transportation in urban areas.
The real revolution, however, may be in the way this company has done so much to turn one man’s vision into reality a relatively small investment (measured in the millions) and short amount of time. A handful of people created the prototype on display at CES. They are set up more as a Web 2.0 company, than an automobile company, as evidenced by their use of crowd-funding (for their $6,000, electric cargo scooter,Kubo), use of social media and direct relationship with the end customers.
And although they still have to set up manufacturing for mass-production, their relatively small investment gives them the flexibility to try new business models (e.g. think licensing, maybe open sourcing, etc.) that allow others to manufacturer and even market their vehicle designs. The interesting thing is that a brand that would license such a vehicle might not even be from the automobile space.
Click here to read more and view the video.
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