Cisco announced Smart Connected Buildings as its latest emerging technology, a key component in delivering on its vision for Smart+Connected Communities, one of 30 key market adjacencies the company has identified. Smart+Connected Communities addresses the growing need for sustainable energy to meet the demand of increasingly urbanized populations by providing a network-enabled blueprint for successful smart cities of the future that run on networked information. The solution builds on Cisco's networked sustainability platform to further utilize the network to increase energy efficiency, create new tools for 'energy-aware' city management, and enable economic opportunity and quality of life gains for citizens.

As a key component of delivering on the Smart+Connected Communities vision, Cisco today announced the availability of the Cisco® Network Building Mediator, a Smart Connected Buildings solution that provides the intelligence to interconnect and enable building systems such as heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC), lighting, electrical, security, and renewables over the IP network to build smart and energy-efficient buildings of the future. This provides operators and owners of these buildings with new ways of managing how energy is used based on policies that make sense for occupants.

As the majority of electricity in the US is consumed in offices and commercial buildings, Cisco believes the network has the potential to create a significant impact on global energy efficiency and reduction of Green House Gas emissions by further integrating information technology into Smart Connected Buildings. By continuing to extend our networked sustainability platform, Cisco will help accelerate energy innovations over IP from energy generation across the grid to commercial buildings and all the way to the home.

The market for digital photo frames has taken-off, particularly since prices dropped to affordable levels in the first half of 2009, reports In-Stat. However, due to difficult economic conditions and the trend to purchase digital photo frames as gifts pre-loaded with pictures, most units shipped still lack advanced features such as wireless connectivity to the Internet. Nevertheless, wireless-enabled photo frames are a key growth driver as they will grow at twice the rate of overall digital photo frames in 2010.

“Prices for connected frames will continue to decline, and as manufacturers educate consumers about these devices; the mass market will become more comfortable using the Internet services connected frames support,” says Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst. “Applications such as sharing and downloading pictures over the Internet, as well as streaming Internet radio and video from online sites like YouTube, are expected to be primary drivers.”

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• Worldwide unit shipments of all digital photo frames are expected to reach 50 million by 2013.
• Nearly 60% of US respondents to In-Stat’s consumer survey identified integrated wireless connectivity as a desired feature on their next digital photo frame purchase. 
• The total silicon opportunity for digital photo frame suppliers will exceed $550 million by 2013. Microcontrollers comprise the largest opportunity in non-wireless enabled devices. 
• The bill of materials for a wireless 8-inch digital photo frame will fall below US$36 by 2013; the LCD, the wireless module and the enclosure are the dominant cost items.
  

The research, “Wi-Fi Represents Strongest Opportunity in Global Connected Digital Photo Frame Market”, covers the worldwide market for wireless digital photo frames. It includes:

• Forecasts of digital photo frame unit sales and revenue (connected and non-connected) by functionality segment through 2013.
• Forecasts of average selling prices and bill of materials for digital photo frames through 2013.\ 
• Total available market forecast for components and silicon through 2013. 
• Analysis of a US consumer survey regarding digital frames. 
• Profiles of digital photo frame vendors and silicon vendors including: HP, Kodak, Pandigital, Philips, Samsung, Sony, RMI Corporation, Marvell Technology Group, and Samsung Electronics.
  

 

I am wondering whether they have taken CAT-iq into account as a possible wireless technology? 

 

This strategic research report from Berg Insight provides you with over 160 pages of unique business intelligence, including 5-year industry forecasts, expert commentary and real-life case studies on which to base your business decisions.

Highlights from the sixth edition of the report:

• Case studies of smart metering projects by the leading energy groups in Europe.
• In-depth market profiles of fourteen countries in Western Europe.
• Status updates on the development of smart grid and communication technology.
• Updated profiles of the key players in the metering industry.
• Revised market forecasts lasting until 2014.
• Summary of the latest developments in the European energy industry.
  

 

This report answers the following questions:

• How are EU energy policies driving the adoption of smart metering?
• Which are the latest countries to announce mandatory requirements for smart meters? 
• What is the UK government's plan for a nationwide rollout? 
• What are the true implications of Germany's new metering regulation? 
• What are the latest market developments in the Nordic countries? 
• Who are the leading suppliers of smart metering solutions for the European market? 
• Which are the main providers of PLC and wireless communication technology for smart meters?
  

For more information download the brochure here.

Read in cellular-news;

Americans value broadband more than ever with home broadband adoption rates up 15 percent in 2009 and consumers favoring Internet over cell phone and cable TV, according to new research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

"We found that broadband is now in the 'must keep' category for Americans, even when economic times are tough," said Horrigan, principal author of the report. "Many consumers view their home broadband connection as a conduit for connecting to community and economic opportunities."

The new research shows 63 percent of adult Americans surveyed now have broadband Internet connections at home. The growth in broadband adoption indicates that the economic recession has had little effect on decisions about whether to buy or keep a home high-speed Internet connection. The survey found that people are twice as likely to say they have cut back or cancelled a cell phone plan or cable TV service than internet service.

See the complete article

HomePlug® Powerline Alliance and ZigBee® Alliance  today announced public availability of the next generation market requirements for Smart Energy and supporting use cases.  Smart Energy enables both wired and wireless communication between utility companies and everyday household devices such as smart thermostats and appliances. Captured in the market requirements document are details for the next generation of functionality envisioned for the Smart Grid with accompanying consumer control.  It includes insight to a variety of use cases including plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging, installation, configuration, firmware download for home area network (HAN) devices, prepay services, user information and messaging, load control, demand response, and common information and application profile interfaces for wired and wireless HANs.

The Smart Energy market requirements document is available for review at the site. It was jointly developed by ZigBee Alliance members, HomePlug Powerline Alliance members, utilities, regulators, suppliers and technology providers as a foundation for an enhanced ZigBee Smart Energy profile and as the basis for global standards development by other organizations.  On May 18, the ZigBee/HomePlug Smart Energy profile was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as an initial interoperable standard for HAN devices and communications and information model.  

The development of the Smart Energy profile drew upon the collective experience of members involved in the current development and deployment of the existing wireless ZigBee Smart Energy standard. Certified products and services based on this standard are available for use today from a variety of ZigBee members.  The standard is supported by a comprehensive certification process that delivers secure, robust, reliable, plug and play interoperability with advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and Smart Grid applications.  

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance is the leading industry group in the development of multivendor, global standards and certification for powerline communications.  With more than 70 percent of the cumulative worldwide market share (per recent reporting from In-Stat), HomePlug technology is rapidly becoming a key element of the Smart Energy HAN and is already being integrated into AMI applications by utilities and meter manufacturers in the U.S. and Europe.

 

 

AT&T is on track for a national femtocell launch by the end of this year, according to Gordon Mansfield, executive director with the company, speaking at the Femtocell World Summit in London yesterday. As a first step, AT&T is expanding its trials, which involve some 200 users, to coverage of key cities, after which, "We're on track for a full national launch by the end of 2009," he was quoted saying by Unstrung. This will be the first UMTS femto launch in the US.

Mansfield told Unstrung that AT&T will launch with a standalone 3G femtocell, (as opposed to a femtocell that's integrated into a residential gateway), but in the longer term, AT&T has its eye on integrated femtocells. Mansfield said, "Certainly we're looking at integrated femtocells. Some people think that integration is putting a femto into a residential gateway, and that's one aspect. We're looking at other things in the home [and asking]: 'How can I leverage all the elements in the home?' There's a lot of research and investigation in these areas and nothing definitive on what we're going to do."

 

As with Vodafone in the UK, Femto will be used as a standalone 3G cell, and not integrated in the home network.