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.

The Vodafone Access Gateway is purely targeted at improving coverage and no attempt has been made to dress it up - there are no femtocell-specific tariffs, no bonus minutes, texts or data allowances.

This is further evidence that in early launches the femtocell business case will focus on coverage and not the ‘mobile home hubs’ that some in the industry believe. However, selling coverage that customers believe that they are already paying for comes with its own risks of a backlash if it is pushed too hard.
Vodafone puts together a better business model
Vodafone offers several options to customers wanting a Vodafone Access Gateway. This variety is the best strategy for selling femtocells to date, although we still see some major barriers limiting uptake.

For customers on tariffs of £60 per month or more the device is free, something we believe that a majority of femtocells will need to be (once costs come down) for consumers to embrace them. Currently, Vodafone UK offers just two tariffs over £60 per month, so we think that this offer will have a limited addressable market. We also assume that the seemingly arbitrary £60 figure relates to a cost-modelling exercise that indicates high hardware costs rather than strategic intent.

Vodafone has also achieved something that both Sprint and Verizon Wireless failed to do: to give customers options. For the majority of users below the threshold, there is the option to pay a monthly fee of £5, £7 or £10 on top of their post-paid plan over 24, 18 or 12 months respectively. This creates a far lower price barrier, while ensuring that subsidies don’t kill off the business model too soon. We expect the majority of uptake to come from this approach.
Finally, Vodafone has followed Verizon Wireless’ route of offering the device for a one-off £160 fee. Alongside the other options, this completes a far more rounded proposition than Verizon managed, although the high price point will be a barrier for Vodafone as much as it is for Verizon.
Impact likely to be muted in the short term

On one level this is a churn-reduction tool. Those customers with poor coverage have a means of staying with Vodafone, although the high cost plans needed for a free femtocell will be a severe test of Vodafone’s resolve not to give the devices away for free. Customers with poor coverage will demand a femtocell for free regardless of their plan and, like Sprint before it, Vodafone will be under immense pressure to give in.

The Vodafone Access Gateway is also a tool to encourage customers to churn from rivals. However, in multi-operator households, there will invariably be a lag as rival contracts are run down. Furthermore, the key determining factor is whether improved coverage is sufficiently attractive to stimulate churn from rivals, particularly when the rivals could offer more texts, minutes or data to stay. Indeed, if coverage were that great an issue the entire household would most likely already be on the operator with the best coverage. Therefore, with no femtocell-specific tariffs, there would be little incentive to switch to Vodafone.

Finally, there is the opportunity for Vodafone to increase mobile usage while at the same time offloading traffic. We have said in the past that this looks the most likely model to succeed in the long term as, with sufficient penetration, the opex savings are considerable. However, femtocells are clearly not there yet. In early deployments the priority is to prove that they work from technical and customer perspectives. Therefore, to gain sufficient penetration, and make the business case work, Vodafone will have to up the ante in the future and differentiate by more than just coverage. Until then, yesterday’s announcement is a femtocell offer that is an improvement on what has gone before, but still a relatively niche offering.