There is a "significant" addressable market for coaxial cable-based home networking in Europe, according to a new study commissioned by the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA).

The study, which was conducted by IMS Research, examined the existing coaxial infrastructure in the UK, France, the Netherlands and Poland.  Results from the UK and France are described as being very similar, with 56% and 55% respectively stating that they have two or more coaxial outlets, and over a quarter of respondents in both countries reporting three or more. 

In Poland, 71% of respondents stated that they have two or more coaxial outlets and 36% reported having three or more.  The Netherlands recorded the lowest number of coaxial outlets per household, with 45% having two or more and 15% having three or more.

The four countries were chosen because of their competitive pay-TV environments, increasing penetration of HDTVs and DVRs, number of TVs per household, and the high daily TV viewing hours, according to MoCA.

 “We commissioned this survey at the request of many pay-TV operators,” said Charles Cerino, President of MoCA.  “The high percentage of homes having two or more coaxial outlets in these countries means that there is a significant addressable market opportunity for service providers wanting to gain a competitive edge via coax-based home networking.”

It was also noted that there was a "significant correlation" between the number of TVs, STBs and DVRs in a home and the number of coaxial outlets, with the report concluding that coaxial outlets are typically added as the number of TVs being watched in the homes increases. MoCA adds that it is possible that providing consumers with a strong proposition for adding TVs in more rooms would motivate them to add more coaxial outlets.

With home networking adoption passing 50% of households in North America and 13% worldwide, the consumer network storage market is seeing continued growth. Web-enabled consumer devices, such as TVs and Blu-ray players, are further diversifying the demand and applications for consumer network storage devices, reports In-Stat.

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• The consumer network storage market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 40% between 2009 and 2014.
• 27% of North American consumers that own a network-capable video game console use the devices to watch video that is stored elsewhere on the home network. 
• North America was the largest CNS market in 2009. Starting in 2011, Europe will become the leading CNS market. 
• Consumer network storage capacities up to 1.5 terabytes will peak in 2011, giving way to even higher capacities.

read in connectedplanetonline.com by John McDonald

As CAT-iq offers ultra low power solutions for smart grid we found this article relevant for you.

Creating a smarter grid is the “checkered flag” our industry has been eyeing for years — long before the term “smart grid” was coined. We’ve developed the technology and assembled the pieces, but deployment has been confined to local exits from the slow lane.

Now, with stimulus funding and increasing consumer awareness, it’s time to move smart grid into the express lane. We have a phenomenal opportunity to accelerate smart grid deployment, and we’ll need a strategic road map in place to optimize the integration of smart technologies into our infrastructure. We also need to shift gears from traditional “siloed” processes to a strategic, holistic drive toward energy delivery.

Driving holistic strategies
The strategic road map to a smarter grid starts with open, collaborative strategies from key drivers of smart grid solutions.

Read the complete article.

John D. McDonald, P.E., is an IEEE Fellow and past president of the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES). He is also a member of IEC Technical Committee (TC) 57 and Working Groups (WGs) 3 and 10, the VP of Technical Activities for the U.S. National Committee (USNC) of CIGRE, and the past chair of the IEEE PES Substations Committee. Additionally, Mr. McDonald is the General Manager of Marketing for GE Energy T&D.

WCDMA handset semiconductor revenue will see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 10% between 2009 and 2014, exceeding $30 billion by 2014. Overall handset semiconductor revenue will see a more moderate five-year CAGR of 2.1%, as semiconductor revenue for CDMA and GSM handsets declines throughout the forecast period, according to market research firm In-Stat.

The new In-Stat research found the following:

LTE Applications/Multimedia processor revenue will exceed $400 million by 2014.
TD-SCDMA handset semiconductor revenue is accelerating in 2010, increasing more than five-fold compared with nascent 2009 levels.
On a regional basis, the Latin America region will see among the most significant growth in WCDMA handset semiconductors, exceeding the Middle East & Africa (MEA) by 2011, and the North American and Eastern European regions by 2012.

The research, “Worldwide Cellular Phone Components 5-Year Forecast” , covers the worldwide market handsets and handset semiconductors. It includes:

5-year forecasts (2009–2014) for handsets, handset revenues, and handset semiconductor revenue by region and technology type (TD-SCDMA, LTE, WCDMA, CDMA, and GSM).
5-year attach rate forecasts (2009–2014) for phones with:
Wi-Fi dual-mode
Analog TV tuners
Bluetooth
Cameras
GPS
Accelerometers
Pico projectors
Touchscreens

Handset semiconductor revenue forecasts by function by technology type:
Digital Baseband Processor
Analog Baseband
Apps/Multimedia Processor
Memory
Radio, Power Amplifier
Other ICs & Discretes

Unveiled today at the FTTH Conference in Lisbon, the FTTH Business Guide presents essential practical advice on how to develop a business case for fibre to the home, and analyses the major influences on income and expenditure, and their effect on the business plan.

The Business Guide is aimed at the complete range of prospective FTTH stakeholders, including bankers and investors, municipalities and local government, utility companies and alternative telecoms operators, real-estate developers and residential associations, as well as community and grass-roots projects.

"The complexity of starting up an FTTH project often does not get as much attention as needed,” said Karel Helsen, President of the FTTH Council Europe. “The Business Guide addresses this issue by providing a framework for new entrants in the FTTH space, to help them move forward with confidence and a quicker step."

Chapters cover key topics relevant to the crucial early stages of planning FTTH networks, including demographic analysis, FTTH business models, services and pricing, deployment strategies, types of funding, and the business plan. A selection of case studies shows how different business strategies have been applied in the real world.

Albis Technologies http://www.albistechnologies.com announced the availability of its next generation set-top box. The new SceneGate STB portfolio provides enhanced HD picture quality while delivering on-demand, interactive and linear TV services.

The SceneGate STBs enables service differentiation for service providers and allows them to offer innovative new services to their customers. The proven hardware and software quality reduces operational costs and customer churn, making services more profitable and reliable.  They are perfect for new IPTV service providers introducing new service offerings to their customers or service providers introducing interactive IP based services while leveraging their existing digital broadcasting technology.

The new SceneGate portfolio consists of three variants:

• The SceneGate 8000 is an entry level IPTV STB; an ideal STB to deliver typical IPTV services or as a cost efficient “second room” STB.
• The SceneGate 8500 is an enhanced IPTV STB with PVR offering various options from Smart Card to WLAN, a classic mid-range STB for IPTV services.
• The SceneGate 8800 is a more advanced IPTV/DVB hybrid STB offering various options from PVR to WLAN; the perfect living room STB for hybrid IPTV/DVB scenarios combining on-demand and interactive services with traditional DVB services.

The complementing features of SceneG

ate address requirements for over-the-top (OTT) content delivery and user experience expectation. The flexible software framework allows for integration with today’s internet media offerings. In addition DLNA based media sharing is available for applications, allowing in-home streaming or multi-room concepts.