Richard Cooper, Controller of Digital Distribution at the BBC

Pity the poor folks at the BBC, official broadcaster of the London 2012 Olympic games, who were tasked with trying to calculate how much extra capacity they needed to deliver online video coverage of the world’s biggest televisual event, spanning nearly three weeks.

And celebrate them for delivering spectacularly well, despite traffic levels being on average 20 times higher than at the Beijing games four years previously, as revealed by Richard Cooper, controller of digital distribution at the BBC, during his keynote presentation at the Broadband World Forum in Amsterdam this morning.

“There were three things we were focused on achieving with our online coverage of these games, ” said the BBC man. “Never miss a moment, that is to say make every moment available online both live and on-demand; put the user in control, by offering that proposition on every device that we can; establish a legacy platform that we can use in future; and deliver it across four screens – the TV, PC, iPad and mobile.”

The scale of the task in hand was clearly not taken lightly: the BBC replaced every single piece of technology it uses to deliver video online in order to meet the challenge, and formed agreements with two separate Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) in order to ensure 100 per cent availability at all times.

Adaptive bit-rate delivery was used wherever possible, and the maximum bit-rate of delivery was capped depending on technology, device and window size, with bit-rates ranging from 56 Kbps to 3.2 Mbps.

Clearly then, the UK broadcaster was not taking this task lightly, and Cooper revealed during his presentation that he and his team had been in talks with domestic network operators (both fixed and mobile) for over two years prior to the event to forecast traffic patterns and anticipate pinch points.

Just as well they did – despite Beijing still being in a friendly timezone for UK audiences, traffic was still 20 times higher this time round, with 30 petabytes of video delivered over the duration. Peak-time calculations proved prudent: the BBC was ready to deliver 1,000 Gbps of video per second, and it delivered 700 Gbps at the height of demand.

Regarding delivery over mobile networks, the BBC exec stated that despite his belief that delivery of content over these networks is still very young, they delivered a “great service” with little congestion through the traffic peaks.

Repeating his view that partnerships (with operators in particular) were critical to the success of this venture, the massive investment required appears to have been worthwhile: 96 per cent of users of the iPlayer-delivered service rated it as “good”, and well over half of UK adults (62 per cent) used the service at some point during the games.

“For us it was a privilege, and I wish the best to those who have to do the same thing for Rio in four years’ time,” said Cooper – with perhaps just a hint of relief.

Bruno Jacobfeuerborn, Deutsche Telekom

There is a clear need for standardisation of network virtualisation and cloud services – that was the verdict of Bruno Jacobfeuerborn, chief technology officer at Deutsche Telekom, who delivered a keynote presentation at the Broadband World Forum in Amsterdam this morning.

Marxist theory made an appearance at the beginning of his presentation – Jacobfeuerborn averred that it is now easier to start up an enterprise as capital is more widely distributed than at the time of Marx in 19th century Germany.

This in turn brought comparison with internet access: “If you have network access, you are part of the [internet] community, if not then you are out”, stated the DT exec – a metaphor apt for the audience.

He then ran through the cloud services that Germany’s biggest telco has offered to date – starting with private cloud services in 2006 such as platforms as a service, and business processes as a service, then going on to public cloud services such as infrastructure as a service and desktop as a service.

Despite the technical progress that has been made however, there is a danger of complacency here, according to Jacobfeuerborn: “If you think you have everything under control, be aware that maybe you are not fast enough [to deal with new developments or change]“.

“We need professional operator and vendor forums”

Which brings us to his call for greater standardisation work on virtualisation in the packet core, which he presented as a call to the industry, adding: “What does the new standard for virtual appliances look like? We need professional operator and vendor forums.”

Answering a question on likely time frames from Mark Newman, chief research officer at Informa Telecoms & Media (organisers of the Broadband World Forum), he added that an operator must first remove legacy architecture and other blockages, which will inevitably take years to achieve.

The CTO ended by calling for greater architectural simplicity: “We have to change the cloud architecture, we have to simplify, we have to work with vendors – then we will be successful.”

Luis Lopes, Executive Director of ZON Multimedia

The Portuguese cableco’s Executive Director Luis Lopes gives his thoughts on the growing importance of over-the-top (OTT) services to ZON Multimedia, and the business models he expects to support ubiquitous wifi.

Where does ZON currently stand in its wireless broadband initiatives?

ZON has long recognised the importance of mobility in it’s triple-play strategy, namely broadband availability.

In 2008 we partnered with global free wifi community FON, enabling our residential and SoHo router as hotspots to share connectivity with other FON users. This way we’re providing free wifi connectivity to our customers around the world.

Currently ZON already has more than 500,000 hotspots in place and every installed router is a pre-enabled wifi hotspot.

ZON strongly believes in anywhere broadband access and has positioned to play a role in this market with it’s strong bet on wifi access. Enlarging the footprint and excelling in user experience are currently our main challenges.

How can wireless offerings improve customer experience and raise ARPU?

There has been a dramatic change in the way customers use content, with streaming of video and audio gaining a key role in customers’ preferences.

Also, smart devices like smartphones and mainly tablets together with cloud services and social networks are setting a fast pace in service development and customers’ needs, with always-on connectivity as a backdrop for this transformation.

Not forgetting the importance of over-the-top services, where players like ZON will certainly have a critical role, transforming their more traditional offer to meet the demand for these services.

How can a business case be constructed for offering free Wi-Fi on an international scale?

Prior to any other, discussion of the business model for Wi-Fi “ubiquity” is crucial. One thing is for sure, nothing is free, which means one way or another wifi will have to be paid for, or else there will certainly be no business case for anyone.

Any model that we come out with will have to guarantee adequate remuneration and incentives for technology suppliers, infrastructure developers and service developers.

We see three types of models that will probably occur (some of them being already in their first stages): pure wifi infrastructure developers; global alliances including infrastructure suppliers and telcos; and global roaming agreements. In some cases, probably a mix of some or all of these.

Mobile operators’ positioning will also be critical to wifi development, namely with 4G offers. Do the networks complement each other or are they pure competitors on broadband mobility?

This question will certainly have different answers depending on the markets, it’s integration level and competitive intensity.

One thing to bear in mind is that whatever the business model is, customer experience is critical to success, and to operators’ ability to monetise the networks.

How can service providers continue monetising wireless broadband in the future?

User experience is critical to monetising wireless access. Customers will not be willing to pay for a lousy connectivity service, bearing in mind that the threshold has already been set at a fairly high level.

Streaming services, namely video, are putting pressure on network capacity but are in fact what customers want and are also very interesting for operators.

Everybody seems to be moving to the OTT arena, both as a churn reduction strategy but also in order to find new revenue streams and increase customer ARPU.

Operators are well positioned to take advantage of new service development around their more traditional services, for instance with video content services or communication services.

But one thing remains key, the availability of quality broadband access.

There’s certainly opportunities for excelling in broadband access quality – and for business models that allow players to monetise the networks, directly through customers or indirectly through service developers.

Service developers will probably have to consider connectivity as one of their bottom line items and adjust pricing strategy to the fact.

Another key topic is mobile operators’ strategy towards mobile data networks. How strong are they willing to invest in 4G and how can wifi help to improve mobile data economics?

To sum it up, the need for good quality wireless access exists, so the market will find ways to make it available to end users as they demand it.

Iain Dendle, BusDev Director at Shazam

On the back of a hugely successful Super Bowl campaign earlier this year, media discovery specialist Shazam has been pushing ever deeper into the TV space, and now has Europe and other key regions firmly in its sights, as Iain Dendle, Business Development Director for Europe, tells us.

What exciting opportunities do you see for Shazam from the proliferation of smart devices?

When you consider that more and more people are engaging with their smartphones and tablets while they are watching television (currently 88 per cent and 86 per cent, respectively, in the United States), we think that smartphone and tablet technology is the ideal way to deliver on the promise of interactive television.

Shazam has more than 200 million people who currently use the service in 200 countries and continues to grow at a rate of more than 1.5 million new fans each week – with that growth accelerating as smartphones and tablets continue to take over the mobile market, we expect the rate of growth to continue increasing.

In fact, it took Shazam 10 years to receive our first billion tags – we received our second billion tags in ten months, with our daily tag rate currently standing at a mind-blowing six million+ tags/day.

And it’s this scale that is one of the reasons that we have been successful with so many broadcasters and advertisers, enabling them to reach a large portion of their audience instantly.

What principles does Shazam adhere to when building customer-friendly apps and services?

Shazam always keeps the customer experience at the centre of everything we do. We are constantly innovating to deliver a richer experience that is also simple and intuitive. In addition to this, consistently improving the speed and accuracy of our service is very important to us.

For example, with the launch of the industry’s fastest tagging in April, content such as music and Shazam-enabled television shows and advertising can be identified in as little as one second, making it even faster for people to discover, explore and share more of the music, shows and brands they love.

What new partnership opportunities do you expect to emerge for Shazam as consumers becomes increasingly connected?

With Shazam’s expansion into television over the last 18 months+, we have partnered with America’s leading broadcasters to incorporate our Shazam for TV service into some of their most popular television programmes such as American Idol and Covert Affairs as well as major events such as the Super Bowl, GRAMMY Awards and Billboard Music Awards.

We’ve also launched key partnerships with global A-List brands such as Honda, Toyota, Pepsi, Smirnoff, and Procter and Gamble to integrate Shazam into their national ad campaigns.

Most recently, we announced a strategic partnership with ITV to extend our Shazam for TV offerings to advertisers in the UK, launching with Pepsi and Cadbury during the Britain’s Got Talent final.  We plan to continue the expansion into Europe and other key countries.

How might existing business models have to be adapted as consumer connectivity increases?

As mobile devices overtake computers in how consumers access the internet, it is key that businesses make mobile commerce – and mobile marketing – a key component of their strategy, including creating a simple way for people to transact business.

As connectivity increases, we are seeing more and more media and content (personal and public) stored in the cloud. As a media discovery service, this provides a huge business opportunity for Shazam and the opportunity to continuously bring new, innovative and exciting features and services to our fans.

The connected home was high on the agenda at the 2011 Broadband World Forum

The sun in Paris wasn’t the only thing that put a smile on the faces of delegates at the 2011 Broadband World Forum (BBWF), as vendors and operators proclaimed that 2012 will be the year that the ‘Internet of Things’ will start to become a reality. The show highlighted just how important constant connectivity is becoming and how reliant consumers are becoming on broadband access across the world.

Etihad Airways chief executive James Hogan, who was accompanied by an entourage of air hostesses, announced in his keynote speech that the Abu Dhabi airline will shortly begin equipping its aircraft with on-board internet and live television.

While this may not in itself be groundbreaking — it follows similar announcements from the likes of Lufthansa, Japan Airlines and Singapore Airlines — the news reaffirmed the promise of new revenue streams and services coming to market that telecoms firms can support, and proof that it’s not just the telcos that are thinking about broadband.

The show highlighted just how important broadband access is becoming in so many aspects of society. The idea that access has the potential to enhance a vast number of the products and services on offer to consumers is set to gain traction as 2012 is also expected to be the year of the connected home.

While the connected home is a concept which has been promised for several years, vendors, operators, services providers and product manufacturers are all now banking on this concept finally becoming a reality.

Addressing a packed conference hall at Broadband World Forum, David Thorne, board member of non-profit organisation Home Gateway Initiative (HGI) emphasised that the connected home is absolutely critical to realising new services.

“Even in the brave new world of cloud-based and over-the-top services, the Home Gateway has a central role to play in both enabling services, as well as in providing services directly in its capacity as an applications platform.”

UAE incumbent Etisalat is one company that has shown innovation in bringing services to the homes of consumers. The firm was shortlisted in the Best New Service category of the Broadband Infovision Awards for its OnWeb service, which it delivered across the Emirates with TV manufacturer LG. Etisalat recently completed a fiber deployment in Abu Dhabi and its connected feature in LG’s Smart TV is supported by a technology that is integrated in a set top box, allowing consumers access to user-generated content sites, social networking services, photo sharing service and dynamic weather forecasts through their televisions.

Customers can also access Etisalat’s new Video on Demand services; in addition to the free-of-charge OnWeb service package, customers have the option of purchasing exclusive paid content offered on demand.

Aside from its work with Etisalat, LG is continuing to introduce new lines of internet-enabled appliances including refrigerators, microwave ovens and washers, as are the likes of Whirlpool, Siemens and Samsung. Speakers at the BBWF claimed that such appliances will be networked and available for deployment in developed markets within the next 12 months.

Meanwhile, the winner of the Best New Service category at the Awards – Malaysia-based YTL – was recognised for its first foray into the provision of mobile voice, mobile internet and mobile broadband services, with its new Yes service

The service provides access through a ‘Yes ID’ rather than a SIM card, enabling multiple devices to log on to the network using the same Yes ID, which has a mobile number associated with it.

Every user is given an account that comes with 100Mbps internet access and a phone number, so that they can enjoy voice, online chat and SMS services that can be accessed from anywhere in the world, via the internet. Malaysians travelling abroad can keep in touch with friends and family at home through Yes at local rates, without worrying about roaming charges.

Another  key talking point at BBWF was the explosion of mobile data consumption. Operators in virtually every market acknowledged that the current model of provisioning mobile broadband will not be sustainable. With mobile data consumption set to surge up to twenty-fold within the next five years, according to some estimates, operators across the world will be forced to implement billing changes; and the heaviest users will have to pay a premium for their services. The end of the ‘all-you-can-eat’ data plan is nigh, and the BBWF saw many operators looking to share best practices and plan for a future in which the pervasiveness of mobile broadband will revolutionise the way we interact with all electronics equipment.

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