One out of every ten pay-TV households has access to set-top box (STB) applications such as news and information services, apps from service providers, OTT video, games and music services, says ABI Research. That should increase to nearly 4 in 10 by 2019, ABI said. The popularity of over-the-top (OTT) video assures that video will...Learn More

The final accounting from the 2013 Broadband Connect America Fund program is all but completed – and the results were considerably different from what occurred with the 2012 program. I tallied up data from the FCC (see chart below), which yielded two key takeaways about the program, which is designed to help spur broadband deployment...Learn More

Discovery, consumption, and acquisition of TV shows and movies is changing fast as viewer-consumers increasingly turn to digital sources – streaming, downloading or purchasing discs. To what degree this is occurring is obscured somewhat by commercial marketing and promotional efforts. In a new study, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) provides primary data and insight into...Learn More

Shipments of cellphones equipped with near-field communications (NFC) will soar fourfold from 2013-2018, reaching 1.2 billion units, according to a new report from IHS Technology. Shipments of cellphones with NFC capabilities rose to 275 million units in 2013, a 128% increase from 120 million in 2012. IHS Technology analysts forecast another 50% increase this year,...Learn More

The global wireless local area network (WLAN) grew 11.5% year over year in 4Q 2013, according to the latest from the IDC Worldwide Quarterly WLAN Tracker. Having been growing at 20%-plus rates over recent quarters, growth in the enterprise segment of the WLAN segment began to moderate, though still increased 11.7% year over year. Growth...Learn More

Net Neutrality is a compelling issue for U.S. Internet users, according to results of a survey taken by the Consumer Reports National Research Center (CRNRC). Seventy-one percent of respondents said they would try to switch Internet Service Providers (ISPs) if their provider “were to try to block, slow down, or charge more for bandwidth-heavy services,...Learn More

With the World Wide Web’s 25th anniversary right around the corner (March 12), the Pew Internet & American Life Project takes a look back at the Internet’s impact on U.S. society. The defining advancement in information and communications technology (ICT) of the past quarter century, Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s invention has transformed society, and the Pew...Learn More

The success of the triple play bundle is undeniable. Combining voice, video, and broadband onto a single ‘pipe’ into the home and on a single bill created great value to consumers and helped drive ARPU growth for service providers. The telco and cable industries have been happily riding the triple play wave for years. For...Learn More

Smartphone shipment volume shot up over 39% in 2013, exceeding 1 billion units for the first time. That pace won’t be kept up in years to come, however, with smartphone shipment growth slowing to 8.3% in 2017 and 6.2% in 2018, according to the latest forecast from IDC. 2014 will mark an inflection point, and...Learn More

Sales of wireline broadband access equipment slumped 23% year over year to $5.42 billion in 2013, says research firm Ovum. DSL equipment revenues fell 28% as VDSL equipment sales were not enough to offset a decline in ADSL equipment sales. PON (Passive Optical Network) equipment sales fell 24%, reflecting the lack of a major, new...Learn More