CableLabs to re-brand OpenCable Platform
By Mike Robuck
CableLabs could be making an announcement later this week about the re-branding of its OpenCable Platform, with the new name expected to be Tru2way.
While there are no specific details yet on the name change, earlier this year CableLabs threw out OCAP (OpenCable Application Platform) in favor of OpenCable Platform because the latter was comprised of both software and hardware. Tru2way seems to be a reflection of OCAP’s two-way capability, which is currently unmatched by telcos and DBS. Next month’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas could be a good venue for the cable industry to beat the drum for Tru2way.
Cox, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and other cable operators are currently in various stages of OpenCable Platform trials and deployments, both of which are expected to pick more steam next year.
OCAP was originally part of the broader OpenCable initiative, which CableLabs launched in 1997 to promote the deployment of interactive services over cable. OCAP consists of a stack of middleware software that resides between applications and the operating system within a consumer electronics device such as a set-top box or OCAP-compliant TV set. JAVA-based OpenCable devices can have new information or applications ported to them because of their two-way capabilities, with ETV being an early forerunner of applications for legacy set-top boxes.
With OCAP, cable operators can offer a wide range of services and product offerings that will differentiate them from their competitors and hopefully endear them to advertisers and content providers. The OCAP applications will include addressable advertising, electronic program guides, caller ID on a TV, news and sports information on TV screens, VOD, digital video recorders, games, shopping and customer care.
For developers, content providers and broadcasters, OCAP holds the promise of “write once, deploy everywhere,” as opposed to writing to various proprietary platforms. Customers not only benefit from the new services and applications, but will also be able to take their OCAP-devices from one MSO footprint to another when they move.
Sprint Nextel taps known quantity for president/CEO
By Brian Santo
Sprint Nextel’s next president and CEO, succeeding the ousted Gary Forsee, will be Daniel R. Hesse. Sprint had previously hired Hesse to run its local telephony operations.
Sprint spun that business off in 2006; Hesse remained with the operation – christened Embarq – as its chairman, president and CEO.
Prior to joining Sprint, Hesse had a 23-year career at AT&T, culminating in a stint from 1997 to 2000 as the president and CEO of AT&T Wireless Services.
“Dan Hesse is the right person to lead our company,” said Sprint board member Irvine O. Hockaday Jr., who chaired the board’s CEO search committee. “He is a proven leader with deep wireless experience as a chief executive and an established track record of generating strong operating performance. He has the board’s full support to take decisive actions necessary to improve our performance.”
Under Forsee, Sprint began to reach beyond cellular services, entering a joint venture (JV) with cable operators that allowed the MSOs to expand their bundles from three to four services (video, data, VoIP and mobile telephony), and exploring the use of WiMAX as the basis for a nationwide data network.
The canned comments from the current board indicate a desire to pull back in and refocus on cellular, with an emphasis on branding, the bottom line and shareholder value.
TWC promotes 2 execs: Minson, Osbourn
By Traci Patterson
Time Warner Cable has announced the promotion of two executives: Arthur Minson has been named EVP and deputy CFO, and William F. Osbourn Jr. will assume the role of SVP and controller.
Minson joined TWC in early 2006 as the SVP of finance. He will oversee the company’s accounting, financial planning and analysis, operations finance and treasury functions. Minson will report to Rob Marcus, senior executive VP and CFO.
Before joining TWC, Minson served as the SVP of corporate finance and development for AOL. He has also held executive positions with Rainbow Media Holdings, Time Warner Digital Media and Time Warner Inc.
Osbourn, now the SVP and controller for TWC, previously served as the VP of technical accounting since joining the MSO in 2003. He will oversee the operator’s accounting function and will report to Minson.
Before joining TWC, Osbourn served as the executive director for external financial reporting and accounting policy at Time Warner Inc. Prior to that, he spent 14 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Archos connects with Dish Network for video transfers
By Mike Robuck
Dish Network customers will now be able to transfer their favorite movies and TV shows to their Archos portable media players (PMP) with a new plug-in download.
The plug-in is offered exclusively to Dish subscribers with a VIP722 or VIP622 HD receiver, and it is compatible with the Archos 705 Wi-Fi and 605 Wi-Fi players.
“The Dish Network plug-in will allow consumers to transfer content faster than real-time from their Dish Network receiver to an Archos PMP,” said Henri Crohas, founder and CEO of Archos. “A two-hour movie can be transferred in just a few minutes.”
Archos and EchoStar Communications, Dish’s parent company, formed a strategic alliance in 2005 that made Archos the primary provider of portable devices.
SCTE brings Standards Program membership to 147
By Traci Patterson
The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) added seven new members to its Standards Program in 2007, bringing the total number of program members to 147.
The SCTE’s Standards Program provides technical standards for the cable and telecommunications industries. The standards cover a wide range of industry needs, from F-connectors to protocols for high-speed data access over cable. Any individual or organization that is willing to participate and pay a membership fee is welcome to join the program.
The program’s membership comprises manufacturers, which constitute the majority of members; MSOs, including the top four (Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Charter Communications); professional associations, such as the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and CableLabs; software service providers, including Google; consumer electronics manufacturers, such as Sony; and programmers, including the Discovery Channel.
“The fundamental tenet of our standards program is building consensus for the benefit of the industry and its customers,” said SCTE VP of Standards Stephen P. Oksala. “Our exciting standards membership growth in 2007 benefits everyone because we gain the valuable input and contributions of an expanding pool of participants.”
Additionally, the SCTE Foundation has awarded a major grant to Dan Wu, a field support engineer with Panasonic in Mt. Laurel, N.J., and a member of the SCTE since 2002.Wu is applying his grant of approximately $3,900 toward college courses on his way to a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications from DeVry University.
AP: U.S. cell phone spending to pass land lines
By Mike Robuck
According to a story by the Associated Press, 2007 will probably mark the first time that households in the U.S. spend more on cell phones than on land lines.
In 2001, U.S. households spent three times as much on their residential phone services as they did on cell phones. But according to government data collected by the Labor Department, households spent $524, on average, for their cell phone bills last year, compared with an average of $542 for residential and pay-phone services.
More consumers are giving up their landlines, and several industry analysts predicted this year would be the first time that cell phone spending would surpass residential landline spending.
VoIP will be a separate line item in the Labor Department’s 2007 survey, according to the AP.
Sony steps up recycling effort of analog TVs
By Mike Robuck
With the FCC-mandated transition to all-digital signals set for Feb. 17, 2009, the pile of discarded analog TVs is growing daily.
Back in September, Sony Electronics started a national recycling effort to help dispose of the analog TVs, and today it announced a program that is designed to further encourage consumers to recycle their old TV sets.
Sony will be offering, until March 15, a $100 coupon toward the purchase of a new Sony Bravia HDTV for every old set – whether a Sony or not – recycled through the Sony Take Back Recycling Program.
The program, launched in the fall, was established with Waste Management Recycle America to offer customers free recycling of any of their unwanted Sony products.
Consumers can bring Sony-branded products, as well as other manufacturers’ electronics products (which may require a recycling fee), to 79 eCycling centers throughout the U.S.
“By layering our Take Back Recycling Program with offers like the TV Trade Up promotion, Sony expects to reach its goal of recycling one pound of old product for every pound of new product sold,” said Mark Small, VP of environment, safety and health for Sony. “With the next wave of high-definition technology, we anticipate many HDTVs to replace analog television sets, and Sony is providing customers with end-of-life solutions for those unwanted items.”
Broadband Briefs for 12/18/07
* Best resigns from Concurrent board
By Traci Patterson
Concurrent said that Alex Best has resigned from the company’s board of directors, effective since Friday. Best, who also serves as a director for Arris, resigned due to the potential conflict of interest that could arise because of Arris’ acquisition of C-Cor, which was completed on Friday. C-Cor and Concurrent provide competing VOD product lines.
* JDSU bows OTDR with 5-wavelength test capability
By Mike Robuck
JDSU took the wraps off of its Short-Range LAN (SRL) OTDR – for the T-BERD/MTS-6000 and T-BERD/MTS-8000 – that provides a testing combination of up to five wavelengths in both multi-mode and single-mode.
The SRL OTDR complements the existing range of OTDR modules within the T-BERD/MTS family and offers a combination of range and dead-zone specifications, which are critical to characterizing fiber networks and providing best-in-class optical performance. The SRL OTDR was designed to help construction and maintenance teams for cable and telecommunications network operators save time and reduce errors when testing access and LAN networks.
* Telrad introduces voice-over-WiMAX system
By Brian Santo
Telrad Networks has released a product for the consumer end of a voice-over-WiMAX service. The Commatch 1000 is a generic voice and data system, interoperable with the company’s Commatch 6004 SIP access gateway. Carriers can use the pair to provision voice services through existing TDM infrastructure, the company said.
“We found that our customers were looking for an end-to-end VoIP solution for their WiMAX deployments,” said Rebecca Rachmany, director of marketing for Telrad. “Following successful implementations and field trials of our Commatch 6004 solution, Telrad has been able to leverage its expertise to ensure full interop of the entire deployment with the introduction of the Commatch 1000 series.”
* Motorola expanded WiMAX portfolio in 2007
By Traci Patterson
In 2007, Motorola Inc. increased its number of commercial WiMAX network contracts to 15, and the company demonstrated the first live mobile WiMAX 802.16e handoffs between continuous WiMAX cells supporting voice, data and multimedia applications.
Motorola is on track to support Sprint’s Xohm soft launch in Chicago by year’s end and is also prepared for the commercial launch in Q2 2008. Fred Wright, the SVP of WiMAX and cellular networks for Motorola’s Home & Networks Mobility division, said, “With the recent and impending launches of commercial service by major broadband wireless operators worldwide, WiMAX is set to become a mainstream broadband wireless technology at least two years ahead of other alternative technologies.”