Telco operators may not have the luxury of waiting for fiber-rich networks to offer competitive video services, says a new study from Heavy Reading. Rolling video out over DSL may instead be their best, first option.
The study finds that fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) might be the long-term video solution for the telcos, but to deliver the triple play of voice, video and data in the short-term, advanced DSL technology is the way to go.
“Higher-speed versions of DSL, such as ADSL2+ to VDSL2, now support over 20 Mbps to each subscriber, which is sufficient for advanced video services to multiple TV sets per home,” said Scott Clavenna, Heavy Reading’s chief analyst and author of the study.
The report says telcos must devise a video strategy within the year to respond to cable’s ability to roll out voice.
The report, titled “Telco Triple Play: The DSL Imperative,” draws from interviews with more than two dozen service providers and equipment manufacturers, as well as a survey of more than 300 service provider management, engineering and operations staffers. Verizon Communications, SBC Communications, Alcatel and Nortel Networks were among the participants.