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Viodi View Newsletter - March 2nd, 2005

Local Content Workshop

Are the new technologies ready for large scale delivery of IPTV and Triple Play Services to residential customers?

By Alan J Weissberger, aweissberger@sbcglobal.net

With all the recent buzz about SBC and Verizon's roll out of triple play services* (broadcast quality video, very high speed Internet access, and VoIP), there has been a lot of press coverage on how the Baby Bells will acquire video content, bundle services, resolve franchise challenges, and a host of other related regulatory issues. There has been very little discussion about the new technologies that will be needed, especially for IPTV (SBC will be deploying IPTV this November, while Verizon is initially planning RF video over fiber, with a future migration to IPTV). Many assume all that is needed is Microsoft's IPTV software, but that is a very naive assumption.

* See Feb 16, 2005 WSJ article: To Meet the Threat From Cable, SBC Rushes to Offer TV Service (subscription required):
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110850903330355785,00.html?mod=telecommunications%5Fprimary%5Fhs
[Note that similar articles have appeared in the Financial Times and other publications]

This author’s opinion: I am quite skeptical that the raft of new (and in many cases unproven) technologies will all work as planned to effectively deliver the requisite services with the needed Quality of Service. There are very relevant concerns about the copper and optical transmission technologies (VDSL, VDSL2, GPONs, FTTP, etc), the software (IPTV content delivery and VoD will require high performance IP routing, effective QoS strategies, signaling, a new VoD protocol, authentication and management flows through the network (from set top box to video content server), compression (for multiple broadcast TV and HDTV channels -MPEG4 or other), home network (from set top box to each of the connected devices that access the IP network), encryption (for the Pay TV/PPV content along with premium channels), and the customer order entry and billing systems (OSSs). It is difficult to believe that ANY telco has worked out all these issues- on paper, let alone in a lab or production network!

It seems like the piecemeal approach being taken by the independent telcos - delivering IPTV first and then adding other services- is a more reasonable approach than SBC’s attempt to activate all the services at the same time.

Most important issue: Perhaps the most vital problem that needs to be solved (for telco delivery of residential triple play services) has been discussed for years, with no resolution and very little commercial deployment - IP QoS. The subscriber access network/ set top box must provide the high bandwidth and low latency needed for IP TV (downstream) along with the low latency and tightly bounded jitter needed for VoIP and video telephony (bi-directional). What will be the IP QOS/COS strategy be to adequately support voice, broadcast video, video telephony/ teleconferencing, along with data (Internet access/emails/instant messaging)? How will the network handle large file downloads/uploads, multiple broadcast video/HDTV channels, with two or more simultaneous voice calls?

Many other questions arise. Will the network scale to accommodate many homes/ subscribers? How difficult will it be to add subscribers to an area already being served? How much automation will be embedded in the order entry/ service activation process? What about the last mile? If FTTP is too expensive for wide scale deployment then is FTTN (hybrid fiber-copper subscriber access) economically viable and will it be able to deliver high quality content/ multiple channels per home? Alternatively, can WiMAX (IEEE 802.16-2004) technology be used to cost effectively deliver video content over the air, without the expense of installing new fiber?

For the subscriber access network alone, the following transmission related study topics are proposed:

• Comparison of point to point optical Ethernet (1G bit/sec over single mode fiber) vs fiber access PONs (GPONs and EPONs) for new broadband build outs to the residence/homes or Optical Network Unit node.
• Evaluation of ADSL2, VDSL, VDSL2 for the copper tail circuits to the residence/homes from the Optical Network Unit node.
• Detailed study and analysis in using WiMAX (IEEE 802.16-2004) for video content distribution. (See Viodi article published Jan 05).
• WiMAX backhaul for low cost, ubiquitous data access -extension of long haul carrier data networks, e.g. faster speed frame relay, managed IP VPN, Ethernet VLAN, etc.
• Integration of wireless and optical networks via intelligent WiMAX backhaul. This application would include fast provisioning and rapid restoration via an "optical control plane," based on GMPLS protocols.

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