By Gaetano Pellegrino, Senior Manager, IBSG Service Provider (Western Europe)

According to new research from the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), fixed broadband Internet access is the highest priority service in consumers’ entertainment and communication portfolio. Despite the advent of smartphones, they view mobile data as more expendable.

Cisco IBSG regularly tracks such issues in its Connected Life Market Watch research platform. In the fall 2011 edition, it surveyed some 3,900 broadband consumers in North America (including Canada) and France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Consumers Love Their Smartphones—but Rely on Fixed Access

According to Read More »

Tags: broadband, Cisco, Connected Life, consumer, consumer spending priorities, IBSG, mobile data, mobile phone, service providers, smartphone, wi-fi

I recently returned from Seoul, South Korea, where I gave the keynote address at the 2012 KISDI International Conference. My talk, “The Next Generation of the Internet—Revolutionizing the Way We Work, Live, Play, and Learn,” focused on the key trends shaping the next generation of the Internet and the implications for players in the ITC industry and government policy/regulation. However, based on what I observed in Seoul, much of the future has already arrived in South Korea.

Besides the ultra-modern skyscrapers of Seoul, South Korea has the highest domestic penetration rate of Read More »

Tags: broadband, Cisco, devices, IBSG, Korea, mobile, ott, policy, research, Service Provider, Smartphones, South Korea, survey, wi-fi

According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index, mobile network traffic is expected to increase 26-fold between 2010 and 2015, reaching 6.3 exabytes per month by 2015.  Global mobile traffic will grow three times faster than fixed IP traffic over this period. Because of this, mobile operators are trying to align this phenomenal network demand with revenue growth.

WiFi represents a significant business opportunity for service providers.  Many fixed, mobile or integrated SPs around the globe are either planning on or are already investing in WiFi services. Although commercial Wi-Fi hotspot services operated by specialized providers have existed for more than 15 years, WiFi is a relatively new business for the majority of SPs and has not reached the level of maturity of other well-established, “carrier-grade” communications services.  In particular, unlicensed frequencies and less-developed service management capabilities impose operational challenges.

Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) interviewed 14 SP executives worldwide to understand the trends in WiFi operations and the current challenges SPs face.   The results are in a paper titled “WiFi for Service Providers: Challenges and Opportunities for Carrier-Class Operations”. Read More »

Tags: Cisco, IBSG, mobile_operators, mobility, service_provider, SP, wifi

In recognizing the need for new models for urban development, the World Economic Forum—which brings the world to Davos every January—has mobilized a multi-stakeholder team to find alternatives. Nic Villa, global director in the Cisco^® Internet Business Solutions Group Public Sector practice, was recently named to this year’s Global Agenda Council for Infrastructure & Urban Development (GAC), a team of 15 experts and industry leaders drawn from around the world. This group is dedicated to exploring and identifying transformational models for infrastructure and urban development (I participated as a member in last year’s GAC).

By offering the case study of Shenzhen, Cisco IBSG contributed an outstanding example to the new “Urban Anthologies: Learning from our Cities” a user-friendly toolkit developed by the GAC to empower mayors, urban leaders, and private sector decision makers who are seeking to transform cities and communities. The tool highlights not only the physical outcomes of the projects but, most important, the catalytic and enabling factors that make these transformations possible (see chart below).

Read More »

Tags: Cisco, GAC, Global Agenda Council for Infrastructure & Urban Development, IBSG, infrastructure, innovation, models, The Resilient Society, urban development, WEF, World Economic Forum

Recently, the Economist highlighted the shift from government funded models to private funded models for R & D.  As we know, R&D serves as the font of new ideas and leads to mass transformation of industries.  Concepts such as the internet and satellite communications resulted in part from publicly funded R&D.
This is a real change for leading corporations. This puts more pressure on manufacturing companies to find and leverage key technologies to deliver new products and compete.  Most manufacturing companies focus on core capabilities. They typically licensed or purchased technologies that enabled continued operation.  But these were not partnerships. This could be very effective for a ‘fast follower’ company.  Innovative companies have typically used a range of R & D funding sources, especially internal, to fuel innovation.
But the rules are changing! New industries are emerging that require a new strategic approach to R&D and innovation. Companies that do not adapt will be disrupted. Read More »

Tags: Cisco, connected products, Disruption, ecosystem, IBSG, Manufacturing, R & D, technology