I recently returned from Toronto Canada, where the global Association for Asian Studies (AAS) held its 2012 Annual Conference. This four day gathering brought together thousands of Asia-watchers devoted to the sustainable and prosperous future of Asia. Alongside a rich menu of AAS’s scholarly programs, were roundtable discussions, workshops, and panel sessions, all focused on the full range of issues facing Asian citizens, governments and enterprises.

My presentation, “City-to-City Strategies: How U.S. and Japanese Cities Are Working to Improve Their Sustainability” was part of the panel, ““Climate Change, Toxic Spills, and Eco-Cities: Japanese and American Responses to Environmental Crisis.” Prof. Peter Friederici, of Northern Arizona University chaired our session, which was sponsored by The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership. Read More »

Tags: 21st century cities, Cisco, city development, city transformation, eco-city, ecosystems, green business, grids, IBSG, Smart Cities, smart grids, sustainable development, urban connectivity, urban innovation, urban planning, urban sustainability

The growth of mobility is unprecedented.   Nearly 80 percent of the world’s population now has access to a mobile phone, and new devices are helping enable many more applications and services.

At the same time, cloud has become the new way of delivering—and charging for—IT services and functionality.  Technology services and apps are increasingly being delivered and paid for on demand from remote data centers, accessible through the cloud of interconnected networks that constitute the Internet.

So many applications and services can now be accessed through simple browsers and delivered through the cloud.   Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) wanted to know what happens when the hot technology trends—“mobility” and “cloud”— collide.   So IBSG surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. mobile users to understand their current and future needs, and learn how they prefer to pay for mobile cloud services.   The findings help operators understand the size of the opportunity, develop strategies for success, and differentiate their offerings.

For details about this paper and other interesting, provocative papers, go to the Service Provider Thought Leadership page of the IBSG web site.

Check it out . . .

Tags: Cisco, cloud, IBSG, mobile_cloud, mobility, service_provider

The amount of mobile data generated globally is growing very rapidly and shows no sign of abating. This growth is largely driven by smartphones, tablets and connected devices, as well as mobile applications and content.   The Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) has been tracking this for quite some time – the latest update predicts that mobile data traffic will double globally in 2012 and increase by another 78 percent by 2014. 

In addition, there is a corresponding worldwide growth in the popularity of Wi-Fi. The number of Wi-Fi hotspots is expected to reach 2.7 million by 2014, with usage growing 200 percent. This growth is inspired by new enabling devices, recent technology improvements, public and private availability, and tiered mobile data plans from service providers. 

With this in mind, Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) has consulted with leading service providers from around the world to develop and evaluate 16 Wi-Fi business models that can provide a reasonable return on investment. Opportunities for monetization fall into four broad categories: (1) business effectiveness, (2) end-user services, (3) inter-carrier wholesale, and (4) value-added services.

For details about this and other interesting, provocative papers, go to the Service Provider Thought Leadership page of the IBSG web site.

Check it out . . .

Tags: Cisco, hotspots, IBSG, mobile_data, service_provider, vni, wifi

By Roland Klemann, Director of Service Provider Practice, Western Europe, Internet Business Solutions Group

Although the coaxial cable may have been born in 1929, predictions of its death have been greatly exaggerated.

While traditional models for consuming television are indeed under siege—from time-shift TV, over-the-top video, and an ever-expanding array of new devices—cable remains highly relevant, even in an age of exploding data traffic. In fact, with savvy deployment of Wi-Fi services, cable providers can seize an opportunity—not in spite of the mobile data deluge, but because of it.

After all, that sleek new iPad—introduced last week while I was attending the Cable Congress in Brussels—boasts dazzling video resolution. But for network operators, it only adds to a growing problem. They are already reeling under the burden of a massive upsurge in traffic, from tablets and IP-enabled devices of all kinds. What’s worse, they are still at the low end of an ongoing mobile data explosion. Cisco’s Virtual Networking Index predicts an eighteen-fold increase in mobile traffic from 2011 to 2016.

As a result, two things are breaking down: 1) the physical capacity of the networks, and 2) their economics. Theoretically, mobile carriers can build enough macro cells to carry all the traffic in the world, but in reality, that gets prohibitively expensive—fast. No wonder some are feeling an encroaching sense of doom.

Read More »

Tags: broadband, byod, cable, carriers, Cisco, data, IBSG, mobile, Networks, offload, providers, Service Provider, Smartphones, Tablets, traffic, tv, video, wi-fi

Only a few years ago, the challenges facing mobile providers seemed well within the realm of their traditional expertise. Their vast and complex infrastructures, built around towers, antennas, core networks, and the like, focused on providing the bandwidth and signal quality necessary for providing clear voice signals. Early mobile Internet applications were limited to services like weather, news, and stock quotes. As video entered the picture, it was mostly limited to a quick, manageable snack here and there on YouTube. After all, on a tiny, phone-sized screen, the prospects for a sumptuous two-hour movie feast were limited.

The situation, however, is being radically transformed. And at this years’ Mobile World Congress, which I attended last week in Barcelona, a clear focus was on a prime disruptor: the tablet and vast, media-rich applications. For with the sudden and phenomenal growth of the iPad—along with its Android-based counterparts—end users who had been limited to quick bites on YouTube are ready to indulge in long-form video buffets, anytime and anywhere. And while those game-changing tablets don’t quite provide an IMAX experience, their larger screens nevertheless offer the perfect mix of visual quality, mobility, and convenience.

For mobile service carriers, however, this has created a certain amount of havoc. Read More »

Tags: applications, apps, Cisco, data, deluge, IBSG, mobile, mobile world congress, monetization, mwc, Networks, optimization, providers, Service Provider, Tablets, video, wi-fi