No one could have imagined the fundamental impact the Internet would have on both society and the economy—changing our lives forever. The Internet has already transformed the way we work, live, play, and learn. And, this is only the beginning.

The extraordinary growth and transformation of the Internet is unprecedented, but what does the future of technology hold, and where is the Internet heading? Business executives, technologists, and policymakers are not only asking these questions—they also are looking for a map of the future that will help them assess changes in the Internet, and possible out-comes and implications of those changes for business, national policy, and regulation.

Recent research by Cisco IBSG has identified 10 major technology trends that we believe are shaping the direction of the Internet today and, most certainly, will change its direction in the future.

1. A World Gone Mobile Read More »

Tags: Big Data, Cisco, devices, government policy, IBSG, ICT industry, internet, Internet of Everything, mobile, mobile data, Networks, ott, Service Provider, technology trends

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

By Bill Gerhardt, Director, IBSG Service Provider

CTIA has certainly evolved a lot over the years. I’ve been attending for a long time, yet, whether in Orlando, Las Vegas, or New Orleans it seemingly takes on a new persona, a new vibe, and a new set of aspirations each year. This year was no different; through the chaos and change, however, I am beginning to see a major trend unfolding. Specifically, I see an industry in flux, one moving from device to application based innovation. What drew me initially to this conclusion was the lack of new designs and features on the floor this year from the device manufacturers. In fact, to some degree, there was even a lack of participation. No Nokia. No RIM. No Motorola.   Instead, there were just a few of the Asian OEM manufacturers and a lot of accessory distributors.

On the other hand, I did see some really cool applications getting attention. Is this the new paradigm? Will unique and compelling apps upstage the efforts of the device guys for attention going forward? Will consumers Read More »

Tags: Cisco, ctia, IBSG, mobile cloud, mobile operator, mobility, ott, Service Provider

I have recently returned from sampling the finest of New Orleans hospitality and hanging out with my wireless friends at the CTIA Wireless 2012 conference.  CTIA provides great insights into the wireless industry in one of the world’s biggest markets and technology superpower – the USA.  It’s hard not to compare CTIA with the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  While many of the things that I observed at MWC in February were equally visible at CTIA, I also observed a number of different items, or different slants on where the mobile industry was heading.  I am always amazed and overwhelmed at just how big the mobile ecosystem and economy are.  Unlike MWC, the CTIA show floor had a very healthy representation from all parts of the mobile ecosystem – everything from device accessories, to back-up power solutions, to applications, to CNBC broadcasting live, and many things that I couldn’t understand.  It makes you realize just how big this industry is and how innovation across all parts of the value chain have fueled this phenomenon.

The U.S. wireless industry feels like it is back on top.  Once the leader in innovation and customer demand, U.S. mobile lost much of that position over the last decade as it battled amongst itself on competing 3G technologies.  The U.S. now has 105% mobile penetration and 64% of the world’s LTE subscribers.  Not to mention that innovation in mobile has shifted back to the U.S., with the likes Read More »

Tags: byod, ctia, IBSG, LTE, M2M, mobile cloud, mobile operator, mobility, ott, Service Provider

As consumers continued demand more high-quality content over the Internet, service providers are finding it difficult to increase revenues while containing costs. This is due mainly to two trends: (1) over-the-top (OTT) content providers having outsourced delivery of content to pure-play content delivery network (CDN) companies and (2) traffic growth (with no resulting revenue benefit), increasing network build-out and maintenance costs.

In response, many SPs have begun to utilize CDNs within their networks.  While this approach has helped, results have been limited.   Now, SPs are exploring the potential of CDN federations, which Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) defines as multi-footprint, open CDN capabilities built from resources owned and operated by autonomous members.

IBSG has developed a paper that addresses this issue.  Titled “Content Delivery Network (CDN) Federations: How SPs Can Win the Battle for Content-Hungry Consumers”, it can be found on the Service Provider Thought Leadership section.  At this site, you will find a number of interesting, provocative papers on various subjects relating to the service provider segment.  

This paper provides an overview of the trends and challenges facing SPs today with regard to content delivery, describes a Cisco-led CDN federation pilot and results to date, and lays out the next steps for the pilot in an effort make CDN federations a reality.

Check it out, and the others, as well . . .

Tags: CDNs, Cisco, content_delivery_networks, operators, ott, service_providers, SP