Rethinking the Home Network

By Philip Hunter

Telcos could bypass home networks, delivering HDTV over DSL but SD services direct to second TVs and laptops over WiMAX or cellular

The home network is uncomfortable territory for Telcos. They know they must conquer it if they are to own the customer and yet it is only partially within their control, with the attendant risk of losing custom and credibility in the event of poor performance. TV increases the stakes, with added pressure to develop innovative services that exploit the possibilities IPTV brings to the home table.

Further anguish has been caused by the extra difficulty of enforcing digital rights within the managed domain of the home network, although this has been addressed to some extent by initiatives such as the SVP Alliance.

Strategies reconsidered

These issues are prompting some Telcos to reconsider their whole home networking strategy. The assumption has always been that the home network is the final hop in the loop – “the last 30 metres beyond the last mile”.

But another possibility is to bypass the home network and deliver services to home devices directly by wireless, perhaps in parallel with a primary DSL feed to the set-top box.

Under this scenario, DSL could still deliver on-demand video to the set-top box but this would be coupled with a broadcast service over cellular or WiMAX. Then the primary wide screen could still access high-definition video while secondary TVs or laptops around the house would draw broadcast service over-the-air. There are still many questions to be ironed out, notably how to communicate between home devices such as laptops, but the idea is that this would take place via the externally managed wireless network.

This would have several significant advantages for the service provider. Above all, the home network would be under their control, and yet it would be easier to deliver innovative services such as video gaming and user generated programming. Digital rights would be easier to enforce since content would be broadcast directly to all devices, with no hidden home network behind the STB. However, this does rest on the assumption that access to the medium can be controlled, as is the case for services broadcast over cellular networks, when the SIM card provides the means of authentication. But WiMAX is a free-for-all network and requires some additional means of content protection. The same would apply to high-powered WiFi if that were to become a contender.

Secure WiMAX

But solutions are now emerging. NDS announced a partnership in January to integrate its VideoGuard conditional access with the MobiTV service to deliver premium mobile content securely over WiMAX. NDS also has a similar agreement with KT, the Korean telecoms company, for video over WiFi in hotspots.

WiMAX, which was originally proposed as a wireless last mile option for broadband services, could well become a widely adopted standard for fourth generation mobile services. In the US, Verizon has already chosen WiMAX as its 4G platform. WiMAX could then be readily extended to provide externally managed home networking services, with its higher power enabling it to deliver better QoS from outside than WiFi can from within the home.

There is also the possibility that the home network, or at least secondary TV services, could be delivered over mobile TV, via either one of the overlay broadcast standards – probably DVB-H or MediaFLO – or the 3G based broadcast alternatives like HSPDA or TDtv. Some TV trials have shown that people will watch mobile TV more often within their home than while travelling, and that there is demand for such services to laptops or even second line TV sets.

Mobile TV

This begs the question of what services will be delivered over mobile or wireless TV. The first answer is that people want to access the service package they have paid for, including broadcast channels and VOD not just from around the home but also while travelling. They will also be seeking new services that exploit location independence and mobility. One example of such a new service, although not specifically exploiting wireless within the home, is AT&T’s home monitor service, launched last October. This allows users to access IP video and real-time data captured by sensors or cameras within the home. The content can be viewed from PCs or, while on the move, AT&T’s Cingular wireless devices.

More generally, there are several initiatives examining the potential of combining mobile TV, home networking and IP delivery. One is led by the Israeli consortium NeGeV (Next Generation Video), set up in September 2006 by seven companies including Scopus Video Networks and Bitband. NeGeV aims to develop personalised video services that deliver customised content designed for both mobile and fixed IPTV networks. The focus is on developing content and service management technologies that take account of varying device types, bit rates and resolutions, as well as mobility within and outside the home.

So the seeds are being sown. The home network could become the hub of quad-play services – even if it does not exist.

First published April 2007 in IPTV News Analyst (see http://www.digitalmediapublishing.co.uk)