The burgeoning interest in on-demand streaming video, driven by new OTT service offerings such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, together with the rapid proliferation of Internet-enabled devices, is one of the major market trends of the moment. This, however, puts an enormous strain on in-home networks which can struggle to cope with the growing demands on bandwidth and reliable speeds throughout the home, according to HomeGrid Forum President, Donna Yasay.
Speaking today at the Broadband TV event in Anaheim, California, Donna Yasay highlighted how these trends are adding to bandwidth congestion and the need to find reliable ways to deliver these vast amounts of traffic. “More and more people are choosing to opt out of traditional broadcast TV in favor of all-IP services,” says Yasay, “and they generally no longer have just one entertainment point or internet outlet in the home – it’s more likely to be one in every room.”
OTT video services are predicted to reach over 330 million subscribers globally by 2019, according to a recent Juniper Research study, published in May of this year. “That’s more than the entire population of the United States, men women and children included!” points out Donna Yasay.
A UK YouGov survey conducted last year reveals that the UK home already has an average of 7.4 internet-enabled devices. The demand is driven by the availability of new devices that provide streaming video, such as Connected TVs and streaming media devices, game consoles and set-top boxes, and a plethora of other new gadgets on the market, from wearable technologies to smart devices in the home. Yasay says that this number is likely to continue increasing rapidly as more and more homes install smart meters, security systems, CCTV monitoring and many other smart systems.
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