Convergence kills CES, NAB, CTIA...
Sony brought their stars, so too did NBC. Telco executives were everywhere and a cable guy gave the keynote address. The usual corridors of gadget wizardry were on show but what stood out at CES2008 was that everyone--carriers, MSOs, broadcasters, the big production, gaming and software houses and of course the CE salesmen--was there. Could it be what we are finally watching play out live is the much anticipated convergence?
There may be more devices than ever, but as machines all become IP enabled, behind the scenes the carriers, cable companies and broadcasters that power them are morphing into "digicoms" delivering a variety of digital medias through a variety of digital devices. In time, conferences such as CES, NAB and CTIA are set to be quaint reminders of a time when technologies were hard wired to content and distribution. -Tom
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Posted by Prabhat Kumar | January 15, 2008 - 9:43pm
It certainly looks like convergence or isn't?. The real challenge will be to deliver the common customer experience for applications (UC, FMC etc.) across networks (cable, wireline, wireless etc.) and across any device (fixed, mobile, PDA etc.) through the exiting TDM network of Telco's, HFC network of cable MSOs and GSM network of Mobile operators. In addition, the end-to-end service delivery and customer care platforms are not up to the speed to make convergence a reality. Another wrinkle in the equation is the dual mode devices.
It is certainly headed in the right direction, but we have a long way to go. The worldwide IP phones are in millions where as fixed line sets are in billions!!!
