Faultline

There is a copper mesh of over one billion phone lines and hybrid fiber co-ax encircling the planet. The number of lines is actually going down, not up, and over the coming years more and more of these lines are being abandoned for wireless connectivity. Both wired and wireless networks attach to fiber backhaul tightly interwoven to reach all but the most rural or inhospitable parts of the world with superfast broadband speeds.

Broadband is installed on about a quarter of these fixed lines, a number which is and rising constantly, shifting data at speeds of up to 300 Mbps, but at speeds which average far lower speeds than that in real world performance. Video has been travelling across these for the past few years, and its use is on the rise.

As a result, video is becoming more of a one to one experience, rather than purely a broadcast phenomenon. This suggests almost no future for broadcasting networks and a radical transformation to Over The Top delivery for pay TV networks. This will result in a massive data overload on all types of IP networks, including wireless. We also urgently need to re-invent advertising business models. Companies fastest to change will gain significant momentum. Advertising must change, content must change, consumer electronics has been ransacked, and the pressure on operators and the fragmentation of video is causing havoc. This is the battle that Faultline covers on a weekly basis, explaining the power players behind the new technologies, and predicting yet more mayhem.

Faultline analyzes the seismic shocks reverberating through these industries on a weekly basis. Assessing new waves with the simple ingredients of experience, perspective and an up to date understanding of what technology is currently capable of . Our analysts have been involved in technology assessment for the past 30 years and it is this long view which helps us understand how markets are created, built and dominated, and tells us when change is imminent.

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