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  • Mobile Security Solutions: Interview with Alain Rollier, President of AXSionics

    A paradigm shift in information communication technology is set to address security threats and concerns in Africa and the world at large, a senior official has said.

    In an interview, AXSionics founding president, Alain Rollier, said his company was bringing a new innovative security system aimed at addressing insecurity in technological business with respect to mobile phones, computing and financial sector (banking).

    “The system we are bringing to the market is a paradigm shift in security – it reduces cost for all service providers while increasing security to a level where attacks become unattractive to cyber-criminals.

    “In addition, it has an attractive business model. For the user it is very convenient. For once we have security implemented in a way that makes life easy for the users! As always with anything new, there is a certain time required to get the message across.

    Alain Rollier

    “We are happy with the progress we have made and more importantly so are our customers who benefit from our solutions and are our greatest advocates,” said Rollier.

    While installation of mobile security product appears to be more vital, Rollier said his main concern, particularly in the use of smartphones, was the issue of data held within the phone.

    Rollier cited examples of enterprise data such as e-Banking, commerce transactions, identity data and the whole host of username/password combinations that are available and which could be accessed and used by cyber-criminals, as areas of concern.

    Admittedly, mobile security product, according to Rollier, was one part of the solution to fears of insecurity on these new technological devices.

    Rollier said smartphones had all the issues around security that a pc or laptop has, adding that a couple more came from the additional interfaces such as SMSes and SIM cards.

    “By nature, having a lot of interfaces is not helping to secure devices. One challenge is to have two independent channels on the same device – internet browser and communication.

    “I think a shift in thinking is required. The smartphone, laptop or pc will always be impossible to fully secure. The question we have to answer is ‘how do we make sure that identities and transactions are always secure when this is the case’.

    “This is what has driven our thinking at AXSionics, and we have developed a solution that provides this security regardless of how insecure all the elements in the chain are,” said Rollier.

    However, Rollier was boastful about the new technology security software system, saying his company – AXSionics – had recently won several awards for its innovation, concept and design.

    Among the top technology and innovative awards were the Red Dot Design Award, the Red Herring Hot 100 Europe Award and the European Innovation Award in Identity Management.

    “Despite our newness, it is currently in use in a number of high security areas including defence and in volume use in retail banking.

    “It has many innovations built in to ensure it is scalable, easy to use and convenient…as well as ensuring the smartphone, laptop or pc is highly secure for security conscious transactions, regardless of how hostile the overall environment might be,” said Rollier.

  • Interview with Robert Lang of TechTour Web & Mobility Summit

    The European Tech Tour Association launched the first vertical Summit in 2006 (Semiconductor Summit) in a series of vertical events that will gather the best emerging European companies in a given industry sector.

    This initiative sprouted from the need to identify and showcase European technology start-ups in a vertical industry segment to professionals investing or working within this industry. The concept is to structure a best of best startup track along side an innovative industry specific initiative.

    Based on the words from the website, it appears that the growth of the TechTour has been both expected, but the rate at which it’s grown has been surprising. The concept of being able to highlight some of the most innovating, ground breaking ideas in the industry on various topics has worked well for the last four years and has no signs of going weak.

    The Event Itself

    TechTour is nonprofit organization that puts on many events and they either have a country focus or they are industry focus, but both welcome investors, startups, and innovators to come together. Each of them repeat themselves every 3 or 4 years providing a cycle between each event and summit.

    Robert Lang

    More specifically, the Web & Mobility Summit, which takes place on November 18-19, 2009. It is during these events that we pull together a committee from the industry, venture capitalists, and business angels.

    As companies are encouraged to apply, they are responsible for reviewing all the companies in order to determine which will ultimately present. Not all companies will apply. Some companies have enough money to grow their business, so don’t feel the need to present before venture capitalists.

    After selection is completed, the committee will have approximately 200 companies in the database and from there will break down to 25-30 companies that will ultimately be invited to present at the summit. In attendance will be approximately 100 to 150 delegates mainly from the investor side and private equity industry. Some are just looking for innovation and what’s happening in a specific sector.

    “All the CEO’s will have 20 minutes to present their company and in turn the delegates will walkway with a USB stick of the presentations. The pre-selection process involves one screener and one reviewer, so in the end each company has been looked at twice by a qualified group of people,” says Robert Lang, President of the TechTour Web & Mobility Summit.

    This tight screening ensures the highest quality and most thorough review of all companies presenting. Each CEO has roughly 30 min. time to present and a summarized version is provided in a nice binder. It’s also available on a USB stick that screeners will be able to carry wherever they go. Naturally you still get to meet everyone and carry great conversation.

    Selection of Topics

    Summits have a “topic” or industry focus – the geographic Tech Tours are based on a range of industries from the region.

    “As you go from country to country you get different topics, different verticals, and there’s a lot of interest in all sorts of topics,” says Robert.

    In some cases, without a specific focus on a sector, the event becomes too broad and risks not being appealing for someone in the US for example. But if a vertical is selected for example, Clean Technology, then chances are you’ll draw many more people from all over to hear what’s happening in that specific industry.

    When asked how long it had been since a Web & Mobility Summit, Robert says, “The last mobility summit was in 2007, but now we’re doing it again.”

    The Takeaway

    When it comes to participation, Robert comments that man ask the question, “why should I apply?” If you were a company that had a chance to present before 100 VC’s, it acts as a strong introduction for the company, especially if you’ve been pre-screened and preselected. The companies that apply would be looking for expansion capital, startup capital, or go beyond seed money.

    There are other companies that do not make it past the selection committee. Still, these companies will get exposure just from the selection committee alone. So while some companies may not have been a good candidate for the event, the screeners will remember particular companies and keep an eye on them or they themselves might provide capital if they feel the company is strong enough.

    With regards to the kinds of deals this companies can make, Robert Lang says, “Lots can happen behind the scenes from those that didn’t make it but still seem a viable opportunity.”

    In the end, Robert says that every company involved should hopefully takeaway the opportunity for an investor to be interested enough to help the company break through.

    Partner Assistance

    Because it’s a nonprofit, each event lives off delegate fees and their sponsors. Since it’s moving around to many countries, VC’s are regular supporters who will do at least one tech tour a year. There are many other sponsors who become partners by offering meeting rooms and other amenities that help make it a success. Mostly it’s companies looking for innovation that help sponsor these events.

    “There’s quite a mixture of partners, but the identification of being with the TechTour is becoming substantial on it’s own and there are benefits to be had by participating,” Robert says confidently when asked about the direct benefits to the partners.

    The VP and President of the events are selected differently every year as the tour moves providing experience and an opportunity to be a part of this event. It also attracts new faces based on those individuals personal networks and the reach of the conference can grow exponentially.

    Robert Lang is happy to have sponsors and states, “If we didn’t have sponsors we could not run the event.”

    2009 Expectations

    Robert notes that in this time of crisis, he’s looking forward to seeing well trained, well disciplined companies who have not gotten any funding for a while that are going to be more fine tuned and well developed. Many are looking forward to the dinner in the Olympic museum over looking Lake Geneva. It’s important to note that the combo of doing great business and dealings mixed with fine dining and mingling at a great venue is a sure fire way to keep the interest.

    “If events are not interesting people leave and aren’t inspired to be there, but this event is sure to keep people motivated and engaged,” Robert Lang comments.

    To get more information on how you can be a part of this event, either as an investor or as a presenter, or even if you’re just looking forward to attending, be sure to visit the site for more information.

  • IP Becomes More Attractive to SMB's: Interview with Jeff Howe, President of Allworx

    In the world of communication services and VoIP technology there are a lot of companies out there providing services to large businesses and enterprises to help streamline their communication needs and offer them money saving options that will benefit the enterprise and help increase profits.

    What seems to lack is the company that serves the SMB‘s as a provider of similar services in both an easy to use and affordable package.

    Of the few companies out there, Allworx is dedicated to offering a seamless, easy-to-use service that extends the benefits of a VoIP and an integrated communication infrastructure that SMB’s can focus their attention on doing what they were set up to do, focus on the business.

    In a conversation with President of Allworx, Jeff Howe, he explains why they’ve focused on the SMB market,”If you look at IP as an industry all together there are a lot of moving parts right now. For example, from a pure industry perspective, a lot of the key features for the SMB space from a lot of our other competitors are typically missing.”

    The missing part is what he hopes Allworx is able to fulfill for their clients. He notes that many companies have older communications systems in place that make it difficult to to integrate from a TDM to VoIP.

    Integration and Use

    Despite the complexity what Allworx has determined is that companies are looking for mobility and flexibility, along with scalability with their systems.

    Whether a phone call needs to ring on multiple lines, a call needs to be forwarded to another extension or another phone, or if a customer needs the use of a remote phone, these services are vital for a VoIP communications company and necessary to thrive in today’s fast paced industry.

    Jeff Howe

    Jeff Howe makes sure to point out during our discussion that he is currently communicating with me on an Allworxs phone that he simply plugged into a public internet connection with a unique IP that taps into a remote phone application.

    Excited at this prospect Jeff shares his enthusiasm,”So we give them exactly everything they have today but we’re going to give them all the flexibility that VOIP brings to them to enhance their productivity and allow them to be more flexible as they are becoming more of a mobile environment.”

    Making the Switch

    It’s not uncommon for a company to be uncertain when making a large adjustment to existing standards that perhaps have been in place for a long time. Especially difficult, technology is something many fear, and making the switch sometimes takes some convincing. Two of the key factors that become a selling point for VoIP is the ease of use and, secondly, the cost savings.

    Allworx President, Jeff Howe, breaks it down in simple terms, “An Allworks system is really a server and phones. Within that server you have all the capabilities that you’d normally need.”

    He goes on to include, “We talk about the fact that it’s easy to install, simple to install, very simple to maintain because in a server environment, certainly with remote access, the customer doesn’t have to wait for the service trucks so to speak. With remote access I would say that 90% of the issues that arise are all handled remotely and then certainly for the server there are no blades, there are no gateways, everything is right within the Allworks server so its very very simple.”

    In terms of value to the customer, Jeff feels that the packages that Allworx offers are surprising to many because they are robust. Offering many things that competitors typically charge extra for.

    An extra added value for Allworx is their continued success in award winning products from their equipment to their handsets that have been repeatedly awarded for their sound and durability. Jeff truly believes because of the quality of service and quality of product, this helps keep Allworx a viable solution in the SMB market.

    Industry Musings

    When asked about the industry as a whole, Jeff was quick to note that adoption of VoIP technology is still fairly knew for many SMB’s so he’s not seen a tidal wave of new entrants in the market. He does note that with the status of the economy, he’s noticing that the integration into the IP industry is starting to crest, more so than in “normal” times.

    Specifically discussion adoption rates of SMB’s, Jeff Howe says, “I think initially there is a bit of a resistance to migrate to an IP based service for customers right now because at the end of the day it involves investment in the infrastructure with significant capital and then compared to all of the competitors out there, whether its the capable companies or other providers, there tends to be an initial reduction in overall margin.”

    He notes that customers are now being forced to look into options, and IP is becoming more and more attractive to many SMB’s worldwide.

    A transition to new services can actually save enough money that those savings can be added to a company’s bottom line as opposed to being spent on service visit fees.

    In response to whether technology is moving faster than the customers needs, Jeff notes that he does believe this is the case, but it does not necessarily represent a bad thing.

    “I think its just a matter of time before the customers either take on the adoption rate as to what the technologies are. There just seems to be a lot of technology being developed in a lot of different ways,” Jeff notes.

    He continues, “There’s a lot of technology being developed and I think it just depends on what the customer is looking for and for them to pick and choose which technology meets their particular needs.”

    Like any other industry in the market, Allworx is no stranger to conferences. They will be speaking and displaying at the Comptel Plus Fall 2009 Convention & Expo.

  • Mobile Internet in Africa: Interview with Jose Henriques, Vodacom

    Mobile internet is no longer luxury in Africa as it has become a valuable tool of global development, this according to Jose Henriques, Vodacom executive head of internet services.

    Henriques was speaking to Biz-News.com in Johannesburg last week during the Mobile Web Africa conference whose focus was looking at ways of harnessing the potential of internet and applications on mobile devices.

    “It is amazing how such a luxury item has quickly become a valuable tool of global development, shifting from being held to the ears to being held by hand, and becoming an instrument of promoting economic growth,” Henriques said.

    “Mobile phones are the advance guard for mobile broadband networks and at the same time they are promoting economic benefits and providing a basic tool of education, for instance helping parents to afford to educate their children.”

    Jose Henriques

    The conference, organised by All Amber and which was attended by over 150 local and international delegates, heard that Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, South Africa (fourth position), Sudan, Algeria, Kenya, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe are the top 10 countries in terms of internet penetration on PC,
    while only 3.3% of Africans have access to internet via their mobile phones.

    These top 10 countries make up of 85% of all internet users market in Africa, according to recent statistics.

    South Africa has over 4.5 million PC internet users and close to 10 million mobile internet users expectation is to have at least 15 million mobile internet users by 2013.

    Mobile penetration

    Henriques explained that despite the limitations of opportunities of fixed-line internet in Africa and the unstoppable rise of mobile revolution and its socio-economic advantages, countries such as Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda and Nigeria are working hard to push for mobile penetration, especially in rural areas.

    The African mobile internet market continues to grow dramatically, staying slightly behind the Middle East (fastest-growing region), with pages viewed having increased by 422% between April 2008 to April 2009, and Google being the number one and Yahoo in third in each of the top 12 countries striving intensively on software development.

    The top 12 countries include SA, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Libya, Zambia and Tanzania.

    However, Henriques warned that he said the only way companies will succeed to advance the mobile internet cause is to give a decent access experience to the user, get their price right and affordable and provide content adaptation.

    “One must ensure that the internet is accessed in any phone with cost-effective rates and the possibility to get any big website into a small screen,” he explained.

  • Young Entrepreneur Brings Openmoko to Africa

    A young entrepreneur in South Africa has teamed up with Openmoko to distribute the Neo Freerunner to Africa.

    Nyasha Mutsekwa spoke to Biz-News.com at the sidelines of Mobile Web Africa conference in Johannesburg of his mission.

    Mutsekwa believes that the biggest challenge in Africa is not short of skills but lack of latest technologies that can be harnessed to empower people.

    “In Africa I think its not skills shortage but rather lack of access to latest technologies, this is why we are going all out to bring all the technologies available to Africa,” he said

    The Neo Freerunner is an open-source phone, which allows developers and enthuasists alike access to the source code and hardware schematics to customize the device to their hearts content.

    Nyasha Mutsekwa

    Mutsekwa through his company Engineering Ideas is optimistic of their business venture across the continent saying they have received favourable response in countries that they have a footprint.

    Openmoko is a project dedicated to delivering mobile phones with an open source software stack. This technology allows the users to freely choose to run any operating system on their Openmoko smartphone.

    Besides running the Openmoko software and applications, users can also run the following distributions: Qt Extended Improved, Debian, Gentoo, Google Android, Hackable: 1, neovento.

    “With this smartphone user have the ability to create their own African Mobile environments using a tried and tested open source platform,” Mutsekwa added.

    Mutsekwa, who previously worked for Oracle Africa as the e-School Business Development Manager teamed up with friends in 2008 to start Engineering Ideas, a private limited company serving the technology and intellectual capital needs of small to medium size business clients in Africa.

    Speaking about the regulatory environment on the continent, Mutsekwa said that his company hasn’t faced much challenges as there is an identical regulatory environment within their sphere of operation.

  • Smartphone Faces Security Threat

    The pervasive nature of the mobile world has made it difficult to successfully curb security threats on smartphones and other mobile devices offering internet access, says Alain Rollier, founder of AXSionics.

    In an interview with Biz-News.com this week, Rollier gave a detailed account of how security threat on mobile devices was shifting from the traditional devices that offer Internet Access.

    “Mobile phones become or in many cases are already as powerful as any other Internet Access device, therefore the known security issues on the PC and Laptops will appear on mobile.

    “So all the problems of laptop/pc world are heading the way of the smartphone, plus a few more as a direct result of the pervasive nature of the mobile world,” he said.

    The security expert dispelled myths that certain operating systems were more secure than others. He said the crux of the matter was the operating environment more than anything else.

    Alain Rollier

    Rollier said his company has developed solutions that work on all operating systems as well as networks.

    “I don’t think it’s really a question of only the operating system. I think the more important question is the operating environment. We have developed a solution that does not rely on the security of the operating system or the network or the access devices and still delivers complete security for transactions and identity management, Rollier explained

    Biggest threat to security on a smart phone

    Security issues around the smartphone are crucial because the device already accounts for 25 percent of the cellphone market. Given their current growth rate and the number of new devices, smartphones will account for an increasing share of the overall market with some sectors predicting as much as 40 percent over the next five years. This would be at a minimum 400 million devices per year.

    Rollier is of the opinion that security threats to smartphones are similar to those found on PCs or Laptops, but acknowledges that the use of many interfaces will be problematic on security.

    “Smart phones have all the issues around security that a pc or laptop has, plus a couple more which come from the additional interfaces like SMS and SIM cards. By nature, having a lot of interfaces is not helping to secure devices; one challenge is to have two independent channels on the same device – internet browser and communication. I think a shift in thinking is required,” he said

    Rollier said all devices including the smartphone would be impossible to fully guarantee security but noted that emphasis must be on ensuring secure identities and transactions.

    “The smartphone, laptop or pc will always be impossible to fully secure. The question we have to answer is ‘how do we make sure that identities and transactions are always secure when this is the case?’

    “This is what has driven our thinking at AXSionics, and we have developed a solution that provides this security regardless of how unsecured all the elements in the chain are,” he said.

    Enterprise security policies on mobile devices

    Biz-News.com enquired from Rollier if it was possible for companies to implement security polices on smartphones as much as they did on desktop computers.

    The security expert was quick to point out that some firms had already implemented policies to that effect but acknowledged that due to the nature of the mobile world it would always be a challenge for these to be a success.

    “Some companies also implement PKI type solutions which can, in very controlled environments, help. However, in the pervasive word of mobile communications, these solutions are not sufficiently scalable and hence cannot be successful.

    “Allowing companies to implement their current enterprise security policies on mobile devices will not solve the problem,” he said.

    On data theft, he explained that companies and individuals must be wary of data that was not on the smartphone but could be accessed by the device.

    Rollier pointed out that enterprise data, e-Banking, commerce transactions, identity data and username/password combinations that are available and that can be accessed and used by cyber criminals should be of concern to everyone.

    “I think a mobile security product is one part of the answer but we must stop thinking of these devices as anything more than a pc or laptop, only much more pervasive and much more vulnerable,” he said.

    Affordable and accessible security solutions

    On the question of availability and how companies and individuals can afford security solutions, the founder of AXSionics said their solution worked effectively on both secure and insecure operating systems on smartphones.

    “We provide solutions that work regardless how secure or insecure the operating system of the smart phone is. We use the smart phone and the internet connection only to transport encrypted information from the service provider to the AXSionics Internet Passport. It’s very secure, doesn’t drive usage costs and is very convenient for the user,” he said.

    AXSionics has in recent past won several awards for its innovation, concept and design. These included the Red Dot Design Award, the Red Herring Hot 100 Europe Award and the European Innovation Award in Identity Management.

    Rollier said despite the product being new, it was currently in use in a number of high security areas including defence and in volume use in retail banking. It has many innovations built in to ensure it is scalable, easy to use and convenient.

  • StromPhonie Powerline Telephone Technology from AGFEO

    VIDEO INTREVIEW.
    AGFEO, the Germany-based developer, manufacturer and distributor of ISDN/IP solutions, displayed Plus X Award-nominated AGFEO StromPhonie at this year’s IFA.

    The StromPhonie is an integration into the Powerline technology within AGFEO Telephone Systems and therefore does not require any telephone wire installation. With the aid of IP based ASIP (AGFEO System IP) technology system phones can be connected to the telephone system by using the standard 230 Volt mains socket.

    Lars Husemann, Product Manager for AGFEO gave us a short introduction to the company’s star products and a demonstration of the StromPhonie system.

    AGFEO assures they paid particular attention to the Apple community. They also claim the AGFEO’s StromPhonie is the first telephone system which offers system telephony in connection with a fully Apple compatible CTI solution, including the synchronisation with an iPhone representation.

  • HD LCD TV with Integrated iPhone/iPod Docking Station Coming in November

    While looking for some nice gadgets at this year’s IFA, Biz-New.com came across Vestel’s LCD TV with integrated iPhone/iPod docking station. Barış Altinkay, Product Manager for Vestel, gave us a demonstration on the product as well as a short introduction to the company.

    Vestel Group is comprised of 24 companies operating in manufacturing, technology development, marketing, and distribution fields in the consumer electronics,digital technologies, IT and household appliances, with € 3.7 billion turnover.

    According to the company, they account for 21% of the total TV, 10% of the TLC TV, 25% of the digital set-top boxes, and 10% of the household appliances markets in Europe.

  • The Perspectives for Over the Top Television


    INTERVIEW. The emergence of Over the Top Television (OTT) technologies is not widely viewed as a threat to the existence of telcos in their quest to transform IPTV services, an official has said.

    Victor Dominguez, vice president of DS2, a leading provider of semiconductors for high-speed communications over existing wires, said fears doing the rounds in the information communication technology sector had no substance at the moment.

    “It is early to say. OTT has a huge potential and there is growing acceptance in some regions like the USA. The message I am hearing from telcos is that OTT is ok and will have market adoption, but cannot deliver quality.”

    “When it comes to good TV experience, the telcos are saying that they still have an advantage. Also, they are currently in discussions on whether OTT will be able to pay for premium content (without counting on a monthly subscription fee of the end user),” said Dominguez.

     Victor Dominguez

    Dominguez was reacting to questions by Biz-News.com on whether the emergence of OTT would pose any threats to the existing IPTV.

    He said small format to medium quality OTT was fine, but quickly noted that large format to HD/high quality IPTV was better.

    “On the other hand OTT has its own challenges with more and more quality content being provided over free DTT,” said Dominguez.

    Although he admitted that the OTT and IPTV would compete and fill in different market demands, Dominguez hinted that the regular internet connection offerings from telcos were rather expensive nowadays.

    He dismissed any partnerships between OTT and telcos.

    Dominguez’s DS2 was founded in 1998 and has more than 130 employees based in Santa Clara, Tokyo (Japan), Taipei and Valencia (Spain).

    Dominguez said because DS2 chips could operate over power lines, phone lines and coaxial cable, users didn’t have to install new Ethernet wires to set up a robust wired network.

    “DS2 technology is widely used in many markets, including consumer home networks, IPTV distribution applications, Smart Grid or Ethernet over Coax services."

    “Telco IPTV (ie, a broadcast-quality TV service provided by a Telecommunication Service Provider, as opposed to "Internet TV" or "Over-the-Top TV" services such as Hulu.com or Apple iTunes) is one of the main drivers for wired home networking (and powerline networking in particular)."

    “There are multiple reasons why Telco Service Providers choose powerline-based solutions for IPTV distribution instead of Wireless solutions like 802.11n,” said Dominguez.

    He said wireless LANs, which usually have signal propagation problems where there are multiple walls between a transmitter and a receiver, especially with metal and concrete walls Wireless LAN signals, were not easily contained inside a single home.
    He said as a result there was potential for interference to neighbour Wireless LANs, especially in densely populated areas.

    He said most Wireless LAN products did not have the reliability and Quality of Service (QoS) required to support applications like HDTV.

    “Delivering broadcast-quality HDTV channels in a Telco IPTV environment is specially challenging because the content is delivered over multicast UDP streams. UDP does not have automatic retransmission capabilities, so any lost UDP packet may create visual artifacts (macroblocking) on the TV screen."

    “Also, most Set-Top Boxes (STB) used in Telco IPTV applications have limited reception buffers, which means that they are very sensitive to packet latency and jitter. DS2 provides high-speed powerline communication chipsets specially designed for Telco IPTV applications, that provide the performance, latency and QoS required for HD video streaming."

    “For applications where maximum performance is required, DS2 offers the DSS9101+DSS7800 chipset (Aitana), with a maximum PHY data rate of 200 Mbps. DS2 also offers a lower speed solution, the DSS8101+DSS7800 chipset (Montgo), with a maximum PHY data rate of 100 Mbps,” Dominguez said.

    He said both solutions were fully interoperable and pinned compatible, allowing system designers to create multiple products with a common PCB design.

    Dominguez said both Aitana and Montgo chips were powered by DS2’s SPIRIT firmware, which provides advanced capabilities such as TR-069 compliant remote management, programmable QoS, automatic repeating capabilities, secure firmware upgrade, automatic multicast support via IGMP-snooping and many other features.

  • New Opportunities for IPTV

    INTERVIEW. In a wide-ranging interview with Biz-news.com, Benjamin Schwarz, chief technology officer for CTO Innovation Consulting Group, who has 20 years of international experience in consulting and in Telco & Media organization, gave an insight into the IPTV development.

    He also talks about the new opportunities the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa gives IPTV. He is convinced the World Cup would witness a tremendous shift to new and highly advanced 3D video demonstrations.

    Content key to IPTV

    Acquiring content for IPTV has become reasonable and content owners are now recognising operators as legitimate in their business, Schwarz revealed.

    He said while a few years back it was impossible to engage in VoD negotiations, with time this has changed for the better.

    “In VoD negotiations ‘minimum guarantees’ are still a stumbling block whereas a few years ago they were in an impassable barrier,” he said.

    Benjamin Schwarz

    Technology due-diligence requirements are also relaxing and majors are beginning to realise that in smaller markets where piracy is rife it’s better to have a little revenue-stream even if it means letting go of the precious ‘minimum guarantees’ rather than having nothing,” Schwarz added.

    He explained that through the years it has become much easier to get content for IPTV operators through the technological developments.

    “A new content aggregation business is coming into existence with specialist VoD outfits like Grey Juice Labs or bigger live TV aggregators like Avail Media. There are even highly specialised consultancies like 3Vision in the UK.

    “So all in all, it’s a lot easier to get access to content now than it was just a few years ago,” said Schwarz.

    Focusing on the growth of IPTV in terms of market and technology, Schwarz said once Telcos got their offers in place, most markets would have a significant IPTV user base of 10 to 30 percent of households.

    He also noted that in future there would be a shift between telcos and content operators.

    IPTV continues to make positive strides

    Meanwhile, strategic technological alliances seem to be the required solution to the array of challenges that were faced by IPTV’s early adopters, Schwarz said.

    Schwarz believes the challenges have since lessened significantly since suppliers such as Microsoft, Cisco, Motorola and Thomson offered a complete end-to-end solution, and other smaller vendors have already integrated with others.

    He said early IPTV adopters faced huge challenges in access to content while the second challenge was the technical difficulty in delivering a Quality of Experience (QoE).

    “The first challenge has all but gone; the market has a lot more actors in it now, and access to an entry-level channel line-up as well as a decent VoD catalogue is within most operators’ reach,” said Schwarz.

    He said standards such as those of the Open IPTV forum have had a much positive impact. However, unlike with content, the technological challenge still remains in South Africa .

    “User expectations of quality are getting higher all the time. So, even as we learn to reach the targets, they are being pulled further away all the time,” said Schwarz.

    He said an example of this could be observed in the user interface.

    “Users interface design is good example of such a moving target. We’re getting so much better all the time, yet never quite good enough,” he said.

    Two most prevalent issues in the projects were recently seen at the CTOiC in 2009 – Over-The-Top (OTT) & Hybrid.

    The OTT issue has many sides. Some content operators want to deliver OTT directly to Network operators’ customers.

    “This is for example, what Joost failed to do, but in many cases they work together as is the case with the BBC’s iPlayer and VirginMedia” said Schwarz.

    However operators with walled garden approaches view OTT as a necessary evil because it will enable only just enough and subscribers won’t churn, – not a feature more.

    TV widgets from the entities like Yahoo! confuse the picture further. Set makers are adopting different stances with their new connected TVs in this raging war.

    “I don’t know how the dust will settle on this. I suppose users, the market will have to decide,” said Schwarz.

    2010 World Cup to showcase advanced IPTV technology

    The forthcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa will see a leading international forum of the electronic media industry demonstrating highly sophisticated technology aimed at improving television communication and quality.

    Schwarz said the 3D video would precisely demonstrate how serious IBC would execute its latest technological advancement in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2012 London Olympics.

    “This year IBC showed some great 3D video demonstration, so I definitely think that will be important. I imagine that the coming World Cup in your country (South Africa) will be too soon; we’ll probably see some demos around that event though.

    “London’s Olympics in 2012 will be the real launch of 3D. Satellite and Cablecos might be first to market but for once they won’t steal the show from IPTV because the extra bandwidth required is pretty small so it will be a level playing field,” said Schwarz.

    Schwarz believes a lot of venture capital would be channeled towards this technological development as evidenced by the on-going huge debate on the social aspect of television.

    Turning to IPTV system, Schwarz said since the landscape of electronic technology was changing at an ever-increasing pace, he was convinced that some of the Content Operators who use CTOiC would survive while the old would find the going tough.