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Tag: market-data

  • Demand Up, Prices Down for Carrier VoIP and IMS Equipment

    The total service provider VoIP equipment market, including trunk media gateways, SBCs, media servers, softswitches, and voice application servers, decreased 9% from 2Q10 to 3Q10, to $511 million, according to Infonetics Research. While revenue is down for the quarter, shipments for almost all segments in the market are up sequentially.

    The research firm has just released its third quarter (3Q10) Service Provider VoIP Equipment and Subscribers and IMS Equipment and Subscribers market share and forecast reports.

    The raport finds that Asia Pacific is the only region expected to post year-over-year revenue growth in 2010 for service provider VoIP equipment and that in 3Q10, GENBAND leads the combined carrier VoIP and IMS equipment market for worldwide revenue.

    “The number-one story that will come out of 2010 for the IMS and carrier VoIP equipment markets is China, where conditions are driving volumes up and pushing prices down. There are large network transformation projects underway in China, so demand for equipment is very strong, but at the same time, vendors are willing to push the pricing limits to get into strategic accounts,"noted Diane Myers, directing analyst for VoIP and IMS at Infonetics Research.

    "In the third quarter of 2010, every product category except media servers was impacted by pricing pressures, so while shipments were up for most segments, total worldwide revenue took a hit. Looking at the long-term prospects, the network elements that are best poised for solid growth are those that facilitate the migration to all-IP networks, such as session border controllers (SBCs),” she added.

    According to the report, the worldwide IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) equipment market, including IMS core equipment and application servers, grew 4% in 3Q10, on the heels of a 34% jump in the previous quarter.

    In 3Q10, the 4 top vendors, Alcatel Lucent, Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia Siemens Networks, continue to fight it out for new deals and replacement RFPs. Ericsson and Nokia Siemens saw revenue growth with CSCF in a relatively flat quarter.

    Overall, the IMS equipment market is experiencing strong and healthy growth, driven in the near-term by the continued adoption of VoIP services and service provider migration of VoIP services to IMS networks.

    Longer-term, the IMS market will get a boost from the push for enhanced mobile services, with LTE being the most significant driver, as the analysts claim.

  • Unified Communications Market Has Strongest Quarter Since 2008

    Dell’Oro Group reported that the Unified Communications market expanded to its highest level since 2008 in the third quarter this year. Strong second half seasonality helped offset weakness in Europe as the Unified Communications market expanded 7 percent sequentially.

    “The market rebounded strongly in the third quarter due to robust seasonal quarters from several of the larger vendors, especially in North America, which was able to offset weakness in Europe” commented Alan Weckel, Director at Dell’Oro Group.

    “Despite pockets of weakness reappearing, we believe that the Unified Communications market will expand significantly in 2010 as existing vendors continue to invest and expand their software offerings and Microsoft begins to actively push Lync,” Weckel added.

    Also, according to the report, vendors continue to migrate their installed base over to IP lines, although the process may take another decade to complete. The top eight vendors in the quarter that accounted for more than 80 percent of IP line shipments were: Aastra, Alcatel-Lucent, Avaya, Cisco, Mitel, NEC, Shoretel, and Siemens.

  • Mobile Commerce to Greatly Impact Holiday Shopping Season

    IDC today announced the results of a new survey revealing that mobile shopping "warriors" (hyper-connected individuals) and mobile shopping "warrior wannabies" (moderately connected individuals) will account for 28% or $127 billion of the $447 billion the National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts U.S. consumers will spend this holiday season.

    The survey was designed to explore how consumers’ growing comfort with mobile commerce (m-commerce) and social media commerce (sm-commerce) will play out in the 2010 holiday shopping season.

    According to results, m-commerce and sm-commerce are giving consumers greater advantage as they engage retailers on their own terms – even inside the store – within arm’s reach of merchandise at the moment of their buying decision.

    "MSM-commerce introduces a new consumer shopping model which changes how consumers shop, not simply when and where they shop, as e-commerce has already enabled," said Greg Girard, program director, Retail Merchandise Strategies at IDC Retail Insights.

    "It is clear that MSM-commerce already has an influence on consumers’ perception of brand value and their shopping intentions. We believe the retailers with superior mobile and social media commerce strategies in place will have a decided advantage," he added.

    As revealed in the survey, mobile shopping warriors and wannabies represent the vanguard for the new age of m-commerce and, of particular interest, results suggest that the early maturity adult audience is an important part of this vanguard. Adults aged 25 to 44 years comprised nearly two-thirds of the mobile shopping warrior group while they comprised slightly less than half of consumers surveyed. In addition, adults aged 45 to 54 years were the most inclined to use their mobile information advantage; for example, asking for a better price to match one they find on their mobile device while in the store.

    For retailers, the impact of mobile shopping warriors will be significant this holiday season as the survey reveals, across the board, retailers’ m-commerce competence greatly influences consumer perceptions about the brand. Further, an easy-to-use mobile website significantly influences consumers, across all age groups, on where to shop this holiday season.

    Results also suggest that while the influence of social media outlets on buying decisions is growing, retailers continue to serve as the most important source of information on which consumers make their final purchase decisions. As such, retailers who have met the critical need for consumer-generated Web site content and easy-to-use product information will have the advantage this holiday season.

    "Consumers’ increased comfort with using their smartphones to go online anywhere combined with their plans to use them more in the 2010 holiday season signals the beginning of a significant shift away from the capacity of the store channel to hold sway over consumers as they move to a purchase decision," concluded Girard.

  • iSuppli: Vizio and Samsung Split Leadership in U.S. TV Market in Q3

    In the latest twist in the battle between Vizio and Samsung for leadership in the U.S. television market, Vizio managed to retake the No. 1 rank in LCD TV shipments, while Samsung maintained the top position in overall flat-panel sets, according to the display market research firm iSuppli.

    Vizio in the third quarter shipped 1.6 million LCD TVs, up 14.9 percent from 1.4 million in the second quarter. This gave the U.S. LCD TV maker a 19.9 percent share, allowing it to surpass Samsung, to take the No. 1 rank. Samsung’s shipments declined by a slight 1.5 percent in the third quarter, leaving it with it a 17.7 percent share.

    However, Samsung held onto its first-place position in U.S. shipments of overall flat-panel televisions, a category consisting of LCD TVs and plasma sets. The South Korean technology giant shipped 1.82 million flat-panel sets in the third quarter, up 0.2 percent from 1.81 million in the second quarter. This gave Samsung a 19.3 percent share of shipments, enough to maintain the No. 1 rank over Vizio.

    “Vizio in the third quarter managed to retake leadership in the U.S. LCD TV market based on strong shipments of sets equipped with LED backlighting,” said Riddhi Patel, principal analyst, television systems, for iSuppli. “Consumer demand is rising rapidly for LED-backlit LCD TVs because of their thinner form factors, improved picture quality, better color saturation, lower power consumption and other green attributes—along their with declining prices. This allowed Vizio to increase its LCD TV sales by 208,000 units in the third quarter compared to the second.”

    According to Patel, Vizio’s competitiveness in the LED backlit television market reflect how much the company has evolved from its beginnings as a low-end LCD TV seller. LED backlighting represents a premium feature, not associated with inexpensive LCD TVs.

    “Vizio can no longer be called a value LCD TV brand and now is a direct competitor with premium sellers, including Samsung,” Patel observed.

    Samsung in the third quarter capitalized on its broad product line to hold on to U.S. flat panel leadership. Along with its LCD TV line, Samsung is a major seller of plasma sets. The company achieved a 7.2 percent increase in plasma set shipments, more than compensating for its LCD TV decline.

    U.S. LCD TV shipments expanded in on a sequential basis in the third quarter as a range of compelling new models arrived on the market. Shipments amounted to 8.04 million units, up 8.1 percent from 7.4 million in the second quarter.

    However, in a worrying sign for the U.S. LCD TV market in 2010, shipments declined slightly compared to 8.09 million units in the third quarter of 2009.

    “Sales promotions in the third quarter did not offer very aggressive price cuts, because pricing already was at low levels,” Patel said. “This kept shipment levels flat compared to a year earlier, and contributed to a buildup of LCD TV inventory among retailers.”

  • Efficient Data Center Design Can Lead to 300% Capacity Growth in 60% Less Space

    Emerging trends in data center design mean that new data centers will be able to provide a 300 percent growth in capacity in 60 percent less space than existing data centers, according to Gartner. New data centers are being designed to be efficient in terms of power utilization, space allocation and capital expenditure.

    “There is a real and growing desire to increase productivity in data centers,” said Dave Cappuccio, chief of infrastructure research at Gartner. “Organizations are starting to take a serious look at consumption ratios of compute power to energy consumed and then compare them against estimated productivity of applications and the equipment to deliver that application. Couple this with the realization that most IT assets are underutilized — for example, x86 servers are running at 12 percent utilization, racks are populated to 50 to 60 percent capacity, floor space is ‘spread out’ to disperse the heat load — it becomes clear that an efficiently designed and implemented data center can yield significant improvements.”

    Traditionally, organizations would mitigate the power and cooling issues in data centers by spreading out the physical infrastructure across a larger floor space, but this trend is coming to an end as more servers are needed and floor space is becoming a premium. This is forcing organizations to more densely populate existing server racks, and as a result driving an increase in localized power and cooling demand.

    Cappuccio said the trend toward higher-density cabinets and racks will continue unabated through 2012, increasing both the density of compute resources on the data center floor, and the density of both power and cooling required to support them. IT managers for the past few years have focused solely on solving the power and cooling issue with hot and cold isles, distributed equipment placement, specialty cooling and self-contained environments.

    Gartner said in the future the issue will move up the corporate food chain as executives realize that the substantial energy costs for IT today are but a fraction of what future costs will be at current growth rates. At current pricing the operating expense (that is energy) to support an x86 server will exceed the cost of that server within three years.

    Given current trends it’s likely that operating costs of servers could easily equal their capital costs within the first few years, putting severe strains on IT organizations to fully utilize equipment they have, while only using equipment absolutely necessary. “The days of idle machines sitting on the data center floor during off peak hours will be a thing of the past. At current energy rates a 40kW rack could cost upward of $5,400 per server, per year,” Mr. Cappuccio said.

    “The new data centers are not like the old ones. Organizations need to make a break with the past and realize that innovation in data center design will yield both reduced capital and operating expenditure,” said Mr. Cappuccio. “Think small, think dense – the objective is the highest compute performance per kilowatt.”

    There are actions that can be taken today to reduce power consumption and thereby improve overall efficiencies in data centers. They include:

    1) Implementing row- and rack-based cooling for higher-density equipment can reduce energy consumption by up to 15 percent while making the data center more scalable.

    2) Rightsizing the new data center by building and provisioning only what is needed — and then expanding only when needed — can reduce the long-term operating expenses by 10 to 30 percent.

    3) Using air economizers in certain geographies is a simple step with sizable rewards. Gartner said that many data centers actually have air handlers with economizer modes on existing equipment but have it disabled from the early years when energy was not the issue it is today.

    4) Paying particular attention to floor layouts, not only with respect to hot aisle/cold aisle factors, but with regard to overall air movement (distance) to reduce workloads on your air handling equipment.

    5) Virtualize as much as possible — especially on x86 equipment. The average x86 server has very low utilization levels but requires a high degree of its maximum power to run. Push these systems to higher utilization levels to reduce overall energy consumption, reduce floor space and see more-efficient use of your IT assets.

    Gartner said that energy consumption will be the most dominant trend in data centers during the next five years — both from efficiency and a monitoring/management standpoints. Reduction in energy consumption will take on many forms, from introducing ‘green’ technologies, such as chilled water or refrigerant cooling at the device level, to real-time infrastructure management, which allows the movement of resources based on workloads and time of day. With potential regulatory involvement in data center efficiencies, IT and facilities managers will be required to show continuous improvements in how resources are utilized.

  • Motorola Research Reveals New TV Viewing Habits

    Paid-for television content – whether through cable, satellite or the internet – is preferred over free-to-air services – even in markets where free programming is more readily available, according to global research from Motorola Mobility.

    Motorola Mobility’s Global 2010 Media Engagement Barometer – an independent global study of video-consumption habits among 7,500 consumers in 13 markets by research agency Vanson Bourne – shows that while free-to-air services are available to 67 percent of global viewers, compared to 57 percent for paid-for services, the most preferred TV services are subscription only.

    The research also shows that social media is changing viewing experiences. Forty-two percent of viewers globally have had an email conversation, engaged in an instant message chat or used a social network to discuss a program or video while they were watching it. Of this group, 22 percent said that social-media multi-tasking is a regular part of their viewing experience and 61 percent would be prepared to pay more for a service that offered these capabilities.

    The future looks bright for high-definition television products and services worldwide. Of viewers surveyed, 75 percent either own or plan to own an HD television in the next 18 months and 25 percent are expected to upgrade their TVs to include 3D in the same timeframe.

    “The research clearly shows a changing television landscape, one where subscription services are becoming mainstream, augmented by social activities revolving around Internet chat and networking channels,” said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer, Motorola Mobility. “As we advance further into the Internet Era of TV, the ability for service providers to differentiate their offers will become even more crucial as consumers look for extra value from their subscriptions. The good news is that, based on these findings, consumers are willing to pay for the services providing the value.”

    Though the TV is still central in most homes, viewing habits have evolved alongside consumer expectations of where content is consumed. Just over two-thirds of the sample said it was either quite or very important to be able to access free content on devices other than the main television set in the home; that compared to only 39 percent when asked a similar question for subscription content. This suggests the majority of paid-for content is consumed on one device (the TV) and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

    A quarter of respondents said it is important to be able to access free content when out and about; this is even truer in China where 49 percent of respondents said this sort of access is very important.

    “The findings suggest that the huge increase in the availability of video content is leading to viewers tiering their viewing habits in terms of preference, notionally based around payment,” Ogle said. “Yes, they’re watching content on laptops and other devices, but they are still staying loyal to the television set. This is a powerful message for the service providers. Stickiness does exist, providing all parts of the offering are attractive to subscribers.”

    Community

    China, the United Arab Emirates and Russia are the most enthusiastic when it comes to integrating social media into their viewing habits. The Japanese, Germans and viewers in the Nordics are the least likely to chat, use instant messaging or a platform like Twitter or Facebook® to discuss a program or video while they are watching it. According to the study, 84 percent of Japanese viewers have never undertaken such an activity. Globally, however, 58 percent of people who have used social media during a TV program would change their service provider if this was offered as an integrated service.

    Context

    Shopping via television is of interest to 42 percent of viewers globally, followed by chat (30 percent) and updating a social media site (27 percent). Being able to use micro-blogging platform Twitter came in lowest with only 17 percent.

    One in five respondents would be interested in a recommendation engine that tracked viewing habits and suggested content based on viewer preference in addition to popular content their friends are watching. There is also interest in a device and service that would allow users to channel all of their digital media (films, photos, music, etc.) through the television set. Viewers also want to troubleshoot issues, giving service providers an opportunity to offer enhanced services.

    The content diet

    The average amount of hours spent watching television and video content per week is 17. North America and Japanese viewers watch the most (21 hours each). South Koreans watch the least (13 hours). The average daily video diet consists primarily of scheduled broadcast content (both free and subscription), although 34 percent watch an equal mix of scheduled content, Internet and on-demand services, and pre-recorded content.

    “The research clearly shows a diverse market. While there are definite trends emerging, each region has its own challenges and opportunities thanks to cultural, technological and economic factors,” Ogle said. “Service providers need to develop a keen understanding of their customers’ needs in each market and be agile enough to roll out services that meet specific requirements and desires. This means having the content and delivery platforms in place to react to customer demand, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.”

  • China Sourcing Report: VoIP Products 2010

    Traffic upswing in the mobile VoIP sector in China is expected to exceed 100 percent annually till 2014, according to Research and Markets’ recently released "China Sourcing Report: VoIP Products 2010" report.

    The research shows that China suppliers of VoIP equipment are boosting output and exports and at the same time strengthening product development under efforts to sustain growth in the line. Makers are taking advantage of the opportunities brought about by the recent financial crunch to highlight the cost advantages of an IP-based communication setup, especially among SMEs.

    According to the analysts, the upturn in recent months, in fact, resulted from the migration of more enterprises to VoIP channels to leverage improving quality and reduced expenditure compared with traditional technologies.

    The strong market penetration of wireless standards is providing additional impetus. Mobile VoIP in particular is seen as a key growth area. Traffic upswing in this sector is expected to exceed 100 percent annually till 2014.

    The report also finds that under efforts to boost competitiveness and widen market reach, suppliers in China are underscoring high-value models. Several makers provide a broader selection of VoIP equipment to position themselves as a one-stop sourcing solution.

    The report form Research and Markets covers the key VoIP devices manufactured in China, namely routers, gateways, phones, PBXs and ATAs. Wired and wireless equipment is also discussed. You can find the full version of the report here.

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  • iSuppli: Wireless Carriers See Tiers as Key to Rising Profits

    T-Mobile’s move to offer tiered pricing based on bandwidth usage represents the latest development in the wireless industry’s attempt to cash in on exploding demand for mobile data demand, according to iSuppli. Global mobile data traffic is expected to nearly double each year through 2014.

    “We believe that strong execution of a tiered pricing model will translate to significant increases in market capitalization for wireless carriers,” said Steve Mather, principal analyst, wireless, for iSuppli.

    “Rapidly rising demand for wireless data access represents the biggest opportunity of the decade for wireless carriers,” Mather said. “iSuppli’s discussions with leading wireless carriers indicates that tiered pricing, like that offered by AT&T and T-Mobile, represents one of the best tactics to monetize growing demand to access their pipes. Tiered pricing will allow these companies to find data consumption sweet spots, enabling them to segment users into various pricing and data cap buckets, and to prompt upgrades as mobile services become even more a part of consumer’s lives. The flexibility of adjusting both the price and the cap is particularly compelling.”

    For carriers, the stakes are enormous as they try to regain their share value and profitability. “iSuppli’s analysis of the top 15 wireless carriers worldwide indicates operating margins have dwindled to 20 percent in 2010, down from 22 percent just three years ago,” Mather said. “With the rise of data usage and the arrival of tiered pricing programs, we expect margins to rise over the two years from their summer 2010 lows.”


    T-Mobile’s first tiered pricing offer became available in the United States on Nov. 3.

    The first tier is a promotional offer with a two-year contract, priced at $10 per month for 200Mbytes of data. The next tier charges $15 per month on a month-to-month basis, with no contract. Moving up, the next tier charges $30 per month for unlimited data. Finally, tethering costs an additional $15 per month.

    T-Mobile also launched of a variety of Android-powered smart phones with retail prices less than $100 to complement its new service plans.

    The move follows in the footsteps of the tiered program offered by industry benchmark AT&T for the Apple Inc. iPhone and iPad. AT&T charges $15 per month for 200Mbytes, $25 per month for 2Gbytes and tethering for an incremental $20 per month.

    Verizon is also experimenting with a promotional offer of $15 per month for 150Mbytes, $30 per month for unlimited data to phone and $15 per month for 2Gbytes of tethering. It also is charging $20 per month for the phone to be used as a multi-line tethering hotspot.

    “Wireless carriers are intent on spurring incremental data usage among their subscribers,” Mather said. “This strategy centers on enticing more consumers to adopt mobile data access as part of life’s necessities. Two tactics to encourage more data consumption are to experiment with tiered pricing, and to heavily market data-hungry devices.”

    Tiers put carriers back in control of their pipe’s capacity, with a newfound capability to monetize the increasingly essential mobile data demands.

  • ESPN Announces Results of Comprehensive 3D Study

    ESPN Research + Analytics unveiled a studies on 3D TV. Compiling results from more than 1,000 testing sessions and 2,700 lab hours, ESPN has concluded that fans are comfortable with the medium and even enjoy it more than programming in HD.

    The research was conducted by Dr. Duane Varan, professor of New Media at Murdoch University, during ESPN’s coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup at the Disney Media and Ad Lab in Austin, Texas.

    The research employed an experimental design approach including the use of perception analyzers, eye gaze and electrodermal activity. The study focused on a multitude of topics including overall viewing enjoyment, fatigue and novelty effects, technology differences, production issues and advertising impact. In all over 700 measures were processed during the testing. The Ad Lab used five different 3D manufacturers in its testing.

    “The results from this comprehensive research project support what we have said time and time again – fans have a higher level of enjoyment when viewing 3D. Plus, for advertisers, this study provides good news on the level of fan engagement when viewing 3D ads,” said Artie Bulgrin, senior vice president of ESPN Research + Analytics. “This study will help us continue to develop ESPN 3D as an industry leader for event-based 3D viewing.”

    Key Findings:

    3D TV ads can be more effective

    * In testing the Ad Lab showed viewers the same ads in 2D and 3D. 3D ads produced significantly higher scores across all ad performance metrics – generally maintaining a higher level of arousal than the 2D counterpart.
    * Participants showed better recall of the ad in 3D:
    – Cued recall went from 68% to 83%
    – On average, purchase intent increased from 49% to 83%
    – Ad liking went from 67% to 84%

    Fans enjoy 3D

    * The results showed a higher level of viewer enjoyment, engagement with the telecast and a stronger sense of presence with the 3D telecasts.
    – Enjoyment increased from 65% to 70% in 3D while presence went from 42% to 69%

    Passive vs. Active

    * With all things equal, there were no major differences between passive and active 3D TV sets for overall impact however, passive glasses were rated as more comfortable and less distracting by participants.

    Depth Perception

    * The study found that there were no adverse effects on depth perception (stereopsis).
    * It appeared that there is an acclimation effect whereby participants adjust to 3D over time under normal use.

    True 3D vs. 2D

    * Participants showed much more favorable responses to true 3D images than to 2D.

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  • Apple Takes the Lead in the US Smartphone Market with a 26% Share

    In Q3 2010, the worldwide smartphone market grew an impressive 95% over the same quarter a year ago to 80.9 million shipped units, according to Canalys.

    Nokia retained its leadership position, albeit by a diminished margin, with a 33% share of the market. Apple’s healthy performance this quarter saw it achieve a 17% share worldwide, a little ahead of RIM, which held a 15% share this quarter.

    In the world’s largest smart phone market, the US, Apple ousted RIM from the top spot, seizing a 26% share as iPhone shipments continued unabated. RIM has also launched its latest generation smart phone, the Torch, though it only saw half a quarter’s shipments in the US.

    But the plethora of smart phones running the Open Handset Alliance’s (OHA’s) Android platform meant that Canalys’ final published country-level data shows that it took the lead in the US market by operating system, with a 44% share.

    As well as the positive picture in the US, Canalys’ detailed country level smart phone research has consistently highlighted the importance of, and differences in, ‘emerging markets’. For example, in what are now being called the ‘BRIIC’ countries (Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia and mainland China), smart phone shipments increased by 112% year-on-year, faster than the market overall, and each country individually saw strong growth. Nokia was the leading vendor in all five BRIIC markets in Q3 2010, benefiting from its global reach and channel relationships.

    According to Canalys, once again this quarter, it was devices running the Android platform that proved the greatest driver of growth in the worldwide market, up 1,309% year-on-year from 1.4 million in Q3 2009 to more than 20.0 million units in Q3 2010, forming a quarter of the market share. “With Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson all delivering large numbers of Android devices, and with focused efforts from many other vendors, such as LG, Huawei and Acer, yielding promising volumes, the platform continues to gather momentum in markets around the world,2 said Canalys Senior Analyst Pete Cunningham.

    Driven by Nokia, the Symbian Foundation retained its position as the leading smart phone OS vendor worldwide. Of the 56 named countries that Canalys tracks, it is still the number one OS vendor in 37 of them because of Nokia’s dominance, plus in Japan, where its position is supported by Fujitsu and Sharp. According to the report, the launch of Nokia’s new range of Symbian devices, particularly the N8, will give a boost to its holiday season shipments, and the outlook into 2011 remains positive as Nokia aims to push Symbian devices further into the mid-tier of the market to attract mass-market volumes.

    Devices running Microsoft’s OS accounted for just 3% of worldwide smart phone shipments in Q3 2010, though with the launch of Windows Phone 7 devices, the outlook for the fourth quarter and beyond is significantly improved. “Windows Phone 7 is streets ahead of earlier iterations and provides a vastly improved user experience that will pleasantly surprise many people when they come to use it. The integration of Microsoft service assets, such as Xbox Live, Bing, Zune and Office, greatly strengthens the proposition and we are confident that the initial array of products will perform well,” said Chris Jones, Canalys Principal Analyst.

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