IPTV Could Be a Telco Disaster Without Adequate Test and Measurement Tools, New Report Finds

Phone companies need to build robust test and measurement into their IPTV service delivery plans, according to Light Reading Insider

PRNewswire
NEW YORK
Apr 13, 2006

Telecom network operators that neglect test and measurement in their rollouts of IPTV run the risk of doing irreparable damage to their long-term business plans by failing to deliver the quality of experience (QOE) that subscribers expect from video service providers, according to the latest report published by Light Reading Insider (http://www.lightreading.com/insider), a paid research subscription service of Light Reading Inc. (http://www.lightreading.com/).

IPTV Test and Measurement: Who's Doing What delivers a complete analysis of the technical issues affecting IPTV QOE and how developers of test and measurement products are tackling those issues. The report covers the full spectrum of IPTV test and measurement, including pre-deployment lab test, post-deployment diagnostics, 24/7 monitoring, and umbrella monitoring systems.

The report includes Light Reading's first-ever taxonomy of IPTV test and measurement products and vendors, offering a clear roadmap to the sectors of the IPTV test market that suppliers are targeting. Nearly 20 leading IPTV test and measurement vendors are profiled and analyzed in the report, including incumbents Agilent Technologies, JDS Uniphase, Spirent Communications, and Tektronix, as well as startups focused exclusively on the IPTV test sector.

"Subscribers aren't likely to tolerate problems with IPTV service because of the quality standards set by established cable and satellite video providers," notes James Crawshaw, Contributing Analyst for Light Reading Insider and author of the report. "As operators launch IPTV, they must ensure that quality is consistently acceptable, or they could face an increase in customer churn."

Although testing performed in the labs and during installation can significantly reduce the incidence of problems, some problems will only surface once IPTV is deployed in the field, Crawshaw adds. "Operators need to have continuous monitoring systems in place from the moment they launch their IPTV services," he says.

Key findings of the report include:

  -- Service providers need test and measurement tools to select the best
     network elements and to monitor them once deployed.
  -- Inadequate monitoring of IPTV service could lead to higher opex and
     more customer churn.
  -- The IPTV lab test market is currently strong; the network monitoring
     market should take off starting in 2008.
  -- Test and measurement vendors with expertise in IP, voice, and video
     will be best positioned for triple-play deployments.

IPTV Test and Measurement: Who's Doing What, a 29-page report, is available as part of an annual subscription (12 monthly issues) to Light Reading Insider, priced at $1,350. Individual reports are available for $900.

To subscribe, or for more information, please visit: http://www.lightreading.com/insider.

To request a free executive summary of the report, or for details of multi-user licensing options, please contact:

Jeff Claudino
  Director of Sales
  Insider Research Services
  619-229-9940
  claudino@lightreading.com

  Press/analyst contact:

  Dennis Mendyk
  Managing Director
  Heavy Reading
  201-587-2154
  mendyk@heavyreading.com

  About Light Reading

Reaching a core audience of more than 917,000 enterprise IT managers and executives, Light Reading Inc. publishes http://www.lightreading.com/, the leading global content site for the telecom industry; http://www.byteandswitch.com/, a storage networking site; http://www.unstrung.com/, dedicated to wireless networking; and coming May 2006, Dark Reading, a data security site. Light Reading is also affiliated with http://www.heavyreading.com/. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005, and operates as a unit of CMP Media LLC.

About CMP Media

Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands in the technology, healthcare, and lifestyles industries, CMP (http://www.cmp.com/) has earned the confidence of more professionals and enthusiasts in these fields than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight, and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in each of these industries in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.

SOURCE: Light Reading Inc.

CONTACT: Jeff Claudino, Director of Sales, Insider Research Services,
+1-619-229-9940, claudino@lightreading.com, or Press/analyst: Dennis Mendyk,
Managing Director, Heavy Reading, +1-201-587-2154, mendyk@heavyreading.com

Web site: http://www.lightreading.com/