DSL Gateways Could Open the Door to the Digital Home, New Report Finds

Emerging products could become the linchpin technology to bring together the growing array of consumer digital devices, says Heavy Reading

PRNewswire
NEW YORK
Feb 1, 2006

Residential DSL gateway devices present a potentially huge opportunity for telecom service providers to gain firm control of residential broadband voice, data, and video service usage -- but carrier success in establishing a strong presence in the digital home is far from assured, according to a major new report from Heavy Reading (http://www.heavyreading.com/), Light Reading Inc.'s market research division.

DSL Gateways: Beyond the Router analyzes how, when, and why residential DSL gateways may emerge as the linchpin device that will tie together the disparate elements that now appear in broadband-enabled homes, including PCs, video set-top boxes, next-gen gaming consoles, 802.11 wireless devices, packet-based voice terminals, home security systems, and remote management products. It evaluates the current role DSL gateways can play in networked homes and analyzes how that role is likely to change as products and technologies develop and mature.

This all-new report includes a complete accounting of DSL residential gateway technology and product developments from more than 30 different gateway suppliers, including Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO), Huawei Technologies, Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Philips (NYSE: PHG; Amsterdam: PHI), Samsung (Seoul: SEC), and Siemens (NYSE: SI; Frankfurt: SIE). The report provides a detailed analysis of major vendors, including such vital, company- specific information as:

* Types of gateways offered
  * Expectations for developments in gateway technology
  * Attitudes toward home-networking technology
  * Channels to market, especially service provider channels
  * Key differentiators

"Over the past 12 to 18 months, residential DSL gateways have begun to take center stage in the digital home, and especially in the minds of major broadband service providers," notes Graham Finnie, Senior Analyst at Heavy Reading and author of the report. "Increasingly, service providers see residential gateways as a key mechanism in the battle both to deliver higher-value services over broadband and to gain better control over customers in order to reduce churn."

Other key findings of DSL Gateways: Beyond the Router include the following:

The home gateway is becoming a much more important part of the residential broadband equation. As broadband packages become more complex, so the need for more complex, integrated, and manageable gateways increases.

VOIP and QOS are rapidly becoming standard capabilities in gateways. In the service provider channel in particular, a VOIP software stack and several VOIP ports are now standard features of the gateway, while QOS capabilities -- such as traffic prioritization to handle VOIP and video -- are being augmented.

There is a wide range of opinion within the gateway community about which home networking technologies to support, and there are no clear winners yet. Improved versions of the 802.11 wireless standards family and proprietary enhancements have strong support, especially among the big retail gateway vendors, but new wired standards, especially HomePlug, MoCA, and HomePNA also have advocates.

DSL Gateways: Beyond the Router costs $3,795 is published in PDF format. The price includes an enterprise license covering all of the employees at the purchaser's company.

For more information, or to request a free executive summary, contact:

  Dave Williams
  Sales Director, Heavy Reading
  858-485-8870
  dave.williams@heavyreading.com

  Press/analyst contact:
  Dennis Mendyk
  Managing Director, Heavy Reading
  201-587-2154
  mendyk@heavyreading.com

  About Heavy Reading

Heavy Reading is an independent market research organization offering quantitative analysis of telecom technology to service providers, vendors, and investors. Its mandate is to provide the comprehensive competitive analysis needed today for the deployment of profitable networks based on next- generation hardware and software.

About Light Reading

Light Reading Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CMP Media, is a B-to-B network information provider. Light Reading publishes http://www.lightreading.com/, the leading global content site for the telecom industry; http://www.byteandswitch.com/, a storage networking site; and http://www.unstrung.com/, dedicated to wireless networking. Light Reading is also affiliated with http://www.heavyreading.com/, a market research site for quantitative analysis of telecom technology to carriers, service providers, and vendors.

About CMP Media

Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands in the technology, healthcare, and lifestyles industries, CMP Media 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.

SOURCE: Heavy Reading

CONTACT: Dave Williams, Sales Director, +1-858-485-8870,
dave.williams@heavyreading.com, or for Press or analyst, Dennis Mendyk,
Managing Director, +1-201-587-2154, mendyk@heavyreading.com, both of Heavy
Reading

Web site: http://www.heavyreading.com/
http://www.lightreading.com/
http://www.byteandswitch.com/
http://www.unstrung.com/