Challenges ahead for IPTV and P2P Video

Andy Abramson fires a few shots at P2P video which I unfortunately agree with given where we are with our current infrastructure…

So imagine what happens with video which requires even more bandwidth than Voice. Let’s face it, it’s one thing to be the only person on a T-1, but a shared pipe that’s got everyone doing everything (voice, video, data, gaming, IMing, etc.) is the next place we’re going to see Information highway gridlock.

Our networks in the USA are not built for what is coming, nor will they be as rapidly expanded as they need to be. My experiences in Europe are far different now than they were a few years ago. When I’m in a hotel which has a quality broadband network my experience is T-1 like. In most Internet cafe’s in major cities I have a similar experience, but here in the USA we don’t have the luxury of the networks being built to handle all that’s coming. [VoIP Watch:]

I have the premium tier from Cablevision — supposedly 30MB down 5MB up. I certainly don’t get that regularly and in fact rarely do. A quick test on my connection reveals a symmetrical 3.5MB. I’ve seen the greater speed, but am not getting what you would want in order to really maintain the type of experience people would be willing to alter their current video provider. Verizon FIOS is rolling out in my area (not quite to my house) but will run at least 100bucks / month just for the data connection… you then of course need to add service like telephone and TV. Integrating billing for the triple play is very expensive, even if it might be convenient.

Seems there’s still a long road ahead for sustainable IPTV solutions.

Technorati Tags: IPTV, VOD, FIOS, Cablevision, Verizon