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Will Giant Steps Squash CDNs?
Danny Dicks | Analyst
Experienced CDNs know they must keep abreast of evolution in customer needs survive an increasingly competitive market.

Very soon, CDNs will find themselves competing across a broader front for an expanding range of IP services with big telecom operators, communications and IT service providers, and platform providers.
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Shrinking Margins Bring Big Changes to the CDN Market
For much of the last few years, content delivery networks (CDNs) have been a good business to be in with healthy margins. But now there is evidence from reduced earnings growth from the top players and significantly falling prices that basic CDN services are becoming commoditized, which is bad for smaller CDN players. These companies must innovate or diversify in order to succeed, because the market for CDN services is about to see a shakeout.

One of the most striking features of the CDN market in the recent past is the increasing number of telecom network operators that offer CDN services, through construction of their own infrastructure (or in some cases, the acquisition of CDNs) or by reselling services from a specialist. Some CDNs say to expect further service launches from major (European and Asian) operators in the near future.

As the Internet has evolved, so has the value proposition of CDNs. Initially required to reduce latency of Website with static content, they have recently become a way to deliver large video files (including TV programs and movies), games, and more dynamic content to end users quickly and at higher quality of experience for the consumer. Their architectures have evolved to keep pace – in fact the rise of video is what prompted the emergence of a new wave of CDNs claiming architectures and infrastructure optimized for rapid, high-quality delivery of streamed video content and downloads of large objects.

CDN services are all about distributing monetized content – so performance and features are likely to remain as key differentiators between providers, along with network reach and scale appropriate to customers' needs. Experienced CDNs know that they have to keep abreast of the evolution of those needs – as content and customers' businesses change – if they want to be able to survive in what is becoming an increasingly competitive market.

Shrinking Margins Bring Big Changes to the CDN Market analyzes the impact of emerging business trends on the CDN sector, focusing on the entrance of established telcos into the content delivery market. It identifies and evaluates how CDN operators are changing their infrastructure and business models in response to shifting usage and demand patterns, how they are trying to differentiate their offers, and their efforts to capture more value from their customers by developing value-added services appropriate to their target markets. The report profiles 11 of the leading players in the CDN market, focusing on those with the greatest scale, reach, and innovative business models.

Sample research data from the report is shown in the excerpts below:
Table of Contents (lri0909toc.pdf)
In addition to scale and reach, the way resources are deployed (for instance, the balance between bandwidth and server infrastructure) and the load balancing and routing protocols used to manage the network for rapid, high-quality delivery of different types of content are fundamental to the CDN proposition. The following excerpt illustrates how different types of content delivery players reach across the core network from the content originator to the content consumer.
[click on the image above for the full excerpt]
Suppliers profiled in this report include: Akamai Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: AKAM); AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T); BitGravity LLC; CDNetworks Co. Ltd.; Deutsche Telekom International Carrier Sales & Solutions (ICSS), the international wholesale arm of Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT); EdgeCast Networks Inc.; Internap Network Services Corp. (Nasdaq: INAP); Level 3 Communications LLC (Nasdaq: LVLT); Limelight Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: LLNW); Tata Communications Ltd. (NYSE: TCL); and Velocix Ltd., now owned by Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU).
Total pages: 23
AUGUST 2009
Telecom Managed Services: The Rise of the Hollow Operator
This report analyzes the telecom managed services sector. It maps the functions that network operators are turning over to third parties and analyzes the range of companies offering telecom managed services to telecom network operators. It investigates future prospects for the market, and profiles 18 leading telecom managed services providers.
READ SUMMARY
Including table of contents, executive summary, and financial metrics
AUGUST 2009
Home Gateways: Door Opens for SPs to Realize Value-Adds
This report provides an in-depth look at the home gateway market and a comparative analysis of solutions, including: setup, installation, and GUI; security; and support/upgrade. It also examines market drivers, challenges, and future trends to expect. The report also provides a competitive analysis of nine leading vendors of home gateways.
READ SUMMARY
Including table of contents, executive summary, and financial metrics
JULY 2009
Can VDSL2 Turn Copper Into Stimulus Package Gold?
This report examines the VDSL2 market, including the most significant factors telcos must consider when choosing to deploy VDSL2 and whether the fiscal and broadband stimulus measures will make a difference in the market. The report also profiles 15 major vendors of VDSL2 equipment, comparing their portfolios and competitive positioning.
READ SUMMARY
Including table of contents, executive summary, and financial metrics
CONTRIBUTING ANALYST
Simon Sherrington
Simon is an independent consultant who contributes regularly to Light Reading Insider. He has 13 years of experience analyzing, reporting, and consulting on technology market trends.
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Simon Sherrington
CONTACT AUTHOR
CONTRIBUTING ANALYST
Danny Dicks
Danny is an analyst and consultant with over 20 years' experience in technology markets who contributes regularly to Light Reading Insider.
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Danny Dicks
CONTACT AUTHOR
ANALYST
Tim Kridel
Tim writes for both Unstrung Insider and Cable Industry Insider. He has previously covered the wireless and cable industries for a number of research firms, including Heavy Reading.
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Tim Kridel
CONTACT AUTHOR
NOVEMBER 2009
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