New deal paves way for Comcast Technology Solutions to transition video distribution services to a different satellite and help SES eventually vacate a portion of the C-band that will be used for 5G.
ACA Connects and Cartesian connected on a multi-faceted study finding that it would cost in the range of $61 billion to $118 billion to bring 1 Gbit/s to certain locations not covered by the phase I RDOF auction.
Deployments of distributed access architecture (DAA) equipment are also showing signs of life, but suppliers of DOCSIS CPE could be in for more pain as chip shortages persist.
'The minimum delay reported by members was generally three to four weeks,' NTCA told the FCC. Some network operators report 'not being able to obtain the equipment for the 2021 construction season.'
Tapping into the 6GHz band with Wi-Fi 6 will enable service providers to free up the 5GHz band and pursue a new wave of high-bandwidth, low-latency apps and services, CommScope exec says.
This week in our WiC roundup: Working from home does not work for everyone; the biggest diversity trends; women in engineering experience daily microaggressions; and more.
Programmer's first live primetime coverage of the Olympic games in the eye-popping format will be complemented by live 4K HDR coverage on NBCU's Golf Channel and the Olympic Channel.
SpaceX exec says Starlink's aviation product is in development and talks are now underway with 'several' airlines, moves that are sure to amp up competition with satellite broadband companies such as Viasat.
'You can't operate in a silo,' CableLabs CEO Phil McKinney says regarding a pair of recent convergence-focused initiatives that are actively seeking out cross-industry collaboration.
DOCSIS 4.0 presents a multitude of spectrum options, but operators are already gravitating towards expanding the upstream to 396MHz, which would support upstream speeds of about 3 Gbit/s, CommScope exec says.
Alan Breznick and Tien Fu share bad British humor as they prep for LR's upcoming Cable Next-Gen Europe digital symposium on June 22 and 24.
Operators have multiple tech options, including HFC, PON and even wireless, to achieve the capacity, low latency and security goals of the cable industry's 10G initiative, execs at the Anga Com event say.
TDS has selected the vendor's 4K-capable Android TV device for IPTV, a deal that builds on similar wins with Liberty Latin America, Cincinnati Bell, RCN and Grande Communications.
The first of three ViaSat-3 satellites, set to provide coverage for the Americas region, has completed key integration and performance testing ahead of an expected launch in 'early' 2022.
RCN, Grande Communications, Wave Broadband and enTouch are pitching a gaming-optimized Wi-Fi 6-powered router from Netgear for an extra $12.95 per month.
Could the high cost of building a fiber connection to each home and business be avoided by using fixed wireless technology? Let's see.
The UK is bustling with companies eager to build the next generation of broadband networks in what looks like a potentially nasty development for BT.
Light Reading's Alan Breznick serves up an audio appetizer on what listeners can expect to learn at the Cable Next-Gen Europe Digital Symposium later this month.
New 'Essential' plan for Paramount+ replaces the ad-supported version of CBS All Access. Paramount+ with ads will fetch $4.99 per month, but will not include access to a local, live feed of CBS.
This week in our WiC roundup: What should we wear as we return to office?; how Sephora does things differently; who benefits most from mentors; and more.
The challenges of distribution have gotten easier in the direct-to-consumer streaming era, but subscriber retention has emerged as the big test, says HBO Max's Andy Forssell.
New 'Transparent Security' open-source solution aims to identify and mitigate distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks by using in-band network telemetry technology.
Cable One is poised to see the biggest increase in competitive FTTH overlaps by 2025, according to a fresh forecast from MoffettNathanson.
Technological changes occurring at the network layer paired with a mix of new services and capabilities are ushering in a wave of training challenges for the telecom workforce.
Dycom may have lost Windstream's fiber-buildout business. The development comes amid signs the fiber industry could double in size.
Sales of smart sports and fitness devices, gaming consoles, e-readers, VR headsets and smart alarm systems all surged in North America during the pandemic-induced lockdowns last year, according to a new Cujo AI study.
New offering, at $9.99 month, costs $5 less than the ad-free version of HBO Max. The ad-supported version of HBO Max does not allow downloads for offline viewing and caps streaming video quality at 1080p.
While seasonal broadband usage patterns appear to have returned in Q1, usage is still notably higher than pre-pandemic levels and seems likely to remain so.
On this episode: Representative Drew Hansen on passing a law in Washington to reverse the state's ban on municipal broadband and what comes next.
The ongoing subscriber drain continued apace in the winter quarter as both traditional pay-TV providers and their streaming rivals suffered significant declines.
As it expands to Latin America, streaming service will add livestreamed UEFA Champions League soccer matches in Brazil and Mexico to its mix of films, TV series and HBO Max originals.
Integration of Inango's service orchestration platform aims to help ISPs launch and deploy new software-powered and revenue-driving services on top of their broadband CPE.
This week in our WiC roundup: An HR trend too obvious to ignore at Amazon; it's time for tech to pay attention to menopause; HP becomes first Fortune 100 company to commit to gender parity pledge; and more.
New credit-based subscription OTT service will offer up curated content from dozens of other niche streaming players on one combined platform.
Lou Borrelli's industry travels trace back to Marcus Cable, a cable operator, now part of Charter, that covered small US markets. NCTC, an org that works with hundreds of tier 2/3 operators, presents some clear similarities.
'We like the hand we have without M&A,' says Comcast CFO Mike Cavanagh.
How will T-Mobile monetize 5G? 'I've always thought it was kind of a crazy question because 5G is just the next G,' said CEO Mike Sievert. 'We have to do it.'
Acquisition of long-time partner brings real-time policy control to CSG's tech stack, lets billing and charging specialist target emerging 5G monetization market.
Citing rising content fees and platform and billing costs, Philo will boost the price of its sports-free channel package to $25 per month for new subscribers starting June 8, a 25% jump from its current price of $20.
'We're open to any type of solution, as long as we believe there seems to be value creation to occur going forward,' CEO Dexter Goei says.
Reporting out mobile subscribers and financials provides transparency to Wall Street, but 'The reality is that we don't look at [wireless] as a single product,' Charter CFO Chris Winfrey says.
Fixed wireless presents a 'nice replacement' as AT&T considers a plan to shut down a portion of its DSL infrastructure that won't be upgraded to fiber, CEO John Stankey says.
OK from a Delaware bankruptcy court judge arrives the week after TiVo bid $18.5 million for MobiTV's assets, including its patents and a 'going concern' business involving dozens of service providers.
Judge denies city's request to dismiss the cable operator's lawsuit, which alleges that a conduit network agreement violates state law.
Cable's steady march into mobile continued in the period, as Comcast, Charter and Altice USA represented 27.4% of total US mobile industry growth, according to MoffettNathanson.
This week in our WiC roundup: Apple makes rotten hiring choice; the glass ceiling may be made of concrete for some; startups are equality's last hope; and more.
Alaskan operator intends to use a mix of HFC and FTTP technologies to deliver 2-Gig services to 77% of its footprint in 2022, with plans to hit 10-Gig speeds in the next five years.
The Federal Trade Commission, along with a handful of states, have accused the telco of misrepresenting advertised DSL speeds. Frontier, now out of bankruptcy, says it will 'present a vigorous defense.'
Comcast's Tom Wlodkowski shares the cable provider's journey into improving accessibility features on its Xfinity X1 platform.
Partnership with Plume gives Evolution Digital a managed Wi-Fi play for independent operators while also bringing more stability to a video business that's now largely focused on operator-managed Android TV boxes.
But ad-supported version of HBO Max will not include access to new Warner Bros. films that are debuting simultaneously in theaters and on the original, ad-free version of HBO Max service throughout 2021.
In another example of Verizon distancing itself from its own Fios TV product, the mobile and broadband service provider is offering up to three free months of Sling TV to wireless, Fios or 5G Home customers.
Vendor has adapted its edge and cloud software to work with the new Wi-Fi EasyMesh standards that are now baked into Wi-Fi 6 products while still supporting the more advanced features that are woven into its legacy platform.
Vendor hopes to raise its profile among institutional investors as it pushes ahead with a plan to pair Motorola-branded cable modems, gateways and other CPE with AI-powered smart home management software.
Light Reading's Alan Breznick and Jeff Baumgartner weigh in on the burning questions surrounding the recently announced media moves by AT&T.
Charter seeks a limited waiver for RDOF wins in small parts of Massachusetts, Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia and Wisconsin that are already served by a broadband provider or are recipients of broadband funding.
Steve Miller-Jones of Limelight Networks joins the podcast to talk about the future of media and video distribution.
MobiTV's platform will fill key gaps in TiVo's tech and services portfolio as it looks to grow its largest market, pay-TV, exec says. The move also arrives as Xperi looks to split out its product and intellectual property businesses.
In a huge reversal, AT&T sells its content shop WarnerMedia to a joint venture with Discovery, as CEO John Stankey shrinks the company's big debt pile.
The European cable operator is preparing for widespread deployments of a distributed access architecture using a compact node from Vector Technologies paired with a remote PHY module developed by Vecima.
Evoca, a pay-TV provider that uses ATSC 3.0 and Internet connectivity, to deliver a blend of live TV and VoD services, has dropped a big hint about its next market launch.
Swiss IPTV software and infrastructure services player is yet another vendor that hopes to benefit from the financial demise of MobiTV even as it seeks to expand its reach in Europe.
CEO Charlie Vogt identifies set of 'mega trends' poised to drive the business forward, including the shift to 5G, new and emerging broadband competition, and an acceleration of fiber upgrade cycles.
This week in our WiC roundup: Returnships could offer post-pandemic option for women who left jobs; blind interviews create hiring solutions; how work culture should change to accommodate employees; and more.
Disney's premium streaming service ended fiscal Q2 with 103.6 million subs, short of an expected 110 million. Meanwhile, operating losses at Disney's direct-to-consumer business have narrowed significantly.
Fourth-largest US cable operator aims to be '10-gig-ready' in the next 18 months, thanks to its aggressive FTTP upgrade strategy.
In an auction process that took a day-and-a-half to complete, TiVo beat out a rival bid of $18 million from a group that included UK-based Amino Technologies and a joint venture of Roku and RPX.
'We know where to put the CBRS radios to get the maximum offload capacity,' says Charter President and CEO Tom Rutledge.
Comcast Cable CEO Dave Watson says 'it's absolutely doable' to deploy the company's software stack for Flex and X1 in smart TVs.
'Sports-first' OTT-TV service provider intends to kick off a beta of its free-to-play gaming within weeks, and its interactive sportsbook in Q4. FuboTV now expects to end 2021 with as many as 850,000 subscribers.
Update: TiVo wins the MobiTV auction with a bid of $18.5 million, beating a last gasp bid of $18 million from a group that included Amino Technologies and a joint venture of Roku and RPX.
Using and analyzing real-time and industry-specific data along with the formation of adaptive roadmaps are critical as video service providers work their way out of the pandemic and towards business growth.
Buckeye Cablevision is worried about what might happen if MobiTV's assets, which include software code that Buckeye licenses to deliver video services, were to change hands.
Virtual auction for MobiTV, a bankrupt provider of IP video services to a wide range of cable operators and telcos, is set for the morning of Tuesday, May 11.
New feature nests YouTube TV inside the YouTube app, and arrives after Roku removed the YouTube TV app. Update: Roku calls Google's action the 'clear conduct of an unchecked monopolist.'
Roku's Platforms business, which is fueled in part by advertising and inventory on The Roku Channel, grew 101% in the first quarter of 2021.
Cost and scaling and a lack of business value for many video applications remain key issues for ultra-low latency streaming.
RDK-based 'Gravity' offering will support managed Wi-Fi, cybersecurity and advanced routing services and also try to provide capabilities similar to those of Google's Android TV Operator Tier in the video world.
Cable One, like WideOpenWest, continues to see solid results from a broadband-focused strategy that gives short shrift to pay-TV.
This week in our WiC roundup: How to overcome implicit bias; Snapchat shares diversity report findings; sports tech nonprofit lobbies for women to join industry; and more.
Supply chain constraints, particularly with semiconductors, are hitting Home Networks, the unit that CommScope intends to spin out in the first quarter of 2022.
Paid subscriber gains led by Paramount+, the super-sized streaming service that debuted on March 4 and succeeded CBS All Access.
Having sold off so much of its European estate, the cable company needs a forthcoming UK marriage to work out.
Extending beyond the need for raw speeds and feeds, reducing latencies could set up a 'revolutionary change' to the user's broadband experience, says CableLabs exec Matt Schmitt.
Supplier says a new, flexible distributed access architecture (DAA) product, which could play a role in future DOCSIS 4.0 networks, is ready for field deployments.
RDK Management, an organization now led by Jason Briggs following the recent departure of Steve Heeb, hits device deployment milestone as Google continues to drive service provider scale with Android TV.
Operator's 'broadband-first' strategy is in full swing, as vast majority of new customers take only WOW's broadband service and attach a streaming service.
Expected short-term issue is driving up costs and lowering margins for cable access gear, but not enough to alter Harmonic's revenue forecast for 2021.
Striking an MVNO deal is 'an interesting idea,' but the near-term focus is on upgrading and expanding Frontier's fiber network as the company exits bankruptcy, executive chairman John Stratton says.
While Verizon will retain 10% of that business, the 'corporate carveout' effectively ends Verizon's individual pursuit of a digital advertising and media market led by the likes of Google and Facebook.
T-Mobile said in January it would 'reevaluate' its political contributions. But in February the company was among those that made the maximum legal contributions to GOP candidates.
OTT-TV service is presenting alternatives after YouTube TV and Roku failed to strike a new deal that reportedly centers in part on Google's desire to have the AV1 codec supported on Roku's platform.
Decision to move forward with an ad-aided form of the premium service, due to launch sometime in June, has rankled some pay-TV distributors, according to CNBC.
Charter ended Q1 with 2.67 million mobile lines, and is ready to grab many more. 'We have owner's economics in many ways,' CEO Tom Rutledge says in reference to its Wi-Fi network and use of CBRS spectrum.
Charter's average non-video customers used about 700 gigabytes per month in the first part of Q1 2020, CEO says.
This week in our WiC roundup: Conferences go virtual this year; the tech industry's fundamental flaw; getting girls access to the Internet; and more.
Dish's total pay-TV base shrunk to 11.06 million in the period as satellite TV losses improved but losses at Sling TV returned.
Xfinity Mobile reaches break-even for the first time as service pulls in a record 278,000 mobile lines in Q1 2021. Company hopes to keep mobile in the black despite the recent launch of aggressive unlimited pricing plans.
Led by a gain of 461,000 total broadband subscribers, Comcast added a first quarter record 380,000 total customer relationships in Q1 2021.
Company says it's on track to pass another 500,000 homes with FTTP this year in its Optimum footprint covering parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
