Readers are open to IPTV from RBOCs and mobile operators, but security is a big challenge

June 13, 2005

2 Min Read
IPTV Poll: Opening for RBOCs

With IPTV one of the biggest theme at last week’s Supercomm, it might be a good time to catch up on the latest findings from our poll booths.

First up, IPTV in general: An IPTV poll that’s been running on the site for several weeks -- IPTV: The New Plug-In Drug -- now has closed, with 265 respondents. In general, the returns show favorable and somewhat optimistic hopes for IPTV advances.

The largest percentage of respondents say they are service-provider agnostic when it comes to getting their IPTV -- 30% say, “I don't care how it gets to me: I want my IPTV!” when asked over which network they would like it delivered. Twenty-six percent of respondents would prefer to get it from RBOCs and ILECs, and only 12% prefer cable.

What about folks who bear grudges against specific types of service provider? Judging from the info collected in our poll, the cable providers are the least desired of all potential video providers. (Could it be the size of that cable bill?) Thirty-six percent of respondents say they would least like the cable provider to provide IPTV services. Another 31% percent would avoid wireless providers.

Most folks, 55%, say they wouldn’t pay a premium for IPTV that offered a wider range of content. But 40% would pay an extra $20 a month.

A majority of poll respondents, 51%, feel piracy and security should be the leading concerns of content providers. Twenty-nine percent say the largest barrier to IPTV would be last-mile bandwidth.

What about mobile IPTV? An Unstrung poll -- Mobile TV: Switched On? -- demonstrates that getting IPTV on a mobile device may be practical for techies, but it’s not ready to go mainstream.

Fifty-eight percent of the 95 respondents so far say IPTV on mobile devices is “an interesting niche application that will please the gadget geeks.”

Forty-four percent of the respondents say they would pay $10 a month for such a luxury, and 33 percent believe these services would be best deployed over today's 2.5G and 3G networks.

Take our newest IPTV poll: End-to-End IPTV

— R. Scott Raynovich, US Editor, Light Reading

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