Cable MSOs Must Heed Broadband Internet Wake-Up Call; Aberdeen Examines Cable Operators Exposure to Service Interruptions.Business/Technology Editors BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 2001 In a research paper released today, Aberdeen Group Aberdeen Group is a provider of business-related research services. It has its headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts and belongs to the Harte-Hanks group. Founded in 1988, Aberdeen's research is used by over 2. , a leading market analysis and positioning services firm, warns that due to a reliance on third-party provisioning partners, cable MSO (1) (Multiple System Operator) Typically refers to a cable TV organization that owns more than one cable system, but it may refer to an operator of only one system. (multiple system operators) companies and their broadband Internet See broadband. offerings are significantly exposed to service interruptions. This Aberdeen InSight offers some suggestions for getting the MSOs on track. "Threats of an Excite@Home shutdown should be a wake-up call to the MSO's downside risk Downside Risk An estimation of a security's potential to suffer a decline in price if the market conditions turn bad. Notes: You can think of this as an estimate of the amount that you could lose on a stock or other investment. ," says George Peabody, VP, Communications Infrastructure and Services at Aberdeen Group. "If they get their act together, a services-enabled network is the basis for high-margin revenues to come. If MSOs ignore this warning, they risk losing a very big race indeed." The Excite@Home debacle -- cable's near bankrupt leading Internet service provider Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. (ISP (1) See in-system programmable. (2) (Internet Service Provider) An organization that provides access to the Internet. Connection to the user is provided via dial-up, ISDN, cable, DSL and T1/T3 lines. ) -- shows how exposed the cable industry is to supplier disruptions. This failure -- coming during the height of the annual subscriber roundup -- will clearly hurt short-term revenues. Worse, in the long term, cable's potential hegemony over residential communications and entertainment is at risk until operators deploy their own service-enabled operations and business support systems. For a copy of this InSight, visit http://www.aberdeen.com/ab_abstracts/2001/10/10010005.htm. For more information about Aberdeen's OSS/BSS practice, contact George S. Peabody at peabody@aberdeen.com or (617) 854-5251. About Aberdeen Since 1988, Aberdeen has been a leader in providing market analysis and positioning services that help business technology suppliers meet the challenge of establishing leadership in fast-changing markets. Aberdeen is headquartered in Boston, MA; and has research divisions in Palo Alto, CA; Fort Collins, CO; and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Aberdeen is accessible via the Web at www.aberdeen.com. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion