Searching Weekly Analysis
Searching Weekly Analysis
Talk of monetizing 5G was rife at Ericsson’s OSS/BSS conference in Paris last week, but this time the discussion was more rooted in reality than has been the case in recent years. Ericsson conceded that data growth rates are slowing, and this can no longer be relied on for income opportunities. Instead, MNOs should offer tiered products, such as QoS slices and access to GenAI applications, if they can beat the device makers to it. Perhaps nowhere in the world has a tougher fight for operator revenues than Western European, where they have raced each other to the bottom in providing the cheapest data packages and have nowhere left to go. The same can be said for the Indian operators which have some of…
Five years ago this week… Netflix’s assault on password sharing began, with a cautious light-touch approach. The streamer’s Q3 2019 results were the first time that its plans to monitor serial offenders were made public, which itself came after anti-piracy vendors, namely Synamedia, had launched dedicated tools to stamp out password sharing. Thanks to Netflix, the password sharing crackdown took off like wildfire in the video streaming community. Free streaming bundle for Charter subs, as losses top 400k Charter plans to bundle over 10 streaming services with its pay TV offerings at no extra cost, set to launch in 2025. This strategy builds on existing partnerships with major programmers and aims to enhance its video service value, providing an estimated…
Something is happening, but exactly what is not yet clear. Google is on the ropes, and the Department of Justice (DoJ) is closing ground. So, what are the options for the DoJ, what impact will those have on the mobile industry, and just how many months will be wasted as the inevitable appeal is dragged out? The most extreme view is that the stitches should be ripped out now, and the shuffling monster that is Google (The Modern Prometheus) should be split into pieces. Such a move would prompt uproar, flailing legal lamentations, and appeals to reason, but it would be the cleanest separation – deciding this question for decades to come. Alphabet (Dr Frankenstein in this tortured metaphor) would be outraged,…
The idea behind spotlighting a ‘Country of Honor’ at MIPCOM Cannes is part of a broader strategy by European content stakeholders to elevate the standings—and therefore inflate the value—of regional content against the relentless spread of US media on the global stage. But while we see it as a mostly defensive move on the content chess board, event organizers will argue that it is recognition of the growing global appetite for diverse storytelling, while an encouraging sign of high-quality non-US productions better competing with heavyweights over the pond. We think there is a fair case for debate on either side. With Spain wearing the crown at this year’s annual TV content gathering in the South of France, presentations emphasize that…
Vantiva, the reborn Technicolor set top business, has tapped AI-savvy SDR to HDR conversion technology from French research institute b<>com, to augment viewing experiences on the latest Vantiva set tops. Given Vantiva’s affiliation with Technicolor, as the former Connected Home division, it stands to reason that Vantiva would lean into technologies from Interdigital or Philips, based on the Advanced HDR by Technicolor format. However, despite the association, it is more practical for Vantiva to deploy an SDR to HDR converter that is agnostic – supporting conversion between multiple HDR formats. Firstly, this is poignant because Vantiva’s customer base is comprised of cable, satellite, IPTV and hybrid TV operators. With live sports the last bastion of content for the pay TV…
AV1 has faced criticism in the past for its limited support on mobile devices. Market research firm Scientiamobile reported that AV1 hardware support on mobile devices only reaches 10% of the installed base, with support coming from top manufacturers such as Apple (A17 Pro), Qualcomm (Snapdragon 8 series), Samsung (Exynos 2×000 series), Mediatek (Dimensity series), and Google (Tensor series). The issue was that, until recently, 90% of the smartphone market could not decode AV1 in software. This was due to several factors: first, the processing power required to decode AV1 at HD resolution (e.g., 720p) was too high compared to the available CPU/GPU capabilities; second, lower-end phones simply lacked the necessary processing power. Meta, which has a vested interest in…
The evergreen Akamai has another sustainable achievement to boast about, with the CDN and cybersecurity heavyweight dumping four of its renewable energy projects over to the Power Emissions Certificate (PEC) Registry, for a pilot program. In the context of Akamai’s 2030 green vision, which includes a target of 100% renewably sourced energy and a 50% more efficient platform, this integration feels immaterial. It is easy to write off this announcement as a greenbranding exercise, polishing Akamai’s corporate image to appease the sustainable yardsticks of customers and regulators. Yet we think there is a bit more substance to the PEC deal than meets the eye, against the broad backdrop of the media and entertainment industry. Operated by Clean Incentive, an actionable…
Kaltura, the telco TV company best known as an open-source video platform, stands at a critical juncture, navigating the increasingly competitive waters of the media and telecom landscape while maintaining its long-standing partnership with tier 1 operator customers like Vodafone. Recent developments have raised eyebrows, particularly the sweeping ten-year agreement between Vodafone and Google that includes AI-driven personalization, leading us to speculate about the future of Kaltura’s role within this evolving ecosystem. However, speaking to Faultline, Kaltura’s General Manager, Shuki Eytan, is keen to emphasize that the New York-based vendor’s business relationship with Vodafone is far from threatened. As Kaltura prepares to celebrate a decade-long partnership with Vodafone—beginning in Italy and expanding to nine additional markets—Eytan underscores the enduring value…
The cost-viability of new nuclear power plants comes down to state backing, especially on finance, interest, and payback times – one way or another. That makes the pursuit of nuclear power even more of a crude political decision – or at least more openly and controversially so – than with the other energy types. A recent spat between the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) and Australia’s Liberal Party opposition has brought this political conflict into sharp focus. First, IEEFA published this report, aimed at forecasting the cost to households ($444 USD per year) if seven nuclear plants were built in Australia as the Liberal Party has proposed – a mix of SMRs and large reactors. IEEFA’s cost…
M&A, IP, Patents The merger between Orange Spain and MasMovil to create MasOrange will lead to 650 job cuts, fewer than the 795 originally proposed, according to Spanish newspaper El Economista. UScellular will sell $1 billion in spectrum licenses to Verizon. These are assets which UScellular is not selling to T-Mobile as part of a deal agreed in May. The US’ fourth largest operator will sell its customer base, retail stores and some spectrum licenses to T-Mobile for around $4.4 billion. The T-Mobile deal is expected to close in mid-2025. Financials Nokia reported a drop in net sales of 8% to €4.33 billion ($4.70 billion) in the third quarter, missing analysts estimates because of lower demand from India. Shares dropped…
AMD and Intel have established the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group, in a move that pits the two rivals against the encroachment of ARM-based CPU designs, as well as new AI-based workloads that might use an alternative processor architecture. The stated goal is to “collaborate on architectural interoperability and simplify software development across the ecosystem.” The subtext is that the x86 ecosystem is feeling the squeeze, from the arrival of ARM-based CPU alternatives, and the encroachment of GPU-based compute into the market demand for x86 CPUs. Throw in the potential wave of alternative AI-based silicon designs, and the future does not look particularly rosy for x86. Of course, x86 CPUs are going nowhere fast. There are far too many jobs that…
Open RAN is like a jigsaw puzzle and sometimes the pieces do not fit. That may be true for KDDI, given its appointment of Samsung as its main supplier of 4G and 5G Open RAN (O-RAN) compliant virtualized RAN (vRAN) systems for its Open RAN deployment in Japan. This comes while the operator is still plotting collaboration with SoftBank, one of Japan’s other four principal mobile operators, to build a shared O-RAN 5G infrastructure across the country, starting in 2026. The two operators also plan to start sharing their existing infrastructure. This is in pursuit of economies of scale and greater bargaining power, at a time when the earlier dream of O-RAN achieving much greater supply chain diversity by attracting…
Siemens has decided to go global with its private 5G offering, just over a year after assembling it for its German domestic market. This in turn came after several years of trials and deployments across its own manufacturing sites, as well as with a few German companies. It has now appointed Germany-based system integrator LS Telecom to distribute its private 5G system, as part of a full consultancy and management offering for industrial enterprises in global markets. LS Telecom was selected because it already had experience deploying 5G in international markets with other partners, such as Nokia and Irish developer of 5G core software Druid Software. With operations in 100 countries, LS Telecom is also versed in dealing with different…
Occasionally, it is both educational and rewarding to fall down a rabbit-hole of technology and TLAs. A recent announcement from the Aether Project shone a light on progress made in the open source private 5G realm, suggesting that momentum persists for the project, post-migration. The operator-driven Open Networking Foundation (ONF) ‘graduated’ Aether in February, launching the project as an independent directed fund and project inside the Linux Foundation. This move also saw the ONF’s Broadband and P4 programmable networks efforts move inside the open source organization. The ONF is still working on other projects. In mobile, these comprise the Sustainable Mobile and RAN Transformation 5G (SMaRT-5G) project (which is also listed inside the Aether portal, as a project), and the…
Something is happening, but exactly what is not yet clear. Google is on the ropes, and the Department of Justice is closing ground. So, what are the options for the DoJ, what impact will those have on the mobile industry, and just how many months will be wasted as the inevitable appeal is dragged out? The most extreme view is that the stitches should be ripped out now, and the shuffling monster that is Google (The Modern Prometheus) should be split into pieces. Such a move would prompt uproar, flailing legal lamentations, and appeals to reason, but it would be the cleanest separation – deciding this question for decades to come. Alphabet (Dr Frankenstein in this mildly tortured metaphor) would…
Five years ago this week… Netflix’s Q3 2019 results delivered a story of profitability, which at the time was relatively unheard of in streaming, with net income of $665 million for the quarter, after reporting a boost to 158.3 million global subscribers. However, investors were getting twitchy over Netflix’s rising content spend, with additions to streaming content assets topping out at $3.65 billion. Five years later, any concerns over spending have been obliterated, with quarterly profits exceeding $2 billion. Netflix’s Q3 2024 results are due out later today. Faultline will analyze these in detail next week. Vivendi plans to separate from Canal+, with shareholders set to vote on the split in December 2024. Canal+ will remain a French entity, with…
In the past, we have seen various ultra-low latency offerings. We would describe these as “far below broadcast delay, capable of supporting betting applications, and not too far behind social networks.” We have also observed WebRTC-based delivery evolving towards IETF WebTransport, HESP promoted by TheoPlayer (now part of Dolby), and more recently, Media over QUIC (MoQ), which is still at the proof-of-concept stage but gaining strong industry momentum. On the other hand, the industry has progressed from standard streaming delays of around 30 seconds (used by most streaming services) to low latency (5 to 9 second delays) when utilizing CMAF low-latency chunk transfer with either HLS or DASH. The latest announcement of such a service was covered in Faultline just…
Faultline has been a vocal critic of Apple’s toothless video strategy over the years, with the company unnecessarily ceding ground to rivals instead of using its superior cash position to spark trends and set precedents. But now, with Apple’s first immersive original hot off the cutting room floor, the iPhone slinger has produced a piece of content which will change the future of filmmaking forever. Under the banner of Apple Immersive Video, the company has released its debut original scripted title for the Apple Vision Pro headset—called ‘Submerged’—a 16-minute short film set on a submarine and filmed using a proprietary 180-degree Apple 8K camera. Before we face a flurry of complaints from the VR camp—no, Apple is not the first…
The plot thickens for the newest story on the nuclear block – data centers of course – as Google and Kairos Power have entered into a partnership aimed at deploying small modular reactors (SMRs) to supply clean energy to Google’s data centers. The trend is clear as day now but will this result in the SMR sector actually dropping in cost in the long term? Under the Master Plant Development Agreement, Kairos Power will develop, construct, and operate a series of advanced reactor plants, selling energy, ancillary services, and environmental attributes to Google through power purchase agreements (PPAs). This partnership will support the deployment of Kairos’ first commercial reactor by 2030, with a plan to deploy a fleet generating 500…
The EU’s second European Hydrogen Bank subsidy auction will limit the use of Chinese electrolyzers, requiring bidders to ensure that no more than 25% of equipment, including production and assembly, comes from China. Europe wants the best of both worlds at the moment – not severing ties with Chinese electrolyzer OEMs completely but preventing them from monopolizing the market. Europe’s goal is to have a fully developed domestic manufacturing industry to avoid potential future energy security issues – the continent has learned from the Russian natural gas fiasco. However, to inject momentum into the green hydrogen sector, it needs to create a regulatory framework that encourages low-cost production. With an influx of more affordable yet high-quality electrolyzers, particularly alkaline models,…