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Five 2011 Telecom Trends that will impact 2012
Now that we are in the first week of 2012 and are still trying to get “Auld Lang Syne” out of our heads, it makes sense to look back on 2011 trends and their potential meaning as we plan for the coming year. Certainly, it was an eventful year for both Calix and the telecommunications industry, with a plethora of issues, the effects of which we will all feel for years to come. That said, let’s take a look at five of the biggest topics that have impacted the broadband community over the past 12 months.
- The Year of the Regulator
As we began 2011, we all knew that this was finally the year that USF and ICC reform would be addressed, but many questions remained as to how it would be handled. Throughout much of the year, various industry bodies and service providers of all shapes and sizes spoke with the leaders in Washington and shared their experiences to help shape telecom policy. As we close the year, we are all still digesting (and petitioning) the 750-page Connect America Fund order that was issued by the FCC on November 18. Its implications are far-reaching, and without a doubt reinforce broadband as the heart of the communications service provider’s relationship with its subscribers. Looking ahead to 2012, the implications CAF will gain even more clarity—but it is clear that just as we did for the 15 year that followed the Telecommunication Act of ’96, we will all recall 2011 as the year that the economics of being a U.S. service provider changed forever from a voice business model to a broadband business model. - The Year of Industry Consolidation
2011 may have been the year that CenturyLink acquired Qwest, that Windstream acquired PAETEC, and Enablence faded away, but for Calix, 2011 will be remembered as the year we acquired Occam Networks and began the process of accelerating our Unified Access vision. From the acquisition close in late February through the end of the year, the integration process ran smoothly, from the painting of the B6 purple, to the availability of the entire Calix ONT portfolio across the B6 platform, to the introduction of the VDSL2 combo card and Active Ethernet enhancements on the B6 platform—and 2012 promises even more integration milestones. Elsewhere in the industry, consolidation was also occurring as equipment vendors and service providers alike joined forces to keep the industry moving forward. In 2012, we expect this trend to accelerate, and it will be interesting to see how many of these companies address their integration efforts and move forward in various parts of the world. - The Year of Copper Advancements
On the technology front, copper re-emerged to steal many headlines as VDSL2 chipsets came to market to deliver a variety of options to enhance the service capabilities of existing networks. VDSL2 bonding and vectoring were hot topics at many industry events this year and Calix announced bonding and vectoring capabilities across many platforms at our User Group in early November. With the ability to deliver over 100 Mbps over copper, 2012 will surely see service providers stepping up their capabilities over copper and offering new and differentiated services to subscribers. - The Year of the Cloud
Another hot topic of 2011 was “The Cloud.” At every trade show and conference throughout the year, experts spoke about the impact of the cloud on the service provider network and how service providers could leverage the cloud for new revenue generating opportunities. Calix’s own cloud-based service—Compass Flow Analyzer—gained significant customer traction over the course of the year, and those utilizing this tool gained deep insight into how video content delivered via “The Cloud” was impacting their networks and their subscribers’ experiences. In 2012, we expect to see service providers continue to develop a wide range of managed services for business of all types, as cloud services become even more pervasive and influential in network management and service delivery.
- The Year of Mobile Devices
While mobile devices have been an important part of the telecom industry for years, we reached a tipping point in 2011, as tablet devices became a part of many American households and businesses. On Christmas Day alone, nearly 6.8 million Android and Apple mobile devices were activated, according to Flurry Research, which shattered all previous single-day records—and that translates into millions of additional broadband and video-ready devices utilizing service provider networks. As mobile devices continue to proliferate, service providers will further invest in supporting the traffic generated by these new broadband vehicles, as well as expanding their mobile backhaul networks, offering larger data plans, and exploring the possibilities of usage-based billing in 2012.
No question about it – 2011 was an action-packed year. As we think about it – the one word that comes to mind to sum it up is “acceleration.” And, we have no reason to believe that this acceleration won’t continue right on through 2012. All of the hot topics mentioned above will carry over into 2012, we will make our own predictions about the key issues facing our industry in the next 12 months next week. Is there another topic that you think was highlight of 2011 that should be added to our list? Share your thoughts with us.
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