Brand New Compact Base Station Market Expected to Reach $13 Billion by 2015 Tweet

As the increasing density of users, smart phone capabilities, and data usage patterns puts increasing pressure on the mobile networks, there is an ever-growing gap between peak and average throughput rates. With the advent of 4G networks this gap could reach as much as 100x its current level.

A new ABI Research white paper focuses on the need for additional layers of pico and microcells which will alleviate some of the capacity pressure that networks feel today. However, to enable these additional layers there is the need for low cost, passively cooled compact base stations that can be conveniently deployed.

The white paper looks at the evolving architecture of radio access networks from traditional cabinet base stations to remote radio heads, further evolving to compact base stations. The technologies that are believed to see benefit from compact base stations include HSPA, LTE and WiMAX.

New advances in multicore chipset technology are driving this paradigm shift where femtocell-like cost and deployment efficiencies are being used for macro-, micro-, and pico BTS architectures. The compact base station market opportunity for 3G/4G networks is expected to reach $13 billion by 2015 with initial deployments being set up in the 2011-12 timeframe.

Aditya Kaul, practice director for mobile networks at ABI Research says, “The pizza-box base station is now becoming a reality, and the key here lies in the cost efficiencies of deploying it.” Kaul adds, “This should not be seen as a threat to traditional macro base stations, but as a timely complement which will help operators meet the growing capacity demands on their networks.”

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Deep Packet Inspection Solutions to Generate $1.3 Billion Revenue in 2015 Tweet

Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) will lead the field of mobile network test and optimization solutions by 2013 and is expected to generate equipment revenues of $1.3 billion in 2015. Other approaches include client applications on handsets, radio test equipment and radio probes, routing/transport equipment, operation support software, and network-based offloading. Growth rates for all are forecast in a new study from ABI Research.

Mobile operators’ network capacity woes have garnered much public attention, and according to mobile networks practice director Aditya Kaul, they will get worse before they get better. “Brute force won’t solve this problem,” he says. “If you double the number of smartphone users, you can’t just spend $10 billion to double the capacity of your infrastructure.”

The answer lies in making existing networks more efficient. A growing arsenal of equipment and techniques from a variety of vendors aim to optimize different parts of the network and base station.

(Some OEMs are starting to build these tools right into the network’s central processing functions, but they are outside the scope of this report.)

“These solutions are relatively inexpensive and cost-effective,” notes Kaul.

Each operator may have a different set of needs. AT&T, the most publicized example, has two problems: too much data traffic (iPhone video, for example) and also too much signaling traffic – the mechanics of running the network. So, says Kaul, they would need DPI, routing/transport optimization, and maybe some UE client software installed on the smartphone. Other operators may have very different challenges.

To meet those needs, solutions are arriving from a variety of vendors including Tektronix Communications, Anritsu, Agilent, EXFO, Astellia, and a large “other” group of vendors that collectively command a 28% share of the market. It is from that “other” group that much of this segment’s innovation will flow. Says Kaul: “This is a wide-open market. It’s anybody’s game at the moment. There are a lot of small companies with new ideas and a lot of ‘crosstalk’ between them.”

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Fixed Broadband Revenue Expected to Top $184 Billion by the End of 2010 Tweet

Global fixed broadband service revenue totaled $170 billion by the end of 2009, with YoY growth of 14%. DSL remains the largest broadband revenue generator with 62% of total global broadband service revenue.

Broadband fiber service revenue is the fastest-growing among the various platforms, primarily stimulated by subscriber adoption. The Asia-Pacific region is spearheading fiber installation, with 80% of the global broadband fiber market. In order to satisfy the need for high speed advanced services such as IPTV, operators in Western European countries are accelerating the rollout of broadband fiber. Recently, British Telecom set a target to provide fiber broadband to 40% of homes by 2012.

“There is significant potential for broadband fiber service revenue growth,” comments Jason Blackwell, digital home practice director at ABI Research. “In Italy, the three operators, Fastweb, Vodafone and Wind are planning to launch a shared fiber optic network to deliver FTTH to end users. ABI Research expects that fiber broadband service revenue will approach $25 billion in 2010.”

In countries with low penetration fixed broadband pricing can be higher and data speeds lower than in countries with higher broadband penetration. In countries such as Thailand or India, broadband connection with 4 Mbps download speed costs around $19 per month while a 20 Mbps fixed broadband connection costs around $24 in France. The high price is a barrier to greater broadband adoption in developing countries. Governments need to encourage competition and widen the technology options in order to lower the prices in these countries.

In developed markets, broadband operators are resorting to innovation to attract and retain customers. “Triple play bundles and HDTV are options being touted to customers. These services also help operators to boost ARPU. According to our market data, fixed broadband service revenue should top $184 billion by the end of 2010,” says ABI Research associate Khin Sandi Lynn.

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Global Pay-TV Subscribers to Grow 7% as Novel Set-Top Box Solutions Enter the Market Tweet

More than 719 million pay-TV subscribers are expected to sign up in 2010 as the economic recovery continues to gain momentum, according to latest forecasts from ABI Research. Digital Home industry analyst Michael Inouye notes, “ABI Research estimates that worldwide pay-TV subscriber numbers will surpass 719 million by the end of 2010 as novel solutions such as Google TV move from trial to commercial launch.”

Super-fast Internet has allowed advanced services and significant innovations in recent years. Also recently, Google announced the development a new television delivery platform. “Google TV” will offer a television viewing experience enhanced by the web. The main feature of Google TV: it allows users to have a complete Internet experience along with their favorite TV content on their living room televisions.

Dish Network, USA, has already started a Google TV trial. Users need a Google TV set-top box, which can pull the content from any cable or satellite provider. The Google TV set-top box is based on the Android platform and it uses Intel’s Atom CE4100 processor. The estimated cost is over US$200.

“Google TV will be very much a competitor to Apple TV which offers a similar service. Apple TV, however, can only access content that is available from the iTunes Store,” comments research associate Khin Sandi Lynn. “Google TV will be hoping to fare better. Its additional versatility should be more attractive to regular television viewers.”

In 2009 the Asia Pacific region with its 363 million pay-TV subscribers took the lion’s share of the global pay-TV market. Cable TV is the major pay-TV platform. However, inroads are being made by telco TV providers. Asia-Pacific telco TV growth is expected to gain pace. ABI Research estimates that APAC will attain a 31% share of the global telco TV market in 2010.

ABI Research’s new Market Data product, “Pay-TV Subscriptions: Cable, IPTV, Satellite, Digital Terrestrial” is updated quarterly and profiles global pay-TV subscription information. Detailed market trends and market forecast information for key regions and countries around the world are provided where available.

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Enterprise Adoption of Ultra-Mobile Devices to Reach $12.5 Billion by 2015 Tweet

While the iPad, a device belonging to the ultra-mobile device (UMD) category, is all the rage among consumers, enterprise suppliers are already preparing it for business use. Cisco, for example, is marketing its Cisco WebEx Meeting Center application for the iPad. ABI Research forecasts worldwide UMD adoption averaging 55% per year as businesses find many uses for ultra-mobile devices, a category which includes netbooks, smartbooks and mobile Internet devices (MIDs).

Enterprise practice director Dan Shey comments: “Differing from smartphones and laptops, ultra-mobile devices offer a few highly desired feature and application capabilities in tablet and clamshell form factors. Businesses will be attracted to these devices for the same reasons as consumers – their larger screens, LAN and WWAN connectivity, and most importantly, low cost.”

But UMDs are not necessarily “business ready.” The smartbook device concept does not offer x86 processor architectures and is almost entirely without the Windows OS. UMDs add even more support and control complexity for IT managers currently trying to manage an expanding base of smartphone platforms. Currently, little attention has been given to ruggedization which will limit their usefulness in more austere environments. And in many emerging markets, 3G connectivity is not prevalent.

Shey adds, “'Business-ready’ is a relative term. The web browser will be sufficient for some business use cases. Encapsulating, protective shells may provide sufficient ruggedization for tablet form factors. Some businesses will value low price and limited functionality more than highly functional ‘heavy OS’ devices. Ultimately, UMD adoption will be driven by a greater availability of business applications, and platforms and services that ease device management and support and enhance data security.”

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Sony's New Touch Panel Detects Amount of Pressure Tweet

Moreover, the size of the actuator was reduced so that it can be embedded in a mobile phone. The dimensions of the small substrate mounted with the piezoelectric elements are 30 x 3 x 0.8mm. And, to detect the amount of the pressure applied in the z-axis direction, Sony CSL employed a force sensing resistor (FSR), whose resistance value changes according to the amount of pressure.

The touch panel prototyped for the demonstration has six FSRs and two piezoelectric actuators under its bezel. Specifically, the FSRs are located in the upper, middle and lower parts of the right portion of the bezel as well as in the upper, middle and lower parts of the left portion of the bezel. The two piezoelectric actuators are positioned in the middle parts of the right and left portions of the bezel.

Will Sony Ericsson's mobile phone come with new panel?

Asked about when the new touch panel will be commercialized, Sony CSL said, "We would like to use it for a mobile phone as soon as possible." As for its costs, which seem to be one of the problems for the commercialization, the company said, "We will cut the costs by, for example, reducing the number of the FSR's functions."

If the panel is commercialized, it is highly likely to be mounted in a product of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB. In fact, the display device used in the demonstration was printed with "Sony Ericsson." In addition, there was an exhibition panel that indicates Sony's cooperation with Sony Ericsson.

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Top Player 0.20- not just another player... Tweet

Do you like listening to music while you navigate?
Have you ever wanted to skip songs while composing Email or SMS?
Do you hate returning to home screen and then to the music player just to switch songs?
Do you like multitasking?


If you answered YES on one or more of those questions, this app is for YOU

Top player is a music player that stays on TOP

instructions:
use the + button to expand player
and the - button to minimize to top

full version has 3 player panel sizes and Show\Hide button, just in case you want it to disappear for a moment.

it is still in early development but works well.
try it for free!

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=694602

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