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Published on 05 April 2019

The deployment of 5G services is underway. But an aggressive business and technology plan will be required for operators to truly move the needle in 2019.

The allure of 5G is undeniable, but there’s no denying that operators have a long way to go to justify widescale 5G service deployments in the U.S.

The initial deployment and trial plans for 5G services in the U.S. announced late last year and at the Mobile World Congress conference earlier this year grabbed headlines. But an aggressive business and technology plan will be required for operators to truly move the needle in 2019.

What factors go into the rollout of 5G for service providers? And what blanks need to be filled in?

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Published on 05 April 2019

Bandwidth limitations and threats of throttling are some of the challenges that must be overcome to enrich streaming subscription services.

Roughly 20 years ago, when the multi-week March Madness men’s college basketball tournament was streamed for the first time (by CBS), best effort streaming was hailed as impressive at a time when the internet was in its early years.

Since then, the focus has been on Quality-of-Experience (QoE) and delivering ads for sponsorships. The same holds true for a growing list of OTT services providers pitching those leaving cable TV.

Streaming: By the numbers

Those homes using streaming services separate from traditional pay “cable” TV offerings need to know about the Internet connections to view video in different resolutions/formats, including 4K.

For Netflix, the speed you need to handle 1080p high-definition (HD) streams is roughly 5 Mbit/sec. To handle 4K ultra-high definition (UHD) stream, which is a higher resolution format with four times more pixels, you’ll need a 25 Mbit/sec connection.

Many movie makers have shot their films in the higher 4K format so that consumers with 4K UHD TV sets can enjoy the more crisp and immersive viewing experience. If you did a side-by-side HD and 4K viewing comparison, the naked eye would detect the difference starting with 50-55-inch units.

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Published on 27 February 2019

Sports stadiums are aggressive implementors of networking technologies. Lessons learned in these transformations apply to corporate campuses and the enterprise.

Once made chiefly of concrete with steel benches, the original National Football League stadiums were nearly tech-free. Amenities included restrooms and some concession stands. You called and told your fan friends about the game and your experience after you got home hours later.

Fast forward to today’s tech-infused football venues. Stadium wireless lets attendees share photos and videos on social media during the game. Fiber backbones connect everything from wireless access points, ultra-high definition screens throughout, video camera networks and point-of-sale (POS) apps.

Many NFL teams have created team- and venue-specific apps to help fans do everything from find their seats to locating the bathroom with the shortest lines and buying merchandise from the pro shop. The smartphone apps provide gameday information, news updates, and video clips to better engage fans.

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Published on 14 February 2019

Low-Power WANs offer an alternative to 5G for connecting a fast-growing array of basic devices and sensors that transmit small amounts of data.

While 5G networks will reshape wireless communications and support new applications, not all enterprises and municipalities feel the need for speed. These entities have wide-area applications that need only tens or 100s of kilobits to get the job done.

Enter Low-Power Wide-Area Networks (LPWAN). They’re generally described as a type of wireless WAN designed to allow data transfer between far-flung devices with long-life batteries and a central site.

Entities that employ sensor-equipped devices, for example, to transmit small amounts of data from pipelines, utility locations, and meters across wide-areas have embraced LPWANs. That’s chiefly because these offerings are more affordable than higher-speed alternatives and allow for long-lifetime, no to low-maintenance networks.

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Published on 01 February 2019

Content delivery networks now offer a variety of value-added services and features including event monitoring and management packages, enhanced security, and more.

Content delivery networks (CDN), have helped businesses get rich media content from origination to consumers since just before the turn of the century. These international networks of servers and edge devices loaded with feature-rich software have since improved streaming quality, raised download speeds, and supported ads. Challenges remain with climbing video use.

CDNs Then…

CDNs came to be because businesses began adding rich media content to their websites. That and increased traffic loads often crippled the sites or knocked them out altogether. Owners could neither predict nor plan for these costly instances. Frustration soared as angry customers couldn’t buy products from e-commerce sites, nor could they receive video content when they desired. Throwing servers at the problem was not a viable response.

Enter CDN services, which offered businesses an affordable and effective alternative to building and maintaining networks themselves. The CDN architecture focused on delivering rich media content cached in the network from edge servers closest to the customer, speeding the process and cutting latency, packet loss, and more. It also eliminated a single point of failure for customers.

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Published on 06 September 2018

Fans Can Watch this Matchup Free on fuboTV

NFL fans continue to search for flexible and less expensive ways to watch their teams, with many cutting the cord in favor of live streaming from Internet TV services. But who has fan-friendly options?

Thankfully, sports-first streaming innovator fuboTV has an attractive alternative for you to watch your favorite teams. Better still, fuboTV is a monthly sports-loaded service without contract commitments. The streaming service also features scores of news and (non-football) entertainment channels.

The live streaming service has the game covered in Boston with a cloud DVR feature and a newly added Las Vegas betting information channel.

Click here to watch the Patriots-Texans live stream on a computer via the FuboTV website, or on a phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.

The Matchup – Patriots vs Texans

Date: Sunday, Sep. 9
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Gillette Stadium – Foxboro, Massachusetts
TV: CBS

The Patriots are coming off a painful Super Bowl loss and hope to become the first team in decades to win the big game after losing it the prior year.

The Patriots’ home opener vs. the defensive-minded Houston Texans will prove an early test for both post-season minded clubs. The home team is light on receivers and offensive linemen for QB Tom Brady, but loaded with running backs. The visiting Texans are loaded on defense from the line to the secondary and are looking to promising sophomore QB Deshaun Watson (out much of last season with an injury) to lead an offense with postseason aspirations.

The Texans have taken the Patriots to the wire in their last regular and post-season matchups.

The Patriots will be facing fast pass-rushing standouts J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus with a reworked offensive line minus Left Tackle Nate Solder (now with the Giants) and Right Tackle Marcus Cannon, who has battled injuries in training camp.