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この調査レポートは、統合型マルチサービス・アクセス・プラットフォーム(CMAP)について調査・分析しています。
Throughout cable's digital history, cable TV and broadband Internet services have developed in ways that were largely separated. The separation begins at the cable headend and extends all the way down to the customer's home. In other words, digital video and broadband data have grown up in their own silos.
Most of today's cable transport systems are straining to handle an increasing volume of Internet traffic and an expanding array of video services. IP video is consuming cable bandwidth and is expected to grow dramatically. MSOs are transitioning their cable systems to all-digital delivery and a potential migration to all-IP delivery, which requires flexible management of an expanding array of converging services.
Enter the converged multiservice access platform (CMAP). CMAP combines CMTS and edge QAM functionality into a single platform inside the headend. Spurred by product specifications created by Comcast, CMAP is designed to foster the development of a single box that provides higher density and lower cost. It is viewed as a way to future-proof cable systems for the increasing onslaught of IP video traffic and opportunities for more advanced services.
The need for CMAP is clear. For years, cable has been building separate video and data delivery systems, leading to stacks of separate headend equipment, company structures and cultures, and even services for consumers. If cable is going to integrate its services into converged offerings for its customers, it must first implement a convergence of its own technology platforms.
CMAP will take some time to fully develop, and there will no doubt be plenty of industry debate over how best to employ it. But the vision and goals behind it are ones that address both current needs and future opportunities.
CMAP: A Milestone on the Road to Cable Convergence explains CMAP, investigating the goals and major drivers behind the platform, as well as its implications for cable operators and suppliers. Included is a look at known CMAP activity by five suppliers that are leaders in CMTS and edge QAM technology.
The major drivers behind CMAP are increasing traffic volume and increasing delivery costs. These two trends threaten to put an economic squeeze on cable operators in an exponential way. Internet traffic is predicted to grow about 40 percent per year, one supplier noted. At that rate, five years from now a standard CMTS delivering 40 Docsis downstreams would need to handle 1,000 streams. In addition to increases in cost (whether measured per port, stream or bit), the operator faces the need for more headend space, electrical power and air conditioning. And that does not take into account the increasing number of QAMs needed for expanding HD, VoD and other digital TV offerings.
Companies profiled in this report include: Arris Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRS); BigBand Networks (Nasdaq: BBND); Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO); Harmonic Inc. (Nasdaq: HLIT); and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (NYSE: MMI).
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