| This week's sponsor is Acme Packet. | 
| Webinar: Telco-OTT: the Good, the Fast and the Nimble
Thursday, September 27, 11am ET / 8am PT
Service providers have been in a perennial battle with "over-the-top" internet vendors who leverage bandwidth but often do not play by the same regulatory or financial rules. Does it need to be a battle of us vs. them? Register Today! |
Today's Top Stories
1. AT&T launches voice and gesture controls with U-verse Easy Remote app for iPhone, iPad
2. Comcast to cut 1,000 employees and shutter California call centers
3. FCC chairman 'concerned' about usage-based broadband pricing
4. DirecTV stock hits all-time high
5. Cisco buys WiFi software firm ThinkSmart Technologies Also Noted: Ciena and Fujitsu
Spotlight On... 3DTV sales expected to hit 180M units by 2019
Barnes & Noble launches Nook HD; Entropic joins RVU Alliance board of directors and much more...  Follow @FierceCable on Twitter!
News From the Fierce Network:
1. Bazuca launches OTT with Avail-TVN; worldwide pay TV numbers expected to grow
2. Verizon prepares to offer gateway device with FiOS
3. FiOS expansion's not going to happen, CFO tells investors
| This week's sponsor is Overture. |  | eBook: Finding New Gold in Copper This eBook from FierceTelecom will explore the ever-changing dynamics of service providers' copper networks and how they are using these new technologies to deliver a wider set of services to consumers and businesses. Download for free today. |
| Sponsor: SCTE FierceLive! Webinars > Telco-OTT: the Good, the Fast and the Nimble - Thursday, September 27, 11am ET / 8am PT
> Beyond the Cable: The Move to Mobility by MSOs - October 9th, 11:00 am EST/ 8:00 am PST
> Mobile Acceleration for the Mobile Revolution - Tuesday, November 13th, 2pm ET / 11am PT
> Carrier Ethernet woes? Here's an economical approach to improving operational efficiency and network visibility - Wednesday, October 10, 11am ET / 8am PT / 3pm GMT
> The 1000x challenge; Small cells everywhere! - Wednesday, October 17, 12pm ET / 9am PT
Events > Customer Engagement Technology World - November 7-8, 2012 - NY, NY
> Fierce Innovation Awards 2012 - An Operator- Reviewed Awards Program From the Publishers of FierceWireless, FierceTelecom, FierceCable
> Video World Conference & Expo 2012 - October 3-5 - Austin, TX
> TVNEXT - October 10-11 - Santa Clara, CA
> CTAM Summit & CTAM Insights Conferences - October 14-16 - Orlando, FL
> Content and Communications World (CCW) - November 14-15 - New York, NY
Marketplace > Research: LTE: a real disruptive technology and business opportunity?
> Whitepaper: Case Study: 4G Operator Maximizes Revenue with Flexibile, and Discovery-driven Audit Capabilities
> Whitepaper: Rethink IP/Optical Core Management
> EBook: The New Data Center
> EBook: Finding New Gold in Copper
> Whitepaper: Kabel Deutschland Uses Lavastorm Analytics' Flexibility to Optimize Revenue Assurance and Fraud Management Processes
> EBook: Dodd-Frank: The Key to Compliance Success
> Whitepaper: Whitepaper Library
Jobs > Project Manager Job - Charlotte, NC, USA – Yoh
> Wireless Project Manager Job - Cerritos, CA, USA – Yoh
> Field Technicians (5) Job - Melbourne, FL, USA – Yoh
> Field Technician (CDMA and LTE experience preferred) Job - Plano, TX, USA – Yoh
* Post a classified ad: Click here.
* General ad info: Click here | Today's Top News 1. AT&T launches voice and gesture controls with U-verse Easy Remote app for iPhone, iPad
AT&T (NYSE: T) launched an app for Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone and iPad Wednesday that allows its U-verse TV subscribers to use voice and gesture controls to channel surf. While Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and other providers are looking at adding voice controls to mobile apps they have developed for navigation, AT&T boasted that it's the first pay TV distributor to launch a product that enables voice and gesture controls. Subscribers who download the app can speak commands into the microphone on the iPad or iPhone to perform several functions, including channel up, channel down, fast forward, rewind, pause and record. AT&T said U-verse customers can also say the name of an individual program or channel number to change the program they are watching. The app is designed in part to help viewers with vision and hearing loss control their set-tops. AT&T said subscribers can activate gesture controls by tapping or sliding their fingers across the screen on an iPhone or iPad. Swiping two fingers to the left or right would allow a subscriber to control the rewind and fast-forward function in video-on-demand programming or shows stored on a DVR. Viewers can play or pause a program by with a double tap on the iPhone or iPad screen. AT&T may be the first pay TV provider to launch an app that lets subscribers use mobile devices to navigate pay TV programming with voice and gesture controls. But Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) already offers Comcast, AT&T and Verizon FiOS TV subscribers apps for the Xbox 360 that allow subscribers to use voice and motion controls to navigate a limited number of cable channels. Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) says it will supply subscribers in the Kansas City area that take its Google Fiber TV product with a Nexus 7 tablet designed to be used as a remote control that accepts voice commands. Comcast has said that it plans to add the ability to use voice commands to its Xfinity X1 cloud-based interactive program guide.  | | Image source: AT&T | AT&T said the U-verse Easy Remote technology was developed by researchers at AT&T Labs, noting that the voice control functions are powered by AT&T Watson speech recognition technology. "We're always looking for ways to improve the U-verse TV experience, and we knew this was an area where we could take a big step forward and use our IPTV platform to deliver a better and more accessible TV watching experience for seniors and customers with hearing and vision impairments," AT&T Home Solutions VP of U-verse and video products Maria Dillard said in a statement. For more:
- see the release Related articles:
Verizon details social TV, voice recognition and next-gen guide in patent applications
Google Fiber TV to charge $120 monthly for 1 GB Internet connection and hundreds of HD networks
Arris may enable voice controls for Moxi guide
ActiveVideo builds voice-controlled TV navigation platform Read more about: U-Verse, Mobile Apps
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| This week's sponsor is SCTE Cable-Tec. |  | SCTE Cable-Tec Expo®2012 - Oct. 17-19, Orlando, FL
The industry's engineering show of the year. Discover and learn first-hand about the latest in cable technology, products and services in one cost-effective setting.
|
2. Comcast to cut 1,000 employees and shutter California call centers
Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) said it plans to close three call centers staffed by 1,000 employees in California, and shift calls to facilities in Denver, Seattle and Portland, Ore. As it restructures its call center operations and relies more on self-service options, Comcast has made similar moves in recent months in several states, including Illinois, Florida and Tennessee. But the layoffs announced Tuesday in California are steepest that Comcast has seen this year. Comcast invited hundreds of employees to the Sacramento Convention Center Tuesday morning, where it informed them that their jobs were being shifted to other states. Employees were offered severance payments of $1,000 each, and offered a $3,000 relocation allowance if they chose to move to Denver, Seattle or Portland to staff its call centers in those cities. In addition to closing its call center in Sacramento, Comcast said it will shutter its facilities in Livermore and Morgan Hill by Nov. 30. Comcast is taking some heat for the way it communicated the call center closures. The MSO initially released a statement from Comcast California regional VP of communications Andrew Johnson that attributed the moves to the business climate in The Golden State. "We have concluded that the cost of doing business makes operations in California expensive and very difficult," Johnson said in the statement. The MSO released a statement later in the day in which it said the moves were based on customer needs "rather than geography." For more:
- The Sacramento Bee has this story
- KCRA-TV has this story Related articles:
Comcast to cut 89 employees, move Florida headquarters
Comcast to cut 184 employees in Chicago
Comcast opens regional operations center in Chattanooga
Comcast shifts inbound sales jobs to Oregon
Comcast shuffles jobs in Tennessee Read more about: customer service, layoffs
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3. FCC chairman 'concerned' about usage-based broadband pricing
Four months after encouraging cable operators and other broadband providers to experiment with usage-based broadband pricing, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Tuesday that he is concerned about how consumers and Internet video competitors could be impacted by a shift away from unlimited data packages. "I'm concerned about practices that harm competition, including from over-the-top providers; unnecessarily depress broadband usage; or reduce incentives to increase broadband speeds and capacity," Genachowski said in an address at Vox Media headquarters in Washington, D.C. In May, at The Cable Show convention in Boston, Genachowski was more supportive of operators such as Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) and Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) testing usage-based broadband pricing. "Experimentation in this area is completely appropriate," Genachowski said during a Q&A with National Cable & Telecommunications Association president Michael Powell. Genachowski said again on Tuesday that experimentation with new business models "is something to be encouraged." But the FCC chairman also suggested that there should be an expectation that the cost-per-bit that broadband ISPs charge consumers should decrease as well. "Any usage-based pricing practices should be implemented in a transparent and easy-to-understand manner--so consumers are treated fairly and have the tools they need to make the right decisions based on their needs," Genachowski said. In February, Time Warner Cable began testing a usage-based pricing model in southern Texas. Comcast is also testing usage-based pricing on its systems in Tucson, Ariz., and Nashville, Tenn. For more:
- see Genachowski's speech Related articles:
Time Warner Cable rolls usage-based billing option in southern Texas, testing waters for broader launch
Comcast to test new data cap plan in Tucson
Comcast to charge $10 for 50 GB to subscribers who bust data cap
Powell: Cable is on cusp of innovation that will revolutionize the industry
Verizon Wireless to launch Viewdini video portal with content from Comcast, Hulu, Netflix Read more about: FCC, Time Warner Cable
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4. DirecTV stock hits all-time high
DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV) stock hit an all-time intraday high Tuesday of $55.17, after Hudson Square Research upgraded the stock to a buy rating with a price target of $60. Analyst Todd Retheimer cited growth from DirecTV's operations in Latin America and reduced concerns about competition that DirecTV may face from Internet video providers in his decision to upgrade the stock from a hold rating. "We think that a competing over-the-top video platform is becoming less likely with each passing day … After waiting several years for a company to supply such a product, we have come to the conclusion that it is unlikely to be developed in the foreseeable future," Retheimer said in a research note. After hitting the high, DirecTV stock closed at $53.01 on Tuesday, up about 2 percent. DirecTV stock had dropped to $52.30 by noon on Wednesday, down about 1.3 percent for the day. DirecTV reported last month that it lost 52,000 U.S. subscribers during the second quarter, which was the first time it ended a quarter with fewer customers since its debut in 1994. But the company grew its U.S. revenue by 7 percent during the period to $5.65 billion, and subscriber growth in Latin America saw the company's DirecTV Latin America division increase revenue by 20 percent to $1.51 billion. For more:
- Investors Business Daily has this story
- Bloomberg has this story Related articles:
DirecTV drops 52K net subscribers in Q2 2012
DirecTV designs flame logo for set-tops and DVRs
DirecTV apologizes to Sunday Ticket subscribers for missing Hail Mary touchdown
DirecTV trademarks 'Grab & Go' for mobile video product Read more about: stock prices, Directv
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5. Cisco buys WiFi software firm ThinkSmart Technologies
Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) said Wednesday that it acquired Cork, Ireland-based WiFi software provider ThinkSmart. ThinkSmart has focused on location delivering data analysis. "Cisco and ThinkSmart will enhance the wireless network by providing location intelligence and analytics to service provider and enterprise customers to know what is happening in their environments and to better engage end users," Cisco head of corporate business development Hilton Romanski wrote in a blog post about the deal. Cisco, which supplies wireless access points to Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) and other cable MSOs investing in building WiFi hotspots, didn't say how much it paid to acquire ThinkSmart. For more:
- see the blog post Related articles:
Cablevision pitching managed WiFi service to business customers
Cisco posts $1.9 billion in net income in fiscal Q4 2012 Read more about: Acquisition, Wifi
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Also Noted | This week's sponsors are Ciena and Fujitsu. |  | eBook: Looking Beyond 100G Driven by a never-ending appetite for bandwidth from businesses and consumers, service providers are in the process of upgrading their backbone and core networks. This eBook discusses the strategies, emerging standards, and technological advancements beyond 100G.
Click here to download today. |
SPOTLIGHT ON... 3DTV sales expected to hit 180M units by 2019 Although there has been slow growth in new 3D cable networks, NPD Group says it expects the 3D display market to jump from 50.8 million units and $13.2 billion in revenue worldwide in 2011 to 226 million units and $67 billion in revenue in 2019. While PC manufacturers are building 3D monitors, NPD says the majority of 3D displays are televisions. The research firm expects sales of 3DTVs to increase from 25 million units in 2011 to 180 million units in 2019. "Despite some industry sentiment that the 3D bubble has burst, we expect 3D to continue to grow across several categories including TVs, portable devices, and public displays," NPD DisplaySearch VP Jennifer Colegrove said in a statement. Read more Cable industry news from across the web: > Barnes & Noble is challenging Amazon's Kindle Fire and Apple's iPad with two new tablets, the Nook HD and the Nook HD+. News release > The RVU Alliance said Entropic Communications was elected to its board of directors. Entropic cofounder and VP of technology Anton Monk will represent the company on the board. News release > Verizon said it will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by offering FiOS TV subscribers a free preview of more than 40 Spanish-language channels. News release > TelVue Corp. named former General Electric executive Emmett Hume CFO. News release And finally …Cox Communications struck a deal to rename the Tulsa Convention Center the Cox Business Center. Article > Telco-OTT: the Good, the Fast and the Nimble - Thursday, September 27, 11am ET / 8am PT Service providers have been in a perennial battle with "over-the-top" internet vendors who leverage bandwidth but often do not play by the same regulatory or financial rules. Does it need to be a battle of us vs. them? Register Today! > Beyond the Cable: The Move to Mobility by MSOs - October 9th, 11:00 am EST/ 8:00 am PST The best immediate prospects for MSOs may lie on using Wi-Fi to harvest data from mobile operators for backhaul over MSO HFC networks. Wi-Fi networks provide a huge differentiation and opportunities for cable operators. This webinar will explore how MSOs are integrating Wi-Fi into their existing network architectures and examine the economics behind Wi-Fi for cable operators. Register Now! > Mobile Acceleration for the Mobile Revolution - Tuesday, November 13th, 2pm ET / 11am PT A revolution is underway in how companies interact with audiences online. Join us to learn the recent results from Compuware research on mobile performance expectations, unique challenges presented by delivery over cellular networks, and what to consider when balancing mobile performance and usability. Register Today! > Carrier Ethernet woes? Here's an economical approach to improving operational efficiency and network visibility - Wednesday, October 10, 11am ET / 8am PT / 3pm GMT This webinar introduces a centralized Ethernet service activation and monitoring solution that enables network operators to deploy cost-effectively, accelerate time to revenue and boost operational efficiency, while optimizing subscriber experience. Register Today! > The 1000x challenge; Small cells everywhere! - Wednesday, October 17, 12pm ET / 9am PT To solve the 1000x mobile data challenge, we need more small cells, actually, much more, and everywhere - But, isn't interference a limiting factor? How dense can we deploy them? What are the future enhancements that takes HetNets to the next level? Find out the answers at this Qualcomm webinar. Register Today!
| > Customer Engagement Technology World - November 7-8, 2012 - NY, NY CETW is the only face-to-face event that is focused on leveraging the integration of emerging media across multiple channels to activate customer engagement. Register today with VIP Code CET52D to receive your free pass! > Fierce Innovation Awards 2012 - An Operator- Reviewed Awards Program From the Publishers of FierceWireless, FierceTelecom, FierceCable This program is designed to recognize the innovative companies and products that are defining the future of the broadband communications industry. Submissions will be judged based on effective application of and performance in networks, innovative approach, and contribution to revenue & profitability. Submit your application today! > Video World Conference & Expo 2012 - October 3-5 - Austin, TX The first-of-its-kind event focuses on the identification of opportunities, creation of strategies and monetization of new & enhanced video products for business & consumers. We’ve assembled the best & brightest industry minds to provide attendees the knowledge to boost their video IQ. Register now. > TVNEXT - October 10-11 - Santa Clara, CA Social TV, TV Apps, Cloud TV, Broadband TV, and more... It's all part of the re-imagining of TV happening only at the 6th annual TVNEXT in October. Hear from over 50 top-notch speakers and networks with hundreds of the "who's-who" in the TV and entertainment industry. Learn more! > CTAM Summit & CTAM Insights Conferences - October 14-16 - Orlando, FL Discover what consumers crave with speakers from Trendrr, Zoove & Hill Holliday. Additional Speakers: Deepak Chopra, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer and NBC’s David Gregory. Additional Topics: Second Screen TV apps, Mobile Marketing and Amazing Sensory Research Tools. Register for one conference and access both! Register Today and bring a colleague at $595 Guest Rate! > Content and Communications World (CCW) - November 14-15 - New York, NY Thousands of attendees and exhibitors alike participate in the ever-changing conversation surrounding content creation, management and distribution/delivery. Join them! Register today with VIP Code CCEY8 to receive your free pass!
| > Research: LTE: a real disruptive technology and business opportunity? WiTech's latest Report "LTE: a disruptive technology and business opportunity" presents an in-depth analysis about the promising technology LTE by taking into account not only technology aspects but also business aspects. It points out the key drivers that are continuously changing the Telecom Market. Download this report today! > Whitepaper: Case Study: 4G Operator Maximizes Revenue with Flexibile, and Discovery-driven Audit Capabilities A US 4G operator was perfectly suited to handle the predicted annual doubling of global mobile data traffic. But as the company faced exponential subscriber and network usage growth, they realized they needed to better monitor that usage. Learn how this US 4G operator realized 13x ROI for its retail business in the first six months. Download Today! > Whitepaper: Rethink IP/Optical Core Management Are You Ready to Rethink Your Network With the Alcatel-Lucent 1830 Photonic Service Switch? It's time to integrate the IP and optical layers of your network infrastructure and ensure optimal efficiency. Learn more about how you can rethink IP/Optical core management by downloading our whitepaper. > EBook: The New Data Center In this FierceTelecom eBook we'll discuss the strategies service providers are taking to build a sustainable and profitable data center business. To read more click here to download. > EBook: Finding New Gold in Copper This eBook from FierceTelecom will explore the ever-changing dynamics of service providers' copper networks and how they are using these new technologies to deliver a wider set of services to consumers and businesses. Download for free today. > Whitepaper: Kabel Deutschland Uses Lavastorm Analytics' Flexibility to Optimize Revenue Assurance and Fraud Management Processes Learn how Kabel Deutschland achieved quantifiable ROI in less than one year, accelerated detection of fraudulent activity by more than 2000 percent, and improved customer satisfaction. Download this case study today. > EBook: Dodd-Frank: The Key to Compliance Success Driven by a never-ending appetite for bandwidth from businesses and consumers, service providers are in the process of upgrading their backbone and core networks. This eBook discusses the strategies, emerging standards, and technological advancements beyond 100G. Click here to download today. > Whitepaper: Whitepaper Library Interested in more? Click here for a full list of relevant whitepapers, case studies, and special reports.
| > Project Manager Job - Charlotte, NC, USA – Yoh Yoh has a contract opportunity for a Project Manager to join our client in Charlotte, NC 28217. The Senior Project Manager is responsible for planning and managing medium to large sized application development projects. Six (6) years of previous experience with technical applications and/or information systems (or equivalent) required...Learn more. > Wireless Project Manager Job - Cerritos, CA, USA – Yoh Yoh has a one (1) year full time contract opportunity for a Wireless Project Manager to join a large telecom client located in the Los Angeles CA area (Cerritos CA). Responsibilities include managing project completions (LTE, UMTS, NSB, and all other modifications) from issuance of work order to turn up including finance and timeline forecasts. The ideal candidate will have strong organizational and communication skills, be able to work independently and be able to work on scheduling and reporting...Learn more. > Field Technicians (5) Job - Melbourne, FL, USA – Yoh Yoh has five (5) month contract opportunities for five (5) Field Technicians to join our client in Melbourne, FL. This job will involve going out to sea and working on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships 2-3 weeks out of a month. Our client is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Minimum two (2) years' experience with VSAT systems required...Learn more. > Field Technician (CDMA and LTE experience preferred) Job - Plano, TX, USA – Yoh Yoh has a contract opportunity for a Field Technician (CDMA and LTE experience preferred) to join our client in Plano, TX. Responsibilities include developing proficiency in primary skills of customer relations, basic electricity, basic electronics, basic telephony, radio principles for CDMA, LTE and iDEN, and basic principles of digital transmission, fiber communication, data communication, telephony terminology, industry standards, and on-line network control/maintenance systems. Must be able to multi-task and maintain composure in stressful and demanding work environment...Learn more. | |
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