Sunday, August 14, 2011
A glimpse into the future of TV
What will TV be like in 10 years, or five? Everything on demand? A 3–D immersive experience? Crystal–clear HD live–action? Talking cat videos from the Internet on any screen you choose?
The answer, in all likelihood, is yes to all of the above.
After years of talk, We’re seeing the reality of convergence today, and the possibilities are vast and exciting. I’ve been watching with interest as industry players outline their strategies for competing in this new, wider video arena. I’m also very pleased that AT&T customers are uniquely positioned to benefit from all of the future possibilities I’ve outlined above in the months and years to come.
Our AT&T U–verse IPTV platform was seen by many as a risky technology choice when we chose the path years ago. There was a lot of truth to this assessment initially; IPTV was a new platform at the time, and it required a long–term commitment to innovation to grow the platform to scale.
It was also the right choice. Today, U–verse is positioned to deliver the ideal combination of real–time, high quality content and the on–demand and interactive content that the Internet makes possible. Customers are enjoying unique benefits of the platform, like Total Home DVR and exclusive multi–screen content.
And there is much more to come, as you’ll see in this video, which shows some of the emerging capabilities that We’re developing in our IPTV Lab in Atlanta.
I’l have more to share from our video research team this summer. Grab some popcorn and stay tuned!
The answer, in all likelihood, is yes to all of the above.
After years of talk, We’re seeing the reality of convergence today, and the possibilities are vast and exciting. I’ve been watching with interest as industry players outline their strategies for competing in this new, wider video arena. I’m also very pleased that AT&T customers are uniquely positioned to benefit from all of the future possibilities I’ve outlined above in the months and years to come.
Our AT&T U–verse IPTV platform was seen by many as a risky technology choice when we chose the path years ago. There was a lot of truth to this assessment initially; IPTV was a new platform at the time, and it required a long–term commitment to innovation to grow the platform to scale.
It was also the right choice. Today, U–verse is positioned to deliver the ideal combination of real–time, high quality content and the on–demand and interactive content that the Internet makes possible. Customers are enjoying unique benefits of the platform, like Total Home DVR and exclusive multi–screen content.
And there is much more to come, as you’ll see in this video, which shows some of the emerging capabilities that We’re developing in our IPTV Lab in Atlanta.
I’l have more to share from our video research team this summer. Grab some popcorn and stay tuned!
Building an Intelligent Cloud
The promise of the cloud to transform the mobile user experience was part of an on-stage discussion I had this morning with VentureBeat Editor-in-Chief Matt Marshall at the VentureBeat Mobile Summit.
The impact of a recent public cloud infrastructure failure has some questioning that promise, and we talked about AT&T’s program to build an intelligent cloud with characteristics of a managed enterprise network.
There are four key ways AT&T is differentiating our cloud from current platforms.
The first is that AT&T’s cloud is embedded in the AT&T managed network, it’s not an end point on a public network. That allows us to utilize the AT&T intellectual property and infrastructure capabilities that are the foundation for our network and use them to build a smarter, more adaptable cloud.
Second, our cloud will be localized and distributed – a collection of tiny droplets, just like a real cloud. We’re augmenting regional data centers with local central offices – micro pods in the hardened CO environments we already have tied into our network in local communities. By moving data capacity closer to the demand, we’ll reduce latency.
Third, AT&T's cloud is interoperable and global. Our global customers need a reliable, global cloud solution. Interoperability is a key enabler. We work with trusted service providers to deliver in the corners of the globe where we don’t have a facility footprint. Other interoperability agreements aren’t designed around footprint, but rather to deliver imbedded infrastructure.
Finally, we're working to make cloud easy to use. For enterprises, that means it must be easy to provision, easy to dial up and turn down capabilities on-demand and easy to manage alongside their enterprise network. For consumers, it simply means getting a range of rich data services and applications that are accessible and secure – on any device.
We’re working to deliver the promise of cloud by building a more intelligent cloud. Our work is part vision, but a significant portion of it is reality today. Our cloud is currently used by external customers and for development projects.
The impact of a recent public cloud infrastructure failure has some questioning that promise, and we talked about AT&T’s program to build an intelligent cloud with characteristics of a managed enterprise network.
There are four key ways AT&T is differentiating our cloud from current platforms.
The first is that AT&T’s cloud is embedded in the AT&T managed network, it’s not an end point on a public network. That allows us to utilize the AT&T intellectual property and infrastructure capabilities that are the foundation for our network and use them to build a smarter, more adaptable cloud.
Second, our cloud will be localized and distributed – a collection of tiny droplets, just like a real cloud. We’re augmenting regional data centers with local central offices – micro pods in the hardened CO environments we already have tied into our network in local communities. By moving data capacity closer to the demand, we’ll reduce latency.
Third, AT&T's cloud is interoperable and global. Our global customers need a reliable, global cloud solution. Interoperability is a key enabler. We work with trusted service providers to deliver in the corners of the globe where we don’t have a facility footprint. Other interoperability agreements aren’t designed around footprint, but rather to deliver imbedded infrastructure.
Finally, we're working to make cloud easy to use. For enterprises, that means it must be easy to provision, easy to dial up and turn down capabilities on-demand and easy to manage alongside their enterprise network. For consumers, it simply means getting a range of rich data services and applications that are accessible and secure – on any device.
We’re working to deliver the promise of cloud by building a more intelligent cloud. Our work is part vision, but a significant portion of it is reality today. Our cloud is currently used by external customers and for development projects.
Is IPv6 Another Y2K?
The public hand wringing over the transition to IPv6 often has been reminiscent of the hysteria leading up to Y2K. Similar to what we saw with Y2K, I believe that the vast majority of customers will see little or no impact as we transition to IPv6, due to the extensive preparation by key industry players, including AT&T, in advance of the transition.
AT&T has been actively involved in standards development and testing for IPv6 since its inception. We’ve been working since 2006 to transition to IPv6 technology in our network. AT&T is enabling IPv6 technology across our IP products and services, as well as our IT and network infrastructure. This is a multi-year process that involves dual-stack technology that will support both IPv4 and IPv6 and give our customers a seamless experience as we make this transition.
As part of our commitment to transitioning to IPv6, AT&T is participating in World IPv6 Day, which will take place on June 8. We and other participants will conduct a 24-hour test drive of IPv6 technology, supporting our enterprise customers who are testing the protocol and enabling IPv6 on our YP.COM and AT&T Research sites.
We hope that efforts like World IPv6 Day help provide assurance to those concerned about the transition.
AT&T has been actively involved in standards development and testing for IPv6 since its inception. We’ve been working since 2006 to transition to IPv6 technology in our network. AT&T is enabling IPv6 technology across our IP products and services, as well as our IT and network infrastructure. This is a multi-year process that involves dual-stack technology that will support both IPv4 and IPv6 and give our customers a seamless experience as we make this transition.
As part of our commitment to transitioning to IPv6, AT&T is participating in World IPv6 Day, which will take place on June 8. We and other participants will conduct a 24-hour test drive of IPv6 technology, supporting our enterprise customers who are testing the protocol and enabling IPv6 on our YP.COM and AT&T Research sites.
We hope that efforts like World IPv6 Day help provide assurance to those concerned about the transition.
AT&T’s 4G Evolution
The key to delivering the best possible mobile broadband experience to our customers is to consistently evolve our network with the latest innovations.
AT&T has delivered five mobile broadband speed upgrades in recent years, including our HSPA+ deployment last year. And average nationwide speeds on the AT&T network have increased – more than 40 percent over the past two years alone.
The next network evolution will arrive this summer with the addition of LTE in five markets – Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta and San Antonio. We plan to add another 10 or more markets in the second half of the year, and cover 70 million Americans with LTE by year-end. We also have plans to add 20 4G devices to our robust device portfolio this year, with some of those being LTE capable.
We’re positioning to deliver a great mobile broadband experience in the near term with HSPA+ and a growing LTE footprint.
We’ve invested $75 billion in our wireless and wired networks over the last four years – more capital invested in the U.S. than any company in any industry. And we plan to invest $19 billion in our wireless and wireline networks and other capital projects this year. The investments we’ve made to evolve our mobile broadband network in recent years, plus what we have planned for the future, put our customers in position to benefit fully from a host of coming mobile broadband innovations.
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