Market Research - Topical Reports & Briefs

This report compares the business-class VoIP offers from six carriers, detailing both the services for large enterprises and SMBs. We then project the market opportunity out to 2012, forecasting both numbers of business-class VoIP lines and resulting revenues. We predict that AT&T, Verizon and Qwest will capture the biggest share of large enterprises as VoIP customers, but will face competition in the SMB space from a variety of new entrants. Nine tables and charts are included.

Multichannel service providers are looking for various ways to monetize high-definition TV, including premium HD channels, on-demand HD movies, and HD DVR rentals. In this report, we examine how the advent of HD service has helped service providers with customer growth and retention, and how those providers plan to employ HD in their marketing strategies in 2008 and beyond. And we offer our forecast for the multichannel HDTV market. As part of our forecast, we conclude that annual revenues from HD services could top $2.6 billion by 2012.

In this report we closely examine the video/multimedia offerings and pricing schemes among the top wireless service providers, including AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel. We rate each provider’s offerings on ease of use, price, value and variety of content. AT&T and Verizon Wireless get the highest overall ratings.

This report outlines our recently completed research examining the market for mobile device management among North American enterprises. More than 90% of enterprise mobile applications spending is now focused on mobile email and messaging, but the percentage of spending on mobilizing other critical enterprise applications -- many of them broadband-optimized -- will increase rapidly over the next five years, according to our forecast. We predict that by 2012, spending on mobilizing such applications as customer-relations management and sales-force automation will exceed $10 billion annually.

Apple’s introduction of an online movie rental service through iTunes will enable consumers to view Web-based video on their televisions. The service uses the Apple TV set-top box, which the company hopes will heat up what so far have been lackluster sales of the device. In this competitor profile, we assess the opportunities and risks that Apple faces with the new iTunes venture -- especially its chances of competing against growing ibraries of video-on-demand services from multichannel video providers.

With many rural locations still unable to receive DSL or cable modem service, satellite broadband provides a higher-speed alternative to dial-up services. This report examines the market opportunity for satellite broadband providers as the demand for dial-up alternatives expands in rural markets. In our analysis, we project that the satellite broadband market should reach fewer than 1.3 million subscribers by 2011. We also examine the revenue potential of satellite-based services. The report includes 9 charts and graphs.

This report offers up Pike & Fischer's projections for the coming year on competitive developments in the broadband services market. It includes forecasts on subscriber growth for various services and qualitative analysis of the impact that new applications such as mobile broadband applications, high-definition TV and VoIP will have on the marketplace. We also provide an outlook on how service providers will tailor their marketing messages this year to consumers worried about the economy. Eight bar and pie charts are included.

With the recent resignation of Sprint Nextel CEO Gary Forsee raising speculation as to the long term prospects of Sprint Nextel’s WiMAX effort, Xohm, and news that Clearwire has delayed its WiMAX rollout in at least one market, we take a look at how these developments, along with the demise of the Sprint Nextel/Clearwire WiMAX partnership, could affect the future of services riding on the next-generation wireless technology. We provide our views of the likely success factors and challenges for WiMAX initiatives over the next 12 – 18 months.

BitTorrent has begun licensing its file distribution technology to third-party content distributors under the service name BitTorrent DNA (Delivery Network Accelerator.) This allows the distributed downloading of broadband content via a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol. This Competitor Profile examines BitTorrent’s strategy aimed at shedding its reputation as a popular tool for illegal sharing of proprietary content, and what challenges the company faces in communicating the value of its service.

This report provides a detailed and up-to-date analysis of the high-speed Internet pricing, bundling and marketing strategies of the top providers, including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, Insight, Mediacom, Qwest, AT&T and Verizon. The report ranks each provider by maximum speeds provided and by price points, and includes 18 tables of data and analysis. It will also examine the impact that the emergence of telco fiber-optic services, mainly Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-vrse, are having on cable offerings and strategies.

Nokia has recently made a series of strategic moves aimed at stretching beyond its hardware focus into the consumer services market. Recent acquisitions and partnerships are enabling the company to offer consumers a robust suite of music, video, gaming, content-sharing and location-based services. Furthermore, the company’s introduction of new phones designed to fully exploit the mobile broadband multimedia experience makes it a prime competitor to the AT&T/Apple iPhone alliance. In this Competitor Profie, we examine the opportunities and risks behind Nokia’s new strategy.

This is the first in a series of brief, actionable reviews of strategic initiatives and business models among key players in the advanced communications market. Here, we examine the opportunities and risks that Sprint Nextel faces in its aggressive WiMAX deployment initiative, and what steps the company must make to get a solid return on its investment in the technology.

In this report, we discuss the current state of the telco-DBS partnerships, examine their historic and forecasted impact on subscriber growth for both industries, and analyze the likely long-term strategic moves that DBS providers will make to offset a declining contribution from the telco partnerships moving forward. Five charts and tables are included.

Service providers are now eager to develop new business models for on-demand services. Comcast, for example, has had talks with some Hollywood studios about the possibility of delivering movies on demand on the same day they are released in theaters. Some executives project that multichannel video will eventually become all on-demand. This Market Intelligence Brief provides some current statistics on VOD usage, outlines the VOD strategies of the top multichannel video providers, and projects the growth of video-on-demand consumption over the next five years – and what that will mean in terms of revenue opportunities.

Comcast says the new federal ban on integrated set-top boxes will limit its ability to develop or introduce new, advanced services. The company is going to court to challenge the FCC’s refusal to grant a waiver on the requirement. This market intelligence brief assesses Comcast’s ultimate chances for success in its appeal, and the impact this may have on the company’s digital cable pricing.

The integration of GPS navigation services with social networking applications, rich media, and user-generated content will create a host of easily monetized location-based services (LBS). But the top five U.S. wireless carriers have yet to implement a comprehensive and value-added LBS strategy. Nevertheless, our forecasts suggest that by 1Q 08, the market will witness the widespread use of applications that allow users to locate points of interest based upon customized profiles, as well as track and intract with other like-minded users. This market brief will analyze the current LBS strategies of the top five US mobile carriers, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint-Nextel, T-Mobile, and Alltel; as well as emerging LBS technologies, Mobile Web 2.0 integration, and industry standards. Lastly, this brief will examine prospective LBS service models and provide relevant competitive, revenue, and market analysis.

A number of emerging mobile applications will be significant drivers of revenue growth in the wireless services market. Many of these applications – particularly those that rely on mobile broadband technology -- will redefine the competitive position and strength of key players in the market. This analysis discusses the content, services, and applications employed and planned by the key players in the U.S. wireless market, and assesses the strengths, weaknesses, and potential for success of each. The report also includes predictions on the competitive dynamics that will result from the emergence of mobile broadband services. AT&T, Sprint Nextel, Verizon, T-Mobile, Alltel, and others are covered.

In this follow-up to our recently published report, Cable Commercial-Services Strategies, Pike & Fischer provides its preliminary forecast of U.S. Cable MSO commercial services revenue m small and medium-sized businesses through 2012. It includes forecast for each of the top cable operators as well as an overall total. Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Insight, Mediacom, TWC, & others are included.

In this report we explore the economics, prospects and potential impacts of Verizon’s FiOS deployment. Our analysis includes comparisons with Verizon’s chief cable competitors. We also look into the future of FiOS by considering the potential expansion of availability, subscriber growth, ARPU, revenue and EBITDA, and how these are likely to impact overall revenues. We then consider these revenue-side factors in relation to FiOS capital costs, to explore potential payback scenarios and the key factors lkely to determine which of these scenarios become a reality. Potential competitive impacts of FiOS on cable customer counts and revenue are also included.

In this report, we offer details on developments in the broadband services market and provide our updated year-end forecasts on customer growth for new multichannel video services, high-speed Internet, IP telephony, and the features and applications that ride on those technologies. Influencing factors that we examine include the growth of telco-delivered television service, the cable industry’s pursuit of commercial business, the impact of the Verizon/Vonage litigation over VoIP patents and the growing array of mobile multimedia and converged services. Included are eight bar and pie charts showing projected subscriber numbers and market share in various service categories.

The nation's top cable operators are launching a long-anticipated push to develop and deploy a commercial services portfolio focused on the small and mid-sized business (SMB) segment. In attacking this multibillion dollar opportunity, cable companies have fundamental decisions to make regarding technology solutions, the types of customers to target, the channel partners they will leverage in reaching those customers, and service portfolios to market through those channels. This 30+ page report provides an overview of the commercial services strategies of the leading operators, analyzes their existing and emerging capabilities, and details the critical success factors for the cable industry in targeting the SMB opportunity.

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The FCC is in the final stages of deciding if and how to authorize use of the TV broadcast "white space," which it could make available by early 2009. In this first-of-its-kind paradigm, we propose a detailed white space policy designed to maximize the amount of spectrum made available for “community” broadband networks. We highlight the federal government's historic opportunity to directly and fully serve the public interest. And as a final exercise, we consider the potential impact that our proposed free public networks would have on incumbents’ revenues.

This Market Intelligence Brief details our forecasts on the chances of Helio, EarthLink's joint venture with SK Telecom, surviving in the tenuous MVNO market. The report specifically examines EarthLink's ability to continue absorbing Helio losses.

In this Market Intelligence Brief, we detail the features available in the beta version of this online video entertainment service, and recommend steps the venture should take to differentiate itself from traditional TV. A list of the channels available on Joost beta is included.

This market intelligence brief examines TiVo’s latest efforts to alter its business model and product offerings as its signature DVR hardware succumbs to increased competition. The report takes a specific look at the Amazon Unbox on TiVo, and deals with Verizon Wireless and AT&T to provide the first services that allow customers to peruse TV listings and program their home TiVo boxes from their cell phones.

The proliferation of user-generated online video has had a significant impact on Internet marketing methods, business models and copyright law. This report provides a snapshot of the current players in the user-generated video market and examines them onthe basis of their respective content type, ownership and business model. We examine how various social media Web sites are differentiating their content and features. The analysis supports Pike & Fischer's conclusion that the market for user-generated content is approaching the glut stage and will undergo significant consolidation within the next three years.

On March 8th, A federal jury found that Vonage Holdings infringed on three Verizon patents, fueling speculation that the company could have to shut down its VoIP service. This report analyzes the impact that this case will have on Vonage as well as otherindependent VoIP providers, and explains why the jury verdict will generate increased adoption of cable phone service.

Yahoo's expansion into mobile content delivery and broadband video -- as well as a number of other initiatives -- may better position the company to compete with Google, AOL and other established and burgeoning Web sites vying for advertising dollars. This report explores a number of factors that will play a role in Yahoo's success in its strategic plan. Ten charts and tables are included.

This analysis examines the status of AT&T’s new U-verse rollout, including the company’s pricing, technology and regulatory strategies for expanding the new service. The report includes initial customer metrics and outlines systems-integration challengesthat the company faces as it builds the network that will carry U-verse services. We conclude that AT&T will be forced to significantly increase its investment in network infrastructure as U-verse scales. The report includes valuable qualitative forecasts, our recommendations to the company regarding its overall strategy for the service, and AT&T's responses to our conclusions.

The new Apple TV and forthcoming iPhone stand to have a revolutionary impact on the consumer electronics and communications industries. This report provides a concise, actionable analysis of the impact those products will have on the markets for consumerelectronics, home networking services and mobile broadband services. Our SWOT analysis examines the role that these devices will play in the evolution of Apple Inc.’s highly popular iTunes store; and the competition they pose to cable operators, telcos,wireless service providers, and other CE vendors.

This report provides an in-depth examination of bundled-service market dynamics as they have unfolded in the residential telecommunications market, with forecasts on how those dynamics will evolve. We compare both the cable and telephone carrier sectorson their marketing and pricing strategies in deploying triple-play service bundles over the last few years, and how the addition of wireless services is affecting the competition. The report documents why the major phone carriers will need to continue investing in major network upgrades to compete against cable in the delivery of multichannel video and future video-capable “converged” services. The report includes more than 25 charts and tables.

This report offers up Pike & Fischer's projections for the coming year on developments in the broadband services market. It includes forecasts on subscriber growth for various services and qualitative analysis of the impact that new applications such as user-generated content, mobile video technology and IP telephony will have on the marketplace. Ten bar and pie charts are included.

This report provides a detailed and up-to-date analysis of the high-speed Internet pricing strategies of the top U.S. cable operators, including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, Insight, Mediacom, Bright House and Cable One. The report provides detailed charts and tables on each provider's pricing structure, speed tiers and special promotions.

This report provides a detailed and up-to-date analysis of the DSL pricing and marketing strategies of the top telcos, including AT&T, Verizon, BellSouth, Qwest, Embarq and Windstream. The report compares each provider on price, number of service tiers and special promotions. Seven tables and charts of data and analysis are included.

The widespread adoption of high-speed Internet services has allowed for the leveraging of rich online media content as a sales and marketing delivery system. And the popularity of social networking sites such as MySpace, Friendster and Facebook and others has proved a boon to interactive marketing. This report analyzes the demographics of such Web destinations as MySpace and Facebook, the various rich-media advertising methods being employed on those sites, and the long-term prospects for online advertising in the social-networking space. Eight tables and charts are included.

Click-to-talk (CTT) incorporates Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology into e-Commerce sites and Web portals, providing online shoppers with a way to immediately connect to sales or customer-service representatives. But will consumers embrace it? This report examines the potential impact that CTT communications will have on electronic commerce as the number of residential broadband connections expands. The analysis examines companies like eBay, Google and Amazon, all of whom are integrating CTT srvices into their Web sites. Five charts are included.

The FCC's auction of advanced wireless services spectrum ended in September, with 104 bidders winning 1,087 licenses. In this report we review in detail those AWS licenses and the winning bidders, including rankings using various metrics. We include a variety of charts, tables and maps to lay out the new landscape of wireless spectrum licenses.

This report provides a detailed and up-to-date analysis of the high-speed Internet pricing, bundling and marketing strategies of the top providers, including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, Insight, Mediacom, Bright House, Cable One, BellSouth, Qwest, AT&T and Verizon. The report ranks each provider by maximum speeds provided and by price points, and includes 18 tables of data and analysis.

Virginia-based overbuilder RCN announced is thought to be exploring strategic alternatives, including a possible sell-out. RCN's low debt and position in key markets make it a likely acquisition target. In this report, we explore the company's financialstatus, and the benefits and challenges that a potential buyer would encounter. Six tables and charts are included.

Following on Verizon's latest data on subscriptions to its new FiOS product, this report projects unit growth and market penetration for the fiber-to-the-premises service over the next several years. This concise analysis also offers insight on how legislation and technology developments could affect the long-term success of FiOS. Five charts are included.

Wireless broadband upstart Clearwire has a new $900 million investment from Intel and Motorola and plans to participate in the FCC auction of Advanced Wireless Services licenses. In this report, we examine the evolution of Clearwire, its market deployments, and its spectrum, sales and VoIP rollout strategies. We also explore the possibility of Clearwire allying with DirecTV and EchoStar. Included are 15 tables and charts.

Local governments across the country are launching their own broadband services for consumers and businesses. In the near term, these municipal networks don't appear to pose much of a threat to commercial providers. But if cities achieve even modest success in delivering broadband, it could make Wall Street nervous about the long-term prospects for incumbent providers. This in-depth report examines the muni-broadband movement, including current deployments and initiatives, policy issues, and the potential impact that various muni-broadband models could have on commercial providers' revenues. The analysis includes 15 tables and charts.

This broadband phone company's financial status, long-term business prospects, and plans for an IPO are examined in-depth. We explore the escalating competition that Vonage faces from facilities-based providers and ISPs, and whether its business model can survive the evolution of the residential VoIP market. The report includes updated financial and operational data on the company.

This report examines the maximum broadband speeds available throughout the world, and includes a region-by-region comparison of the prices that consumers pay for that throughput. Our analysis identifies the regions where consumers are receiving the fastest speeds at the lowest price. Four tables and charts are included.

An emerging broadband technology, IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystems), promises to dramatically simplify advanced communications services for consumers. As envisioned, IMS will allow IP-based services to transfer seamlessly from fixed to mobile networks. To service providers, this means giving users unlimited access to voice, video and data across multiple networks. But IMS faces a variety of technical challenges. This report examines the technology’s potential and its obstacles, and details the IMS businessplans of service providers and vendors. It includes a comprehensive primer on the technology and the applications it will enable.

Electric utilities control the only other third wire into American homes after cable and phone service. But can utilities effectively use their lines to deliver broadband service reliably and cost-effectively? In this report, we consider key aspects of BPL's evolution, current status and likely future development. We provide an overview of BPL technology and a comparative review of its vendors. We also examine BPL business models, trials and commercial deployments; utility attitudes and motivations with regard to BPL; and BPL regulation at the federal and state levels. Cinergy, Current Communications, TXU Electric, Consumer’s Energy, Lighthouse Broadband, ComTek and Lebanon Utilities are among those companies profiled.

AT&T's March 5th acquisition announcement has industry-wide ramifications. AT&T stands to become the largest U.S. provider of high-speed Internet service. What does it mean for other providers, such as Verizon and Time Warner? How will it affect the rollout of advanced services such as IPTV and VoIP? These questions and more are examined in our in-depth analysis. Seven charts and graphs are included.

EarthLink's plan to evolve from a typical ISP to a multi-faceted communications company is examined in-depth. We conclude that the company's best prospects are in the mesh Wi-Fi market. The report includes detailed financial and operational data.

This report details the state of the market for mobile wireless broadband services, also referred to as third-generation (3G) wireless. Data points include pricing, projected growth in the number of households using mobile broadband and an overview of mobile services, including over-the-air video and music downloads and streaming. Companies profiled include Verizon Wireless, Sprint, Cingular and Motorola.

This report details the state of the market for Wi-Fi connectivity, both in the form of home networks and at public hotspots. Data points include projected growth in the number of home Wi-Fi units, plus hotspot market share. Companies covered in the report include T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, Wayport and Boingo.

This report details the state of the market for wireless broadband services, including 3G, Wi-Fi and WiMAX. Data points include projected growth in the number of mobile broadband homes, an overview of mobile video services, barriers to entry and trends regarding consumer adoption. Included are profiles of over a dozen companies, including T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and SK EarthLink.

This report provides a detailed and up to date analysis of the broadband service pricing, bundling and marketing strategies of the top providers, including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, Adelphia, Insight, Mediacom, Bright House, Cable One, RCN, BellSouth, Qwest, SBC and Verizon. 18 tables of data and analysis are included.

This report outlines the current statistics on VOD viewing, provides overviews of deployments and content offerings from top multichannel service providers, and offers some projections on the growth of video on demand consumption – and what that will mean in terms of revenues for service providers.

This five page brief presents a tabular comparison and overview of the regulatory structures governing multichannel video programming provision by cable television companies and by satellite video programming providers.

This three page brief provides a concise descriptive overview of the projected growth of residential VoIP subscriber for the next five years. Among the projections presented are total number of VoIP-enabled households and total number of VoIP-enabled households by service type (cable, telco, access industry).

This report provides an overview of the initiatives by broadband providers to extend their Internet and video services beyond their primary platforms to multiple devices around the home.

This report status outlines the status of digital copyright law, including the landmark U.S. Supreme Court MGM vs. Grokster decision, and examines the efforts by technology companies, broadband service providers and content owners to secure the rich media that they deliver to customers. The report offers service providers and content owners insights on how laws are being updated to protect creative works, and what technologies and business models are being employed to prevent or minimize illegal copying a copying a copying a copying a copying a copying a copying and distribution of that intellectual property.

This report examines the heated competition between phone companies and cable operators to include high-speed Internet access, landline phone service, mobile voice service and multichannel video into their bundled service offerings.

This report examines the various delivery technologies being deployed or under development to deliver advanced video services over the Internet. The analysis covers such delivery options as FTTx, future versions of DSL, advanced codecs, wireless technologies and security solutions. It also profiles video-over-IP initiatives being undertaken by telcos and cable operators.

Detailed examination of the status of on-demand programming initiatives. The report covers traditional video-on-demand, digital video recording and web-based delivery of video entertainment.

Examines the current status of FTTP deployments and analyzes the strategies, costs and market prospects of FTTP and other fiber-rich architectures being developed and deployed by ILECs.

This report examines the expanding deployments and evolving business models in the Wi-Fi and wireless ISP sectors, and the competitive significance of these sectors in the wider broadband market.

Overview of the complex trends shaping the rise and future of wireless and mobile broadband, including latest activities in the market and how the competing wireless technologies are lining up.

Detailed analysis of broadband service pricing, bundling and marketing strategies of the top providers. Based on analysis of 25 high-speed Internet options offered by 14 top broadband providers.

Examination of the deployments and strategies of leading companies in key industry sectors targeting the nascent VoIP market. Both new VoIP-centric players and traditional incumbents are covered.

Overview of complex trends feeding the rise of this new medium, including how major players are bringing video and interactive programming to the web and a review of the obstacles that these players face.

A detailed guide to understanding VoIP technologies, economics and potential and current state-of-play. Includes an overview of what VoIP is, what it can do and how it is emerging in the marketplace. Regulatory issues and snapshots of the deployment of services by the top corporate players is also covered.