Strategy
CableLabs in Hong Kong: Insights from APOStech 2017
CableLabs participated in the 2nd Annual APOStech conference in Hong Kong July 4-6, 2017 and it was a huge success!
APOStech is designed to unite executives and key stakeholders from the video and broadband industries across the Asia Pacific region to discuss technology innovation and trends that are defining the future of the connected consumer. Over 180 participants from 88 companies around the globe were in attendance, giving CableLabs the opportunity to speak with current members and establish new relationships with other cable operators in the region.
Aravind Venugopal, Vice President with Media Partners Asia (MPA), set the backdrop for the conference by providing an overview of the explosive growth of broadband, pay tv and mobile services in Asia. MPA just released projections anticipating 30 million new broadband homes in Asia over the five year period from 2017-2022 (excluding China). Nearly half of this growth (45%) will occur in India. Pay tv subscribers will increase nearly 30 million, from 244 million to 271 million over this same period (again, excluding China). SVOD subscribers will jump from 54 million to 108 million over the course of the 2017-2022 period.
Among the highly informative learnings from APOStech:
- Only 1 in 10 homes in the Philippines have broadband with an average download speed of 4 Mbps – with the growth of over 2 million additional broadband homes forecast by 2020.
- 100 million of the 275 million homes in India do not have a television. Broadband represents an opportunity for these – and all other – homes. In the Indian economy, prepaid services are dominant, including for broadband and pay tv. Service providers need to think in terms of monthly, weekly and even daily prepaid services. National MSOs have 12% of the broadband market – with the incumbent telecom provider (BSNL/MTNL) reaching 66% of the broadband market.
- In Korea, 58% of pay tv subscribers prefer cable television, this in a country with intense video competition from three national telecom networks (LG, KT and SK Broadband).
- 4K content is expanding across Asia – particularly in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan and Singapore.
I delivered an overview of Gigabit Broadband Competition in the U.S. – the technologies innovated by CableLabs and its members by which cable operators are now delivering gigabit speeds globally (Click here to see my slide show presentation). I focused on the impact of collaboration across the global cable community in advancing broadband technologies at scale and the competitive leadership this strategy provides to cable operators and their customers by way of enhancing the user experience in the home and workplace.
Jeff Chen, CableLabs SVP of Global Technology, and I hosted an invitation-only event for cable operators attending the APOStech conference. Representatives from 9 MSOs participated – allowing for an in-depth overview of CableLabs and the opportunities provided for its members. Five MSOs across four countries (China, India, Korea and the Philippines) expressed substantial interest in progressing relationships with and learning more about CableLabs, extending invitations for 1:1 meetings with company executives.
We met with four of our members at the conference:
- PT Link Net (Indonesia)
- Shenzhen Topway (China)
- StarHub (Singapore)
- Taiwan Broadband Communications (Taiwan).
We were introduced to senior representatives from seven additional MSOs:
- CJ Hellovision and D’Live (Korea)
- In Broadband and Network18/Reliance (India)
- Guangzhou Digital Media (China)
- Hong Kong Broadband (Hong Kong)
- Kabankalan CATV and the Philippine Cable TV Association (Philippines)
CableLabs’ continued expansion in Asia advances its strategy of world-wide collaboration on technology and innovation for the benefit of the global cable community and the customers they serve. From one member in Asia five years ago, CableLabs has grown to 12 members across Asia and Australia, including: Beijing Gehua CATV Network, Chongqing Cable Networks, Guangdong Cable Network, Henan Cable Network, J:COM, Jiangsu Broadcasting Cable Information Network, nbn, PT Link Net, Shenzhen Topway Video Communication, StarHub, Taiwan Broadband Communications and WASU Digital TV Media Group.
Coincidence or not, CableLabs gained its 60th member on Monday, July 10 following APOStech, Henan Cable, serving Henan Province in China with 4 million video subscribers and 400,000 broadband subscribers.
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CableLabs is committed to expanding membership and support across Asia and beyond. With 60 members in 35 countries in Asia, Australia, Latin America, North America and Europe, CableLabs provides the opportunity for operators to collaborate with innovators worldwide. Please contact us to discover the value membership in CableLabs.