Point Topic figures reveal North South digital divide is expanding 

Data published today by leading broadband research firm Point Topic shows that 13% of UK premises still can’t get broadband speeds higher than 2Mbps. As the UK continues to gain internet bandwidth and consumers, stubborn holes in the deployment and take-up around the country remain.

Smart set-top boxes often garner less attention than other connected CE devices like TVs and game consoles – Apple has referred to its Apple TV as a “hobby” although it leads the market with around 4 million units shipped through 2011. Roku has had recent success (e.g. passing 2.5M units in 2011), but the future looks at the very least challenging for these dedicated streaming devices to break out of a niche status. TVs, game consoles, Blu-ray players, and even mobile devices are quickly conspiring to engender a very competitive market for the digital living room.

The maritime market for satellite services is one of the fastest growing segments of the industry.  Euroconsult has forecasted that the number of satellite communications terminals in the global maritime market will nearly double over the next de-cade, with a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of seven percent over the 10-year period.

Euroconsult announced the findings of its most recent study of fixed satellite services. The report entitled "Company Profiles, Analysis of FSS Operators," now in its 5th edition, indicates that regional operators in particular continued to see strong business growth from various applications including DTH TV broadcasting, cellular backhaul and enterprise networks. Many of these regional operators are continuing their ambitious expansion plans with growing satellite fleets and a number of satellite launches still ahead in the coming years.

CASBAA’s annual flagship event will take place from October 29 to November 1, 2012 at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.  This year’s theme, “18 Reasons Why,”illustrates how the CASBAA Convention is consistently the industry’s must attend event in the region.With 18 markets, 18 conference sessions, 18 data snapshots and 18 holes of golf, the CASBAA Convention 2012 will feature a powerful line-up including Opening Keynote Ben Silverman (Electus), among others.

Satellite capacity is a uniquely valuable asset.  It can do some things, like broadcasting one signal to millions of destinations, better and cheaper than any other technology.  But it is also a scarce asset, thanks to the laws of physics and the skilled yield management of the operators that fly spacecraft in Earth orbit. 

Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission, is set to deliver a keynote speech on the opening day of the world’s largest broadband conference and exhibition, the Broadband World Forum. Kroes will kick-start the three-day event, which focuses on service transformation and the connected consumer, by addressing the future of broadband connectivity and network speeds.

Freeview today published research undertaken by Futuresource Consulting that shows that almost every home in the UK will be able to access Connect TV powered services by the end of 2014. Connect TV brings internet delivered content to the Freeview Electronic Programme Guide (EPG). The service works on all compliant Freeview HD devices and offers live streaming and on demand services.

The world’s leading experts attending the International Telecommunication Union’s upcoming ITU Telecom World 2012 Forum will promote leadership and innovation to expand broadband services in a competitive marketplace and achieve global connectivity while ensuring equal access and transparency, according to the conference agenda released today.

The global digital media sector revenues continued to grow in the first quarter expanding 22.7 per cent, with DMI company revenues reaching $30 billion from $24.6 billion in Q1 2012, according to the Strategy Analytics report  Digital Media Index (DMI): Q1 2012.

Although most companies covered in DMI experienced strong year-on-year growth, DMI decreased by 4.7 per cent relative to Q4 2011 because of seasonal contractions while Q4 2011 revenue growth was fuelled by end of the year holiday spending. In terms of segments,