Global shipments of set-top boxes (STBs) are predicted to reach 228 million units by the end of 2012, according to new research from Futuresource Consulting. This will be followed by a moderate decline over the next few years as demand from maturing pay-TV markets like North America and Western Europe begins to slow, predict Futuresource.

Asia dominates with 42% market share

Broadband has passed another major milestone, according to the latest figures published by the Broadband Forum and prepared by broadband industry analysts Point Topic. The global total of broadband subscribers soared to over 600 million in the first quarter of 2012, indicating a further acceleration in growth as over 100 million new lines were added (20% of the total) in less than 18 months.

The World Teleport Association today released a new white paper, Best Practices in Satellite Capacity Contracts, which shares first hand experience into the often complex contracts for satellite capacity.  Best Practices in Satellite Capacity Contracts is based on interviews with executives of teleport operators that purchase satellite capacity, and satellite operators that sell it. The report spells out the basics of satellite capacity contracts including those hot areas that need particular attention.

MultiPlay Services Will Reach 64 Percent Penetration

Chinese consumers are increasingly embracing the concept of bundled services – including fixed voice, broadband, television and mobile voice – which will lead to significant growth in Double, Triple, and Quad Play subscribers by 2016 according to research from Strategy Analytics. The report, “MultiPlay Forecast 1H’12” shows the growth of MultiPlay subscribers in China, increasing from 112 million in 2011 to 253 million in 2016.

Over one‑quarter of TVs shipped during Q1’12 were equipped with internet connectivity, as reported in the new NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Smart TV Shipment and Forecast Report, which tracks connected and smart TV shipments by brand, region, display technology and screen size. Approximately 27% of TV sets shipped worldwide had internet connectivity, led by Japan, where 46% of sets had networking capability, and Western Europe with 36%.

IPTV subscriptions worldwide will grow at 70% from 2012 to 2017 with 100% growth in the Asia-Pacific off a large base of 28.5 million subscribers. Global pay-TV subscribers will reach 853.5 million at the end of 2012, with 116 million IPTV subscribers accroding to ABI Research.

Pay TV revenues in North America will peak in 2013, before gradually falling by $2.6 billion to reach $88.2 billion in 2017, according to a new report from Digital TV Research. The Digital TV North America report concludes that TV ARPU is being forced down as cable operators and telcos convert their subscribers to dual-play or triple-play bundles, though blended [overall] ARPU is rising.

Ericsson releases its second Traffic and Market Report - "On the Pulse of the Networked Society," revealing that by 2017, 85 percent of the world's population will have 3G coverage. According to the report, 50 percent of the world's population will be covered by 4G in 2017 and Smartphone subscriptions expected to reach 3 billion in 2017.

GPS/GNSS is now moving beyond cellular and traditional navigation markets, representing a market worth over $3.3 billion in 2016. GPS/GNSS has always been strongly tied to navigation in the in-car, PND, and cellular space. However, GPS/GNSS is now finding applications in cameras, gaming, and tablets. Furthermore, femtocells and small cells represent huge volume opportunities, with companies like u-blox, Fastrax, and iPosi all developing specific GPS/GNSS solutions to meet the unique requirements of this market.

Mobile phone users will, in 2016, on average consume 6.5 times as much video, over eight times as much music and social media, and nearly 10 times as much games as in 2011 according to the latest forecasts from Informa Telecoms & Media. There will be a big upsurge in traffic for most mobile data services over the next five years, largely driven by the spread of smartphones and a 23% increase in the number of mobile users.