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Frost & Sullivan: Asia-Pac Governments - Stalwart Proponents of 21st Century Smart Homes

Announcement posted by Frost & Sullivan 27 Feb 2007

In an effort to stay ahead of the technology adoption curve, governments in Asia-Pacific have been actively driving the home networking industry by backing initiatives in home networking research and development and deployment of services.

New analysis from global growth consulting company, Frost & Sullivan (www.communicationsservices.frost.com), The Networked Home - Asia Pacific Market, reveals that this market, which is in its early stage of development, is expected to see encouraging growth with the strong support of governments in Asia-Pacific. South Korea remains the market leader, both in terms of R&D initiatives as well as consumer adoption, and its government along with industry consortia has been the biggest proponent in shaping this development.

Service providers perceive ‘networked home’ as the next frontier and the next logical move up the broadband value chain. Home networking is likely to act as the catalyst for greater adoption of current and next-generation high-speed broadband connectivity and services, driving the convergence of services from computing to consumer electronics, networking, IT, telecommunications and entertainment.

The number of home networks is expected to grow steadily spurred by the increasing availability of a variety of network-enabled consumer electronic devices, number of multiple PC households, high-speed broadband penetration, consumer awareness and the need for users to interconnect and run applications remotely.

Beyond just multipoint Internet access, high-speed Internet connection also serves as a conduit for interconnecting other devices including gaming consoles and entertainment devices. A home network provides consumers with enhanced user experience, allowing computing resources and entertainment devices, such as TVs, DVD players, game consoles, and audio systems, to exchange information and access services over a fast link.

“Affluent consumers’ lifestyle needs for a ‘smart home’ with entertainment, productivity, home automation, and connectivity are urging service providers to scale the broadband value chain,” notes Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Krishna Baidya.

However, a significant number of end-users have simple data networking solutions. Users with limited or no knowledge on the benefits of home networking (beyond just sharing Internet connectivity) is a key challenge hindering mass adoption of home networking solutions. Service providers can play a pivotal role in creating awareness on the value and benefits of various networking applications and services that can improve consumers’ lifestyle choices.

Today’s home generally consists of numerous appliances - with many legacy equipment and new digital devices - that come with various connectivity options such as Ethernet, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), multimedia over coax alliance (MoCA) and HomePlug, among others. Standards dominating these different devices that are intended for different purposes often result in a lack of compatibility between devices.


Enabling consumers to enjoy a plug-and-play experience with the various devices in their home networks is crucial to realize the full potential of this segment.


“As the success of individual market players in the value chain is tied-in with how the industry evolves with rest of the participants, it is important that they collaborate closely even while they may be competing in many fronts,” says Baidya. “The growing convergence of networking and consumer electronics is facilitating the union of different industry players.”


In the face of too many competing technologies and standards in home networking solutions, active industry-wide participation and collaboration is needed to weed-out interoperability issues to speed-up adoption and ensure that the networked home of tomorrow delivers on its promise.


The Networked Home - Asia Pacific Market
study is part of the Communications Services subscription, which also includes research services in the following markets: Asia-Pacific IPTV, fixed communications - Internet access services and fixed voice services, residential telephony, and service providers’ consumer strategies. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends, evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. Analyst interviews are available to the press.

If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides service providers, vendors/manufacturers, end users, and other industry participants with an overview of the home networking market in Asia-Pacific, then send an e-mail to Sharmin Jassal, Corporate Communications, at sharmin.jassal@frost.com with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, fax number, city, state, country and e-mail address. Upon receipt of the above information, an overview will be sent to you by e-mail.