Using WiGig to enable PushVoD How MNOs can deliver HD video without losing capacity

Henry Nurser

CEO, Blu Wireless Technology Ltd

www.bluwirelesstechnology.com

Using WiGig to enable PushVoD How MNOs can deliver HD video and without losing capacity

White paper

Henry Nurser, CEO, Blu Wireless Technology Ltd

Introduction

The rise of the smartphone and tablet

PC has driven an exponential growth

in mobile video consumption. Mobile

networks are therefore groaning under

the strain and as this trend continues,

the networks will not be able to cope.

Indeed, even further massive

investments in 3G and 4G LTE

network infrastructure will not been

enough to keep pace with this

exponential growth in desire for

uninterrupted access to the internet

and other video content.

Mobile operators (MNOs) therefore

need to find a way to manage this

traffic to deliver this video without

causing excessive customer churn or

undertaking excessive spending on

infrastructure.

Additionally, to maximise profits from

their networks they need to have

control of the video’s digital rights. The

alternative is to lose this stream of

revenue to third parties, such as

Apple, Google and Netflix.

But the rise of ultra high-speed

wireless technologies, such as WiGig,

and the very large flash memory

embedded in portable devices gives

an opportunity to offload the bandwidth

needs onto WiFi LANs; syncing video

and large files to the mobile’s cache –

a technique called PushVoD.

PushVoD

PushVoD is similar in concept to

Apple’s iCloud and enables:

• Full HD (1080p) content • True video on demand anywhere

and at anytime • Independence from mobile

coverage • MNOs to monetise access to

premium AV content

It is achieved through the instant

syncing of large high resolution video

files from home (and public) servers to

the very high capacity disk drives that

are embedded within smartphones,

tablet PCs and other portable

multimedia devices.

Mobile market pull

It is now just 7 years since the first

iPhone was announced and four since

the first iPad. In this time the market

has grown exponentially and tablet

sales have been forecast by IDC to

overtake PCs by the end of this year.

These recent developments of

powerful and sophisticated portable

platforms that are capable of

recording, decoding and displaying HD

video are helping fuel the explosive

growth in video wireless internet traffic

described above.

Cisco’s global mobile traffic forecast

(2013) stated that global mobile data

traffic grew 70 per cent last year to

nearly 900 petabytes per month with

video exceeding 50 per cent of this.

And this is set to increase, with 4G

users consuming 19 times more traffic

than non-4G users. Furthermore, the

rise in screen resolution in both the

TV, tablet and smartphone market has

led to online content shifting to full high

definition video.

In 2011 a report by Tellabs/ Analysys

Mason predicted that, assuming

trends were maintained in data,

revenues and the cost associated with

the investment in high-speed data

networks, operators in the developed

economies would run out of profit by

Q1 2014. While this date has changed

it is still a threat and it is clear that a

radical change in the approach taken

to satisfy customers demands is

required.

How to address these challenges

To address this growing demand the

mobile industry is working on several

approaches;

1) Bandwidth management

Caps on the bandwidth: This is

given to over the top (OTT) content

providers and heavy users of these

services. Bandwidth management

is effective but very unpopular with

many customers and this method

risks low customer loyalty.

Adaptive bit rate streaming

protocols such as Apple’s HTTP

Live Streaming, Microsoft’s Smooth

Streaming and the HTTP Dynamic

Streaming backed by Adobe.

2) Improved hot spot coverage

Provision of local 4G small cells

(aka femtocells) either within the

home or in built-up areas: However

the bandwidth available will

struggle to provide full HD

streaming, and also requires the

user to stay local to the cell to

significantly benefit the mobile

operators.

3) Network Offload

Offloading the bandwidth needs of

streaming applications onto WiFi

LANs: This requires the user to stay

within range of the WiFi network

during the programme or film,

meaning the content defines the

users’ mobility.

Work is underway to attempt to

allow dynamic switching between

WiFi and mobile networks, but there

are many difficult technical,

financial and logistic challenges to

make this work to an acceptable

level.

Caching of content on the platforms

dedicated local memory - known as

PushVoD (Push video on demand).

This is ideal for recorded material

and allows the viewer to be

completely mobile.

Obviously, this isn’t suitable for live

events, such as sports, but by

taking the pressure off the

networks, MNOs can focus

bandwidth to this potentially very

profitable low volume video.

Figure 1 – Suitability of PushVoD for various types of AV Content

PushVoD summary

PushVoD enables true HD (1080p/

30fps) resolution content (and above)

to be delivered on demand, with no

restrictions on when or where it can be

viewed. This means operators can

take the pressure off the network and

monetise the access of this content.

Taking these benefits into account, we

see this as an increasingly mandatory

mechanism for any MNO in satisfying

customers’ demand for high quality

video on a wide range of portable

platforms.

Content  Type QualityDemanded

Immediacy Push  VOD Comments

News  Clips Low Day ü -­‐Requires  regular  download  to  be  'News'  'Normal'  TV Medium Week üü -­‐BBC  iPlayer  very  succesfull  within  this  window

-­‐Low  quality  streaming  possible  over  G3/4  GSMLive  Sport Medium/High Minute û -­‐Not  applicableFilms High Month

(Release  windows)

üüü -­‐Based  on  latest  releases  +  preferences.-­‐New  DRMs  now  being  deployed  to  allow  (legal)  distributed  storage  of  HQ  content

YouTube Medium Week  orMonth

üüü -­‐Typically  'browsing'  behavour  with  friends-­‐Can  be  predicted  as  'Most  watched',  etc.

A significant opportunity but there is competition

There has been an increasing overlap

in the in the business interests of

traditional MNOs, ISPs (internet

service providers) and TV operators

(Satellite, Cable or IP) as they attempt

to bundle packages for their customer

base:

• Triple play (TV, phone and internet)

• Quad play (TV, phone, internet and

mobile phone)

As MNOs involve themselves in

activities that are traditionally the

domain of TV operators (and vice-

versa) there will be significant

opportunities to exploit the

infrastructure primarily put in place to

support the customers’ TV

subscription services – in particular

the move to home gateways (aka a

server-client architecture).

Figure 2 - Move from PVR to Server-Client Architecture (Cable Variant)

PVR  Based  Platform Server  -­‐  Client  PlatformSmall HDD for each PVR (<250GB) Large HDD acting as AV ‘Home Server’

(>4TB)4Gbps capable USB3.0 interfaces for ultrahigh speed peripherals and external HDDs

Cable Modem & WiFi only for Internet access Integrated LAN access to both AV data & Internet

Each PVR completely independentNo PVR content visible via home network

All Home Server content visible to clients

CA termination within each STB CA termination within server & content streamed to clients using DTCP-IP

Large incremental cost for each TV Simple/cheap IP only client required.

Increasingly clients can be "SW only" for TVor mobile platforms.

Exploiting the TV operators’ move to server–client architectures

TV operators are shifting from a PVR

based system, with set top boxes for

each TV, to a server client platform,

which has one central media server

connected to all devices (see figure 1).

This has been caused by four key

elements:

• The high costs associated with supporting multiple TVs within the same subscriber’s home

• The increasing consumer demand for smart TVs and Blu-ray players / set top boxes that have internet features

• The relatively low cost of adding client software onto the powerful application processors of these smart TVs… as well as the smartphones and tablets

• The acceptance of the light DTCP-IP encryption standard by studios for the streaming of HD content within the home

A 2011 Parks Associates report

predicted the prevalence of client-

server platforms to rise rapidly,

growing from less than 20 per cent

today to over 50 per cent of the market

by 2015 (figure 2).

As subscribers to Quad Play operators

increasingly have these servers

present within their homes it provides

an opportunity to operators to exploit

them for mobile PushVoD applications

– seen by users as a PVR on the Go.

Figure 3 - Growth in Residential Gateways -

Enabling PushVoD on a mobile platform – PVR on the go

The above factors means that

PushVoD is being seen as an

increasingly attractive commercial

opportunity.

It capitalises on the emerging

presence of server-client architectures

within the home and the increasing

flash memory storage capacity within

even low-end smartphones.

And there are five key steps required

to roll-out successfully.

1) AV content from multiple sources

(studio films, TV, sports events and

video clips) are continuously

aggregated, compressed and

encrypted using content protection

(DRM) and conditional access

standards (CA) that are compatible

with the set top boxes and TV clients

within the customers’ homes… as well

as mobile platforms.

It is now commonplace for content to

be viewed in HD on even smartphone

screens. This may increase from

1080p to 4k format as TVs (and

possibly tablets) shift to these

increased screen resolutions.

2) Using an analysis of the customers’

personal viewing habits, combined

with actively subscribed series,

appropriate content is downloaded to

the large hard drive located within the

customer’s home server.

Data on the home server can be

regularly updated using an always-on

internet connection and by exploiting

correctly prioritised P2P (peer to peer)

technologies - or other methodologies.

Furthermore, by combining profile

information with viewing habits and

GPS data it’s possible to deliver more

accurately targeted video advertising

and, therefore, a profitable revenue

stream.

3) During a short period of time that is

convenient to the user, the encrypted

content that is believed to be of

potential interest is synchronised onto

the mobile client.

Content can be either standard TV

content, which can be viewed for free,

or premium content, for example

recently released films.

At this point the customer is free to

leave the home’s WiFi connection and

will have the content available to him

until the next sync in undertaken.

Figure 4 - Mobile PushVoD Data Flow For a Quad Play Operator

. 4) After reviewing his playlist the

customer can either immediately view

unprotected content or select for

purchase the premium content of

interest. Once purchased a central

server is contacted to both bill the

customer and provide a security key to

authenticate the content for viewing.

The very small data sizes associated

with this transaction means it could

even be achieved via SMS, meaning

virtually no strain is placed on the

mobile network and customers could

activate the premium content even in

areas where only 2G signals are

available.

5) The customer is then able to view

the content when they would like;

where they would like; and most

importantly at the highest quality with

no buffering or distortion, whatever the

status of either WiFi or mobile network

reception.

High-speed video transfer is

essential for success

For this process to work effectively,

the transfer (step 3) must be perceived

by the customer as a trivial,

instantaneous task. This in turn

requires a mechanism capable of the

very rapid wireless synchronisation of

very large amounts of data, and

matches well with that possible using

gigabit capable 60GHz technology.

Figure 5 - Step Change in WiFi Performance Required – recommend check figures

For current WiFi technologies

(802.11n WiFi) would take

approximately 2hrs to complete the

sync, consuming 30 per cent of the

battery’s charge. However, the next

generation of WiFi technology, called

WiGig or 802.11ad is already starting

to hit the market and this technology

uses the 60 GHz band to deliver 7

GHz of bandwidth, meaning the same

task would complete in approximately

45s and consume just 2 per cent of a

smartphone’s battery charge.

ABI Research predicts that by 2016

approximately 40 per cent of the 3.5

billion WiFi chipsets will be Tri-band,

implementing the 60GHz band

alongside the 2.4 and 5GHz bands.

This means that the vast majority of

high-end mobile phone subscribers will

have access to this technology. This is

particularly relevant as a 2011 study

demonstrated that people with

premium handsets such as the iPhone

are more likely to pay for apps and

other content.

Additionally, all home servers and

gateways being shipped now have a

4Gbps capable USB3.0 interface,

which allows super speed peripherals

like WiGig compliant dongles, to be

added prior to the technology’s full

integration in later models.

If we look back to figure 3, we can see

that, whilst at home, the user still has

the option to stream content from the

home server’s HDD, directly from the

internet or as a conventional client

connection (point 6).

Mobile WiGig Added Value Features

1) Display content on large HDTVs

Smartphones and tablets, such as

Google’s Nexus 10 tablet, are

increasingly being shipped with the

micro-HDMI high-definition video

connection included. This gives an

uncompressed, but secure, connection

from the smartphone to an HDTV and

allows its content to be displayed on a

large high-resolution screen. This can

be video, audio or photo content

captured on the smartphone itself or

downloaded from the internet / home

server.

By using uncompressed content

protected by the high definition copy

protection encryption standard (HDCP)

the user can be confident content that

can be decoded on the smartphone

can also be displayed on the HDTV.

The major disadvantage of the HDMI

standard is that it requires a connector

that is only useful for the video

connection to the TV. For the

manufacturer, this adds cost to the

smartphone design and it takes up

valuable board space on the edge of

the platform. For the user, it requires

them to carry the correct cable.

However, with the very high data-rates

possible with the WiGig standard

wireless interface it is possible to

transmit uncompressed video up to

1080p at 30fps directly to the HDTV

using the same 11.ad WiFi standard

interface used for the PushVoD AV

data download –without the need for

cables.

2) Fast syncing of multimedia

Most high-end smartphones now

feature megapixel cameras; 8MP is

common, Sony has three models with

12MP and above and Nokia has a

41MP cameraphone, the Nokia 808.

Furthermore, digital SLR and compact

still cameras often deliver resolutions

greater than 20MP.

The WiGig interface is able to transfer

the resulting stills and HD video

content rapidly to the home server or

PC for editing, viewing and archiving in

the cloud.

Indeed, the WiFi Alliance anticipates

that digital still and video cameras will

integrate the WiGig standard as a

result of the rising image sensor

resolutions.

3) Increased profit margins

One of the key benefits for TV

operators in the move to a server-

client architecture is that the hardware

to support the software (CPU, GPU

and security IP) are already available

on high end TVs as well as laptops,

tablets and smartphones. The cost to

the operator in deploying multiple

clients is close to zero, meaning

increasing their margins.

We see a similar situation for the

provision of WiGig connectivity on

these retail clients as customers

search for models that support the

next generation connectivity and with

the largest available internal memory.

And while it’s true initial smartphone

deployments may need to be seeded

by the mobile operators, this will

quickly be seen as a mandatory

feature with the costs rolled into the

monthly contract price.

4) Public servers and content

kiosks

As a second stage of the technology

roll out it is anticipated that operators

will add WiGig Sync & Go capabilities

into the small cell devices, which are a

key part of the 4G roll-out – initially

these small cells will be located in

crowded areas such as railway

stations and coffee house, and this

would allow customers to quickly

download and purchase films or TV

programs, as well as perform cloud

based back-ups of holiday videos and

photos while away from the home.

Summary: monetizing PushVoD

The MNO has two major incentives for

using WiGig enabled PushVoD to

provide HD video services to its

customers.

The primary benefit of PushVoD is that

it allows MNOs to offload video

content from the network. And, by

reducing the need to increase the

overall data capacity of their network,

MNOs can significantly reduce the

capital investment required, increasing

the return on investment.

This is a particular relevance in

countries such as the US, where

attempting to guarantee countrywide

coverage for video streaming over the

whole mobile network, which covers

nearly 10 million km2 each, would be

prohibitively expensive.

The secondary benefit for MNOs is

revenue from the sale of premium

content. In the case of content

obtained from the operator controlled

home gateway, the MNO is able to

charge its subscriber for the

authentication (unlocking) of any

premium content purchased.

According to Asymco data, nearly 60

per cent (145m) of Americans over 13

had smartphones as of July 2013.

And, according to 2012 data from

comScore, a quarter of smartphone

users download pay to download video

content on this platform or their tablet

device. As the typical cost of a newly

released feature film is in the region of

$5 (£3.50), this gives a considerable

stream of revenue for MNOs, be it

from one off payments or via

subscription.

For widescale customer adoption, a

fast transfer speed is essential and

this means the adoption of 60GHz

technologies, in particular WiGig. This

is being integrated into WiFi chipsets

and, therefore, phones, tablets, TVs,

Blu-ray players and smart TVs.

For further information on Blu

Wireless’s 60GHz silicon IP and how

to implement it for WiGig technologies

visit

www.bluwirelesstechnology.com/wigig.

Blu Wireless Technology Ltd

The Engine Shed, Station Approach

Temple Meads, Bristol, UK

info@bluwirelesstechnology.com

www.bluwirelesstechnology.com