Supernova 2007 - Innovation In, On and Through the Network

Moderator: Robert Massoudi, Cisco
On the panel: Craig Forman, Earthlink; Jason Gaedtke, Comcast; David Young; Verizon; Michael Katz, Berkeley

Community/Entertainment - how the community is generating and consuming content.
Video is complicating the issue quite a bit.
1080p - cost of distribution of a HD, 1 hour video = $5

Need to address the capacity issue - could bring down the network
What are the key capabilities that the networks can bring that could create long-term value in the value chain?

Question: what are the actionable opportunities that can be created with this group?
Question: what are the unique capabilities and value that each player can bring to the capabilities?

Robert: "Please avoid the issue of net neutrality - want to discuss collaboration versus the issue of net neutrality."

Craig: we view ourselves as a non-facilities based Internet dial-tones (24 brands) with 50% narrowband and 50% broadband. Already working/collaborating with many of these people. Are fdoing facilities with the Muni Wireless play. He runs the access business and the applications that run on the network.

No one owes us a living. We do not own some franchise agreement - highly competitive market place. Need to look hard for where you can provide value to the customers.

Earthlink: for product bundles, the question is are offering saving money, time and delight

Jason: what is Comcast Interactive Media? Over ten years, offering interactive, digital download, digital dialtone - gone very far from being a utility video player. As they move into the high-speed dataspace, running into satellite broadband and other players. In digital voice, running into telcos and VoIP players. CIM is an "enabler" of the technology.

CIM "winds of change are continuing to blow and increasing" - concerned about emerging content and how users use the content. Established Interactive Media on how they could work with users needs in the community aspects. Competition leads to collaboration.

David: Instead of content and network - there is a tense relationship between the broadband network and the content players. There is a very symbiotic relationship. Verizon/networks need to understand the use of the bandwidth - so you can access content and applications specific to the device.

Why aren't apps across the phones? Verizon has created an ecosystem on the services around delivery and development. Not the same on the wireline side - only the wireless play.

Mike Katz: Berkeley has an unusual model - teaches to build fundamental technology.
Complimentary products and firms on interactions with the other players. Either fight amoungst each other, capture the value OR create a cooperative environment. How can you create an opportunity to work together. At one point, the thought was vertical integration - but taught that it did not work out. What do you do with thousands of applications with tens of platforms? Can not have the tail wagging the dog.

Will have to have a banding together of relationships - for example, Yahoo! representing a band of applications to the platform players. Or the platform/infrastructure sees the need of the applications. Look at how the console players and the

Pricing, pricing, pricing - micropayments!!! Can make a big difference for a number of reasons. Stimulate customer behaviours, application development and better relationships between players in the ecosystem. Web is still in its infancy in it's pricing models - see the power of google. The real genius, much more sophisticated in pricing models in advertising. We will see the improved pricing of bandwidth.

Are the costs of message transmission significant? One way, they say no. Other way, they say yes. We might need to move toward traffic sensitive pricing. If we assume that the technology on offering bandwidth will be ahead of the technology for using the bandwidth, then no problem with pricing.

Throwing bandwidth at the problem - bad solution, not very scalable. Need to solve the delivery/distribution economics.

Impedence mismatch - between the service providers and

Contextual information - behaviour around the information around activities. Wireline/wireless integration - can switch from one to the other space.

David: where is the bottleneck - with copper, it was at the Central Office. Moving to fiber to home, becomes a virtual unlimited solution. Building out the infrastructure to provide wireline to the home. Wireless - spectrum is the constraining factor. CDMA is squeezed - there is a need for more bandwidth. At universities - traffic management is handled at the uplink side - avoiding the transit costs.

Question from Kaliya: why is bandwidth a problem here? Other parts of the world, no problem. Solving broadcast into the future, broadcast is dying into the future. What are you doing on a practical, process level for collaborative forums. How are you handling the trust issues?