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04-May-2010
by John Moulding
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New approach to residential gateways in Spain
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Connected Home
Spanish cable operator ‘R’ has selected Jungo’s OpenRG residential gateway middleware to manage home networking services in customer homes serviced by its HFC network and DSL lines. The company will harness the flexibility of the Jungo software platform, which is hardware agnostic and allows service providers to operate a ‘unified middleware’ across different products and vendors. The Portuguese cable operator Zon TV Cabo is another operator that has embraced the concept of separating residential gateway hardware and software by utilising the Jungo solution.
Eran Rom, CEO of Jungo, says: “When we introduced the concept of separating software from hardware there were many questions asked but two years later there is much more understanding and much more willingness to seriously discuss this approach. You can see this not only in our success but in the way RFPs (Request for Proposals) are written and the engagement models service providers have with their vendors. We think there is a real trend in our favour.”
As part of the R deal announced on Tuesday, the hybrid cable operator will use Jungo’s SCR (Support Cost Reduction) solution, which is designed to minimize call centre calls and so improve the business model for home networking services. Jungo software takes advantage of its position at the heart of the home network to provide self-healing capabilities to pre-empt customer calls and when problems cannot be avoided (e.g. through a bad Internet connection), a self-help wizard enables end-users to trouble-shoot problems themselves.
A third line of defence to minimize customer support costs is the Jungo remote management system, which allows call centre operators to quickly identify the services provided in the home and diagnose problems. This even includes the ability to see the strength of the wireless connection between the PC, where photo editing and sharing software is installed, and a digital photo frame, for example.
R is also implementing Jungo’s NationZone product to dynamically transform excess bandwidth in a home gateway into a secure Wi-Fi hotspot network without degrading the user experience in the home. The NationZone wireless access network can be turned on by R through a simple remote upgrade procedure, so leveraging the existing CPE (Customer Premise Equipment) infrastructure.
Eran Rom claims Jungo’s OPEX reduction package can provide a service provider with annual savings of 40% on their support costs. This includes the call reduction rate and the reduction in the length of calls. “The most important saving is on truck rolls,” he adds.
During ANGA Cable, Jungo is demonstrating its unified middleware solution for the home network, including its OSAP (Open Services Application Platform) that opens the middleware to third party applications development. A key principle on a Jungo-based home network is that service providers should be able to develop their own home network service portals, including applications that will boost customer satisfaction and reduce churn.
Among the examples you can see on the Jungo/NDS stand is a photo frame widget. Consumers can import and edit a photo and transmit this directly to a digital photo frame over the home network. The demonstration also shows an electricity consumption meter and security camera monitoring with multiple views, providing other examples of how a service provider can add value in the customer home.
The Jungo OpenRG middleware provides uniform software across R’s entire installed base, including its DOCSIS 3.0 and DSL gateways.
About the author
John Moulding joined Videonet as editor at the start of 2010, having spent over 10 years writing about digital TV and the various technologies that have simultaneously disrupted and enriched the television business. With Videonet he is focused on the unstoppable march towards multiplatform, connected and personalized television. John was editor of Cable & Satellite International (now CSI) for six years before helping launch New Video Technology, and helped develop the IPTV World Series conference programmes from 2006-07. At home, he takes a Sky triple-play bundle, watches around one-third of content time-shifted, enjoys BBC iPlayer on television through the Wii, and eagerly awaits the arrival of YouTube on his own TV (the killer TV application for late on a Friday night). He is still loyal to channels - but can also remember when TV shut down after lunch.
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