DS2 Warns That Demand For Digital Home Bandwidth Shall Outstrip Availability By 2009

December 12, 2007

DS2, the leading technology innovator and global supplier of high-speed powerline communications technology, has warned that by 2009 average bandwidth demands to support the home user could be three times the amount actually available. Many of the wireless and wired technology options available today are not robust enough to meet the performance demands of expanding network use within the home. DS2´s 400Mbps Powerline Communications technology is the only option fit for next generation product requirements. DS2 demonstrated this new technology to leading manufacturers of multimedia networking products in Taiwan, today. DS2 research and product positioning for its breakthrough 400 Mbps technology shows that bandwidth will be a key driving force for future industry developments. The demand for bandwidth "inside the home" will grow even faster than bandwidth "to the home" because of the increasing demand for a completely interoperable 'Digital Home Network'. This is where electronic devices communicate and interact, enabling consumers to use a number of state-of-the-art applications such as data, voice and IPTV-services, online gaming, audio distribution and multi-channel HD-IPTV delivery, storage and display, all under one roof. DS2 first presented its research findings at Fit For The Future in New York City last month, and discussed how its state-of-the-art 400Mbps technology is the only option set to provide the future bandwidth to enable "in the home" multimedia applications of the not-too-distant future. Research shows that one third of all music sales in the US currently occur online whilst 2008 expects to see more than 37 million movies downloaded. Consumer bandwidth needs will start facing increased pressures in the next 12 months and research from the NPD Group forecasts that lower speed Powerline chipsets will be replaced during 2008 - they will simply be unable to cope with the pressures of Home Networking - just as DS2's 400 Mbps technology is set to increase at a rapid pace from 2009 onwards. Jorge Blasco, DS2 CEO, commented: "Consumer demand for increased bandwidth is rising as people add more applications and consumer electronics products to the network. More homes are becoming Digital Networks and more Service Providers are extending their IPTV and entertainment offerings - such as British Telecom, with its BT-Vision service, Telefonica, with its Imagenio, and Verizon, which this month announced a five-fold increase in the amount of HD channels to be available on FiOS TV next year. The growth and popularity of the Home Network is fantastic and we now have to ensure that the bandwidth available to consumers is able to sustain the multimedia applications of the future. We have to provide the best end-user experience - that includes higher speed video networks powered by 400 Mbps Powerline Communication Technology that offer interoperability with existing 200 Mbps products."

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