Smarter customer premises equipment (CPE) that drives an “à la carte” and differentiated service offering at the touch of a button will be essential for broadband operators to reverse declining average revenue per user, according to Broadband Forum managing director Ken Ko. With traditional revenue streams, such as fixed voice and IPTV, decreasing, Ko called for service providers to invest in devices with application intelligence built in to create an “app-store-like experience” for users. This will allow the industry to cater to multiple market segments, while maintaining fewer product SKUs in their deployments. “As consumer demand for network quality and innovative services continues to grow, it is now clear that if operators are to grow their revenue streams, their focus should be on delivering more choices and an enhanced user experience,” said Ko. “An app-enabled services gateway will achieve this, giving the capability to cater for individual bandwidth, application-aware latency and service requests at the touch of a button.” Without application-intelligent devices as a key enabler in the broadband services ecosystem, Ko warned, operators risk having to upgrade existing deployed devices and becoming utility providers that compete only on speed and price. Tech start-ups could continue to face a tight capital market. According to research from CB Insight, venture funding fell with each passing quarter in 2022 and was projected to fall yet again in Q1 2023. Early estimates indicate that venture funding for the quarter will come in at $56.3B — a 16 percent decrease from Q4 2022. Deals are expected to take a nosedive as well, dropping from 7,830 to 5,792 during the same period, said CB analysts. Connectivity Operators Keen to Harness Smart CPE Venture Funding Continues Dip Nextiva Acquires AI Company EMERGENT Nextiva announced its acquisition of Simplify360, an AI customer experience platform based in India that uses AI and automation to enable 5,000+ global businesses to deliver customer support across multiple channels, including email, live chat, social media, online reviews and e-commerce. Some of Simplify360’s customers include Amazon, Honda, HP, Nestle, Hyundai, Canon and Xiaomi. Nextiva customers will gain immediate access to Simplify360’s offerings and can expect a full integration into Nextiva’s platform over time. “Once Simplify360 is integrated with our platform, Nextiva will be in a category of its own – there is nothing else like it,” said Tomas Gorny, Nextiva co-founder and CEO. The acquisition of India-based Simplify360 opens the door to the AsiaPacific market for Nextiva, said the company. Productivity Applications Driving the Most Critical Alerts in 2022 What are the most important factors when assessing security posture? How do insurers assess cyber risk? Source: Panaseer, 2022 40% 36% 32% 31% 31% 30% 26% 25% Cloud scurity Security awareness Application security Vulnerability management PAM Patch management IAM EDR Source: CB Insight Q1 Q2 Q3 2022 2022 Q4 Q1 10,922 $151.0B $117.7B $81.6B $67.3B 9,485 8,798 7,830 Projected Deals 5,792 Projected Funding $56.3B LO % LOGGED EVENTS: 2,405,363 % THAT ARE CRITICAL ALERTS: 3.7 LOGGED EVENTS: 84,077,748 % THAT ARE CRITICAL ALERTS: 1.82% LOGGED EVENTS: 710,203,102 % THAT ARE CRITICAL ALERTS: 1.26% 71% The percentage of B2B buyers surveyed by Wunderman Thompson Commerce & Technology who say they want to shop with businesses that boast both physical and online ordering platforms, mirroring the demand for omnichannel experiences from B2C shoppers and underscoring the increasingly complex desires of B2B customers. 8 CHANNELV ISION | MARCH - APRIL 2023
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