Innovation in the Consumer Ecosystem
June 30, 2011, Connections, Santa Clara, CA—Eric Bruno from Verizon described the drivers for innovation and changes in user behaviors resulting from those changes. Providers have to connect to people’s lives by providing new product and services.
The basic rules are to look at things that people do every day and make them better or easier. For example, the VCR or DVD player allowed any time viewing. An alternative is to enable something that they are not currently doing. Search on the Web changed the way people look for information. The result is a change in behavior.
Everything begins with connectivity. Carriers have to deliver bandwidth that matters. The Iridium phones (satellite phones) were designed to provide phone service to any person anywhere. But cell phones are able to provide good enough service to almost anyone in most places. Connectivity has to be in some context. It is limited by the power available in the phone and in the infrastructure.
Network-based services, like FIOS-TV, depend upon new home and network equipment to enable these multiple functions. New capabilities include mobile in-house TV, interactive apps, social TV, and multi-screen video on demand. The video can be streamed or downloaded. These services require the consumer electronics and network equipment manufacturers, on-line services, providers and content partners to work together.
These new platforms require more customer research to find the best combinations of technology and partners for the users. Currently, early adopters want this connected home. The goal is to move these capabilities into the mainstream. To extend this market requires a blueprint for services and equipment which are practical, easy to use and buy. In addition, the services should enable simple transactions.
This available anywhere mode of use requires more intelligence in the appliances. The connected home needs to have a coherent experience across platforms and devices. It needs to be simple, customizable, and cost less than $10 a month. Some of the added functions would include basic controls for lighting and energy management. In addition, the sensors should automatically notify you of problems.
Verizon is partnering with Motorola, Plum Source, and 4Home to increase total knowledge. This is not about money. We want to increase engagement and lock-in more people to a wide range of services. Users can self-install kits for monitoring and energy control, with the option for professional installation. All of these functions and sensors would connect through a residential gateway.
Expansion to other functions could be through smart controls in the plugs and à la carte peripherals. The user interface will allow monitoring of home energy and control through PC, phone, or television. The functionality is enhanced by cloud services and analytics. Smart phones increase interactivity with reduced details. Integrating functions into a TV would allow monitoring and control throughout the house. These functions and any function generated data would be stored on the cloud.
