Leading market research firm, IHS found that only 31 percent of operators plan on virtualizing their residential gateways by 2017. IHS conducted the research via interviews with service providers across the globe who use residential gateways (RGs) to provide broadband services.
Residential gateways (RGs) combine a DSL, FTTH, cable or 3G/LTE modem with routing and switching capabilities and a WiFi access point, and are increasingly used by service providers to deliver voice, data and video services.
According to IHS, 75 percent of respondents currently offer Gigabit Ethernet connections on residential gateways and expects it to reach 88 percent by next year. Among the wireless interfaces IHS asked about, 802.11ac shows the most growth, with 69 percent of respondents saying they plan to include it in their residential gateways by next year.
Jeff Heynen, research director for broadband access and pay TV at IHS
Despite the obvious benefits of virtualizing residential gateways in the home - namely shortening of provisioning time and elimination of truck rolls - our survey respondents aren’t completely convinced it’s something they will implement in the next couple of years. Nearly 70 percent said they weren’t planning on doing so or didn’t know if they would be virtualizing their gateways by 2017. Unlike the data center, where virtualization has been in place for some time, it will take longer for service providers to virtualize their residential access networks and CPE.
