Ericsson establishes content distribution ecosystem
February 22, 2016
Ericsson has teamed up with leading global service providers including Hutchison, Vodafone, Telstra and AIS, to launch a new ubiquitous content delivery ecosystem which aggregates regional service provider capabilities on a global scale.
As highlighted by Ericsson’s latest Mobility Report, networks are suffering from increased strain as OTT and video becomes an ever-more dominating force in network traffic, with an expected growth of 55 per cent each year through to 2021. In response to this, Ericsson is creating its Unified Delivery Network (UDN) as an ecosystem in partnership with several leading global service providers including Hutchison, Telstra, AIS, and Vodafone. The solution connects content providers with the last mile reach of service providers for content delivery.
Content providers Brightcove, DailyMotion, EchoStar, Deluxe, LeTV, QuickPlay, a leading global provider of cloud services for video, have elected to partner with Ericsson in establishing UDN successfully to the market. Through addressing the needs of both service providers and content providers, the transparent global content distribution network (G-CDN) ecosystem enables and aggregates network capabilities into the public domain, allowing services to be optimised and scaling the delivery of over-the-top (OTT) services and high quality video content. Ericsson and its global service provider partners will work collaboratively to deliver enhanced business and customer values by harnessing the following agile services and capabilities enabled by the Unified Delivery Network:
- Last mile: With the last mile edge delivery, content providers are equipped to optimise services and scale the delivery of high quality content and advanced services including 4K, Ultra High Definition, gaming and virtual reality.
- Global reach: With a content peering partnership, the collective members of the Unified Delivery Network have a full global reach for content delivery and value-add services to keep pace with the number of growing viewers, gamers and data surge with the rise of broadband connectivity and mobility.
- Rich data analytics: Insights into drivers of revenue such as campaign performance and user engagement from operators enable Ericsson Unified Delivery Network to offer hyper-targeted content offerings and advertising, leading to highly personalised viewing experiences and greater business opportunities.
- Service enablement: Content providers can add services through the service provider’s networks at any given time, enabling rapid innovation, cost savings, and faster time to market for new services.
Ericsson’s longstanding relationships with industry players spanning the entire media chain allow it to facilitate and create new business relationships in the ecosystem.
Andrew Kwok, President of International and Carrier Business of Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong) Limited, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Ericsson to create the UDN for content providers, enabling end users to enjoy an amazing user experience with swift and seamless delivery of video, digital contents and web applications on HGC’s unparalleled international platform which is interconnected with numerous mobile operators. We will continue to work out new solutions to cope with ever-changing globalised business needs.”
“The growth of streaming media and high quality video technologies has ushered in a new era of content delivery,” noted Mike Wright, Managing Director, Networks, Telstra Group. “Leveraging our network capabilities, we look forward to collaborating with Ericsson to provide content providers with optimised services, the highest-quality viewing experiences, and increased market footprint.”
According to Per Borgklint, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Unit Support Solutions at Ericsson, the launch of UDN delivers a disruptive new business model that offers a win-win situation for all players involved with traffic delivery. “Service providers are given revenue-generating possibilities as they invest in building out their networks and content providers can take advantage of a much more transparent delivery environment. This transparency delivers data driven insights back to content originators meaning consumer experiences can be enhanced and personalised at a much deeper level.”