In this third and final Video Translation Please, hosted by Leslie Ellis, we discuss a wide range of topics including:

• What is the cost of an upgrade to 1GHz versus past rebuilds?
• Will we have enough bandwidth to accommodate the growth and breadth of future new products and services that will be required to be competitive?
• How will switched digital video and “all digital” (no analog programming) be used as tools along with 1GHz upgrades?
• What are some of the best practices around network upgrades to maintain the reliability and availability of the network and minimize the impact on the customer?

You’ve probably heard the terms, but have you ever wondered what the difference is between a network upgrade and a rebuild in traditional cable operator parlance?  Or have you ever been curious about why a hybrid-fiber-coax (HFC) network’s “amplifier spacing” – the distance between amplifiers – might be important?  Those questions, along with some thoughts on various factors that might affect the length of time it takes a cable operator to upgrade their network are discussed in this video interview with Chris Bowick, hosted by Leslie Ellis.

The pressing need for more bandwidth on the industry’s hybrid-fiber-coax (HFC) networks has always been an interesting and often contentious topic of discussion amongst industry pundits, analysts, and engineers.  Our continued competitive drive toward a host of bandwidth-hungry services can place significant bandwidth demands on the network.  These services may include a mix of:  legacy analog channels; hundreds of channels of digital high-definition television (a large percentage at 1080P) along with an equal number of standard-definition digital channels; substantial growth in Video on Demand (VoD) – practically ALL of which will eventually be in HD;  3DTV;  substantial growth in residential high-speed Internet subscribers, and many with well over 125 MB/s downstream speeds along with (with even faster growth rates) large numbers of commercial Internet and business-Ethernet subscribers at “committed information rates” with similar and growing speeds; IP video as part of the high-speed Internet mix; IP simulcast and TV everywhere; interactive services and advanced advertising, as enabled by tru2way and EBIF; VoIP telephone to both residential and business customers, with advanced custom-calling feature sets; higher upstream data speeds as subscriber usage patterns would shift to require any content, anywhere, anytime and to any device; and wireless backhaul.

In this video, hosted by Leslie Ellis as part of her Video Translation Please series, we discuss a few of the methods used to address the industry’s bandwidth needs in the years to come – including 1GHz upgrades, analog channel reclamation, and switched digital video.

Just prior to my retirement from Cox, a major telecommunications equipment company asked to interview me for their upcoming senior management and leadership conference.  The interview is very broad-reaching and focused on the following three questions:

Question 1: It has been said by several leading CEOs, that in order to thrive in the future, companies will have to constantly modify their business models.  Do you agree?

Question 2: Looking ahead over the next 12 – 18 months, where do you see the greatest opportunities for business growth?

Question 3: What keeps you awake at night?

While the interview was conducted in 2009, much of the content is still pertinent today.  I hope you enjoy it: