Things to watch out for in 2007

There are many developments to watch out for in 2007. Here are some thoughts:

1. It is a year of decisions for operators regarding mobile TV. Operators are moving from the trialing stage to mass deployment and 2007 is decision time. Operators may want to adopt DVB-H but a lack of spectrum in certain European countries will likely force their hand to chose alternative broadcast technologies: waiting for spectrum is not an option. And will 3G operators adopt TDtv, thereby exploiting spectrum they have already [handsomely] paid for and keep more of the mobile TV proposition in-house.
   
2. 40Gbit/s: The coming year will see 40G go beyond very short link spans (up to 2km) to 80km and even longer as part of dense WDM transmissions. It will also become clearer whether there will be a future higher speed SONET/SDH interface or whether 40Gbit/s is the end of the line. But first more clarity is needed regarding high speed Ethernet (100G+).
   
3. Is IMS shaping up as carriers hope and does it represent a disruptive technology that will shake up the industry's value chain? NGN intends to take a closer look at IMS as well as competitive approaches come the New Year.
4. GPON vs. EPON: Will 2007 be the year when GPON starts to gain the upper hand or will EPON, with its increasing maturity and lower costs, be adopted because it does the job now?
   

A happy and fruitful year to you.

Q: What 2007-trends-to-watch-for would you highlight?