Video analytics in action

Implementing a video analytics solution clearly imparts huge benefits, and it could be argued that no one will succeed in the video service business without a powerful solution that captures and correlates data from dozens of sources, and offers end-to-end visibility in the virtualized service environment.

Kabel Deutschland recently implemented IneoQuest’s ASM platform for its over-the-top (OTT) video service. As a result, the operator has visibility and actionable intelligence that can predict when service issues might pop, understand how subscribers might react, and pinpoint the cause of any problems. “With AMP integrated in the device we can now anonymously measure key playback parameters in fine detail and can make informed business decisions based on that,” said Bernd Hansen, service management leader, Kabel Deutschland.

Another vendor, Qwilt, combines an open caching and video delivery product with video analytics in a cloud environment. This is a good solution for enterprises, universities, and municipalities who require a deep understanding of the performance of their video services. Online education and supplementary education ala video is a huge market. The University of Alaska uses Qwilt to deliver streaming video to students, for example. Qwilt is moving into the network operator space via a partnership with Altiostar, a provider of NFV solutions for mobile operators. 

Virgin Mobile and WIND Mobile leverage solutions from Avvasi to improve the video service experience. Avvasi’s video analytics tools are designed for use in LTE and broadband networks. The company recently partnered with Oracle, which will give it more muscle in the big data environment, and will be integrated with Oracle’s communications policy controller (PCRF).

Video saved the telco star

While video is certainly straining communications networks like never before, it’s also creating revenue, and lots of it. Applying big data to video is crucial, and some service providers are already learning this. Bridging unstructured and structured data from multiple sources allows CSPs to improve QoS, better utilize network resources, and understand the customer experience on the ground level. Further, video analytics enables greater monetization of content, and better, more relevant offers for customers.