HD, other services to propel need for greater cable bandwidth

Accelerated adoption of HDTV, multiplayer gaming and other data-intensive services is leading to a bandwidth crunch that will require cable operators to upgrade the capacity of their digital networks.

According to a new study from ABI Research, total revenue from this market is expected to exceed $24 billion in 2012, and will amount to $80 billion in total investment from this year through 2012.

A bandwidth crunch is looming and it's more pronounced in the United States because of a deeper penetration of digital cable here, according to ABI Research principal broadband analyst Michael Arden.

The severity of the crunch will depend on factors such as the speed with which HDTV is adopted in particular markets and the extent to which cable operators add extra HDTV channels.

ABI Research's "Assessing CATV Bandwidth-Expansion Solutions" report examines the technologies that can be used to relieve the potential crunch.

For information, visit www.abiresearch.com.