BROADBAND COMMUNITIES is the leading source of information on digital and broadband technologies for buildings and communities. Our editorial aims to accelerate the deployment of Fiber-To-The-Home and Fiber-To-The-Premises.
Issue link: https://bbcmag.epubxp.com/i/90470
Broadband Communities recognizes 100 outstanding providers that MDU property owners rely on to provide technology amenities to their residents. A BBC Staff Report I n this issue focusing on multiple- dwelling-unit (MDU) technology, BROADBAND COMMUNITIES presents the first Top 100 list dedicated to com- panies that serve the MDU market. Tough this magazine devotes much of its coverage to fiber to the home and believes FTTH is the end game for both multifamily and single-family broad- band, FTTH is clearly not the only im- portant technology trend in MDUs to- day. Property owners follow a variety of paths as they scramble to keep up with residents' insatiable demands for band- width, convenience and mobility. Te demographics of MDU communities, their construction, their existing infra- structure and many other factors influ- ence owners' choices and timelines for technology upgrades. Accordingly, this list is more tech- nology-neutral than the FTTH Top 100 list. A property owner whose most urgent priority is improving indoor cel- lular coverage, getting satellite dishes off balconies or adding more high-defini- tion stations to a TV channel lineup can find resources here. However, multifamily technology is so varied that, inevitably, the list could not address it all. We focused on tech- nologies that make properties more at- tractive to residents, omitting solutions designed solely to improve owners' op- erational efficiency, such as lease man- agement systems, property management systems and asset management systems. Included on the list are companies that do one or more of the following: • Sell video, Internet, telephone and related services to residents of multi- family properties, either individually or in bulk, through agreements with property owners • Design, build or manage broadband networks in multifamily properties on behalf of property owners or ser- vice providers • Offer expertise to property owners or service providers about the legal, financial and marketing aspects of delivering broadband • Provide equipment for wired broad- band networks • Provide equipment for video head- ends and video distribution Provide equipment • for wireless broadband (either cellular or Wi-Fi) • Provide back-office software or ser- vices for subscriber management, customer care, billing and related functions • Offer solutions for MDU technology amenities beyond the triple play. Some of these companies sell prod- ucts and services directly to property 40 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | OCTOBER 2012 owners, and others sell products and services to their providers, such as pri- vate cable operators. However, whether property owners deal directly or indi- rectly with these companies, they all provide solutions that property owners should be aware of. CRITERIA AND SELECTION PROCESS To select the Top 100 MDU technology providers, BROADBAND COMMUNITIES relied on a panel of industry experts that included property owners, consultants and analysts. However, because experts don't always agree and because changes were taking place in the industry as this feature was researched and prepared, the magazine's editors made the final selec- tions. In addition to operating in the U.S. market, criteria included the following: • Provision of products or services that help property owners create technol- ogy amenities to attract and retain residents. Te technology amenities that attract and retain residents vary depending on the residents to be attracted and retained. Some de- mographics are looking for blazing Internet speeds, over-the-top video solutions and ubiquitous wireless coverage; others are more impressed