Cablefax The Magazine - July 2017 - 7

2017 TOP OPS AWARDS
MSO TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION
Altice USA
When it comes to cable companies on the cutting edge of technology,
Altice USA is making a name for itself. From its ambitious
fi ve-year plan to deliver fi ber to the home across its footprint to the
establishment of a home hub for customers, the MSO is making
bold, strategic moves at the speed of innovation.
As Altice decision-makers see it, the drive to innovate is a necessity.
" When you look at the proliferation of devices as well as an increasing
demand for speed and content, we need to future-proof our
network so we can be ready for the change in consumer behavior
that will result, " Hakim Boubazine, co-president and COO of Altice
USA, tells CFX.
" A consumer's needs, especially millennials, typically involve the
convergence of media, technology and content along with the ease of
mobility, " Terry Cordova, EVP & CTO of Altice USA, says. " For example,
as the need for data consumption increases we have the opportunity
to develop new products and services to meet those needs such as
our fi ber to the home deployment, expanding our outdoor WiFi network
and increasing both our residential and business product portfolio. The
challenge lies in meeting those needs at the right time. "
The all-service area fi ber-to-the-home deployment builds on the
existing HFC network and leverages proprietary technologies
developed by Altice Labs. The company already has rapidly been
accelerating broadband speeds in both Suddenlink and Cablevision
territories; it acquired the former in 2015 and the latter in 2016.
" While other cable companies in the US are rolling out fi ber in select
cities or are making incremental network upgrades to deploy 1 gigabit
service, we decided to focus on fi ber to the home, " Boubazine says.
" That doesn't mean we won't continue to upgrade our current network-but
we see the 10 gigabit future and our full-fi ber network will
be able to support the connected world of the future. "
Boubazine adds the differentiated network will position the company
to compete not just on higher speeds but on better quality of service
" as we will see less incidents of service failures, less truck rolls and
less calls which also enables us to operate at lower costs. Additionally,
it also positions us strategically for other value added services
such as when 5G comes to market. "
In other innovative moves, Altice soon will launch its home communications
hub. The product is based on " LaBox, " which was
developed by Altice Labs and has been deployed by the company in
France, Dominican Republic and Israel.
" With this new service we will be able to deliver a signifi cantly
improved video product for our customers. In the end, it will be a
better and more sophisticated aggregated experience for consumers, "
Cordova says.
For connectivity out of home, Altice deployed what it's touting as
" the densest WiFi network in the nation, " with more than 1.8 million
Cablefax: The Magazine
L-R: Pragash Pillai, evp, operations; Mike Alexander, vp, infrastructure & WiFi;
Hakim Boubazine, co-president & COO; Terry Cordova, evp & CTO
hotspots providing coverage in the New York tri-state area. " The
network is highly utilized-currently 4 million devices are registered
to automatically connect to Optimum WiFi, " he notes. " So we are
really meeting consumers where they are and providing them with
the connectivity options that they desire. "
And that's not all. Altice USA chairman and CEO Dexter Goei recently
stated the company is talking with select VOD services to integrate
their content into the Altice pay-TV service-a task that no doubt
will bring with it integration challenges and opportunities.
" We are very excited to include over-the-top products in our upcoming
home hub as part of our TV service-it's part of our strategy to provide
our customers with more choice and value, and a fully integrated
entertainment and connectivity experience, " says Boubazine.
While the addition of OTT services will require more complex integration,
Cordova notes it's all about balancing technology challenges
with opportunity. " The technology opportunities we face are about
staying ahead, " he posits. " What are the features and services that
our customers want today, what will they want tomorrow, and what
should we start building to support future usage, viewership trends
and the scale of the company? "
- Cathy Applefeld Olson
FAST FACTS
uAltice acquired Suddenlink in December 2015
and Cablevision in June 2016.
uThe company more than tripled broadband speeds in
its Optimum footprint, offering 400 Mbps service in the
NY metro.
u In its Suddenlink regions, Altice offers 1 gigabit speeds
in approximately 60% of the service area, up from 40%
before the acquisition.
July 2017
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7
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Cablefax The Magazine - July 2017

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