Triple Play System Difficulties to Be Solved

IPTV users in Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces will probably not think that they would actually spend money to buy pirated CCTV programs from local operators. Recently, China Network Television (CNTV) lodged a lawsuit with Jiangsu Telecom and Guangdong Telecom, claiming that the IPTV service platform it operates has provided a large amount of CCTV TV column content without authorization, which constitutes infringement. Although CNTV had no shortage of such rights protection activities, it was still the first time that lawsuits against telecommunications operators were filed.

According to information from the 21st Century Business Herald, the relevant person of the Guangdong Telecom, who is the defendant, stated that the content of his IPTV program was purchased from Shanghai Wenguang, which has an IPTV license, and there was no infringement issue.

For this incident, experts such as Hou Ziqiang and Wu Chunyong said that the real intention behind the lawsuit is that the radio and television system hopes to prompt local telecom operators to access the CNTV organization's IPTV integrated broadcast and control platform as soon as possible in order to further expand its user scale. . On the surface, although it looks like another game of broadcasting and television, the essence of the game is the struggle for interests within the broadcasting system.

Accompanied by this rather ambiguous incident, it was the tri-network integration pilot project that started more than a year ago. The effectiveness of the trials in various regions was not satisfactory. At the same time, the Ministry of Industry and Information Industry has reported news that the second batch of trials of triple play will also be launched as soon as possible. Some experts indicated that starting the second batch of pilot work will help promote the former to make substantial progress, even if the first batch of pilots has not achieved significant results.

Since 1998, China first proposed the concept of "triple play", and the pilot work in various cities to date has not been effective. This "road to integration" has been extremely difficult. Whether it is the battle for IPTV broadcast control rights or other unfinished explorations in various regions, the inevitable intrinsic to triple play is still the institutional dilemma.

Three networks merge difficult development road

Although the concept of triple play has been proposed for a long time, its development has gone very hard. Professor Zeng Jianqiu of the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, director of the Triple Play Integration Research Institute, told the correspondent that the essence of triple play is the inevitable development of information and communication technologies. In his book "The Net and the World - The Theory of Tri-network Integration, Experiments, and Information Security," the opening article highlights this special feature of triple play.

In the 1970s, the rapid development of computer and information network technology brought about the intersection and integration of business in the media, telecommunications and information fields. Industrial integration gradually became the focus of attention. With the arrival of copper into the copper industry, the differences in broadband between telecommunication networks and optical and electrical networks due to traditional differences in technology have gradually narrowed, and they have taken the same starting line in network bandwidth access. Convergence has become an inevitable choice to expand the market, save costs, and benefit each other. . Zeng Jianqiu said that this trend is an inevitable result of the development of the productive forces. It is irresistible and can only be adapted.

China first proposed the concept of "triple play" in 1998. Over the next few years, the reforms have been stagnant due to fierce competition between broadcasting and television. Up until the beginning of 2010, Premier Wen Jiabao of the State Council proposed to advance the integration of the three networks at the executive meeting of the State Council, and related work was only started again.

On June 30, 2010, the General Office of the State Council announced the list of the first batch of pilot cities (regions) for triple play, and the pilot work of 12 selected cities was officially launched. However, as of the time of the press release, no specific city-level pilot program has been officially approved.

For the news that the Beijing pilot project has been approved, Luo Xiaobu, deputy general manager of Beijing Gehua CATV Network Co., Ltd., told this correspondent that there are many kinds of news. Gehua Cable currently only does its own job. The main task is to vigorously promote high-definition interactive set-top boxes, and strive to achieve the goal of covering 2.6 million households during the year.

Similarly, other pilot cities have also made different attempts. While carrying out key services such as digital two-way television, IPTV, mobile TV, etc., SVA is mainly committed to the transformation of two-way networks, and Telecom is working hard to upgrade its bandwidth and coverage.

Pilot city path deviation

In the 12 cities piloted for one year, there are different degrees of path deviation problems. From the work done by the pilot cities, the two systems of radio and television and telecommunications are still going their own ways, and the so-called convergence cannot be discussed. The two experts interviewed by the reporter also agreed that there are still different degrees of problems in the pilot.

Shi Wei, director of the Market and Industry Research Office of the National Development and Reform Commission’s Institute of Economic System and Management, told the correspondent that the goal of the Tri-Network Consolidation pilot is not clear at the beginning, and it lacks specific assessment criteria. Even in terms of the choice of pilot cities, the first-tier cities and provincial capitals should not be established at the outset, but prefecture-level cities and county-level cities should be selected because they are more feasible at the operational level and are conducive to achieving local breakthroughs.

Looking at the specific development model of each pilot city, Zeng Jianqiu said that whether it is based on broadcasting and television, or telecommunications, or the mode of cooperation between the two sides, there are certain deviations in the 12 pilot cities, both advantages and disadvantages: "Pilot One year later, no city’s attempt can be a template, and what we should do is to sum up experiences and lessons.At present, it seems that some cities engage in image projects, and some cities either pay attention to telecom companies or focus on broadcasting and television companies. Path deviation. These are issues that need to be considered in future pilots."

For the pilot, Luo Xiaobu believes that the real problem of triple play does not exist between operators, but in the convergence of three different terminals and their associated social environments: "On the one hand, mobile phones are collectors and Transmitters, the Internet is a convergence device and filters, television is a boutique display device, and how three devices are integrated; on the other hand, television is a political society, mobile phones are a liberal society, the Internet is an individualistic society, and how three different social environments are Fusion."

For the development of the broadcasting system itself, Luo Xiaobu said: “We should pay attention to our dying brother: the newspaper industry. One of the lessons learned is that newspapers should focus on information and news, rather than on printing on paper. Similarly, We are the people who make the video and should focus on the video rather than playing on what terminal."

However, Luo Xiaobu also emphasized that no matter which system operator or enterprise, it must ultimately bear the corresponding social responsibility for its products.

Try to understand the system difficulties

In addition to supervision and legal construction, the industry and the market should become the focus of breakthroughs in tri-network integration. The system dilemma of triple play is first manifested in radio and television and telecom systems.

The broadcasting and TV system belongs to the propaganda department and operates according to the institutional system of the public institutions. Its current management status is a dual leadership structure of "combination of blocks and blocks, and block-based"; the telecommunications system belongs to the industrial sector and operates in accordance with the enterprise system, and its basic characteristics of management For the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as the core of supervision, a centralized, vertical model.

In this way, the two departments with huge differences have jointly promoted triple play, and the difficulties are self-evident.

In order to solve this dilemma, most industry experts agree that it is necessary to start with supervision and legal construction.

Zeng Jianqiu suggested that from the perspective of institution building, the country should first set up an institution that is higher than the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and SARFT and similar to the “Triple Network Integration Expert Committee”; second, it should do a good job in basic research and summarize the integration of China’s triple play network for more than ten years. Experiences and lessons learned from development, taking into account risks such as investment waste, duplicate construction, and technology deviation that may be encountered in the future.

Shi Wei told reporters bluntly that there are certain difficulties for China to establish an independent three-network integration regulatory agency and the preparation of the telecommunications law.

“An independent regulatory agency is a must, but due to institutional difficulties, there are still many problems in terms of specific implementation. In addition, China’s telecommunications business has always been difficult to define clearly. Different from the management performance structure of foreign countries, the development of China’s telecommunications industry is Full business, some new services such as cloud computing, it is difficult to be reflected in the telecommunications law, it has been difficult to introduce ", Shi Wei analysis.

In the face of this institutional dilemma, how should China's triple play really achieve a breakthrough?

Shi Wei said that reviewing the experience of the United States in the development of triple play in the 1970s and the 1980s is a key part of the integration of the industry. Even if operators do not want to operate, the industry itself will achieve convergence through various means, such as automation of computer networks and large-scale data storage of communication networks.

“U.S. triple play is dominated by companies and investments. The decisive factor is the development and needs of the industry and the market. Therefore, I believe that China’s triple play should also focus on how the broadcast and television industries face the real industry. The penetration of China's oil and steel industry can eventually be achieved in large-scale industries such as oil and steel. Shi Wei added that from this perspective, China's triple play is still far away. The profound changes in the system and at the industrial level cannot be completed overnight. Nor can they rely on the government's promulgation of policies and documents.

Take a break from the telecom field

Breaking down the monopoly of the telecommunications sector may be the greatest help for the development of the industry and the triple play as a national strategy. At the same time as the development of triple play in China has suffered setbacks, there have been new changes in the international arena.

In August, Google announced the acquisition of Motorola. Almost the same period, Microsoft's rumors about Nokia's acquisition of the company are also very much in vogue. For a time, the new changes in the information industry are surging. Shi Wei believes that this acquisition has great implications for the development of China's triple play.

"This is the biggest integration. Google's own business is to do search engines, can use broadband to penetrate into all areas of production and life, after the acquisition of Motorola, Google can use a lot of mobile phone systems to do massive cloud computing, Internet of things and other services. I think that this acquisition has changed the pattern of triple play in the entire world, and China has been thrown off more than ten years or even longer," Shi Wei said.

At present, the development of China's triple play is still in the stage of being led by the government and promoting the two-way entry of radio and television and telecommunications. Not only is it impossible to compete with the international community, but this step at the foot of the country has not been able to "settle down".

Shi Wei emphasized that the system is not innovative and the industry has no way of progress. The most important point is to break the monopoly. With respect to triple play, given the special nature of the broadcast system, this kind of break can only fall into the telecommunications industry.

"I think that the monopoly of the telecommunications industry has entered a mature period of breaking because the telecommunications industry has already started to compete on the service level. The main breakthrough is in the construction of virtual networks and the liberalization of virtual operations to promote the private economy. With a large amount of funds, a more complete market competition will be formed. After that, the triple play will also become a reality with the company's profit demands." Shi Wei finally said.