SIXTH POST

Copper and Fiber cabling systems are today's primary means of delivering voice and data in the enterprise, campus and data center. Manufacturers continue to develop systems that will move beyond today's requirements up to 100GB for fiber and 40GB for copper in the not so distant future.

Wireless networks are an overlay in most new installations. We certainly see fewer installs where each user gets 4 four pair cables. It is likely that we have two cables to each station. Wireless access points need cable so we pick up some there but it is still a net loss for total footage in twisted pair and fiber.

Fortunately companies aren't totally depending on wireless for their infrastructure and it does not look like this will replace fixed wiring anytime soon. The idea of a station and a network connection are changing. I read earlier today that web users in the next seven years will shift to a majority of handheld users. That means less people will be in front of a PC. Will workers still have as many cubes and desks? How will a network connection look in five or ten years as it relates to each employee?

Broadband over Power Line or BPL is a technology that is mainly a play for residential and limited commercial use. This technology involves the use of the electrical grid cabling to distribute voice, data and video. Click here to learn more about BPL http://computer.howstuffworks.com/bpl.htm.

In the premise, companies like www.telkonet.com and www.asokausa.com are leading the charge for triple play delivery in residential, MDU and in some cases, enterprise environments over the electrical cabling system. These companies are leveraging green benefits (no copper cable in the building, lower carbon footprint, etc) and incorporating energy management, security, and access into IP based systems that move over the existing electrical copper wire. You will find that the costs are much lower and there are some limitations, however, hotels, MDU's, dormitories, public housing, and hospitality are all markets where traditional cabling systems are losing share to new technologies. See the following link for more info on the Home Plug Alliance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HomePlug_Powerline_Alliance.

Wi-Fi and WI MAX (http://www.wimax.com/education) are considerable threats to service providers and further challenge the need for structured cabling systems as we've seen them installed thus far. What does all of this mean? Opportunity!

Are you in distribution sales or manufacturing sales? If so, does your company have an offering here. Think of it as a hedge. If you don't have the offering someone else will and can creatively win business. Start driving your product managers to have a solution in this space now!

Are you a cabling contractor? Undoubtedly, you've surveyed jobs in museums or historic buildings where you can't just crank up your hammer drill and go to town. Have you considered becoming authorized to install a PLC solution for a client where cabling a facility is simply not an option? The installation requirements are not that complicated and you can deliver real value to clients who are otherwise challenged to distribute connectivity throughout their facility.

How will you get your share back? How will you stay RELEVANT?