research categories

Yankee Group research examines the supply side and demand side of connectivity change. On the supply side, we research how the Anywhere Network will be built and powered. On the demand side, we examine the connectivity needs of enterprises and consumers, and how businesses can mobilize and capitalize on these.

See below for a listing of Yankee Group's research categories, sample research topics and lead analysts. Or, view in pdf.

Supply

Access devices

Sample topics: Handsets, connected consumer electronics including gaming platforms, e-readers, M2M, geo location (GPS), location intelligence, presence, set-top boxes

Yankee Group perspective: Ubiquitous and inexpensive connectivity will drive an explosion of new connected device types, uses and competing business models over the next 5 to 10 years. Yankee Group believes competition will be intense and drive innovation among traditional and non-traditional consumer and enterprise vendors. Our research focuses on the devices and trends that are transforming how people access and interact with the Anywhere Network.

Lead analysts: Andy Castonguay, Dmitriy Molchanov, Wally Swain

Advanced RAN

Sample topics: 3G/4G, WiMAX, femtocells, LTE, HSPA+

Yankee Group perspective: The drive to Anywhere, or ubiquitous connectivity, depends on the availability of broadband--both wired and wireless. Yankee Group believes increasing demand on the Anywhere Network creates opportunities and risks for advanced RAN providers worldwide. Our research explores the technologies, business models and regulations facing network providers and operators.

Lead analysts: Vince Vittore

Broadband

Sample topics: FTTH, FTTN, FTTO, FTTx, GPON vs P2P, xDSL

Yankee Group perspective: Like radio networks, the fixed or wired connectivity component of the Anywhere Network will ride on a number of different access technologies. This evolution offers complex technology choices that are critical to enabling Anywhere services. Yankee Group believes that demand on the Anywhere Network will accelerate broadband technologies and drive innovation. Our research explores the technologies, business models and regulations facing network providers and operators, and advises clients on strategies to drive usage, develop new products and services and ultimately increase revenues.

Lead analysts: Jennifer Pigg, Brian Partridge, Vince Vittore, Benoit Felten

Core transport network

Sample topics: Movement to 100GigE, optical network technologies, wireless backhaul

Yankee Group perspective: The connectivity revolution is dramatically shifting the focus from core network technologies to the new services created upon them. Yankee Group believes this open environment will be critical for operators and third parties seeking to create competitive offerings and drive value. Our research follows the move from closed and proprietary to standardized and open methods for services on the Anywhere Network.

Lead analyst: Jennifer Pigg

Mobile transactions

Sample topics: Mobile transactions, mobile payments, mobile banking, partner management, revenue settlement, digital commerce

Yankee Group perspective: Similar to the explosion of Internet commerce in the past decade, ubiquitous connectivity will drive worldwide demand for mobile transactions over the next 10 years. Yankee Group believes the systems and standards needed to facilitate mobile transactions are quickly evolving, creating both chaos and opportunity for network providers and third parties. Our research examines and measures the development of this critical and high-stakes marketplace.

Lead analysts: Jon Paisner, Brian Partridge

Network intelligence

Sample topics: Network neutrality issues/policy, quality of context initiatives, subscriber data and identity management, analytics and business intelligence, DPI and session control, QoC

Yankee Group perspective: More users, devices and transactions on the Anywhere Network results in more data and an opportunity to harness and monetize the information and efficiencies it can yield. Yankee Group believes service providers must accelerate and expand the deployment of specific technologies aimed at making the Anywhere Network smarter in order to meet and exceed revenue and profitability targets. Our research helps clients to prioritize and manage the complex technical, economic, regulatory and security issues that will emerge.

Lead analysts: Brian Partridge, Arindam Banerjee, Jon Paisner, Terry Cudmore

Network software systems

Sample topics: RT charging, dynamic cataloging, subscriber and policy management, OSS/BSS, customer care, self-service, Web portals, revenue assurance, business intelligence, middleware technologies, Web services, mobile transactions

Yankee Group perspective: The next generation of telecom software and systems is quickly evolving from closed systems to new, open models to satisfy the demands of the Anywhere Network. Yankee Group believes consumer demand for access and services will be a transformative driver of changes in this area. Our research helps clients understand how to successfully transition and organize their systems, services and pricing models to ensure customer satisfaction and win new business in this increasingly competitive environment.

Lead analysts: Arindam Banerjee, Jon Paisner, Terry Cudmore

Regulation

Sample topics: NGN broadband, new media regulations and distribution, open access conditions/network neutrality, new licensing opportunities/technology or service provision constraints

Yankee Group perspective: The emergence of the Anywhere Network means complex regulatory environments with varying legal and policy issues will arise across countries, regions, states and municipalities. Yankee Group believes this will have an enormous upside for network builders, providers and third parties who are able to navigate the regulatory environments successfully. Our research provides clients with relevant insight and data on how these regional and worldwide regulatory shifts will affect their business.

Lead analysts: Brian Partridge, Wally Swain, Andy Castonguay

Service delivery architecture

Sample topics: NGN/IMS and SDP/Telecomm SOA

Yankee Group perspective: Just as network software systems are undergoing massive change, network operators are also transitioning from legacy architectures to more flexible and robust platforms and service control architectures to support thousands of new services powered by the Anywhere Network. Yankee Group believes that service delivery architectures will form a key component of transforming the Anywhere Network to deliver value-added services to connected consumers. Our research guides clients to make the right architecture choice and will identify the key drivers, inhibitors and economic justifications inherent in this shift to new service delivery architectures.

Lead analysts: Brian Partridge, Arindam Banerjee

 

Demand

Cloud computing

Sample topics: Desktop virtualization, hosted applications, desktop on a stick, data center networking, application networking, WAN optimization, service orchestration

Yankee Group perspective: The Anywhere Network is transforming enterprise IT, enabling a shift from monolithic, complex corporate systems to cheaper and simpler alternatives based on Internet and Web technologies. Yankee Group believes cloud computing will create complex challenges and opportunities for CIOs. Our research focuses on the key elements of virtualization and network infrastructure that bring the cloud computing vision to reality, including what elements live in the network and how the network needs to evolve.

Lead analysts: Phil Hochmuth, Agatha Poon, Zeus Kerravala, Camille Mendler

Consumer access services

Sample topics: Fixed broadband, mobile broadband, 3G, 4G, FTTH, wireless networking, home networking, fixed mobile convergence (FMC)

Yankee Group perspective: Consumer spending for broadband access will hit $649 billion worldwide by 2012. Yankee Group believes the market for services that consumers use to get to the Anywhere Network from their homes and on the go will explode in the next five to 10 years. Our research helps clients capitalize and mobilize on this massive societal and technology transformation.

Lead analysts: Christopher Collins, Declan Lonergan

Consumer pricing and packaging

Sample topics: Triple-play, quad-play, prepaid vs. post-paid services, broadband marketing

Yankee Group perspective: Consumer communications bundles, pricing and promotion of Anywhere Network access services will be fiercely competitive and risky. Yankee Group believes that as broadband services mature and commoditize, operators will be distinguished more by how they sell versus what they sell. Our research explores business models, pricing strategies, best practices and other essential drivers of Anywhere adoption.

Lead analysts: Christopher Collins, Declan Lonergan

Converged consumer applications

Sample topics: Connected home, mobile applications, consumer connected devices, search, location-based services, mobile payments, mobile transactions

Yankee Group perspective: Converged consumer applications are the transformative digital activities that consumers will do with ubiquitous connectivity to enhance their work, life and play. Yankee Group believes these are the "killer apps" of the Anywhere network; they are the experiences that are transformed by ubiquitous broadband connectivity. Our research includes everything from friction-free commerce made possible through an e-reader to mobile payments and transactions through mobile phones. We will analyze converged applications as the ultimate uses of the Anywhere Network that create new markets and behaviors and crown new market winners.

Lead analysts: Christopher Collins, Declan Lonergan, Carl Howe, Dmitriy Molchanov

Digital media and advertising

Sample topics: Mobile advertising, broadband advertising, three-screen models

Yankee Group perspective: The media and advertising business is being radically restructured by content being delivered as bits sent over the Anywhere Network instead of as physical products. Yankee Group believes that the future of media and advertising is one where a wealth of media choices on a wide variety of connected devices all compete for limited consumer attention. Our research examines what strategies digital media and advertising companies must adopt to survive in this new networked world.

Lead analyst: Carl Howe

Enterprise mobility

Sample topics: M2M, business mobile devices, mobile OS, device management, location, wireless LAN, managed mobility, mobile application ecosystem, mobile field sales, mobile middleware, RFID, managed messaging, Web 2.0

Yankee Group perspective: Ubiquitous connectivity enabled by mobile technology will continue to help IT organizations improve productivity, drive down costs, increase revenues, enable M2M communications and improve service within their enterprise. Yankee Group believes the mobility needs of enterprises are transforming the Anywhere Network and that the Anywhere Network is in turn transforming the enterprise. Our research will examine how enterprise mobility is evolving and analyze the game-changing interdependencies of enterprises, applications and devices on the Anywhere Network.

Lead analysts: Joshua Holbrook, Eugene Signorini, Agatha Poon, Sheryl Kingstone, Camille Mendler

Mobile applications

Sample topics: SAAS, mobile app infrastructure, mobile Web, mobile customer services, managed application performance management, self-service, mobile commerce, mashups, widgets

Yankee Group perspective: Mobile applications will be user-aware, network-aware and device-aware in the Anywhere Network. Yankee Group believes this will be important to CIOs and software providers because it makes delivering information and applications to all workers possible. Our research will explore the application infrastructure, mobile middleware vendors, device limitations and application transformation necessary to mobilize applications. We will also analyze how businesses and IT should transform to support workers no longer confined to a controlled corporate network environment while continuing to meet customer service and productivity objectives.

Lead analysts: Phil Hochmuth, Zeus Kerravala

Mobile Internet services

Sample topics: Mobile Web sites, mobile data pricing, privacy, search, consumer cloud services

Yankee Group perspective: Mobile Internet services will need to deliver digital information to consumers on the Anywhere Network anywhere, anytime using a device that they always have with them. Yankee Group believes mobile Internet services will emerge as the single largest data revenue driver for carriers while providing a mobile lifeline to the Anywhere Network for consumers. Our research analyzes how mobile Internet services will transform consumer experiences when all information--from train schedules to newspapers--is delivered on-demand instead of broadcast.

Lead analysts: Sheryl Kingstone, Eugene Signorini

Mobile security

Sample topics: Network security, network access control, DLP, network behavioral analysis, DPI, endpoint and device security

Yankee Group perspective: The Anywhere Network enables users to access huge amounts of corporate information from a mix of public and private networks, using corporate and personal devices. Yankee Group believes that CIOs and software providers who anticipate this change and select appropriate technology solutions will best enable their companies to mobilize and capitalize on the Anywhere Network. Our research will analyze mobile security from the perspective of IT, exploring how business leaders must change their technologies and policies when giving up end-to-end control of their network.

Lead analysts: Phil Hochmuth, Zeus Kerravala

Unified communications

Sample topics: VoIP, collaboration, network infrastructure, social networking, application ecosystem, video, messaging, conferencing, presence

Yankee Group perspective: The Anywhere Network will enable users to collaborate and communicate through integrated, presence-enabled applications. Yankee Group believes this is important to IT because it will allow a user to communicate with any other user in the extended enterprise more efficiently. Our research will explore how a network-based platform for application integration will give rise to a number of new communications-enabled applications.

Lead analysts: Zeus Kerravala, Phil Hochmuth