Competition Seeks Game-Changing Ideas
By Chris Bastian
It’s only May, and already it’s been a good year to be a sports fan in Philadelphia. Whether it’s the Super Bowl Champion Eagles — apologies to anyone who’s reading this in New England! — or Villanova’s run to the NCAA Championship or even my alma mater, Penn State, capturing the NIT, it’s been great to see the links between teamwork and success.
The Adaptive Power Challenge we announced a few weeks ago may not look as good in Super Slo-Mo as Nick Foles’ “Philly Special” touchdown, but when it comes to teamwork, it’s a thing of beauty. Just like the Philly Special, it’s the product of collaboration and imagination with an ultimate goal of spurring game-changing results.
In April, we announced that we have partnered with Comcast and Liberty Global to create the Challenge as additional incentive to increase development of new energy management solutions across operators’ broadband networks. We’re offering winners in two categories — Established Enterprises and Breakthrough Organizations such as labs, universities and startups — the opportunity to test their solutions with the biggest cable system operators in the world. While most cable solutions understandably are created by trusted vendors, we’ve taken a “big tent” approach to the Adaptive Power Challenge, opening it to commercial and academic developers, innovators, scientists and technology solution providers. They’re competing not only for the lab testing opportunities, but also for one of the two winner’s prizes of $10,000. Although we’re looking for any kind of solution that can lead to breakthrough change in cable network energy management, we’re particularly interested in solutions that address access networks and edge facilities, in which 73-83% of cable operators’ energy consumption occurs.
Here’s the problem we’re working to solve: consumption of services varies according to such factors as time of day, seasonality, and situational demands. Power requirements for today’s equipment, on the other hand, are constant. We need to treat energy as a network resource, so that we can enable the creation of a new generation of systems and equipment that can increase or reduce the power required to align with consumer use.
The way we look at it, there are three areas that are integral to the delivery of cable telecommunications services:
- Monitoring and Measurement— Monitoring and measuring energy consumption and ambient conditions correlating quality and health of services with energy;
- Demand Response— The ability to implement “peak shaving” and functionality that results in load shedding; and
- Supply and Control— Using the functionality of adaptive power DOCSIS®-enabled devices to control consumption profiles and service quality dependent on energy supply.
If you have an idea that meets any of those categories — or if you know anyone who does — we’ll be all ears until June 29 when the submission process is closed. Entries will be judged in July and August by industry leaders from Comcast, Liberty Global, Cox, Canada’s Rogers and Shaw, and CableLabs®, with additional evaluation support from representatives of SCTE•ISBE and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Finalists in each category will be announced on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, at the SCTE•ISBE Standards Energy Management Systems Plenary in Louisville, CO.
As with many things in the SCTE•ISBE universe, the Adaptive Power Challenge will culminate at the industry’s largest trade event, SCTE•ISBE Cable-Tec Expo this fall in Atlanta. On Tuesday, October 23, the six finalists will present their solutions live as part of our annual Energy 2020 meeting at Expo. I’m not sure if “Shark Tank” would be an apropos analogy, but I can tell you that the competition will be fierce. In the end, there will be one winner in each of the two categories that will take home the cash prize and advance to the ultimate goal of testing the solution in a lab environment.
As you read this, we’re entering the late innings for submission, but there’s still time for you to put your own points on the scoreboard. We’re looking forward to hearing your ideas and to seeing cable — like the Eagles, Villanova and Penn State — close out the campaign with an unequalled success.
Learn more here
Chris Bastian
SVP and CTO, SCTE•ISBE
cbastian@scte.org
Chris Bastian is responsible for ensuring that SCTE and ISBE maintain a leadership role in standardizing and operationalizing advanced technology, including the SCTE Standards Program and the SCTE Engineering Committee — as well as groundbreaking efforts such as SCTE’s Energy 2020 program. Prior to joining SCTE•ISBE, Chris spent 15 years with Comcast, ultimately becoming executive director of Comcast’s Xfinity Wi-Fi network. Previously, he also had worked with RCN and the National Security Agency. Chris and his family love camping, biking, hiking and other outdoor activities. The family vacation in 2015 was to Alaska, where they hiked in Denali National Park. In the summer of 2014, Chris and his son Ben hiked 120 miles at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Highlights were hiking to the top of Mount Baldy (elev. 12,441 feet) and the Tooth of Time to catch the sunrise.
