Editorial

According to the report, IP transmission sales have now overtaken traditional transmission systems in mainland Europe. No doubt this analysis will fuel the IP manufacturers (which now, of course, includes all the major CCTV providers ) into a frenzy of new messages to installers along the lines of “This is the future, you can’t ignore it anymore”... Not that this is anything new because installers have been bombarded with such messages for at least two years now. However, these results are significant and show that in markets where no visual surveillance has been in place then IP is the first choice for many users.

Mainland Europe in general is nowhere near as mature a CCTV market as the UK, traditionally held up to be the biggest consumer of CCTV products with more cameras per head of population than any other country. Although IP is fast making inroads into UK security I think it might be a lot longer before such results are duplicated here (where else in Europe is there the equivalent to BT Redcare?) With such a mature market as ours it’s not surprising that Austria, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal were the biggest consumers last year, according to the analysis. However with masses of upgrading and additional bolt-on business, the prospects for installers who are widening their scope to include IP look good. As a magazine we have always been convinced of the cost savings and user advantages involved with IP and digital systems (see page 45 for one installer’s account of his digital jump) and we’ll keep close tabs on all developments that will benefit readers.