Cisco Systems and Scientific Atlanta made it official yesterday, closing their multi-billion dollar merger to create what amounts to one big headache for Alcatel, Tellabs, Siemens, Nortel/Huawei, Lucent or any other big access player with designs on being a primary provider in the IPTV world.

By bringing together one of the most entrenched providers of video gear with the dominant supplier of routers in every part of the network, including the home, the new entity certainly has a compelling story to tell. And a central theme is that access is a commodity. Questioned about the lack of a DSLAM or any form of copper access product, SA Chief Technology Officer Bob McIntyre declared such products commodities that could be gained via partnership. He pointed to the work S-A is doing with AT&T in which it's taking the lead on video for Project Lightspeed while Alcatel is providing the access.

Of course, Alcatel would likely spin it another way, claiming they're in charge and "subcontracting" the video portion of the network to SA. It's all a matter of perspective and starting point. Virtually all the above-mentioned vendors claim to have an end-to-end solution, but in reality no one can supply everything just yet.

It only can benefit carriers and the entire market when companies the size of Cisco take an interest in IPTV. To be sure, there's an argument to be made that the Ciscos and Alcatels of the world don't innovate, but there's still plenty of room for small, nimble companies to create unique services. Having the giants in play, though, gives the innovators the only option into the big carriers.

The question, though, is which giant? And in the case of IPTV, which perspective and which starting point?

E-mail me at VVittore@prismb2b.com.