Despite wireless connectivity being king in terms of home networking technologies, the use of wired solutions - and particularly 'no-new-wires' - is on the rise and likely to experience a boom over the next five years, according to a new report from IMS Research.

"Although 'no-new-wire' technologies such as HomePlug, HomePNA and MoCA have been around for many years now, they've remained relatively niche up until recently," said Alex Green, author of the report.  "However, the accelerating uptake of IPTV services has fuelled significant growth in this area.  Services from companies such as Verizon and AT&T have pushed the use of these 'no-new-wire' technologies up significantly, which has been particularly good news for the main IC suppliers."

IPTV is described as having provided the initial boost for 'no-new-wire' networking, but multi-room DVR services are going to give the technology its second wind, according to the research firm - particularly in the US, where a number of high-profile US TV service providers have started purchasing and supplying multi-room HD DVR solutions with MoCA built into the set-top box.

However, the array of technologies available may well turn out to be a thorn in the industry's side, the report cautions, resulting in the development of two 'no-new-wire' technologies - the ITU's G.Hn and the IEEE's P1901 standards.  The outcome of these initiatives may cause more confusion for consumers, according to IMS Research, with the result that UPA, HomePNA, HomePlug and HD-PLC will still be marketed as distinct technologies under the umbrella of these new standards.

Despite this potential for confusion, the report still predicts that there will be nearly 200mn 'no-new-wire' ICs shipped in 2015, and that by the end of 2015 there will be an installed base of over 110mn 'no-new-wire' homes worldwide.