Next Generation Communications Blog

Alcatel-Lucent Corporate News

Better Customer Care for Smartphone Users

By Susan J. Campbell

The number of individuals using smartphones is rapidly growing, creating challenges for service providers aiming to provide good customer care. The devices tend to be more complex to configure and support, which challenges agents without a complete technical insight into all platforms. Agents also tend to lack a complete overview of what could be wrong as the smartphone could be experiencing problems with apps, the operating system or the network.

To meet these challenges, service providers need to provide smart support for their smartphone customers.

Alcatel-Lucent, World Education Inc. Launch Program to Provide Life Training Skills to Children in Underserved Communities

By Beecher Tuttle

Telecom giant Alcatel-Lucent is spearheading a $6 million, three-year global initiative to provide digital skills training and other educational opportunities to young people from underserved and disadvantaged communities from around the world.

The program, dubbed ConnectED, was born from a partnership between the company's charitable arm, the Alcatel-Lucent Foundation, and World Education Inc., a U.S. non-profit organization that works to increase educational opportunities for girls and women in more than 50 countries.

ConnectED will fund equivalency programs, literacy courses, and re-entry classes for underserved youth who have dropped out of school.

The Top Bell Labs Innovations - Part I: The Game-Changers

By Peter Bernstein, Senior Editor

This is the third in my four-part series of posts about Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs. As noted previously, focus of this series is not just to introduce you to the world’s most famous research organization, but to provide details and insights on its past, present and future. The first two posts provided an overall view of the Labs, and details on how its philosophy of “Innovating Innovation” is enhancing its preeminent position in the scientific world and allowing it to keep Alcatel-Lucent in market leadership positions. As can be seen in the title, this post details the rich history of the contributions made by Bells Labs in empowering businesses and enriching the lives of people around the world through the development and application of the ingenuity and knowledge of its researchers.

For those of us in the content creation business, there is nothing better than a Top 10 list.

LTE and the Mobile Backhaul Solution

By Michelle Amodio

Last week, we took a look at LTE and traffic, discussing the progression of LTE and mobile transport.

LTE has a tremendous impact on mobility. LTE networks offer the promise of supporting the explosion in traffic arising from a new generation of mobile devices and applications. The introduction of LTE has several implications on the transport network.

Cloud Services Offer Winning Solution for SMBs, Service Providers

By Susan J. Campbell

The buzz throughout the telecommunications and technology space is surrounding cloud computing. Cloud-based services enable service providers to tap into new markets without expanding budgets. On the corporate side, businesses of all sizes can leverage enhanced capability through cloud services that fit within tight budgets.

A recent Alcatel-Lucent Enriching Communications article, Cloud Services: A Strategy and a Framework, explored the potential that cloud services creates for the small- to medium-sized business (SMB) that typically does not have its own IT staff or the capabilities to deploy complex applications to support strategic initiatives.

The Automation in the Driverless Metro Offers a Safe Ride

By Susan J. Campbell

As technology consumers, we have become accustomed to the automation of certain capabilities. Self-service channels, for instance, allow us to handle many of the processes we want to complete without interacting with another human being. We rely on automation to streamline our work processes or make consumables more available. What if this automation were instead in the driver’s seat – literally?

'Innovating Innovation' at Bell Labs

By Peter Bernstein, Senior Editor

This is part two in a four-part look at Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs. The first focused at a high level on the context of what made, and continues to make, Bell Labs one of the pre-eminent fundamental and applied research organizations in the world. In fact, Bell Labs as an innovation brand is the most recognizable one globally. 

As promised, focus here is on the ingredients that have created Bell Labs’ world-class culture of continuous scientific exploration and innovation.

Machine-to-Machine Technology Cuts Costs, Streamlines Railway Operations

By Erin Harrison

The subject of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technology has drawn much hype in the industry. In essence, M2M allows machines to communicate, and it has evolved into an intelligent way of managing assets. It allows companies to use data in a meaningful manner for pre-emptive repairs and maintenance, reducing the human cost of these processes.

As a recent Alcatel-Lucent TrackTalk article pointed out, M2M communications is expected to become a massive growth market for the communications industry over the next decade, and the increasing availability and capability of these technologies could have a profound impact on the way railways function.

Going Green: Alcatel-Lucent's IMS Solution Improves Eco-Efficiency, Reduces OpEX

By Beecher Tuttle

Alcatel-Lucent's industry-leading IMS End-to-End Solution addresses a number of challenges that operators face today. IMS technologies can help providers reduce operating expenses, minimize their impact on the environment and adapt to new end user behavior, among other benefits.

The innovative products and services that are built into the Alcatel-Lucent IMS solution result in considerable environmental benefits and reduced carbon emissions in both new and existing networks. These benefits are gained from techniques such as smart metering, smart buildings, smart transport and teleworking.

Mobile Internet Enabled through White Spaces

By Susan J. Campbell

Service providers the world over are experiencing continued data traffic growth on their mobile networks. To help offset the strain this traffic is placing on these networks, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken unused wireless TV spectrum (white spaces) and made them available for open, free and unlicensed use.

This regulatory change suggests that anyone can easily become a wireless Internet provider, users will begin to see new and inexpensive or free Wi-Fi-like services emerging, and suppliers will gain new customers from sources other than traditional operator markets.

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