Next Generation Communications Blog

Broadband

Alcatel-Lucent Enables WiMAX Deployment in Spain

Alcatel-Lucent is committed to the emerging fourth-generation of wireless. And they seem to like Spain as a venue for making 4G-related news.   Last month in Barcelona, Alcatel-Lucent made the headlines when Verizon Wireless named them to a select group of primary network vendors for its initial LTE network deployments in the United States. The company also announced a new LTE software module in Barcelona.   Today Alcatel-Lucent announced a WiMAX deployment with Iberian broadband communications service provider Iberbanda, a provider specializing in serving the nation's rural areas (the plain, in Spain, if you will...).   Iberbanda has deployed its first pilot network using Alcatel-Lucent's WiMAX 802.16-e (Rev-e) wireless broadband technology.   To showcase the new technology, a specially equipped bus is driving around Iberbanda's R&D center in Malaga testing mobile Internet access and other services such as voice over IP (VoIP) or video surveillance. This pilot is designed to validate simultaneous use of a WiMAX network by a variety of applications.   According to the official announcement, Iberbanda's bus is equipped with WiMAX CPE with WiFi functionality so that multiple devices can be connected en route. The CPE is connected to a WiMAX base station enabling Internet access at 18 Mb/s download and 3 Mb/s upload speeds.

ng Connect Initiative Creates Opportunity

This week Alcatel-Lucent announced the multi-industry initiative - the ng Connect Program - that is dedicated to establishing a rich and diverse ecosystem of infrastructure, devices, content and applications for both mobile and fixed broadband networks including 4G, LTE, GPON and other ultra high bandwidth technologies.   According to the announcement:   The ng Connect Program will bring the benefits of a seamless broadband experience to mobile phones, computers, cars, gaming systems and more, enabling consumers to stream more content, run more sophisticated applications on-the-go, and communicate in the most popular formats of today, and tomorrow.   Rich Tehrani shares his thoughts about this initiative on his blog:   The group will accelerate deployment of new devices and services by helping to determine interoperability across industries such as automotive, entertainment, wireless and consumer electronics. One area where there is a need for better integration is consumer electronics and automotive where in many cases a simple headphone jack is the extent of the integration. Or even worse, a car's stereo system tuned to a predetermined FM frequency to play music from a handheld music player which has an attached FM transmitter.   The value proposition for members include access to research, reduced development costs and a first mover advantage across markets. For carriers there is the increased use of broadband, reduced OPEX and churn and accelerated time to market.   For consumers the benefits include better integration of disparate entertainment systems, a higher level of value for devices which are part of this initiative, enhanced payment options and perhaps lower cost for a variety of next-gen services and devices.   Service providers and advertisers should watch these developments closely, as they presage a tremendous opportunity. As they say, watch this space.

Infonetics: ALU Among Top Mobile WiMAX Vendors

A recent survey conducted by Infonetics finds that Alcatel-Lucent is among the top vendors in the mobile WiMAX market.   According to the survey, which asked Service Providers to name the top equipment suppliers in the space, Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Huawei and Motorola led the list of a dozen gear makers.   The survey, Perception Is Everything: WiMAX Vendor Leadership Service Provider Survey, was conducted over the course of two months (October/November) 2008, and asked purchase decision makers at incumbent, competitive, and mobile operators that own and operate a mobile WiMAX network (or will by 2010) about their:   ·         Mobile WiMAX and cellular mobile network deployment plans ·         Most important criteria for choosing a mobile WiMAX equipment vendor ·         Familiarity with 10 mobile WiMAX vendors ·         Perception of the top vendors in the mobile WiMAX market ·         Ratings of 10 mobile WiMAX vendors based on 7 criteria: handsets and applications, WiMAX network performance, end-to-end solutions, pricing, product feature/roadmap, service and support, and ecosystem   Of the Service Provider respondents 41% are from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); 23% are from Asia Pacific; 18% are from North America; and 18% are from Central and Latin America (CALA).

ALU In TD-SCDMA Pact With China Mobile

Alcatel-Lucent, through its Chinese flagship company Alcatel Shanghai Bell, has won a significant contract for a TD-SCDMA mobile network trial in China   Together with Datang Mobile, Alcatel Lucent announced that they were awarded the largest share in China Mobile's tender for the second phase of its trial to address the growing demand in China for broadband Internet access services on mobile devices.   The deployment of China Mobile's phase II TD-SCDMA network will cover 28 cities across the nation. Under the agreement Alcatel-Lucent and Datang Mobile will provide the TD-SCDMA solution for 11 of the 28 cities, including Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Changchun, Hefei, Guiyang, Kunming, Xi'an, Lanzhou, Yinchuan and Urumqi.   Upon the project's completion in June of 2009, the subscribers in these 11 cities will be able to enjoy a full range of multimedia services including ring back tones, multimedia messaging service and more.

Base Stations' Affect on Backhaul

Writing in his latest The Middle Mile column today, titled Bigger Isn't Always Better, Dr. Alan Solheim addresses a number of issues critical to those looking to deploy base stations, touching upon various constraints such as reach, available spectrum, and teledensity and how they affect the operator's choice in selecting the appropriate solution for deployment at the base station.   As Solheim writes:   The discussion surrounding base station size (Macro, Micro, Pico or Femto) is certainly subject to ... confusing barrage of information and misinformation.   The need to continue to adapt one's product lines to track the changing requirements has never been more apparent. Those who cannot bring themselves to cannibalize their existing products with new offerings or who cling to traditional, TDM based technologies will be left behind in this rapidly evolving new world.   Make sure to check out the article here.

Telecom New Zealand Chooses Alcatel-Lucent for IP MPLS

When faced with the need to accommodate the need to backhaul traffic from its cellular W-CDMA and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) traffic, Telecom new Zealand turned to Alcatel-Lucent and its IP Multi-Protocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS)-based mobile backhaul solution.
The solution features ALU's pseudowire technology, which is designed to adapts various traffic and media types from the W-CDMA base stations into IP/MPLS. Telecom New Zealand sees this as a benefit for future-proofing their solution, as they transition to a W-CDMA and HSPA deployment. By deploying ALU's solution, the backhaul network will have the flexibility and cost-effective scalability needed to support strong traffic growth and will allow the operator to scale and rapidly roll out innovative mobile broadband services.   According to the release:   Alcatel-Lucent's pseudowire solution includes the 7705 Service Aggregation Router (SAR) which is deployed in cellular base station sites to consolidate and aggregate traffic. The Alcatel-Lucent 7705 SAR allows service providers to scale traffic and simultaneously flatten their cost-curves for leased bandwidth, therefore improving their competitiveness. The 7705 SAR inherits its software architecture from the widely deployed IP/MPLS Service Router product line, retaining and building on its qualities but at a price and form factor appropriate to the cell site and hubs.  

Estonia: ALU Helps Elion Deliver Triple Play

Alcatel-Lucent this week announced an agreement with Elion Enterprises Ltd., the largest telecommunications provider in Estonia, to offer an improved triple play (voice, data and video) experience to Elion's customers.   Estonia has one of the highest rates of broadband penetration per capita in the world, and its citizens are savvy consumers of next generation services. Still any technological advance that enables more thorough support and simpler management of the deployed solution is a welcome addition by all parties.   To that end, Alcatel-Lucent will deploy its home network management solution, providing streamlined and automated installation and customer support as well as sophisticated diagnostic information, thus helping Elion reduce its operational costs and improve the quality of experience for its subscribers.   "As they introduce advanced triple-play offerings, service providers open customers' homes to devices and applications that create a more complex home environment. To that end, effective home network management is a must-have," said Lars Boilesen, responsible for Alcatel-Lucent's activities in the Nordic and Baltic countries.    

UK Broadband Feeling Recession Effects

It appears that the global economic malaise is not sparing the UK broadband market.   In April of this year, Point-Topic predicted an additional 800,000 broadband lines would be deployed in the latter half of 2008.   But now, according to Tim Johnson, chief analyst at Point Topic, those numbers are down.   "We're now forecasting that only 620,000 broadband lines will be added in the second half of 2008," Johnson said. "The forecast for 2009 as a whole is 1.1 million, 200,000 down on the earlier forecast."   "To keep on track Britain needed to add 390,000 broadband lines in the July to September quarter.

In-Stat: Global Broadband Enjoys Growth

A research study conducted by In-Stat found that broadband services are maintaining high levels of demand globally.   The report posits that over the past 12 months, approximately 80 million new broadband subscribers signed up for high-speed access to the Internet, with DSL technologies accounting for 55% of total broadband connections.   According to In-Stat analyst Mike Paxton:   "The increasing popularity of online applications such as downloading music files, watching TV programming, and playing online video games, are driving demand for 'fatter pipes' that provide ever-increasing amounts of bandwidth. Being able to use these applications, combined with the basic consumer desire to surf the net, is fueling global demand for broadband services."   Other findings from the In-Stat report include:   ·         As of September 2008, there are 452 million broadband subscribers worldwide. ·         By 2012, In-Stat forecasts that worldwide broadband subscribers will reach 876 million, almost twice the size of the current subscriber base. ·         At the beginning of 2008, DSL, mobile wireless, and cable modem service were the leading broadband access technologies, providing 93% of all worldwide broadband connections. ·         Also as of September 2008, there were 100 million broadband subscribers in the U.S. Based on the current subscriber growth rate, the U.S. is adding approximately 1 million broadband subscribers each month.  

Advancing Broadband Deployment

In cooperation with the East Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) consortium, Alcatel-Lucent plans to provide regional bandwidth capacity of 1.4 Terabit/s via a combined submarine and terrestrial optical solution.   The company says the bandwidth will be enough to "satisfy broadband needs for years to come."   According to the announcement:   The EASSy submarine cable network will provide connectivity across the continent to support the increase in local traffic from both traditional and new broadband services. Additionally, with interconnection to other submarine cable systems to the North and South, this project will provide an international gateway, crucial for the economic development of the region and for the reduction of the digital divide.   The submarine network will span nearly 10,000 km linking eight countries from Sudan to South Africa, via Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar and Mozambique.   Alcatel-Lucent is a major proponent of ensuring that developing territories the world over have access to broadband.   In a recent paper titled Broadband Policy Guidelines in High-Growth Economies, the company explained the potential of broadband and how its availability can play a transformative role in the development of a region   Broadband's potential can be used as a key driver for economic growth, attracting foreign investment, developing territory attractiveness, and enabling a thriving community. Yet barriers to broadband mass adoption such as affordability, accessibility, awareness, and literacy still prevail.   Broadband is not just the Internet made faster. The definition of broadband is a matter of semantics; what should be emphasized is the deployment of a technology that supports sufficient bandwidth connections to the Internet for the service intended.
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