Next Generation Communications

10 Lessons from Volleyball, Part 2

By Peter on Thursday, May 23

Part 1 of the 10 Business Lessons from Volleyball can be found here. In volleyball, the only play you control yourself is...

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Tagged sales, strategy, volleyball

CloudTC and N-Able Acquired

By Peter on Wednesday, May 22

"Australian-owned IP PBX systems company, Vixtel, has completed the acquisition of Silicon Valley based glass phone developer, CloudTC, for an undisclosed figure,"...

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Tagged hosted pbx, itexpo, mergers, phone system, RMM

ProfitBricks: Where InfiniBand Meets Cloud 2.0

By Rich Tehrani on Wednesday, May 22

In a recent meeting with William Toll and Pete Johnson of ProfitBricks, the pair were ecstatic to explain how their company has...

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Tagged amazon, cloud computing, data center, ec2, infiniband, interop, profitbricks, public cloud, technology

Proactive Care Puts Operators One Step Ahead

By Peter Bernstein on Monday, May 20

By Thomas Fuerst, Senior Director, Multimedia Solutions MarketingAlcatel-Lucent

Monitoring and analyzing network data proactively saves operators time, money, and customers.

When a network service fails, it makes headlines, ticks off customers, and costs that network operator money. When a failure is headed off in advance, on the other hand, there might not be praise-laden headlines, but it's newsworthy nonetheless.

The traditional approach to customer care has typically been: a disgruntled customer calls customer service and complains of a service interruption or problem; the rep, learning of it for the first time, sends out a technician the next day, and eventually finds a resolution. Often, customers are left feeling put out, and the operator has spent significant time and money resolving the problem. Even worse is the customer who doesn’t call and just feels this is ‘typical’ of their network experience. That is a customer at risk of leaving.

Proactive care flips this dynamic on its head by using predictive analytics to identify potential outages or errors in the network and stop them before they occur. It consists of three main parts: one, constantly monitoring and measuring data on the network; two, real-time analysis of the data; and three, the most important, acting on that analysis to fix the problem.

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Tagged Alcatel-Lucent, big data, customer care, KPIs, network monitoring, procativecare | Responses

10 Lessons from Volleyball

By Peter on Monday, May 20

I've played volleyball for over 25 years. I have traveled around the US to watch the pros live - both indoor...

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Tagged hiring, strategy, volleyball

Emerging Threats Combats a Million Plus Pieces of New Malware a Week

By Rich Tehrani on Friday, May 17

There are 250,000 plus new pieces of malware being produced each day equating to one piece per person in the US in...

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Tagged emerging threats, interop, malware, security

NFV-Based Software Telcos Need OSS/BSS Interoperability

By Rich Tehrani on Friday, May 17

One of the goals of ETSI NFV is to allow new entrants to provide solutions to carriers based on software instead of...

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Tagged bss, carrier, ericsson, huawei, interoperability, nfv, nokia siemens networks, nsn, oss, sdn, software telco

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Balancing Security and Privacy Using 4G LTE Enabled Video Surveillance

Edited By Peter Bernstein on February 13, 2012

By Mae Kowalke

When it comes to public safety, how much oversight and surveillance is enough, and how much is too much? Where do you draw the line between safety and invasion of privacy? These are questions policymakers and law enforcement officials struggle with every day. There are usually no easy answers.

A good starting point is to look at the role technologies like video surveillance can play in public safety, and what applications such technologies are most effective for particularly for providing an adequate degree of situational awareness.

Video surveillance is very prevalent in the U.K. where the typical person is recorded 20 times a day. It is gaining ground in the U.S. where post-9/11 has made people feel less safe and created a desire to have their “guardians” always watching in public spaces. However, omnipresence for the sake of security has a price. It does invade personal privacy.

This concern has only grown as sophisticated video and network technologies like 4G LTE— which is increasingly the technology of choice for massively deployed machine-to-machine (M2M) monitoring solutions— enable video can be not just automatically captured but also quickly analyzed to, for example, use facial recognition to ID a person or check a license plate against records in a database.

Posted in Alcatel-Lucent Corporate News, Alcatel-Lucent Technology News, LTE, Next-Generation Communications, Security, Wireless

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Improving Network Efficiency with Preloaded evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS)

Edited By Peter Bernstein on February 13, 2012

By Mae Kowalke

One of the challenges faced by mobile network service providers deploying 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) is using it to deliver popular multimedia content to a mass audience in the most efficient and effective manner. In the past, operators had two options: unicast or broadcast.

For those unfamiliar with the terms, below is a brief description of each:

Unicast — the sending content to a single network destination, with a unique address. It is a one-to-one method of distribution. Traditionally, unicast has been when each individual recipient wanted or needed different content.
Broadcast — as the name implies, is sending the same content to all possible destinations, e.g., it is a one-to-many or one-to-all method of distribution. The obvious downside of broadcast is that everyone receives identical content.

Recently, a new technology call evolved multimedia broadcast multicast service (eMBMS) entered the scene. It makes possible the efficient broadcasting of content only to interested recipients. An added attraction is that eMBMS is highly scalable. It uses only a fraction of the capacity compared with unicast. This gives operators the best of both worlds: the flexibility of unicast and the efficiency of broadcast.

Posted in Alcatel-Lucent Corporate News, Alcatel-Lucent Technology News, Broadband, LTE, Next-Generation Communications, Research, Wireless

Tagged: 4G LTE, Alcatel-Lucent, broadcast, eMBS, evolved multimedia broadcast multicast service, preloading, unicast : Related Tags: broadcast multicast, multimedia broadcast, alcatel lucent, service embms, multicast service, content

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IMS Provides Eco-Efficiency Choices, Creates New Revenue Opportunities

Edited By Peter Bernstein on February 7, 2012

By Erin Harrison

Two opposing forces are driving the need for more efficient use of energy – the increased use of mobile device coupled with the power needed to sustain their use are necessitating that the telecom industry step up its efforts to improve eco-efficiency overall.

Given the trend of increased demands of today’s mobile users – and the proliferation of new and different end-user applications and devices – an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is a smart choice for service providers who are also looking for new revenue opportunities.

“Consumers are no longer content with a simple telephone; they want broadband and accessibility, wherever they are, on any device they choose. They want access to information, plus instant and reliable communications,” a recent whitepaper by Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), “Alcatel-Lucent IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS): Eco-efficiency Makes Economic Sense,” points out.

Posted in Alcatel-Lucent Corporate News, Alcatel-Lucent Technology News, Eco-sustainability, Next-Generation Communications, Research

Tagged: Alcatel-Lucent, Ben Verwaayen, IMS, IP Multimedia Subsystem, Service provider : Related Tags: alcatel lucent, service providers, whitepaper alcatel, environmental impact, revenue opportunities, alcatel

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LTE Service Provider Solution: Reduce Cost, Increase Efficiency with Evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS)

Edited By Peter Bernstein on February 6, 2012

By Mae Kowalke

Mobile network operators are always looking for new ways to more efficiently use their existing infrastructure without making large capital expenditures. With the explosion of tablets and smartphones, which will increasingly be used for a variety of video applications, streamed as well as interactive, use of a 4G LTE channel for delivering multicast services such as mobile TV is viewed as one way to do so. The reason is simple. It enables network operators to offer mobile TV without the need for additional expensive licensed spectrum and without requiring new infrastructure and end-user devices that might be required to unicast content.

A recent Alcatel-Lucent TechZine article, “eMBMS for More Efficient Use of Spectrum,” describes the enhancements to LTE specifications that have been standardized to accommodate rapidly changing user demands and concomitant network requirements. Evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) is now a multicast standard for 4G LTE precisely because it allows one-to-many distribution of video content.

Posted in Alcatel-Lucent Corporate News, Alcatel-Lucent Technology News, LTE, Research, Small Cells, Video, Wireless, ng Connect

Tagged: 3GPP Long Term Evolution, 4G, Alcatel-Lucent, IP multicast, LTE, Mobile network operator, Mobile television, Single-frequency network : Related Tags: broadcast multicast, multimedia broadcast, multicast service, alcatel lucent, session control, multicast

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Improving Safety for Train Passengers with Video Surveillance and Other Technology

Edited By Peter Bernstein on February 6, 2012

By Mae Kowalke

Sustaining a successful public transportation system, such as train service, depends on that system being both convenient and safe. For train passengers, especially women, safety (both actual and perceived) can be a major issue.

In a recent article in TRACKTALK, “What puts women off using the train?” Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Associate Dean at University of California Los Angeles’ School of Public Affairs and Urban Planning, shined a light on the critical role video surveillance and passenger information systems (PIS) can play in helping female travelers feel safe. As she noted, “Dark and deserted stations and trains are understandably off-putting and can encourage people to seek alternative means of transport, or even not travel at all, to avoid feeling threatened, or in some instances becoming a victim of crime.”

Posted in Alcatel-Lucent Corporate News, Alcatel-Lucent Technology News, Broadband, IP/MPLS, Next-Generation Communications, Research, Security

Tagged: ALcatel-Lucent, Critical WAN Infrastructure, passenger information systems, PIS, Train safety, video survellience : Related Tags: video surveillance, loukaitou sideris, train passengers, security staff, alcatel lucent, passengers

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Rich Communications Suite -- SP Tool to Monetize the New Social Conversation Experience

Edited By Peter Bernstein on January 30, 2012

By Mae Kowalke

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, service providers (SPs) are staying one step ahead by finding new and innovative ways monetize their offerings. For providers who recognize and leverage it effectively, the emerging new social conversation experience arising from the pervasive adaption and use of social media is proving to be a valuable tool in this endeavor.

Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) has been busy developing solutions for fixed and mobile SPs to help them leverage the evolution of social media. On the mobility side, much of this development has been focused on two technical projects—Rich Communication Suite (RCS) and RCS-enhanced (RCS-e)—led by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).

In a recent white paper, “Building a Social Conversation Experience with RCS and RCS-E,” Alcatel-Lucent researchers explain that RCS (developed in 2008) is intended to: “Leverage the global interoperability and ubiquity of existing voice services and Short Message Services (SMSs) and enrich them with Internet-type features more in line with user demand.”

Posted in A New Conversation Experience, Alcatel-Lucent Corporate News, Alcatel-Lucent Technology News, Broadband, Next-Generation Communications, Research, Web 2.0, Wireless

Tagged: Alcatel-Lucent, Instant messaging, new conversation experience, RCS, RCS-e, rich communications services, rich communications suite, Service provider, social media : Related Tags: social conversation, conversation experience, white paper, alcatel lucent, social media, social

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Mobile Application Assurance: The Ideal Business Engine

Edited By Peter Bernstein on January 29, 2012

By Susan Campbell

Many mobile services available to consumers today are perceived as commodity services. The assumption is that every provider offers the same thing at the same level of quality. The result is that those willing to go the extra mile in terms of customer service are often those deemed worthy of customer business.

This perception is driving a new focus in this space as providers seek methods for:

Improving monitoring
Personalizing the experience
Optimizing the network resources
Enriching the customer experience to drive loyalty

As captured in this Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) TechZine article, Mobile Application Assurance, the main focus for any service provider should be on advanced deep packet inspection (DPI) for doing the above.

Posted in Alcatel-Lucent Corporate News, Alcatel-Lucent Technology News, Broadband, LTE, Next-Generation Communications, Wireless

Tagged: deep packet inspection, DPI, LTE., Mobile Application Assurance, QoE, QoS, quality of experience, quality of service, service provider : Related Tags: service providers, mobile service, alcatel lucent, service provider, mobile application, mobile

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How Service Providers Can Capitalize on the Enterprise Cloud Market

Edited By Peter Bernstein on January 24, 2012

By Beecher Tuttle

With the demand for cloud services expanding rapidly, service providers are in a unique position to exploit new markets and generate new revenue, in addition to benefiting from the significant capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX) savings associated with a cloud infrastructure.

However, to fully capitalize on this market opportunity, service providers need to develop an accurate sense of current and future market conditions as well as enterprise attitudes and perceptions of the cloud.

In an effort to provide a more granular look at these conditions and attitudes Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) recently conducted a global study, “Soaring into the Cloud,” involving nearly 4,000 IT decision makers (ITDMs) from medium, large and multi-national companies.

ALU researchers found that 78 percent of companies are currently employing at least one cloud-based application, with organizations in tech, professional services and manufacturing/defense leading the way. Healthcare, government and education enterprises rely less on the cloud, but not by any significant margin.

Posted in Alcatel-Lucent Corporate News, Alcatel-Lucent Technology News, Broadband, Cloud

Tagged: Alcatel-Lucent, API, Application programming interface, cloud computing, cloud solutoins, CloudBand, service provider, Virtual machine : Related Tags: service providers, alcatel lucent, cloud services, mission critical, cloud based, cloud

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It Takes a Village to Deliver Rich Communications

Edited By Peter Bernstein on January 22, 2012

By Erin Harrison

As service providers (SPs) shift to all IP-networks, users expect features to become standardized. This gives SPs an opportunity to provide their customers a new conversation experience.

A recent Alcatel-Lucent Enriching Communications article, “RCS Success Requires Community-based Ecosystem,” highlighted how the market for Rich Communications Services (RCS) has changed based on two developments that have converged — accelerating deployment of wired and wireless end-to-end IP networks and the rapid rollout and adoption of rich communications applications and services.

Posted in A New Conversation Experience, Alcatel-Lucent Corporate News, Alcatel-Lucent Technology News, LTE, Next-Generation Communications, Wireless

Tagged: 4G LTE, Alcatel-Lucent, API, IMS, Internet Protocol, service provider : Related Tags: service providers, conversation experience, alcatel lucent, communications services, community based, services

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What 'Identity Shift' Means for Consumers and the Future of e-Commerce

Edited By Peter Bernstein on January 22, 2012

By Peter Bernstein

As active transactional individuals in the Internet age, here are a few questions to ponder for a moment.

How do we present ourselves to the world, or choose not to, and why?
What does our view and management of our multiple identities —on multiple physical, virtual (and where they intersect/converge/blur) platforms —tell us and others about predicting and/or leveraging our behavior?
Does where you are in your life matter?
In an age where dynamic context-based identity mediation will be paramount (for individuals and organizations alike), whom do we and can we trust and entrust with our identities?
How does trust factor into our purchasing decisions?

These are not existential questions. In fact, as pointed out in a previous blog, they are the subject of an important new book, Identity Shift : Where Identity Meets Technology in the Networked-Community Age, written by Alcatel-Lucent’s Allison Cerra and Christina James.

Posted in Alcatel-Lucent Corporate News, Alcatel-Lucent Technology News, Next-Generation Communications, Research, Web 2.0

Tagged: Alcatel-Lucent, Allison Cerra, CES, Christina James, CMO, Networked-Community Age, trust, Virtual world : Related Tags: virtual world, identity shift, buyer seller, represented percent, technologic change, identity

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