Wireless operators and those who supply them infrastructure spend a lot of time focusing on the ‘data storm’ and what they are doing to stay one step ahead of it. The goal is to deliver more data, faster, with a better customer experience and greater economies of scale than in the past. Thanks to Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, these goals are now within reach.

“According to the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), 4G LTE is the fastest developing mobile system technology ever,” said Maniam Palanivelu, director of global 4G LTE solutions marketing at Alcatel-Lucent, in an Enriching Communications article, “LTE: The Best Thing to Happen to Wireless Networks.”

Palanivelu cited GSA figures indicating there are now 49 commercial LTE networks in 29 countries, and that is forecasted to reach 119 networks in 53 countries by the end of 2012. Two hundred and eight-five operators in 93 countries are actively investing in LTE. In fact, the evolution toward 4G LTE is occurring in developing and developed markets alike.

“Operators in developing markets are using LTE to cost effectively bring the mobile Internet to areas that previously had no Internet access at all…In developed markets, premium data services, such as mobile video, gaming and business apps, need LTE’s big bandwidth and low latency,” Palanivelu explained.

For operators, the need to deliver more data is the driving force behind LTE adoption. Customers got a taste for data with 3G, and changed their behavior in response. With average consumption per device growing 14-20 fold, it is clear users want more data. They also are indicating they want it sooner rather than later.   The advertising push by service providers on who has the best and/or most extensive 4GLTE deployment demonstrates how critical expeditiously deploying not just 4G LTE but also Wi-Fi hotspots has become.  Make no mistake about the fact that operators are committing infrastructure dollars behind their marketing claims.  

The cellular carriers have it right about the imperatives for acting, Palanivelu says, “Now is the time for operators to seize this opportunity and profit from the growing data storm,” and LTE clearly is the technology they need to meet exploding demand. 

The article makes other compelling points about LTE that highlight its attraction. Delivering more data isn’t the only advantage. LTE also provides a graceful migration path to move to a scalable all-IP architecture.

“It no longer makes business or financial sense to run multiple disparate networks,” Palanivelu states.  He continues that, “To deliver the massive capacity required to serve the demand, today’s networks must change. Unlike 3G, LTE is all IP. It’s based on IPv6 which supports massive numbers of additional IP addresses and provides other improvements over IPv4. And it opens up access to new market segments like machine-to-machine.”

Although return on investment for LTE varies for each operator the path forward is clear.  Deployment is now no longer a question of if, but when, where, why and how. The proof cases are impressive.  

“The faster operators can bring LTE to market, the faster they can rise above the data storm to grow profitably and drive new revenues,” Palanivelu concluded. “Once they have the spectrum, there’s no reason to wait another day to invest in LTE and commercialize its vast potential.”  He could have added with a 4G iPhone on the way, and tablet sales creating a tsunami of demand for quality user experiences on devices of all shapes and sizes, failure to deploy LTE and correctly architect not just the network but the business model could be hazardous to one’s competitive health.  

Situational awareness is the perception of what is happening in one’s vicinity and understanding how information, events and actions will impact outcomes immediately and in the future. For public safety officials, situational awareness is achieved both through direct observations and through information conveyed by technology, often voice communications.

Voice communications is so ubiquitous in public safety, in fact, that one might think it’s the only means by which situational information is conveyed.

In a LifeTalk article, “Video is the Game Changer for Public Safety,” Philippe Agard, Vice President of Business Development at Alcatel-Lucent’s public safety division states that, “With the emphasis on voice radio, it’s easy to forget that voice is only one medium we use to communicate with one another, and not even the primary channel in face-to-face communications.”  He adds that, “Most experts will tell you that a relatively small portion of our message comes through in words, the remainder transmitted by tone, inflection, volume and body language.”

Voice communications is so ubiquitous for public safety because, until recently, it was the fastest and most reliable way to convey information to and from the field. Widespread deployment of 4G LTE wireless broadband networks is changing the game. These networks make it possible for public safety organizations to enrich their communications through tools like Alcatel-Lucent’s Striker vehicle communications system, featuring push-to-talk radio integrated with high definition video surveillance for a variety of devices including iPads and notebook computers. 

“Data from health-monitoring devices in the Striker vehicle could be transferred through the cloud to a doctor’s office or hospital,” Agard explains. “Using a secure LTE broadband base station in the vehicle, it also serves personnel when traveling in an area without cellular connectivity.”

The video surveillance component of Striker and other next-generation communications systems is perhaps the most transformative for public safety as can be seen in all of the resources available in the recent issue of LifeTalk. No longer are officials limited to communicating via a car radio. And, in fact, to keep pace with the way citizens are using wireless technology, officials must add more capabilities to their own arsenal to keep pace.

“Extended protests and demonstrations such as the current Occupy Wall Street movements in many U.S. cities are not the disorganized crowds of years past,” Agard says. “These groups employ scouts equipped with smartphones and social networks like Twitter and Google Maps to keep tabs on law enforcement units and each other.”

Freeing public safety officials from the limitations of vehicle radios, and adding the richness of video, means it’s possible to stay ahead of crowds, enhancing safety for everyone involved.

Using video surveillance as part of public safety communications, as in the Striker system, employs LTE wireless broadband to make sure everyone is seeing the same picture. This changes the game from ‘what-you-see-is-what-you-get’ to ‘what-I-see-is-what-you-see.’

Systems like Striker, designed specifically for public safety, are made more powerful by integrating consumer devices into the network.

“Smartphones and tablet computers can display the same maps, photographs or blueprints simultaneously to all the users on the network,” says Agard. He amplified this stating that, “When a Police chief says, ‘I need somebody here,’ he can point to a place and drop a pin on a Google Map, everyone will see the same thing without a doubt.”

Access to video, in other words, changes the entire fabric of incident management. It changes how people in the field respond to nearby events, and how remote commanders make decisions about deploying officers. Virtual briefings can be held anytime.

Alcatel-Lucent is working with public safety officials in the U.S. and elsewhere to deploy communications systems that include video. An expanded demonstration project in São Paulo, Brazil, is already having great success.

“With a 20-30 MB/sec LTE connection to a first responder, there is a tremendous opportunity to rapidly communicate a considerable amount of visual information like pictures and surveillance footage to improve their safety and situational awareness,” Agard summarized, describing how São Paulo’s Polícia Militar is using the technology.

The São Paulo system uses an application called First Responder Video to stream video in and out of police cars, over an LTE wireless broadband network. This provides a dynamic, real time user interface on first responders’ laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Portable assets like the Striker vehicle can be used to create a temporary wireless broadband network in cases where permanent LTE installations aren’t yet available.

Increasingly, LTE wireless broadband networks are taking public safety to the next level, and will become even more widespread before long.  “LTE is the new generation technology to increase responsiveness everywhere and enhance safety for everyone,” Agard concludes. Enriched communications and broader coverage via a cost-effective solution is the reason, and public safety officials around the world are taking notice. 

The idea that a company exists within the four walls of an office is quickly becoming antiquated. Today's enterprises are increasingly relying on remote workers – aka, “teleworkers” – to contribute to their core business.

The newfound prevalence of teleworking is due to a variety of factors, including recent advancements in technology, social trends and the sheer number of benefits that it can provide to both enterprises and their employees. These factors were recently referenced in a recent Enriching Communications posting, The Office is Not Always the Premises, by Bryan Davies, Director of Advanced Communications Solutions at Alcatel-Lucent (ALU).

Companies have begun to accept teleworking as a viable option because of its proven ability to help reduce costs. By hiring remote workers, enterprises can continue to grow in their current facility without needing to add office space or absorb an uptick in energy consumption. In addition, companies can reduce absenteeism by creating fewer impediments to an employee coming to work, says Davies.

But perhaps best of all, teleworking enables a company to recruit and retain top level talent from across the country and even the globe, rather than resigning themselves to hiring the best candidates within a 50-mile radius. Finally, hiring remote working can increase a company's operational reach, enabling them to retain employees in several different time zones and locales.

Looking past operational incentives, teleworking also provides a number of social benefits. Offering this option can take cars off the road, minimizing carbon emissions, and give commuting time back to each worker, further improving employee morale. Another contributing factor is the widespread adoption of social networking, which has made people more accustomed to online interactions.

Clearly, enterprises ready for teleworking  just need the technology and the broadband access necessary to make it happen.  As such, service providers are in a tremendous position to help enterprises succeed with teleworking helping to make enterprise more productive, flexible and profitable.

Service Providers Well-Positioned to Lend a Hand

Teleworkers cannot thrive with average technology or less than adequate connectivity. To exchange large assets and be mobile, remote employees require faster and more flexible wireless connections in addition to the obvious bandwidth requirements needed to support video telephony and conferencing.

As owners of evolving 4G LTE access networks, service providers are well-positioned to provide these necessary services to enterprises. Operators can tap into the trend of teleworking in a few different ways.

• Promote Cloud-Based Communications: Cloud services enable employees to work not just from home, but from any location with an Internet connection. Service providers have unique advantages in this area because, unlike other types of providers, they can guarantee a superior quality of service (QoS). Available carrier-provided cloud services include hosted IP-PBX, hosted IP Centrex and hosted unified communications solutions.
• Accelerate the Deployment of Video Telephony and Conferencing: These hosted communication solutions benefit enterprises – as they make remote interactions more personal – and service providers, who only need to enable one good connection at each location.
• Hosted Social Networks: By deploying hosted versions of social networking services, operators can help enterprises engage employees at a minimal cost of ownership. On-premise solutions, meanwhile, force enterprises to buy, configure and test servers.

Davies acknowledges that certain barriers do exist that are impeding the progress of teleworking, including employee fear, company culture, security and the lack of interpersonal communication.

However, the technology provided by operators and software vendors can help mitigate these barriers as they push to create a telework-friendly environment.

"Service providers can’t overcome all of the obstacles facing enterprises and remote workers. But with cloud services that encourage connectivity, flexibility and employee interaction, service providers can play an active role in encouraging the telework movement," says Davies.

Delivering high-quality, high-bandwidth business service connectivity at an economical price point is critical for today's service providers, who are being challenged by unremitting competition and ever-increasing subscriber traffic growth.

With this in mind, many forward-thinking operators have turned to Digital Subscriber Link (DSL) and Gigabit Passive Optical Networks (GPON) as access technologies for mobile backhaul (MBH) and business service delivery. These networks have been proven to provide high reliability and availability at a cost-effective price point using IP/MPLS backhaul.

The leading equipment provider in this space is Alcatel-Lucent, whose 7705 Services Aggregation Router (SAR) family provides an integrated set of DSL and GPON backhaul capabilities that can help service providers quickly and efficiently accommodate for business traffic growth. The portfolio enables operators to leverage their existing broadband access infrastructure, whether it be microwave, copper or fiber-based.

Operators can utilize the capabilities provided by Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) products to complement leased lines with DSL connections, or replace them completely using either DSL or GPON. The end result is the enablement of a high-performance network capable of addressing the increasing demand for broadband services, and without the need for a costly tear-down of existing infrastructure. The ALU mobile backhaul portfolio not only minimizes capital expenditures and operating expenses; it also provides unique avenues for innovative, revenue generating, value-added services.

The 7705 Services Aggregation Router family, "allows the promotion of business services and mobile backhaul transport via broadband access from a niche capability to a long-term, highly viable infrastructure for backhaul," says Alcatel-Lucent.

Alcatel-Lucent’s  success in the space has been well documented. The company was recently recognized as the leading global vendor in the Ethernet cell site gateway and Ethernet mobile backhaul router market for the first six months of 2011.

Looking to build on that success, ALU recently added to the family by unveiling new power-efficient, small footprint, high-performance 7705 SAR-M models, which ALU says provide additional network flexibility by supporting a variety of cell site access options.

"Alcatel-Lucent’s leadership in the mobile backhaul market combined with our deep understanding of networks operating in very different environments means that we can help operators evolve their offer to enter the mobile internet era and satisfy all their customers’ requirements," Philippe Keryer, President of the Networks Group at Alcatel-Lucent, noted back in October.

"The 7705 SAR-M forms part of our end-to-end mobile backhaul solution and complements our ground-breaking new lightRadio product family in supporting the swift delivery of the internet on the move, with the highest quality," he added.

Alcatel-Lucent says that there are two main scenarios where 7705 SAR-M can be employed with GPON or DSL infrastructure: the hybrid off-load scenario and the pure backhaul scenario.

Hybrid Off-Load Scenario

In the hybrid off-load scenario, service providers can continue to transmit voice and other mission-critical traffic over leased line infrastructure. Data traffic, meanwhile, will be moved to the more cost-effective DSL network. Or, operators can save even more money by migrating both data and voice and signaling traffic away from leased lines using the DSL combination module in the 7705 SAR-M. Essentially, the hybrid model keeps both options available.

Pure Backhaul Scenario

The pure backhaul option is the most cost-effective scenario. With this model, DSL or GPON network access links are used to aggregate all traffic to a DSLAM or OLT, thus enabling service providers to completely decommission their leased lines.  In either scenario, service providers can turbo-charge their networks while trimming their budgets.