By Mae Kowalke

In the quest to maximize competitiveness, network providers typically put most of their efforts into deploying and maintaining infrastructures capable of delivering advanced communication services. In other words, most of the investment is in technology.

That’s starting to shift somewhat as providers expand their focus on creating high quality of experience (QoE) through new business processes, too—like self-care portals and more detailed billing.

This is a step in the right direction, but more is needed.

“To achieve business objectives, increase competitiveness, and improve end user QoE network providers need to achieve a level of operational excellence — a philosophy of leadership, teamwork and problem solving resulting in continuous improvement throughout the organization — in all functional areas,” advises Alcatel-Lucent in a recently published white paper.

Traditionally, network operations, IT and customer care have been separate silos. Yet, together, these three make up about 36 percent of a typical provider’s operating expenses. Consolidating them can, therefore, have a significantly positive impact.

“A proper integration strategy supported by ongoing measurement and management will create a streamlined operational environment that improves competitiveness by focusing all business operations to deliver the highest QoE to end users at all times,” notes Alcatel-Lucent in its white paper.

The justification for such a transformation is, of course, the end-user.

“In a changing environment and increasingly competitive landscape, network providers have struggled to find the key to success. Approaches are as varied from one network provider to the next as are their networks.

By Mae Kowalke

Enterprises often tend to think that the network is one area with a lot of potential for cost savings—and they’re right. The trick is figuring out how to achieve the savings without negatively impacting network capabilities or going down a rabbit hole of upgrades with long-term ROI but significant short-term investment.

The key is something called convergence. A converged network saves the enterprise money and can actually make money too.

Converged networks offer eight specific advantages: they’re simpler to maintain, increase productivity, make more efficient use of real estate, align with eco-friendly initiatives, increase the mobility of workers, enhance user experience, make possible deployment of more robust applications, and can fully automate certain functions.

“Enterprises are forced to cut their spending budgets by reducing travel and minimizing expenses of all types,” noted Alcatel-Lucent in a recently published white paper. “To sustain financial viability and future growth, enterprises must also make money by seeking new and innovative business opportunities. “It is now feasible to implement multiple applications (such as voice, video, and data), increase speed of execution, and minimize costs with the implementation of a single converged network infrastructure.”

The reason a converged network is so advantageous is that is does away with complex, cumbersome infrastructures that have developed over time as enterprises added capabilities like video conferencing and data sharing, which typically require separate overlay networks built on top of older architecture.

“A converged network eliminates the complexity of multiple overlays, reduces the required CAPEX and OPEX, and increases employee productivity,” Alcatel-Lucent noted in its white paper.

By Mae Kowalke

In the three Rs of the environmental movement—reduce, reuse, recycle—reduce comes first because in the long run it’s less expensive to use fewer resources than to recover resources once they’ve already been used.

The same principle holds true in the area of energy. Technology that helps with energy efficiency might not seem as exciting as the development of renewable energy sources, but it can make a big difference in terms of cost and impact on the environment.

In its entry for energy conservation, Wikipedia points out that one way technology can help is by “allowing energy users, business and residential, to see graphically the impact their energy use can have on their workplace or homes,” and by providing smart metering solutions to help people change their energy use behaviors with minimal impact on their daily activities.

Communications technology company Alcatel-Lucent takes the idea of energy efficiency seriously, and is working with customers to help them achieve sustainability goals. Case in point: a solution being developed for Exelon Corporation’s electric and natural gas utility subsidiary PECO in Philadelphia, which will bring updated metering technology to 1.6 million Pennsylvania customers.

PECO is embarking on a ten-year metering technology upgrade project, and selected Alcatel-Lucent to build an IP-based optical communications network to support the system’s goal: give residential and commercial customers in southeastern Pennsylvania the information they need to effectively use and save energy.

“By deploying a network that combines optical, IP and microwave technology, PECO will have the ability to transmit mission critical data and applications to and from its control centers automatically, so customers can rapidly and efficiently control individual energy usage,” explained Eric Thomas, VP of Alcatel-Lucent’s strategic industries division for North America, in a statement to the press.

Alcatel-Lucent is providing a converged IP/MPLS network, a gigabit Ethernet switch designed for demanding operational environments, a microwave packet radio and long-haul system, and a portfolio of network integration services. Together, these will deliver service seamlessly across fiber and microwave technologies, and optimize service delivery regardless of operating conditions.

IP traffic engineering and design, circuit provisioning, maintenance services and project management will also be provided by Alcatel-Lucent.

Alcatel-Lucent’s mission to make a difference doesn’t end in the energy sector. The company also recently teamed up with nonprofit World Education in a $6 million global initiative (ConnnectED) to provide educational and digital skills training for children and teens in disadvantaged communities.

By Beecher Tuttle

Telecom giant Alcatel-Lucent and mobile radio solutions provider PowerTrunk recently wrapped up a very successful trial of a TETRA/LMR network (Terrestrial Trunked Radio/Land Mobile Radio).

The trial, which was the first of its kind to be completed in the United States, enabled New Jersey Transit buses to stay connected with operations personnel using next-generation voice and data technologies.

Formerly known as Trans-European Trunked Radio, TETRA is a digital trunked mobile radio standard that is commonly utilized in Europe and other locations outside of North America. Public-safety agencies, utilities and transportation companies in more than 100 countries currently embrace the technology, but New Jersey Transit is the first to do so in the U.S., Mexico or Canada.

The TETRA network was a strong fit for the nation's largest statewide transportation system because it is proven to provide higher data bandwidth than New Jersey Transit's current network, which is very limited and not spectrally efficient.