Ovidio Michelangeli

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PRESS-RELEASE---Survey-Shows-FTTH-Leads-Other-Broadband-Services-in-Bandwidth-Value--Consumer-Satisfaction.html?soid=1101500075726&aid=7Z6K_-hkfPg

2011-06-16T10:02:00.000+02:00

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PRESS-RELEASE---Survey-Shows-FTTH-Leads-Other-Broadband-Services-in-Bandwidth-Value--Consumer-Satisfaction.html?soid=1101500075726&aid=7Z6K_-hkfPg

OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS: Are 100G networks ready for prime time? - Laser Focus World

2011-02-24T15:08:00.000+01:00

OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS: Are 100G networks ready for prime time? - Laser Focus World

Mobile backhaul market to exceed $8 billion by 2015

2011-02-01T16:13:00.000+01:00

JANUARY 31, 2011 -- Mobile backhaul market revenues are expected to exceed $8 billion by 2015, according to a new market forecast report by Dell'Oro Group, provider of market information on the networking and telecommunications industries.
"The huge growth in bandwidth requirements, coupled with the transition to 4G IP-based cellular radio technologies will drive the mobile backhaul market over the next 5 years," says Loren Shalinsky, senior analyst at Dell'Oro Group. "The largest increase in mobile backhaul equipment revenues over the next 5 years will likely come from the Asia Pacific and EMEA regions, as these areas grow their cellular subscriber base, as well as prepare for next-generation cellular network technologies, like HSPA+ and LTE.”
The overall market will grow more than 40 percent in the next 5 years, while revenues for the routers and switches segment will more than double over the same period.
Dell'Oro Group’s new report tracks two key market segments: Transport, which includes microwave transmission and optical transport equipment, and Routers and Switches, which includes cell site devices, carrier Ethernet switches, and service provider edge routers used for IP-based mobile backhaul.
"Our approach in preparing this report included a bottoms up analysis of multiple factors and markets, including mobility infrastructure, carrier Ethernet switches, service provider edge routers, microwave transmission, and optical transport equipment, to name just a few," says Margaret Thum, chief operating officer at Dell'Oro Group.
Dell'Oro Group's mobile backhaul 5-year forecast offers a complete overview of the market with historical data from 2009, according to a company spokesperson. The forecast provides an overview of market trends and forecasts, including tables covering manufacturers' revenue, backhaul links, and average selling price forecasts for the Mobile Backhaul Transport and Mobile Backhaul Routers & Switches segments. The report also includes tables on worldwide and regional cellular subscribers and cell sites.

FTTH networking: Active Ethernet versus Passive Optical Networking and point-to-point vs. point-to-multipoint

2010-11-23T10:28:00.000+01:00

There are two broad choices for FTTH networking, based on the choice of topology and technology: Active Ethernet (AON) over point-to-point (p2p) networks and Passive Optical Networking (PON) over p2p or point-to-multipoint networks. In the Netherlands, Reggefiber seems to have pushed the market towards the former, but PON cannot be ruled out for future deployments. There is no consensus on which option is best, and even attributing cost advantages to PON, and bandwidth advantages to AON, is disputed. In this Research Brief, we juxtapose both options on a number of metrics: bandwidth, security, TV, open access, capex, opex and CPE. WDM-PON, a next-generation PON solution, appears to be promising, but is as yet not standardised and cost prohibitive for the mass consumer market. All in all, AON has a number of advantages, whereas the cost aspect of PON over p2mp could be somewhat more attractive. When the total cost of ownership, including the real option value associated with upgrading and the possibilities of switching technologies, is taken into account, a p2p network is more apt for reducing technology risks.

MPLS-TP – The New Technology for Packet Transport Networks

2010-10-21T15:53:00.006+02:00

The purpose of a transport network is to provide a reliable aggregation and transport

infrastructure for any client traffic type. With the growth of packet-based services,

operators are transforming their network infrastructures while looking at reducing capital

and operational expenditures. In this context, a new technology is emerging: a transport

profile of Multi-Protocol Label Switching called MPLS-TP. MPLS-TP is currently under

development at the IETF in collaboration with ITU-T experts.

The goal of MPLS-TP is to provide connection-oriented transport for packet and TDM

services over optical networks leveraging the widely deployed MPLS technology. Key to

this effort is the definition and implementation of OAM and resiliency features to ensure

the capabilities needed for carrier-grade transport networks – scalable operations, high

availability, performance monitoring and multi-domain support.

MPLS-TP key characteristics are:

· It is strictly connection oriented

· It is client-agnostic (can carry L3, L2, L1 services)

· It is physical layer agnostic (can run over IEEE Ethernet PHYs, SONET/SDH

[G.783] and OTN [G.709],[G.872] using GFP [G.7041], WDM, etc.)

· It provides strong operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) functions

similar to those available in traditional optical transport networks (e.g.,

SONET/SDH, OTN); these OAM functions are an integral part of the MPLSTP

data plane and are independent from the control plane

· It provides several protection schemes at the data plane similar to those

available in traditional optical transport networks.

· It allows network provisioning via a centralized NMS and/or a distributed

control plane

· The GMPLS control plane is also applicable to the MPLS-TP client or server

layers and allows to use a common approach for management and control of

multi-layer transport networks

Current transport networks (e.g. SONET/SDH) are typically operated from a network

operation center (NOC) using a centralized network management system (NMS) that

communicates with the network elements (NEs) in the field via the telecommunications

management network (TMN, see ITU-T Recommendation M.3010 [M.3010]). The NMS

provides well-known FCAPS management functions which are: fault, configuration,

accounting, performance, and security management as defined in ITU-T

Recommendation M.3400 [M.3400]. Together with survivability functions such as

protection and restoration, availability figures of >99,999% have been achieved thanks

to the highly sophisticated OAM functions that are existing e.g. in SONET/SDH

transport networks. This well proven network management paradigm has been taken as

basis for the development of the new MPLS-TP packet transport network technology.

Moreover, MPLS-TP provides dynamic provisioning of MPLS-TP transport paths via a

control plane. The control plane is mainly used to provide restoration functions for

improved network survivability in the presence of failures and it facilitates end-to-end

path provisioning across network or operator domains. The operator has the choice to

enable the control plane or to operate the network in a traditional way without control

plane by means of an NMS. It shall be noted that the control plane does not make the

NMS obsolete – the NMS needs to configure the control plane and also needs to interact

with the control plane for connection management purposes.

History of MPLS-TP Standardization

MPLS-TP started as Transport-MPLS at the ITU-T (see G.81xx series of ITU-T

Recommendations), which was renamed to MPLS-TP based on the agreement that was

reached between the ITU-T and the IETF to produce a converged set of standards for

MPLS-TP.

MPLS Standardization Efforts at the ITU-T

Transport-MPLS (T-MPLS) was a standardization effort that was undertaken by the

ITU-T. It is a packet-based transport network that will provide a key evolution path for

next-generation networks reusing a profile of existing MPLS as defined by IETF and

complementing it with transport-oriented OAM and protection capabilities. T-MPLS

promises multi-service provisioning, multi-layer OAM and protection resulting in

optimized circuit and packet resource utilization.

ITU-T approved the first version of its packet transport recommendation called

Transport MPLS (T-MPLS) Architecture in 2006. By 2008, the technology had reached

the stage where some vendors started supporting T-MPLS in their optical transport

products. At the same time, the IETF was working on a new mechanism called Pseudo

Wire Emulation Edge-to-Edge (PWE3) that emulates the essential attributes of a service

such as ATM, TDM, Frame Relay or Ethernet over a Packet Switched Network (PSN),

which can be an MPLS network [RFC3916].

A Joint Working Group (JWT) was formed between the IETF and the ITU-T to achieve

mutual alignment of requirements and protocols.

MPLS-TP Standardization Efforts at the IETF

On the basis of the JWT activity, it was agreed that future standardization work will

focus on defining MPLS-Transport Profile (MPLS-TP) within the IETF using the same

functional requirements that drove the development of T-MPLS. When MPLS-TP RFCs

will have reached a technical maturity level comparable with the existing T-MPLS

Recommendations,, the ITU-T will align the latter with the MPLS-TP accomplishments

from the IETF.

more...more...more

Reference: MPLS-TP – The New Technology for Packet Transport Networks

Dieter Beller, Rolf Sperber

FS/O/PDL, FS/R/VP

Alcatel-Lucent Deutschland AG

Lorenzstraße 10

D-70435 Stuttgart

Dieter.Beller@alcatel-lucent.com

Rolf.Sperber@alcatel-lucent.de

The backhaul network with microwave routers

2010-10-18T16:17:00.001+02:00

The backhaul network usually includes a large number of microwave links. These microwave links are quickly rolled out, cost efficient versus cable layout and the preferred solution in areas where there is little fixed infrastructure (for instance in remote areas or emerging countries).

With packet based solutions, the network no longer needs to be a hierarchical network as was the case with traditional TDM technology. Operators can now roll out flat IP networks, such as meshed or routed backhaul network, getting the associated benefits, particularly in terms of better bandwidth optimisation and enhanced network availability...more

Team demonstrates 40 Gigabit Ethernet long-haul optics

2010-10-14T17:16:00.000+02:00

A team composed of Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN), Mellanox Technologies (NASDAQ: MLNX; TASE: MLNX), SURFnet, and the University of Amsterdam have demonstrated a serial long-haul 40 Gigabit Ethernet (40GbE) network. The demonstration was shown for the first time at the Global Lambda Integrated Facility (GLIF)’s 10th annual Global LambdaGrid Workshop at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland. Read More

Vimpelcom and Orascom the new TLC giant

2010-10-05T13:55:00.008+02:00

Norwegian-Russian telecoms firm, Vimpelcom announced yesterday that it signed a deal with Egyptian billionaire, Naguib Sawiris, to buy all of Italian mobile operator, Wind, as well as a majority stake in Egypt’s Orascom Telecom.

According to a statement by Vimpelcom this agreement will establish the world’s fifth largest mobile telecoms carrier in terms of subscribers, with expected revenue of $21.5 billion. Vimpelcom will own 51.7% share in Orascom and 100% in Wind.

The shares are being acquired from Weather Investments, a holding company of Sawiris, one of the richest men in the Middle East, with an estimated fortune of $2.5 Billion.

The total value of the acquisition has not been announced, but Russian business daily, Vedomosti, estimated the value at $6.4 billion.

As part of the agreement, Weather Investments will receive a 20% economic stake and a 18.5% voting stake in the new Vimpelcom group.

The cash shares transaction also includes a $1.8 billion cash payment.

Vimpelcom is a joint venture of Norwegian telecoms firm, Telenor, and Russian banking group, Alfa, which was established in 2009 after a prolonged squabble between the two companies. Vimpelcom has licenses for operation across Russia, where it owns top operator, Beeline. It also operates in Ukraine as well as the entire territories of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Vietnam and Combodia.

100 GBE- The future of Ethernet

2010-09-17T15:29:00.002+02:00

The development of 100GbE, like 10GbE and 1GbE

before it, is being driven by bandwidth exhaustion.

At first glance, the development cycle of 100GbE

seems to mirror earlier 10GbE and 1GbE efforts, but

there are several key areas where 100GbE breaks

new ground. For the first time, the bandwidth of the

data stream is on the same scale as color channel

spacing. Thus, new spectrally efficient modulation

techniques can be employed. Also, MAC and PHY data

rates have been separated. Any PHY rate can be

used, enabling efficient channelization. For the first

time, a new Ethernet standard has been optimized for

networking and computing applications. On the

surface, 100GbE is just the latest speed boost for

Ethernet, but if you dig deeper you will find that

100GbE offers much more. Read on to discover the

promise of 100GbE....more

E-Band MMW communication systems

2010-08-24T16:32:00.005+02:00

The 71-76 and 81-86 GHz bands (widely known as "e-band") are permitted worldwide for ultra high capacity point-to-point communications. The 10 GHz of spectrum available represents by far the most ever allocated at any one time, enabling fiber-like gigabit per second (Gbps) and greater data rates that cannot be achieved at the bandwidth-limited lower microwave frequency bands. E-band propagation characteristics are comparable to those at the widely used microwave bands, and with well characterized weather characteristics allowing rain fade to be understood, link distances of several miles can confidently be realized.

The E-Band MMW communication systems provide carrier grade performance for gigabit and multi-gigabit throughputs achieving link distances over several miles.

E-Band technology provides solutions for interconnection and backhaul of 4G, mobile networks, Gigabit Ethernet access network connections, last mile access, fiber backup, and network extension applications.

Main Features:

Full duplex wire speed Gigabit Ethernet
Typical link distances exceeds 1.5 Miles/2.5 Km for 99.99% availability
Low Latency for multimedia applications
Interference free operation
Rapid Licensing
Simple installation and maintenance using PC or PDA
Supports multiple network architectures including:

Point-to-Point
Mesh
Star
Ring

More details can be found in Eband

iPAD price

2010-05-11T11:38:00.006+02:00

Friday 28 May will start the selling of iPAD in Italy ,Australia,Canada,France,Germany,japan,Spain;UK,Switzerland.
The price is the following:

Only wi-fi:

€499 with 16GB,

€599 with 32GB,

€699 with 64GB

Wi-fi + 3G
€599 with 16GB

€699 with 32GB

€799 with 64GB

Telecom Italia 1Q 2010 financial Results

2010-05-10T20:10:00.002+02:00

Telecom Italia 1Q 2010 financial results

Source : Telecom Italia Website

Google's FTTH Experiment Could Profoundly Reshape US Wireline Landscape

2010-05-10T15:46:00.000+02:00

Google Announces its Fiber-to-the-Home Experiment
On Feb. 10, search-engine giant Google announced it was launching a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) experiment to connect between 50,000 and 500,000 U.S. residential users with 1 Gbps Internet service. The announcement came as a surprise to many who thought that after Google’s lackluster success in municipal Wi-Fi in the mid-’00s, the Mountain View, Calif., company would never again dabble in access infrastructure. The announcement and its stated aims suggest, however, that if Google’s endeavors are successful, they could profoundly reshape the U.S. wireline landscape in terms of policy, regulation and even industry structure.
Google’s Experiment Defined
Google’s announcement is very succinct and seemingly explicit, but it also leaves much unsaid. Google rarely announces new products or services before they are market-ready, but in the case of the deployment of an experimental network, of course, this is not possible. As a consequence, Google has been explicit about its goals, but not about how it intends to get there. In addition, Google might be cautious about handing over too much ammunition to established incumbent wireline service providers for whom the initiative represents a clear and present danger.
What we do know is that Google aims to deploy an FTTH infrastructure with the capacity to deliver 1 Gbps service to between 50,000 and 500,000 end-users in one or more communities in the U.S. Google

Fastweb, Vodafone and Wind combine for national network, FTTH in Italy

2010-05-10T15:23:00.002+02:00

MAY 10, 2010 -- Italian competitive carriers Fastweb, Vodafone, and Wind have announced a collaborative plan to construct a national fiber network in Italy. The three carriers also launched the first trial of an open-access fiber to the home (FTTH) network in a district of Rome.The current plan covers 15 major Italian cities within five years, with an investment of approximately 2.5 billion euros. In a second phase, the plan may be extended to cover towns with more than 20,000 inhabitants, reaching about 50% of the Italian population with a total investment of 8.5 billion euros, according to the principals.The three carriers says the project is open to all public and private institutions, including incumbent Telecom Italia, willing to share in the investment.Use of the open access network will be available to all interested operators, the three carriers promise, under what they described as a “fair and non-discriminatory” basis.The pilot project will be launched in the Collina Fleming section of Rome, and aims to deliver all-optical connections to 7,000 homes by this July. The trial is open to other interested participants and aims to demonstrate the efficiency of an open access fiber infrastructure.

NGNA in Italy.Caio Report

2010-01-04T11:12:00.001+01:00

Francesco Caio ,Italian government adviser, has suggested three options to spur Italy's broadband ambitions, one of which could involve a spinoff of Telecom Italia's fixed-line network, a source familiar with the matter said.The report, which is non-binding, comes as Italy seeks to roll out a nationwide high-speed fibre-optic network...more

WDM PON

2009-12-23T21:47:00.000+01:00

Thought by many to be the next thing in FTTH, WDM PON (Wave Division Multiplexing Passive Optical Network) provides the dedicated bandwidth of a point-to-point network with the fiber sharing inherent in PON networks. Not a standard today, WDM PON is not yet fully defined, but carriers and vendors expect up to 32 subscribers to be served by a single WDM PON access fiber.
The WDM PON architecture is identical to that of EPON and GPON (and their 10G versions) FTTH architectures. However, instead of a splitter, WDM PON has an Arrayed WaveGuide (AWG) filter that separates the wavelengths for individual delivery to subscriber ONTs....more

Passive Optical Network

2009-12-23T21:40:00.004+01:00

A passive optical network (PON) is a point-to-multipoint, fiber to the premises network architecture in which unpowered optical splitters utilizing Brewster's angle principles are used to enable a single optical fiber to serve multiple premises, typically 32-128. A PON consists of an optical line terminal (OLT) at the service provider's central office and a number of optical network units (ONUs) near end users. A PON configuration reduces the amount of fiber and central office equipment required compared with point to point architectures...more...
Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) is standardized by the ITU in its G.984 series. It is used around the world for FTTH and in the US is thought to be the successor to BPON. 10G GPON is covered in another article.
The ITU GPON standard allows up to 2.488Gbps symmetric transmission, but almost all GPON systems are 2.488Gbps down/1.244Gbps up. Downstream from the OLT to the ONTs is broadcast with an ONT grabbing only traffic addressed to it. Upstream is Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) with each ONT transmitting in turn....more

Capex and Opex P2P vs GPON

2009-12-23T21:20:00.004+01:00

Comparing Capex and Opex of Active versus passive architectures...more....more..more...more

The Next Phase of broadband in UK.Caio report

2009-12-23T14:28:00.001+01:00

The focus of this review is the development of Next Generation Access (NGA) in
the UK. For industry participants – telecom operators, broadcasters, technology
vendors, media companies – this is very much a live issue. These players are
very interested in, and knowledgeable about, NGA and have proved eager to
contribute to this review. Their future depends, increasingly, on the role they
will play in the development of this new infrastructure and on the rules that will
govern their access to it....more

Next Generation Bandwidth is ready

2009-12-23T14:16:00.003+01:00

Next-generation bandwidth is here and now!
A quiet revolution in broadband is underway. Across North America, a rapidly growing number of households are connecting directly into fiber optic networks, and thereby tapping into a new generation of high-bandwidth applications and services. Fiber to the home networks now pass more than 15 percent of the homes on the continent, with more than five million households now receiving Internet, telephone and/or cable television services on direct fiber connections. We are the Fiber-to-the-Home Council, a non-profit association consisting of providers of FTTH services and other companies involved in planning and building FTTH networks....more...more
Essentially, there are three fundamental architectures for delivering fiber directly to a subscriber’s house: point-to-point, switched, and Passive Optical Network (PON)....more

Apple to launch cheaper 3G iPhone in 22 countries

2008-06-10T17:15:00.001+02:00

Apple Inc. took dramatic steps to boost sales of its iPhone handset, offering an aggressively priced new model that surfs the Internet at higher speeds and dropping its insistence on revenue-sharing with wireless carriers.
WSJ's Walt Mossberg says Apple's new 3G iPhone includes major improvements -- higher Web-surfing speed, lower cost and applications created by third-party developers. He also discusses the device's shortcomings, including its camera. (June 9)
The moves are an acknowledgment by the Cupertino, Calif., company that the original iPhone was too pricey for the mass audience, especially in a weakening economy. Apple said it will halve the entry price for the new iPhone 3G to $199 in the U.S. and abroad, compared with the $399 starting price for the current iPhone. In an interview, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said the iPhone could even be free to consumers in some countries outside the U.S. if they commit to richer wireless plans with carriers...more

3G iPhone set to boost mobile TV market

2008-05-30T11:12:00.004+02:00

When Apple launches its 3G iPhone, the company has an opportunity to have a significant impact on the mobile TV market. The iPhone could provide a compelling mobile TV and video proposition before mobile broadcasting networks become widely available, allowing it to become the mobile video delivery device of choice for many consumers.
Many MNOs are already offering mobile TV services, mainly using 3G streaming to deliver programmes to mobile subscribers. These 3G-based services are constrained by lack of coverage, poor quality of service relative to customer expectations (with low data rates of about 128kbit/s) and significant 3G capacity limitations (as 3G networks can generally only support relatively low penetrations of mobile TV users).
Most MNOs expect to enhance their mobile TV services through the use of dedicated mobile TV broadcasting networks, such as DVB-H. However, it may take many years for these to become widely available, because of the time taken to roll out extensive networks. It will also take time for MNOs to make content and a range of handsets available.
While much attention has been paid to various iPhone service innovations (for example, email, ‘bubble’ SMS, Web browsing and music playback), less has been paid to the iPhone’s ability to deliver attractive mobile TV and video services. Early market research shows that many iPhone owners have already accessed TV and video content, with greater frequency than subscribers using other types of mobile handsets. With added 3G capability, the iPhone will bring a number of highly-attractive attributes to the mobile TV market.. More

DVB - T for mobile TV?

2008-05-29T17:21:00.000+02:00

Korean vendor LG has introduced a handset that threatens to remove operators from the mobile TV value chain, according to a Reuters report. The LG HB620T taps straight into existing TV broadcasts, meaning that operators could lose out on broadcast revenues from services streamed over 3G networks or on dedicated mobile broadcasting platforms. The Reuters report notes that the handset has already gone on sale in Germany, and a similar model (T600) from Taiwanese vendor Gigabyte is also in the launch phase. "We think this is going to be a trend in Europe," Yannick Levy, head of French mobile TV chip manufacturer DiBcom, told the news agency.
The new phones use the digital television signal being broadcast for TV sets, known as DVB-T. This is a new standard facing an already fragmented mobile TV market. Nokia and other European players (including the European Commission) are pushing DVB-H, while Asian and US vendors have pushed technologies like DMB and Qualcomm's MediaFLO. Analysts believe DVB-T could threaten such mobile TV alternatives. "This poses a new challenge for a business which faces too many challenges already," Jari Honko, an analyst with eQ Bank, told Reuters. Neil Mawston, an analyst at Strategy Analytics, said that mobile DVB-T was a threat to the dedicated mobile TV network format in Europe and parts of Asia "because it gives operators another reason to delay" introducing the format.

Mobile data revenue will double by 2012

2008-04-14T15:56:00.001+02:00

Pyramid Research estimates that mobile data will account for 29% of global mobile service revenue in 2012, up from 19% in 2007. Clearly, the mobile data opportunity is soaring: mobile data revenue in 2007 was more than double what it was in 2004, and we expect it to double again to US$300bn in 2012. The new report published by Pyramid Research,Mobile Data Best Practices: Positioning and Revenue Opportunities in Emerging and Developed Markets, finds the following:
Mobile data revenue is larger in developed markets but will grow faster in emerging ones.
Compared with emerging markets, data ARPS (average revenue per subscriber) is five times higher in developed nations, and the difference gets even greater in those markets where operators provide flat-rate data bundles and promote 3G.
SMS will continue to generate the highest share of global mobile data revenue through 2012 and will make a larger impact in emerging markets.

Contactless mobile payments

2008-02-19T11:20:00.005+01:00

The concept of leveraging wireless smartcard technology to transform the mobile into a payment device has been around for ages, as has the technology to actually make it work. The hard part is, pretty much, everything else besides the actual smartcard - that is, the complicated ecosystem of operators, manufacturers, banks, credit card companies, retail merchants and regulatory framework that has to be in place.
Now that NTT DoCoMo's Osaifu-Keitai service has shown the rest of the world it can be done - and that operators will still have a role to play in POS transactions - various players spent much of 2007 laying the groundwork to make contactless mobile payments happen on a global scale.
Credit card giants Visa and MasterCard launched numerous trials with their respective payWave and PayPass technologies. And both are working with the GSM Association's "Pay Buy Mobile" initiative, which aims to promote development of an ecosystem of NFC-based UICC cards (like SIMs, but designed to run secure, compartmentalized payment apps) and TSMs (trusted service managers) to govern the provisioning transactions.
Whether the GSMA can connect the necessary dots to make contactless mobile payments a global reality is up for debate, but it has 35 operators on board for the Pay-Bu-Mobile initiative, 11 of which launched live trials in November last year. Even if the trials get off to a lackluster start, at least the ball will be rolling, and that may be all we really needed. Either way, the tipping point for contactless mobile payments begins here.

Source : america's network

Worldwide BWA/WiMax Deployments

2008-02-12T16:46:00.000+01:00

WiMAX Subscribers to Exceed 100 Million by 2014.WiMAX and LTE Converge upon 4G Technologies and Markets

2008-02-08T11:35:00.000+01:00

Maravedis forecasts WiMAX subscribers to exceed 100 million by 2014. WiMAX chipsets will start to be embedded in laptops in the second half of 2008, into handheld devices in 2009, and into consumer electronics by early 2010.
On the technology side, Maravedis confirms that both WiMAX and LTE are converging upon 4G service capabilities, which include seamless hand-over, Quality of Service (QoS), security, high-level network architecture, user authentication and billing across similar but still incompatible low-level interface networks.
According to Nokia and Ericsson, LTE may enter the market as early as late 2009. However, LTE’s primary market, 3G operators, will be unlikely to adopt LTE until 2012-2014. “While LTE appears to have the decisive volume advantage, that lag between 3G evolution and the next generation mobile network will greatly benefit WiMAX. Delays in realizing WiMAX Forum Certified products based on IEEE 802.16e-2005 during 2007 didn’t slow infrastructure or device manufacturers from introducing both traditional and innovative solutions. As predicted by Maravedis, more than 100 Mobile WiMAX devices have been announced or made available commercially.Multi-band, multi-protocol devices along with mobile internet devices, ultra-mobile personal computers, and personal navigation devices with embedded WiMAX will be the first WiMAX Forum Certified devices, expected during 2008.

Wireless Technologies Overview

2008-02-06T15:28:00.000+01:00

Need to have a Standard for supporting the deployment of femtocells

2008-02-06T10:51:00.000+01:00

NEC Corporation (NEC) and Kineto Wireless today announced their proposal for enabling the mobile industry to quickly define a standard for supporting the deployment of femtocells. The joint proposal, based on the existing 3GPP GAN (Generic Access Network) standard, has been contributed to the 3GPP standards body as part of a femtocell study currently in progress.
While lack of an agreed standard is not expected to delay the commercial deployment of femtocells, it is well understood in the femtocell industry that a formal standard is required before the market can achieve mass market success....more

Carriers are slowing the IMS Rollout

2008-01-25T14:49:00.000+01:00

While the migration to IMS appears to be in the cards, the exact time frame of adoption by most service providers is not clear. There has been progress on the standardization front, with initiatives by bodies such as the 3GPP/3GPP2, ETSI Tispan and efforts such as A-IMS and interoperability testing by the IMS Forum and other industry forums. However, the market development has occurred at a slower pace than originally anticipated. The reasons for this slower uptake are manifold:

- Service providers are still adjusting to the business case – in a Frost & Sullivan survey conducted earlier this year1, roughly 33 percent of operators raised questions about the value proposition and sales pitch of IMS

- Operators are still coping with how they should migrate their networks and services to IMS
IMS standardization efforts are ongoing, therefore service providers believe that it is better to wait until things become more settled

- Other "high rider" caveats mentioned included the lack of openness of IMS (i.e. the proprietary nature of some of the solutions available in today's marketplace) and the need for more interoperability testing.

Service providers are realizing that the move to IMS will be a gradual transition over time, entailing the interplay of different network applications, technologies and protocols as the networks evolve.......more

Since IMS requires new network infrastructure, some carriers recently have been slowing down their rollout plans because of the costs and complexity. Among the recent ones was France Telecom (FT), an IMS advocate that decided last fall to do a phased-in deployment of the technology. FT’s mobile arm, Orange, has said it will pursue a fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) strategy built around Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA).....more

Telecommunications Predictions 2008

2008-01-24T15:44:00.000+01:00

According to the Deloitte 10 emerging trends sure to have a major influence on the telecommunications sector

1) From credit crunch to communications crisis — will the global contraction of credit provoke a crisis in 2008?
2) Capitalizing on the $10 mobile phone — the major opportunity for the $10 phone may be the market for machines, rather than for people.
3) Incumbents converting threats into opportunities — while the threat of disruption has frequently come and gone, many underlying technologies survive.
4) Giving mobile GPS direction — this year could see that mobile could fit better into GPS than GPS into mobile phones.
5) Exploiting new media’s growing need for communication — this year will likely see digital communications becoming more varied, vibrant and vital to the way we live than ever before.
6) Getting mobile indoors may spur network sharing — the need for improved indoor network mobile coverage is likely to be increasingly important for operators.
7) Gray is good - the ROI from making telecommunications accessible to all — creating products that are usable by older generations and the younger generations – rather than focusing mainly on the needs of the younger generations – will also contribute greatly to corporate social responsibility.
8) The rising power of emerging market mobile operators — cellular mobile operations in emerging markets look set for high growth in 2008 and operators in developed countries should therefore move quickly if they wish to compete in these markets.
9) Questioning the need for speed — the debate over how fast is fast enough in the telecommunications sector is likely to be as vigorous in 2008 as ever.
10) GSM comes of age — on 7 September 2008, GSM comes of age...more

DSL port shipments down 9% in 3Q07

2008-01-24T10:59:00.000+01:00

According to Infonetics Research’s latest Broadband Aggregation Hardware and Subscribers report, worldwide DSL port shipments are down 9% in 3Q07 from the previous quarter, and overall broadband aggregation hardware revenue is down 12% to $1.4 billion.

Other report highlights:
IP DSLAM deployments continue to accelerate, although experiencing some softness in 3Q07; VDSL ports on IP DSLAMs jumped 46% in 3Q07, as providers around the world upgrade their networks to deliver new IP services such as VPNs, VoIP, and IPTV.
The number of worldwide DSL subscribers are forecast to grow steadily each year through 2010, when it will top 318 million, despite DSL network rollout slow downs
Alcatel-Lucent continues to lead the worldwide broadband aggregation market, holding the #1 position in DSLAMs in all regions except APAC, where Huawei remains the leader
Nearly 3/4 of all broadband aggregation hardware revenue hails from EMEA and Asia Pacific together ...more

The confusion of Web 2.0 and Web.3.0 definition

2008-01-23T14:04:00.000+01:00

Many definitions... more confusion!!

Web 2.0 Definition

"Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform."
by Tim O'Reilly
"Web 2.0 is a knowledge-oriented environment where human interactions generate content that is published, managed and used through network applications in a service-oriented architecture."
By Dario de Judicibus

Web 3.0 Definition

Web 3.0 is defined as the creation of high-quality content and services produced by gifted individuals using Web 2.0 technology as an enabling platform. Source; Calacanis.com

More Info on Web 2.0 vs WEb 3.0

LTE on Target with Specifications Approval by 3GPP

2008-01-22T08:53:00.000+01:00

With the recent approval of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology specifications by the leading global wireless standards organization 3GPP, LTE is on target and continuing its momentum as the next phase of technology development for the GSM family of technologies.
3GPP LTE is the evolution of UMTS/HSPA and will utilize Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) technology, also used in other technologies such as UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband) and mobile WiMAX. LTE uses advanced antenna techniques such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), which will allow operators to achieve even higher peak throughputs in higher spectrum bandwidth. LTE radio technology is optimized to enhance networks by enabling significant new high capacity mobile broadband applications and services.
The LTE Terrestrial Radio Access Network technology specifications will be under change control, and included in the forthcoming 3GPP Release 8.”

LTE capabilities include:

Downlink peak throughput data rates up to 326 Mbps with 20 MHz bandwidth
Uplink peak throughput data rates up to 86 Mbps with 20 MHz bandwidth
Scalability to operate in a wide range of bandwidths from 1.4 - 20 MHz
Operability in both TDD and FDD modes
Reduced latency, to 10 milliseconds round-trip time between user equipment and the base station, and to less than 100 milliseconds transition time from inactive to active.

More info.

GPS Devices and Systems Will Surpass 900 Million Unit Shipments by 2013

2008-01-21T16:21:00.000+01:00

While in-car navigation will remain the most important application of GPS technology, the use of GPS in many other consumer, business, and industrial environments such as telematics and asset tracking will continue to grow.
The GPS modernization project and the arrival of additional Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as GLONASS, Galileo, and Beidou/Compass will increase the availability, reliability, and precision of satellite positioning and stimulate the location ecosystem, expanding the market to more than 900 million units by 2013.“Personal Navigation Devices for in-car use will be increasingly complemented by converged solutions based on GPS-enabled handsets for pedestrian navigation and Location Based Services,” says ABI Research principal analyst Dominique Bonte. “However, GNSS technologies will have to be combined with other positioning solutions such as A-GPS, Wi-Fi, and dead reckoning to address the indoor coverage issue. Dedicated GPS devices will remain the preferred option for specific applications and environments such as outdoors, marine, recreational aviation, and tracking of people and animals.”...more

Satellite Backhauling in the Mobile Networks

2008-01-18T15:41:00.000+01:00

Constantly rising demand for cellular services combined with under-developed terrestrial infrastructure presents a substantial opportunity for the satellite industry. The potential is particularly high in Africa, Asia and South America, with mobile operators in these regions increasingly turning to satellite to deploy their cellular networks outside major cities. "While sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia are the key markets for satellite backhaul today, the focus is now moving to south and central Asia," notes the analyst of this research service. "These regions are expected to experience strong growth driven by network expansion into rural areas of India and China, and are poised to become the biggest market for satellite backhaul by 2010." In fact, high levels of cellular technology penetration in all major cities and most big towns are driving mobile operators to proactively target rural and far-flung areas in an attempt to create new growth avenues. A major challenge in this respect is the need to lower operating expense (OPEX) since the communities served in these areas would typically be low-income ones. Internet protocol (IP) solutions have played a key role in making this possible by enabling a new wave of bandwidth reduction methods. Bandwidth Reduction Combined with Innovative Technologies will Reduce Costs and Fuel Further Growth Recent developments in bandwidth reduction have helped bring down satellite backhaul expenses considerably, by almost 80 percent. This has significantly increased the appeal of satellite connectivity for many cellular operators, since it is proving to be more cost-effective than terrestrial fiber or microwave technologies. In fact, satellite connectivity combined with innovative technologies such as distributed local switching and pico-cells now represent one of the most cost-efficient ways of taking the cellular revolution to remote rural locations. However, with competition from terrestrial solutions fast increasing, the challenge for satellite backhaul solution providers will be to rapidly deploy these next-generation technologies, as only this can give them the competitive edge they need to succeed in the long term. "Next-generation distributed switch architectures hold enormous potential in winning the battle against terrestrial backhaul solutions," says the analyst. "In order to get ahead of microwave backbones and into the remote villages of less than 500 inhabitants, distributed switch technology is the only viable long-term option."

I - Direct for instance provide a cost effective backhauling solution for GSM network in the remote and sparsely populated areas. Also Cisco provide a Satellite Backhaul Optimization for GSM and UMTS network.

Source :
Frost & Sullivan Research

Will mobile advertising revenue be able to replace declining ARPU from voice?

2008-01-18T11:01:00.000+01:00

Mobile advertising markets are increasingly seen as future sources of operator growth, but need to get realistic about this. The telecom market, fixed plus mobile, is about $2,000 billion. The advertising market is roughly $500 billion, all in, including TV, Radio, etc. The digital sector of advertising is about $30 to $40billion. So although it is important, it won’t be able to replace a major portion of mobile operator revenues anytime soon.....more

Broadband Subscribers by 2012

2008-01-17T16:09:00.000+01:00

Source:
WiMAX '08 The 3G+ Broadband Alternative
A Global Analysis of Operators, Equipment, Chips & Broadband Alternatives

Not more UMA for Telecom Italia but SIP standard in the UNICA service

2008-01-17T14:51:00.000+01:00

One of the few providers using the UMA scheme to combine Wi-Fi and cellular service using dual-mode phones has ditched the standard in favour of a more open SIP-based approach, leaving BT's Fusion, and France Telecom's Unik supporting a lacklustre approach. Part-way through launching Unica, a converged phone service based on UMA (unlicensed mobile access), in which a dual-mode handset shifts between the cellular network and the subscriber's indoor Wi-Fi service, Telecom Italia switched, and launched a service which achieves the same thing through SIP. The reason is because of a lack of handsets, and barriers raised by the Italian radio regulator, according to industry site Unstrung."We launched [earlier this year] based on UMA, but we left the technology," said Enrico Roberto Polese, Senior Project Manager at Telecom Italia Lab , speaking at the Developing Converged Services conference in London.......more

IPTV forecast and hope for the Operators

2008-01-16T10:46:00.000+01:00

Can IPTV be Profitable?

TDG research just released survey results predicting that IPTV will explode into a US$17 Billion market by 2010 with 20 million subscribers globally....more
According to a study conducted by consultancy Goldmedia and supported by the German Association of Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media, there will be 2.5 million homes subscribing to IPTV services in Germany by the year 2012. Annual turnover generated by IPTV services in Germany is expected to reach €420m by 2012...more

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced the first set of global standards for Internet Protocol TV (IPTV). The standards were built with technical contributions from leading service providers and manufacturers from the information and communication technology (ICT) sector and cement ITU’s role as the global leader in IPTV standards development...more
Open IPTV forum has been constituted by Ericsson, France Telecom, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Nokia Siemens Networks, Sony and Telecom Italia in order to promote IPTV market growth and to maximize benefits for consumers, network operators, service providers, consumer electronics manufacturers, content providers and infrastructure providers.

IPv6 -The New standard providing the infrastructure to enable the next wave of Internet devices

2008-01-15T15:51:00.000+01:00

IPv6 is short for "Internet Protocol Version 6". IPv6 is the "next generation" protocol designed by the IETF to replace the current version Internet Protocol, IP Version 4 ("IPv4").
Most of today's internet uses IPv4, which is now nearly twenty years old. IPv4 has been remarkably resilient in spite of its age, but it is beginning to have problems. Most importantly, there is a growing shortage of IPv4 addresses, which are needed by all new machines added to the Internet. more....more

MIMO Technology

2008-01-11T11:15:00.000+01:00

All 4G Mobile Broadband standards are based on OFDM/MIMO. MIMO is the only advanced antenna technology that simultaneously offers high bandwidth, improved range, and high mobility at a lower cost.

MIMO Defined

MIMO is an acronym that stands for Multiple Input Multiple Output.
It is an antenna technology that is used both in transmission and receiver equipment for wireless radio communication.
There can be various MIMO configurations. For example, a 2x2 MIMO BTS configuration is 2 antennas to transmit signals (from base station) and 2 antennas to receive signals (mobile terminal).

How MIMO Works

MIMO takes advantage of “interference” and “multi-path”.
MIMO uses multiple antennas to send multiple parallel signals (from transmitter).
In an urban environment, these signals will encounter “interference” - trees, buildings, etc. The signals will bounce off the object and continue on their way to their destination (the receiver) but in different directions.
“Multi-path” occurs when the different signals arrive at the receiver at various times.
With MIMO, the receiving end uses an algorithm or special signal processing to sort out the multiple signals to produce one signal that has the originally transmitted data. ...more

Wireline Broadband Statistics and Technology Evolution

2008-01-09T14:34:00.000+01:00

Point Topic - World Broadband Statistics: Q3 2007

By the end of Q3 2007, there were 328.8 million broadband subscribers
worldwide. This represents a 4.72 per cent increase on the previous quarter when
313.9 million subscribers were reported, and amounts to 14.8 million new
subscribers added worldwide. However, this is not as high as in previous quarters
and is the lowest number of net additions since Q2 2006 when 14.9 million new
subscribers were reported.

Technology Trend

DSL, FTTX and cable modem technologies continue to dominate the market and increase in popularity during Q3 2007. DSL leads as the most popular of the three with a 66 per cent share of the broadband market.
This represents a subscriber base totalling 217.14 million in Q3 2007. This was up
5 per cent on the previous quarter when the total number of DSL broadband
subscribers was 206.7 million.
Cable modem follows with 71.1 million subscribers or a 21.65 per cent market
share in Q3 2007. This was up 3.56 per cent on Q2 2007 when the number of
broadband subscribers using cable modem technology totalled 68.6 million.
FTTx technology represents a 10.75 per cent market share with a subscriber base
totalling 35.29 million. This was up 4.04 per cent on the previous quarter when
33.9 million broadband subscribers used FTTx technology...more

The next phase in broadband evolution will be based in VDSL2/GPON technology...more

Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS)

2008-01-09T10:28:00.000+01:00

Ericsson performs successful MBMS interoperability tests with leading vendors.
Ericsson last december announced that it has successfully performed interoperability tests for its Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) solution with the leading chipset vendors. The move sets the stage for the widespread adoption of MBMS and the availability of MBMS terminals.MBMS is a scalable, flexible solution that allows operators to broadcast different forms of content in different parts of the mobile network. It helps operators to cost-effectively and quickly launch innovative end-user multimedia services such as entertainment and emergency alert broadcast information services of traffic, weather and news.
MBMS leverages existing network infrastructure to facilitate broadcasting of multimedia services such as mobile TV. It allows an unlimited number of users to use the service concurrently, stimulates the development of new mobile mass-media services and is a cornerstone of mass-market mobile TV penetration.

The interoperability tests were conducted with several leading platform vendors, among them Ericsson Mobile Platforms and Qualcomm. Commercial rollout of Ericsson's MBMS in the 3G networks will start with early launch systems in March 2008 followed by full deployment in September 2008...More

WiMax or LTE?

2008-01-08T12:17:00.000+01:00

The ITU decision last month to accept WiMax as a 3G technology that meets the IMT-2000 requirements was another positive signal for the WiMAX community,but some big operators are not yet completely convinced to choice WiMax as 4G technology.

Sprint Nextel revealed that it would not be following through with the previously announced plans to build a mobile WiMAX network with Clearwire. This is a step backwards for WiMAX, after an otherwise positive year in which several small operators launched or started rolling out commercial WiMAX services, and Sprint Nextel announced plans to deploy WiMAX for its future mobile broadband services.

Verizon chooses LTE....more

This news could reduce the window of opportunity for benefiting from WiMAX, which will depend on the speed with which it evolves in comparison with W-CDMA and HSPA. Mobile WiMAX and W-CDMA/HSPA are evolving in the same direction, and by the time the next generations (IEEE 802.16m and LTE, respectively) become available (2009 at the earliest), they will be technically very similar. Both mobile WiMAX and LTE use OFDM as a modulation scheme and their supporters are aiming to meet the ITU’s 4G requirement of 100Mbit/s data rates in a mobile environment. Furthermore, future cellular base stations are likely to be equipped with both technologies.

Personal Area Network (PAN) - UWB

2008-01-07T16:45:00.000+01:00

A personal area network (PAN) is a computer network used for communication among computer devices (including telephones and personal digital assitants ) close to one person. The devices may or may not belong to the person in question. The reach of a PAN is typically a few meters. PANs can be used for communication among the personal devices themselves (intrapersonal communication). Personal area networks may be wired with computer buses such as USB and FireWire. A wireless personal area network (WPAN) can also be made possible with network technologies such as IrDA, Bluetooth, UWB, and ZigBee....more
The wireless Personal Area network are defined by the IEEE 802.15 Working Group.
Ultra Wideband or UWB is a technique based on transmitting very-short-duration pulses, often of duration of only nanoseconds or less, whereby the occupied bandwidth goes to very large values. This allows it to deliver data rates in excess of 100 Mbit/s, while using a small amount of power and operating in the same bands as existing communications without producing significant interference. However it is not limited to wireless communication, UWB can also use mains-wiring, coaxial cable or twisted-pair cables to communicate - with potential to deliver data faster than 1 gigabit per second...more

DVB - H is the official standard in Europe for mobile TV.

2008-01-07T15:32:00.000+01:00

Mobile TV is television service delivered to subscribers via mobile telecommunications networks, such as the mobile phone carriers...more.
According to a new market research report titled "Mobile TV: Business Models and Opportunities" published by Screen Digest, there will be 140M mobile TV subscribers worldwide by 2011, and global revenues will reach 4.4B Euros. However, the report states that in the short term network operators are not expected to make much profit from the mobile TV services. The European Commission confirms DVB - H will be the new official standard for mobile television throughout the continent.

What is NFC?

2008-01-04T10:24:00.000+01:00

NFC technology is quickly gaining momentum. Jupiter Research estimates that worldwide payments by mobile phone may reach $22 billion USD by 2011. Today, consumers are using NFC technology on their mobile phones to make contactless payments in commercial roll outs in Germany and Austria and in trials in London, Singapore, the Netherlands, Finland, and New York, among others.
But what is NFC?
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short-range wireless connectivity technology standard designed for intuitive, simple and safe communication between electronic devices. NFC communication is enabled by bringing two NFC compatible devices within a few centimeters of one another. Applications of NFC technology include contactless transactions such as payment and transit ticketing, simple and fast data transfers including calendar synchronization or electronic business cards and access to online digital content....more

Femtocells - Benefit for Mobile Operators ?

2008-01-04T10:09:00.000+01:00

Femtocells solve the major in-building coverage issue facing operators.A recent ABI Research report found that femtocells could generate savings from lower backhaul and energy costs of over $70 billion by 2012. Backhaul alone can account for 30% of operator's overall operational expenditure.The key benefit of femtocells is that they allow mobile operators to expand their mobile coverage...more

Femtocell market forecast to reach $630M in 2010

A new report from market research firm Infonetics Research says worldwide sales of GSM/GPRS and 3G femtocell access points will heat up quickly once femtocell services become more widely available, with unit shipments expected to grow 10-fold from 2007 to 2008, and revenue reaching more than $630 million in 2010.

Femtocells are small, low-power, indoor cellular base stations that can achieve higher-quality local-area coverage and allow mobile operators to extend their cellular footprint in the home and office environment. Infonetics’ report, Femtocell Access Points Market Outlook, explains that the femtocell concept can be applied to a variety of wireless technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA (including HSPA), CDMA2000 (including EV-DO), 4G LTE, WiMAX, and WiBro, but not all of these applications will be necessarily commercially justified....more

Fixed Mobile Convergence

2008-01-03T15:37:00.000+01:00

Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) is a complex and multi-faceted topic. It is a technology trend
impacting almost all communications and information industries. It promises great changes to the way we as customers consume communications services – anytime, anywhere, any device. It is comprised of four key components – service, terminal, network, and industry convergence – all of which are interrelated and critical to the success of the others.
Services in a Fixed-Mobile Convergence environment will deliver ubiquitous, personalized services across multiple domains. Fixed-Mobile Convergence, by its very nature, necessitates a new value chain, market structure and a different way of defining end-user subscriber value. Service providers must explore how to move beyond traditional boundaries and ensure all facets of a subscriber’s service needs and experience are being met. Operators who do not embrace convergence and enable the delivery of third-party content could risk reducing the value of their network to that of a bit pipe.
Convergence is also focused on the need to decrease operating costs and to provide cost-effective migration to an all-IP network. From an operator’s perspective, the network convergence goal is to migrate today’s separate circuit and packet switch core networks to a unified core network that supports existing access technologies in both the fixed and mobile domains. This evolution will obviously take some time to complete, but will be key to an operator’s ability to reduce OPEX in the long term and increase competitiveness and profitability. A key feature of this strategy is the use of common components and service specific extensions that reduce the cost of service development and implementation. This is best achieved using IMS as the service delivery engine within the unified core
network. The result is a unified network that is optimized for: (1) the efficient delivery of services to users, (2) ease of interworking with business partners and other networks, and (3) effectively managing the operator’s day-to-day operations.
Fixed-Mobile Convergence will require the introduction and integration of a variety of key technology enablers. These include:
• SIP.
• Voice over IP (VoIP).
• IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) (including VCC, ICS and network selection).
• Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA).
• Fixed & Wireless Broadband.
• UMTS/HSPA.
As these technology enablers are deployed, the full benefit of FMC can be leveraged. Yet many of the technologies rely on standards to create the common framework required for ubiquitous interoperable deployments.
There is no single standardization body responsible for Fixed-Mobile Convergence or Next Generation Networks (NGN). Instead, there is a high level of co-operation between various standards bodies.
One common theme amongst all these bodies is adoption of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-defined IMS as a central part of the NGN architecture. A large cross-section of the operator and vendor communities are active participants in many standardization bodies including the main NGN standardization bodies like ETSI/TISPAN, 3GPP, IETF, ITU, ATIS and OMA.Today’s existing service providers have spent enormous sums of money over the past decade upgrading their networks to deliver new services and to support the added traffic associated with the growth in their subscriber bases. As service providers migrate toward an ever-converging environment, they need to carefully consider a phased strategy for evolving their networks that starts to address end-user requirements now and positions the operator for converged multimedia servicecapable networks in the near future.....more

Reference : 3G Americas - FMC - Understanding the marriage of wireless and wireline technololgies.

FEMTOMANIA

2008-01-03T10:57:00.000+01:00

Femtocells are low-power wireless access points that operate in licensed spectrum to connect standard mobile devices to a mobile operator’s network using residential DSL or cable broadband connections. ...more

The Interoperability organization, the Femto Forum, announced it’s broken its efforts into four working groups studying:

1) Over-the-air radio and physical layer issues;
2) Networks and interoperability;
3) Regulation and how it might impact the technology’s development.
4) Marketing Issues

Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (ROADM)

2008-01-02T15:15:00.000+01:00

Reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) have been deployed since 2005, mainly by North American carriers. Recently, though, an increasing number of European carriers have recognised the direct and indirect cost benefits of deploying this advanced technology.....more

Ethernet as NG Transport

2008-01-02T11:33:00.000+01:00

For years now, Ethernet has been the dominant networking protocol in the local-area network (LAN). It's simple to use, is extremely cost-effective, and offers plenty of bandwidth. But delivering Ethernet within metropolitan-area networks (MANs) has not been possible until now because Ethernet was not designed for use in the MAN, where reliability, manageability, and scalability are much harder to control..... more

Long Term Evolution Trial

2007-12-21T14:47:00.000+01:00

Nokia Siemens Networks Conducts Urban LTE Trial

12.20.07

By Doug Mohney

Nokia Siemens Networks is citing mobile data rates up to 173 Megabits per second in a LTE (Long Term Evolution) multi-user field trial conducted in an urban environment.
Conducted in a “real urban outdoor environment” with multiple users using 2.6 GHz spectrum, the trial confirmed LTE performance requirements can be met using 3GPP standardized technologies and delivered data rates of more than 100 Mbps over distances of several hundred meters while maintaining excellent throughput at the edge of typical urban mobile radio cells. The demonstration also proved that LTE makes optimum use of OFDM and adaptive multi-antenna technologies, as well as intelligent algorithms used to schedule user traffic to the available radio resources in multi-user environments.
To conduct the field trial, an LTE base station was installed at a typical cell site on top of a building in the center of Berlin. Cars with LTE test equipment were driven up to a kilometer away from the base station to measure the LTE cell’s coverage and throughput. The base station has been installed to support continuous testing activities over the next year. It transmits with 20MHz bandwidth in the 2.6GHz band, for which Nokia Siemens Networks has acquired test licenses in major cities throughout Germany. The spectrum in this band will be awarded to mobile operators in the next few years.
Nokia Siemens Networks is providing an evolution path for operators that currently have GSM/EDGE, WCDMA or CDMA cellular networks. End to end HSPA is currently available, Internet-HSPA (I-HSPA), commercially available in 2008, optimizes the existing network architecture for data services and LTE availability is planned for a 2010 timeframe.