Telecommunications (International Edition) articles from August 2003

Telecommunications (International Edition) archives from August 2003

Confessions of a VIP: large incumbents are still grappling with the beast known as 'network inventory management'.(commentary)(Column)
August 1, 2003... Let me tell you a true story. Last year, I agreed to be a 'VIP service trialist' for a well-known UK-based operator. The service was high-speed internet access and I was going to sample for free--yes, for free--the delights of plug-and-play...

VCs still nursing burnt fingers.(Europe)
August 1, 2003... Unless you've got a proven financial track record--with products shipping and customers buying--it's unlikely you're going to catch the eye of venture capitalists (VCs). "A combination of better due diligence [since the dot.com crash] and...

WRC-03 reaches calm conclusion.(Global; World Radiocommunications Conference )
August 1, 2003... The discussions that took place at the recent four-week World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC), run by the ITU, form the basis for global agreement on the allocation of radio frequencies and satellite orbits. The aim is to hack out deals...

AT&T: a modest global ambition: AT&T struck some discordant marketing notes during the break-up of concert, its joint venture with BT, and seemed to have disappeared from the EMEA stage. Justin Sims, the man responsible for AT&T's global business, is confident that the show is now back on the road, albeit with a slightly different theme tune.(view from top)
August 1, 2003... "We had as much a chequered history in global as anyone else... Now I would summarise our global strategy as a lot more modest than it has been in the past. I don't think any of us see the emergence of global super-carriers," says Justin Sims,...

Does it do what it says on the tin? Having an attractive-sounding SLA is one thing but delivering on it is quite another. For SLAs to be meaningful, operators will need to convince their business customers that they mean what they say.(NGN performance and QoS)
August 1, 2003... Though many alternative operators have evaporated, the shift in mindset they helped foster has remained. What is more, operators are no longer promising perfection and they expect to start addressing how actual business applications function....

Peering into the future: peering and transit are the two most established methods to exchange internet traffic over different carrier networks. But another method is now emerging to challenge the old order--'advanced peering'.(NGN performance and QoS)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2003... Everyone wants to keep their costs down and internet-related companies are no exception. Due to cut-throat competition and pressure on prices and margins, considerable industry attention is focused on simplifying the logistics and reducing the...

Tuning to the key of RF: as 2G cellular network operators focus on wringing higher performance out of existing assets, the key to network optimisation may well lie in tight RF footprint management coupled with sophisticated network monitoring tools.(NGN performance and QoS)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2003... After two decades of rampant development in the cellular industry, it now seems we're in a period of consolidation and gradual transition. But it is also a period of extraordinary challenge. Not only do consumers and business practitioners have...

Transit services in a mobile world: growth in international mobile roaming services offers an important revenue opportunity for fixed-line carriers--but only if they are adequately prepared.(NGN performance and QoS)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2003... As industry observers and analysts focus intently on the strategies of mobile operators, the importance of long-distance and international carriers can easily be overlooked. Although they may not grab the headlines like the mobile players, it's...

Protocol analyzer: Tektronix.(new products and services)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Tektronix's test platform is designed to allow 2G, 2.5G and 3G mobile operators to identify and analyse the reasons for service degradation in real-time. The software on the test platform includes what is said to be the first real-time...

Mobile network T&M: Radcom.(new products and services; Cellular Performer )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Cellular Performer from RADCOM aims to offer real-time cell and packet analysis at all seven network layers. It can provide full line rate analysis up to 2.5Gbps and has a range of applications for analysis and troubleshooting on 2.5G and...