Telecommunications (International Edition) articles from March 2005

Telecommunications (International Edition) archives from March 2005

Mobile dreamtime becomes delivery time.(commentary)
March 1, 2005... You can live four years in four days at a trade show. At least that what it seemed like at 3GSM World Congress in Cannes. You see and hear the industry's messages at breakfast, lunch, cocktails and--if you can manage--dinner, too. Given this...

Keeping in sync with business.(global news analysis)
March 1, 2005... The winner of the award for best mobile handset at the recent 3GSM World Congress in Cannes was the Megapixel Digital Integrator by Samsung. It was praised for being both "a powerful business device" and a "multimedia companion". Features...

Is voice ready to be recognised?(global news analysis)
March 1, 2005... The idea behind voice-recognition technology in a CRM (customer relationship management) context is a simple one. Organisations, by automating their call centre operations through voice prompts (rather than using call agents)...

Casema up for grabs.(news in brief)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Casema, the second-largest Dutch cable TV operator, is open to a sale or a merger, it announced last month. The rationale behind this is a search for the sort of scale that would enable it to compete with telecom operators. A private...

The long-distance grail.(Qwest Communications International Inc. to acquire MCI Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Qwest Communications is living up to its name by continuing to pursue MCI, despite MCI's recent agreement to be sold to Verizon for around US$6.7 bn. Richard Notebaert, the CEO of Qwest wrote to MCI's board last week indicating that he would...

Nigeria allows int'l VoIP.(international voice over Internet protocol)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Nigeria, the most populous African country, is to allow international VoIP calls from next year, Reuters reports. This is expected to steeply reduce the cost of international calls to and from Nigeria. It is said that the regulator also plans...

Microsoft reveals SDP.(service delivery platform)(Microsoft Connected Services Framework 2.0 launched)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Microsoft announced the availability of version 2.0 of its Connected Services Framework (CSF)--the company's service delivery platform (SDP)--at the 3GSM World Congress last month. Three customers for CSF 2.0 were also revealed: Bell Canada, BT...

Huawei's new IP DSLAM.(Internet protocol digital subscriber line access multiplexor)(Huawei Technologies Company Ltd. launched SmartAX MA5600)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Chinese vendor Huawei unveiled its next-generation intelligent IP DSLAM at the 21st Century Communications World Forum held in London last month.. Called the SmartAX MA5600, Huwaei is backing IP-based DSLAMs (rather than ATM-based kit) as the...

Alcatel captures Falcon.(Compagnie Financiere Alcatel's contract with FLAG Telecom)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Flag Telecom has awarded Alcatel a 'multi-million dollar turnkey contract' for the construction of Falcon, its DWDM submarine cable system linking India, the Gulf region and the Middle East. The initial Falcon links will be built between...

What did you say?
March 1, 2005... "MMS, in all honesty, was prematurely launched by us all [in the industry] and shame on us for doing that." Dave Williams, CTO, mm02 "My bet is China will go straight to HSDPA and skip 3G." Pascal Debon, president, carrier and network...

There is an alternative: thus believes the altnet business model can work.(alternative network)(beliefs of Phil Male)
March 1, 2005... Can the alternative network ('altnet') business model deliver an attractive return on investment to its shareholders? Is it a sustainable long-term business? Phil Male, COO of Thus plc (an altnet serving SMEs in the UK) says yes, as you might...

The flexible network.(usage of Internet protocol multimedia subsystem by telecommunications industry)(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... It's a subject that vendors seem to be drooling over--IMS. They say that the IP Multimedia Subsystem--which sits at the heart of the all-IP next-generation network--will be the ideal platform for delivering a range of 'value-added'...

TELLIN ENIP -- the enhanced network intelligent platform: a convergent service platform geared to operators' current and future network needs.(product details of Huawei Technologies Company Ltd.)
March 1, 2005... Faced with ever more intensive competition, operators are looking to new services as the main competitive weapon in their armoury. Yet as the network grows increasingly complex, and new technologies are added more frequently, their requirements...

Can a corporate's VPN be its castle? Secure and cheap--a contradiction in terms?(analysis of virtual private network)(Editorial)
March 1, 2005... When success tended to see a Macbeth-type approach to power and influence--with the focus on assassination rather than communication--security requirements were reasonably clear-cut: a standing army, a fortress and a well-oiled drawbridge....

The softly, softly approach: with the exception of BT, incumbents are taking a long-term view on replacing their Class 5 legacy equipment with softswitches.(PSTN to NGN: migration paths)
March 1, 2005... There is an old English saying that a watched kettle never boils. Perhaps the same can be said about the softswitch market, eagerly observed by analysts and financial investors. After repeated promises from vendors over a number of years that...

Access all areas: operators will soon have all-IP networks that break down barriers between services. Some of these new options, however, could lead to unpleasant security surprises.(PSTN to NGN: migration paths)
March 1, 2005... Network operators are expected to move to all-IP, converged networks by the end of this decade--with profound effects on their business models. "The communications evolution for service providers is based on delivering personalised, easy-to-use...

The MSAN migration path: maintaining legacy services while moving to a next-generation network--all in a cost-efficient way--is the MSAN promise to operators.(PSTN to NGN: migration paths)(multi-service access network)
March 1, 2005... Operators and service providers are currently facing a dilemma. New broadband services, such as the delivery of entertainment and advanced methods of communication, are increasing in both volume and traffic mix. However, the take up of these...

Seven steps to VoIp heaven: a measured approach to VoIP is required if it's to realise its full potential.(voice over Internet protocol)
March 1, 2005... The traditional view of VoIP is that it is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, as a 'disruptive' technology, it constitutes a major threat to incumbent fixed-line telecos; on the other, it creates business opportunities for new entrants. ...

Peering beyond the public internet: private peering solutions are helping ISPS and corporates overcome the performance limitations of the public internet.(PSTN to NGN: migration paths)
March 1, 2005... The idea of customers not being able to get into your shop, let alone buy the goods, is the stuff of nightmares for high street retailers. Yet global corporates who do business online (and who ought to know better) are blissfully unaware that...