The communications landscape is evolving to keep up with the rapid pace of smartphone and tablet adoption. According to Strategy Analytics, smartphones will outpace PC adoption by a factor of 2 by next year[1]. With the ability to have “everything” in the palm of your hand, the boundaries between work time and personal time continue to blur.
Apps are the catalysts that keep us engaged with our devices for longer and longer periods of time. But apps are not constrained to devices. As communities become smart cities, machine-to-machine and machine-to-machine-to-human communications provide a significant opportunity for service providers. With network capacity demands growing exponentially, the most innovative and proactive business models are poised for success.
In this edition of Enriching Communications we bring you 5 articles that address these expansive opportunities.
Mr. Enrique Blanco, Telefónica’s Global Chief Technology Officer, shares his company’s experiences piloting 4G mobile broadband applications and services in Spain. Tests undertaken during the pilot phase showed a 400% increase in capacity. Read about their experience with heterogeneous networks and cloud services and the range of applications that are expected to drive their business into the future in Telefónica Delivers a Smarter 4G LTE Experience.
Since 2000, DOCOMO Euro-Labs has been involved in conducting research on emerging mobile communications technologies, advanced network architectures, service platforms and novel services. In the article, Service Enablers Drive Innovation, Dr. Yabusaki, President and CEO of DOCOMO Communications Laboratories Europe, shares his insights on the value of open innovation and service enablers. Dr. Yabusaki explains how this approach offers differentiation and added-value to the network and how new services can now be delivered in weeks rather than months.
Smart city projects represent great ICT opportunities. Recent Alcatel-Lucent primary research reveals insights into how service providers can play a key role in the delivery of superior service and applications. In the article, Smart Cities Offer Untapped Opportunities, you’ll learn what drives smart city projects and which service provider assets bring the greatest value in smart city ecosystems.
While tablet and smartphone adoption — supported by the personal cloud — grows rapidly, enterprise IT departments have to face the reality of supporting employees who bring their own devices (BYOD) to work. In the article, BYOD Accelerates Appetite for Personal Cloud, Xavier Martin, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, VP Messaging and Communications, shares 3 strategies to effectively embrace this reality now, as well as how to avoid the risks of not being proactive.
High-speed transport is key to effective service delivery but the cost/capacity crunch must be approached strategically. While 100G solutions are helping to meet today’s bandwidth demand the move to 400G is inevitable. In the article, Transform the Performance and Economics of Optical Networks, Sam Bucci, Alcatel-Lucent’s Vice-President and General Manager, Terrestrial Optics Product Unit explores the strategy of deploying 100G-compatible 400G technology. This proactive approach helps leverage existing investments while scaling bandwidth with lower power consumption and footprint.
More and more people are using their preferred device to become connected to applications for both business and personal use. And as cities become increasingly smart, opportunities abound for service providers and IT departments to deliver innovative, intelligent network solutions with strong value positions. We hope this mix of articles provides you with new insights to take advantage of these opportunities.
Please let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment, rating and sharing articles, or send us your questions at enrich.editor@alcatel-lucent.com. We will be back in September with more expert viewpoints on our industry and the innovative technologies that keep it growing.
- [1] Global Mobile Media, Strategy Analytics, March 2011 ↩