As can be seen from the below it was a very busy week of news in the Next Generation Communications Community covering a lot of wireless activities as well as thing relating to the cloud, submarine cable and the IP-Edge.
The big news had to do with community host Alcatel-Lucent (News 
- Alert) confirming it received a multi-year financing commitment from Credit Suisse AG and Goldman Sachs Bank USA in the about of $2.13 billion in senior secured credit facilities.
Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) also made additional news with customer wins for Indosat upgrading its mobile network in Indonesia, the enhancement of the MAY-1 submarine cable system that is a critical hub for communications between the United States and Latin America, and a four-year agreement with Tunisian (Tunisia’s largest mobile operator) to build a new wireline broadband access network.
In addition, ALU also: released new OpenTouch products to help SMBs accommodate social networking and mobility; was recognized by market research firm Dell’ (News - Alert)Oro as remaining a dominant supplier in key fixed broadband markets; and Bell Labs (News - Alert) came out with a study that showed that by 2020, people will be watching seven hours of video each day versus 4.8 hours today, with a dramatic shift from broadcasting to on-demand video viewing impacting how operators need to rethink the IP-Edge.
News
In other industry news:
- The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) revealed it Interoperability Compliancy Program (ICP), designed to streamline the way WBA members work together on a common set of technical and commercial frameworks for Wi-Fi roaming, and listed its first key global players in the Wi-Fi ecosystem AT&T, Boingo Wireless, BT, China Mobile, KT, NTT (News - Alert) DOCOMO, PCCW, Shaw Communications, Smart Communications and True.
- JSC Grindeks selected Cegedim Relationship Management's Cloud-Based Mobile IntelligenceCustomer Relation Management (CRM) platform.
- IP exchange (IPX) is gaining according to HOT TELECOM predicts for the period 2012-2015.
Features
This week we featured items relating to mobile video, IP/MPLS and IPv6 deployment, accommodating the needs of the virtual workforce, and why LTE (News - Alert) is helping all of those who have been “Working on the railroad.”
Service Providers
- Wonder how video quality and the video user experience on mobile devices is going to be improved, the answer is by using adaptive guaranteed bit rate solutions, as a feature from TMCnet Contributor Mae Kowalke highlights.
- Service providers as a result of the proliferation of mobile devices also are facing the challenges of implementing the migration of them and the growing population of M2M sensors that need unique IP addresses from IPv4 to IPv6. And, are doing so by leveraging IP MPLS VPNs. Network enhancements to improve the video experience on mobile devices.
Enterprise
- TMCnet Contributing Editor Susan Campbell looked at how IP telephony solutions such as the ALU OpenTouch suite can enhance the capabilities of the virtual workforce, providing a new level of conversation/interactions
Industries
- In regard to the earlier working on the railroad reference, you should be interested in how the deployment of LTE by railroads around the world is not only helping them improve their operations but also the customer experience of passengers. LTE is emerging literally as the future of railway communications.
Weekend reading
My weekend reading suggestions include two Alcatel-Lucent TechZine articles:
Speaking of myths and realty, the recent webinar, SDN: Let’s Cut The Hype, What is the Reality?, is one to capture from our archive if you were not able to join us live. Plus, the community Resource Center has updated whitepapers, videos and case studies. And, I am continuing to push the ebook, Innovating Innovation, and the whitepaper Creating Your Smart Grid: A How-To Guide.
Enjoy the holidays!
