This may be the holiday season when one might expect things to be relatively quiet, but as the news and features of this past week indicate, 2012 is ending with a flourish and the prospects for Next Generation Communications for 2013 certainly are exciting.
I’d like to start with a few items that relate directly to developments in the wireless arena. The first comes out of India, where the High Court of Rajasthan has directed mobile service operators to remove their towers from near schools, hospitals and playground because of fears about radiation exposure.
India’s service providers believe the research that caused the action is flawed and have vowed to fight.
This type of action has not put a damper on LTE (News - Alert) growth as the news from Africa and industry analyst predictions about smartphone adoption indicate. In short, 2013 looks like a very good year. It should also be noted that Alcatel-Lucent (News 
- Alert) is recommending IP mobile VPN solutions as the way for enterprises to accommodate BYOD network access to assure quick, reliable and secure access to critical voice and data applications.
News
In other industry news:
Alcatel-Lucent CEO Ben Verwaayen (News - Alert), no stranger to making news with his straight-forward approach to answering media inquiries, gave the telecom community something to buzz about as he warned European regulators they are hampering industry innovation during an interview on CNBC.
Turns out that not just smartphones and tablets are going to be accessing networks in 2013 but watch out for “phablets,” particularly in the hands of college students.
Take note that MMRGlobal, Inc. will be demonstrating its MyMedicalRecords Personal Health Record (PHR) offering during Alcatel-Lucent's Connect Telepresence collaboration program at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES (News - Alert)), held January 8-11 in Las Vegas.
Features
Featured this week were postings on mobile broadband, the challenges video are presenting for the need to enhance the IP Edge, a way for enterprise to change the way video is consumed internally via the cloud, and how IP/MPLS helps enable the smart grid.
Service Providers
TMCnet Contributor Mae Kowalke looked at how demand for mobile broadband requires a multi-layer approach to networking like Alcatel-Lucent’s High Leverage Network solutions.
You definitely should read about how rapid changes in consumer consumption of video are putting pressure on service providers to enhance the IP Edge.
Enterprise
Cloud-based video sharing for enterprises can be enhanced via OpenTouch is a new twist on video consumption in business.
Industries
IP/MPLS is key enabler to fulfilling the promise of smart grid deployments, and the reasons why are compelling.
Weekend reading
My weekend and reading suggestions for starting the year out right include two Alcatel-Lucent TechZone articles:
New Currency for the Identity Economy
Market Insight Drives Small Cells Strategies
If you have not done so, download the recent webinar, SDN: Let’s Cut The Hype, What is the Reality? Plus, the community Resource Center has updated whitepapers, videos and case studies. I’m also continuing to push the ebook, Innovating Innovation, and the whitepaper Creating Your Smart Grid: A How-To Guide.
Happy New Year!
Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO Miami 2013, Jan 29- Feb. 1 in Miami, Florida. Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.
