Alcatel-Lucent combines Wi-Fi and LTE to Enhance Mobile Performance
3/3/2015 - In 1966 the Beach Boys had a hugely popular hit, "Wouldn't it be nice," on their seminal Pet Sounds album. Having seamless high-performance user experience, including imperceptible handover between Wi-Fi and macro cellular networks, has always been in the "wouldn't it be nice" category. With the unveiling by Alcatel-Lucent ( ALU) of its 'Wireless Unified Networks' strategy out of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 event in Barcelona, "nice" may just be in our future.

Enterprise Small Cell From Alcatel-Lucent Deployed for First Time
3/3/2015 - The Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Small Cell device will be deployed for the first time in Canada to provide Telus, a telecommunications company in the country, enhanced high-speed mobile connectivity and capacity inside buildings.

Summit Tech and Alcatel-Lucent Unveil First VoLTE/RCS Connected Car at MWC 2015
3/2/2015 - If you wander around the massive exhibit halls at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 now going on in Barcelona, Spain you will see a lot of examples of "Connected Cars." While many of them will have similar demonstrations, the GSMA's Innovation City showcase will show you something unique: Summit Tech is unveiling the first Voice over LTE (VoLTE)/Rich Communication Services (RCS)-capable Connected Car in collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent.

Juniper Networks and Amdocs Team on Virtualized CPE Solution for Service Providers
3/2/2015 - Enterprise communications customers are demanding more functionality from their technology and equipment, and they want solutions that are tailored to meet specific needs. This has created a niche for experienced solution providers who have the knowledge and expertise to fill those needs while meeting the processing and infrastructure demands of next-generation services.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Telfonica, Bell Labs and Siklu
2/28/2015 - We are coming up on Mobile World Congress (MWC), hence much if not all of our news and blogs this week in the Next Generation Communications Community involves things wireless. In fact, as can be seen in the news section it is all about wireless.

Telefonica to Showcase NFV at Mobile World Congress
2/27/2015 - The massive annual gathering of the wireless world, Mobile World Congress (MWC), is about to commence in Barcelona. It has already produced a blizzard of pre-show announcements designed to lure visitors to see demos of the latest and greatest with what at this show is a very limited resource, your time. That said, you may wish to put on your itinerary a stop at host country service provider at Telefonica's booth (Hall 3- Stand 3J20), to see a demonstration of end-to-end virtual networking, i.e., Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) along with a host of other capabilities in action.

Voice over LTE Sends Global Service Provider VoIP Equipment Market Up 12 Percent in 2014
2/25/2015 - In conjunction with the accelerating pace of 4G LTE around the world there has been a nice uptake in the Voice over LTE (VoLTE) equipment market according to the latest report from Infonetics Research. As the headline notes, the research firm found that the VoLTE equipment market and associated IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) equipment market grew 12 percent in 2014, to $4.2 billion. The push is coming according to Infonetics, "As operators continue to transform their networks to be simpler, more cost effective, and able to offer next gen voice services, chiefly voice over LTE (VoLTE)."

Siklu Radios Integrated into Alcatel-Lucent 9500 MPR for Small Cell Backhaul
2/24/2015 - With Mobile World Congress fast approaching attention is turning to the challenges of providing wireless high-speed broadband connectivity everywhere to enable quality experiences everywhere. In short, concentration is on solutions that provide coverage and connectivity end-to-end.

Freescale, Bell Labs to Release 5G Universal Access Device Prototype in 2017
2/23/2015 - It is never too soon to begin thinking about the future. Concerning the next generation of mobile infrastructure, 5G, Freescale Semiconductor and Bell Labs have announced a partnership that will leverage their unique skill sets to influence the creation of new networks as early as 2017.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: M2M, Verizon, Dunedin and Alcatel-Lucent
2/21/2015 - The cold snap here in North America continued this week. It is looking like by April the city of Boston will have melted enough to return to normal. In the meantime, my friends and I have been in multimedia contact thanks to next generation communications. This once again highlights the importance of the Next Generation Communications Community and how it can help make out personal and professional lives easier and more productive.

Alcatel-Lucent introduces LTE Radio Access Network (RAN) Portfolio
2/19/2015 - At the Alcatel-Lucent Technology Symposium, a number of the company's presenters, including Bell Labs head Marcus Weldon, presented Alcatel-Lucent's (ALU's) vision of what the network of the future should look like and be capable of delivering.

Alcatel-Lucent enables Big Data and Video over Existing Networks with 400G IP router interface
2/19/2015 - A continuous theme of next generation communications, and this generation for that matter, is the need for speed end-to-end. Whether it is storage, computing or networking -inside and between data centers, from end-point through network cores all the way back to end points, wired and wireless, to and inside the connected home, etc.) -the requirement for more bandwidth capacity and much higher speeds is insatiable. The challenge for network operators, given difficult competitive environments, scarce investment dollars and overall economic conditions, is how best to invest in meeting customer and competitive requirements without breaking the bank in the process.

Verizon Helping to Lead the Way on IoT and M2M
2/17/2015 - It is hard to imagine that there is anything hotter in Information and Communications (ICT) technology than the Internet of Things (IoT) and what some are calling the sub-category of machine-to-machine (M2M) applications and services. An exclamation point as to just how hot all of this is, and that we literally are on the on-ramp to the bottom of the learning curve as to what lies ahead was on full display at the recent ITEXPO East event in Miami Beach.

PLC International Explains Bridging UC and M2M at ITEXPO East
2/17/2015 - It seems like hardly a day goes by without interesting news regarding the Internet of Things (IoT) and its closely related, some say sub-category, Machine-to-Machine (M2M). However, what tends to get over-looked is the fact that in a world of ubiquitous connected devices with embedded intelligence putting out a slew of useful data, the role of humans in turning information into actionable insights will not go away.

Super Technologies Maximized the Value of Telephone Numbers with DIDX
2/17/2015 - It is no secret that telecommunications companies of all sizes are under increasing pressure to not just introduce value-added services but also make a profit off of them. Interestingly, one answer that has been staring the industry in its face for years is in the continuing intrinsic value of telephone numbers which ironically have not reached their full monetization potential.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Alcatel-Lucent, Motive, EXFO and Diebold
2/14/2015 - While the weather in North America remained snowy and frigid this week, this was not the case in the Next Generation Communications Community. In fact, there was not just more than a smattering of news that caught our eyes, but it and our features and blogs covered very diverse range of subjects.

Alcatel-Lucent Launches Universal TWDM to Accelerate Ultra-broadband Deployments
2/13/2015 - Here is a question that has been vexing fixed network communications providers: "How can I extend the reach of my network to quickly provide gigabit broadband access services to as many places as possible when the business case does not justify it?"

Ubiquiti Announces New airFiber X
2/13/2015 - Ubiquiti Networks is one of those companies that has been working hard to make itself a stronger player in the wireless Internet industry. The firm has come up with brand new VoIP phones that were among the most popular of that particular vertical and now the company has come up with a new solution specifically built for the global last-mile wireless industry. The solution is called airFiber X and is a ruggedized outdoor, Point-to-Point solution that is designed for unlicensed frequency bands.

Alcatel-Lucent Motive Security Labs Malware in 2014 Report Sees Rise in Device and Network Attacks
2/12/2015 - Frequent visitors are aware of my fascination/passion for looking at the various reports that quantify just how good the bad guys are doing when it comes to attacking all of us at work and at home. You also know that one of my go-to resources has been the reports from Alcatel-Lucent's Motive Security Labs (formerly Kindsight Security Labs) reports on malware. The latest of which is now out and is thought provoking to say the least.

EXFO Delivers Enhanced CPRI Testing Capabilities
2/11/2015 - It never ceases to amaze, and it actually shouldn't how much testing needs to be done to assure the high performance of network infrastructure. This is true whether inside data centers and particularly important in regard to both fixed and wireless outside plant. As the latest announcement from test, service assurance and end-to-end quality of experience solutions provider EXPO highlights, at the intersection of wireless and fixed network, is also a critical place where the old Russian saying, "trust but verify" needs to be the order of the day.

Diebold, Eagle Eye Team up to Provide SecureStat
2/11/2015 - Diebold and Eagle Eye recently announced the formation of a strategic relationship to offer video security on the cloud. The new SaaS solution, SecureStat, will provide customers with a more scalable and reliable way to manage security camera systems.

Alcatel Gives Operators More Options with Compact LTE Metro Cells
2/11/2015 - The ubiquity of smart mobile devices is putting more pressure on mobile operators to ensure they have coverage virtually everywhere. As the reliance of individuals and organizations on these devices continues to increase, service providers that are able to meet this growing demand will capture a larger share of the market.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Fiber, Alcatel-Lucent and China Telecom
2/7/2015 - This week in the Next Generation Communications Community can be characterized as having a "need for speed" bent that flows through the news, features and blogs.

China Telecom Picks Nuage Networks' SDN technology to Enable Public Cloud Services
2/6/2015 - 2015 is already shaping up in the communications world as one where the world will be increasing cloudy. The momentum established over the past few years to move to the cloud-public, private and hybrid-continues to gather speed and Software-defined Networking (SDN) is helping facilitate cloud services providers meet swelling demand.

London Researchers Double Signal Length for Fiber Transmission
2/5/2015 - When telecom signals travel long distances across fiber, there's only so far they can go before needing an energy boost, if you will, in the form of a repeater. Researchers University College London (UCL) have however demonstrated that it's possible to double the distance between boosters.

Phone Companies' 400 Gbps Test Over Existing Optic Lines Successful
2/4/2015 - A recent test by Alcatel-Lucent and Vodafone in Europe should excite service providers that want to provide faster service. Both companies successfully ran a test that moved data across an optical network at 400Gbps. What's even more impressive is that no new lines were installed in the process.

LTE No Magic Bullet in Wireless Traffic Troubles, Says Amdocs
2/4/2015 - It's well known that bandwidth can be tough to come by, particularly in the case of mobile bandwidth. The ongoing battles over net neutrality show that point quite nicely, and when it comes to mobile bandwidth, an already bad situation is made even worse. While there was some hope that the wide growth of 4G LTE would take care of things for some time, a new report from Amdocs Network Research suggests that even LTE and similar radio access networks (RANs) may not stem the tide of rapidly increasing demand.

Kontron Joins Alcatel-Lucent CloudBand NFV-Focused Group
2/2/2015 - Kontron, a manufacturer of embedded computing hardware, recently announced that it has joined Alcatel-Lucent's CloudBand Ecosystem Program.

4G LTE Field Trial Conducted by Alcatel-Lucent and the Mexican Government
1/30/2015 - The beginning of 2015 comes with some exciting news for Mexico. According to the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT), this month the first reports on the use of LTE in the 700 MHz band will be taken, which should provide some valuable information with respect to the design of the project of shared mobile network.

Vodacom Selects Alcatel-Lucent to Build GPON in South Africa
1/28/2015 - The demand for bandwidth is surging globally, with forecasts predicting consumers will be needing 100 Mbps of bandwidth by 2020. The growth is being driven by mobile, cloud computing, streaming services and the ever increasing number of people and organizations that are always online.

Research: IntelliSpektrum Combines Radio Networks to Create Mobile Efficiency
1/28/2015 - In cooperation with Bell Labs, the industrial research department of global telecom Alcatel-Lucent, a collection of research groups have determined that, by utilizing a mix of base radio stations, telecoms can achieve significant energy savings within their mobile networks.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Telstra, Etisalat and Alcatel-Lucent
1/24/2015 - The need for ultra-broadband networks that are faster, more capacity, secure, software-defined, and programmable/agile be they wired, wireless or hybrid, is already off to a rush in 2015 as the core conversation pieces of the Next Generation Communications Community. It is reflected in the news from this week along with the features and blogs.

Transformation of Data Center Switch will be Seen Through 25GE and 50GE
1/22/2015 - We live in a generation where everyone is now used to being connected to everything, all of the time. As technology continues to advance we see faster speeds from all forms of connections. It does not take people long to get used to these faster speeds leading to the desire for even faster speeds.

Alcatel-Lucent Helps Etisalat Move Networks to the Cloud with NFV-based Wireless Control
1/21/2015 - If 2014 was the year of Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) innovation and testing, it is already becoming clear that 2015 will be a year of implementation. Indicative of this is the announcement from Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) that it is to deploy its virtualized radio network controller in Etisalat Group's access network in both the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka.

Panamax Improves BillCall Solution with CRM Module
1/21/2015 - The billing solution a company has in place might seem basic at first glance, but depending on the type of business it can vary greatly, which impacts the level of complexity through the many steps in the process. It goes without saying a billing preference has to be established and the company has to collect payments, but in today's customer centric environment the different dynamics of customer relationships in billing has to be integrated in the product management process very early on. Panamax, provider of telecom switching, wholesale carrier business and mobile financial solutions, announced it has improved its interconnect billing solution known as BillCall with an enhanced Customer Relationship Management (CRM) module.

Telstra Global Offers 100G on Undersea Cables
1/20/2015 - With the growth of cloud-based applications and the amount of data they move, Telstra Global has announced 100 gigabits per second connectivity to its undersea cables.

Alcatel-Lucent and ACE to Deliver 300G/400G Technology to Africa's West Coast
1/19/2015 - The lack of infrastructure in the African continent has allowed it to leapfrog many legacy technologies by adopting mobile-based solutions. This is especially true in the financial sector, in which countries like Kenya lead many developed nations in mobile payment services. While there is great potential in the continent as a whole, infrastructure problems are still limiting accessibility to hundreds of millions of customers, particularly when it comes to Internet connectivity.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Alcatel-Lucent, Solacom, AirVM and Poximus
1/17/2015 - If the last three names in the headline are not familiar to Next Generation Communications Community members that is no surprise. However, this week is not a bad one to be acquainted with them albeit Proximus is the new name for major European service provider Belgacom. In fact, the latter is a good segue into recent news items of note.

AirVM's Cloud Marketplace Platform Selected by Global Access to Manage Infrastructure-as-a-Service
1/14/2015 - In December 2014, AirVM announced that its AirSembly vCD portal for VMware(VMW) vCloud Director (vCD) 5.6 was available. AirVM is a global cloud enablement software company. The portal is designed to allow service providers the ability to access vCD features online.

Solacom Awarded Three Patents from USPTO
1/13/2015 - The advent of IP-based communications has made it easier than ever for emergency services groups such as police and fire departments to contact one another and keep citizens safe in towns all across the globe. Similarly, enterprises that provide digital and physical security and those that develop mission critical applications can use such communications capabilities to suit their own needs and the needs of their clients and a public which relies on applications to help deliver their water, fuel, and other basic needs.

Alcatel-Lucent and Proximus Celebrate 10 Million VDSL2 Vectoring Line Shipments
1/13/2015 - For those watching the rollout of ultra-broadband services around the world one of the leading indicators to keep an eye on as fixed network service providers rush to assure all of their customers have access to such capabilities sooner rather than later is deployment milestones for VDSL2 vectoring line shipments.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Alcatel-Lucent, Broadcom and SK Telecom
1/10/2015 - Happy New Year's to all of the members of the Next Generation Communications Community! And, welcome back. In fact, because of the way the holidays fell this year we have a bit of catching up to do on community news and views. 2014 ended with a bit of a bang and not a whimper and 2015, as will be seen below is already off to quite the start on a variety fronts. Indeed, if the just concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is indicative of the year ahead, we are going to have a lot to talk about including even in the public policy arena where U.S. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler hinted during a CES Q&A session that Net Neutrality proposals are to be voted on February 26 (mark your calendars).

Comings and Goings: Luis Martinez-Amago Appointed CEO of Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell
1/8/2015 - The popularity of the Netflix original series Marco Polo once again is highlighting that old phrase "All roads lead to China." Obviously while this is entertainment, when it comes to the technology industry the importance of the Chinese market, along with the emergence of its tech sector as an increasingly major force in global markets, has only intensified.

Sphere 3D and Atos Form an Alliance to Increase Virtualization Presence
1/7/2015 - The ubiquity of smart mobile devices along with faster wireless broadband services and cloud technology is giving organizations more options to address their challenges. It is no longer necessary to deploy on-premises infrastructures with expensive hardware and software solutions that require a large IT department and the problems associated in maintaining it. Mobility and virtualization solutions is giving organizations the ability to focus on their core competencies without having to worry about performance, security and scalability. As more companies migrate to these platforms, they are looking for reliable service providers with global footprints for these solutions.

Broadcom Announces 5G WiFi Chips and SoCs for Routers, Gateways and Set-top Boxes
1/7/2015 - The current annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is a venue to see the latest and greatest in new technologies. The news therefore tends to highlight what is "sexy" in the tech industry with less attention paid to what can be called the "plumbing." However, plumbing is important if the value ultimately is to be extracted from all of the gadgets and software. It is why the CES announcement from semiconductor solutions provider Broadcom deserves attention.

Marvell Launches Integrated and Scalable Smart Home Cloud Center
1/7/2015 - The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is really revving up, and one of the reasons is the components that will help drive the next phase of mass adoption of the mobile Internet and the Internet of Things (IoT) are falling into place as the pace of innovation in these two sectors accelerates. Illustrative of this is the announcement from silicon solutions and "Smart Life and Smart Lifestyle" software provider Marvell of the launch of its Smart Home Cloud Center.

AT&T is Supporting Big WebRTC Push
1/7/2015 - AT&T will be the first U.S. carrier to commercially support WebRTC with the AT&T Enhanced WebRTC API.

Mobile Services Revenue Slows, but Mobile Broadband on a Tear According to Analysts
12/31/2014 - Worldwide, mobile service revenue grew an anemic .5 percent during the first half of 2014 compared with the same period last year, according to the new Infonetics mobile services report. Mobile services revenue during that period amounted to roughly $385.5 billion globally.

Korea's SK Telecom Commercializes World's First Tri-band LTE-A Service
12/30/2014 - I have been asked over the years repeatedly, "Where do you look to find out about the leading edge of network services?" My answer for the past decade has always been the same, "Look to South Korea!" Whether it is fixed networking where the country's carriers have massively deployed broadband with some of the largest coverage and penetration rates along with the highest speeds and feeds, or increasingly when it comes to mobility services, South Korea always seems to be ahead of everyone else.

8K Television Gets a Debut in Dubai Event
12/29/2014 - Just as 4K TV starts getting traction NHK is demonstrating 8K starting with Dubai event.

Tasman Global Access Cable to Connect Australia, New Zealand
12/23/2014 - A number of global companies recently joined to begin the process of stretching an undersea cable system that will create a 20 terabits-per-second direct link between Australia and New Zealand.

Qualcomm, EE and Huawei Complete LTE Category 9 Carrier Aggregation Interoperability Testing
12/23/2014 - Successfull inter-company interoperability testing of LTE Category 9 connectivity promising development.

Alcatel-Lucent gets nod on Tasman Global Access System Linking Australia and New Zealand
12/23/2014 - Alcatel-Lucent signs contract with consortium to deploy undersea cable system to connect New Zealand to Australia.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia and Orange
12/20/2014 - This past week in the Next Generation Communications Community certainly had a little bit of everything. In fact, from rumors to marketing to new technology capabilities in various areas this week really highlighted once again the diverse nature of community activities.

Integrated Wi-Fi-Cellular Roaming Boosts Monetization
12/19/2014 - It's no secret that mobile operators would very much like to monetize their data services a bit better than they have been, given the investment that they've sunk into LTE and LTE-Advanced deployments. And at the same time, they have been looking to small cells and carrier Wi-Fi to offload some data usage in order to optimize their networks for a consistent quality of experience for end users.

Alcatel-Lucent Merger with Nokia? Buy on the Rumor and Sell on the News
12/19/2014 - I am not usually in the habit of commenting on industry rumors. However, since my inbox has been flooded with requests for my thoughts on the rumor that Alcatel-Lucent is in talks to merge with Nokia, in the holiday spirit here are a few brief observations.

UR Robots Launches App Store to Enhance Robot Performance
12/19/2014 - Industrial robots from UR Robots wow can have enhancements via online support.

Orange Business Services to Install Private Cloud for ESA
12/17/2014 - The European Space Agency (ESA) recently announced that Orange Business Services (OBS) would install a private cloud solution named esacloud at its sites. With the new system, scientists and engineers will get all the benefits of the cloud without the security risks that public clouds are subject to.

Equipment Market for C-RAN Architecture to Top $10 billion by 2018
12/16/2014 - There is a new report from Infonetics Research that takes a look at C-RAN Architecture equipment. The goal of the report which is entitled, "C-RAN Architecture Equipment Market Outlook" is to provide market size, share, forecasts and an analysis for C-RAN equipment.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Alcatel-Lucent, GENBAND and Cartesian
12/13/2014 - This past week in the Next Generation Communications Community saw an emphasis on contributions from our bloggers, and the topics covered happen to be both rather eclectic as well as extremely topical.

Cartesian Driving Customer Engagement with Managed Analytics for MVNOs
12/10/2014 - The continual evolution taking place in the ICT industry presents strategic challenges for organizations as they try to implement the latest iteration while still trying to make sense of their most recent deployment. This is especially difficult for players in the communications, technology and digital media industries where this evolutions seems to take place at faster rates than ever before. One way they are trying to use these new technologies more effectively is by fully exploiting the value of the massive amounts of data being created by consumers, partners and vendors.

Infonetics Research Sees Surge in Network Security Market in Q4 of 2014
12/9/2014 - The last couple of years have seen some of the largest security breaches in Internet history, affecting public and private organizations and resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. Adobe, eBay, Home Depot, Neiman Marcus, Target, J.P. Morgan and many others are some of the companies that have had to deal with security breaches. But the current predicament Sony finds itself in as 2014 comes to a close highlights the vulnerabilities multi-billion dollar organizations face if someone really wants to go after their digital assets, which explains the surge of network security appliances and software purchases Infonetics Research reported.

Alcatel-Lucent CloudBand NFV Ecosystem Program gets GENBAND as Member
12/8/2014 - There is a popular saying in politics in the U.S. that, "it takes a village." What is meant is that to achieve common purposes no one entity is capable of doing it alone. In the technology world, the translation basically comes down to it takes an ecosystem to not just achieve the desirable goal of interoperability but that such an ecosystem is in many ways a prerequisite for accelerating market adoption.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Alcatel-Lucent, Wireless Broadband Alliance, Telefonica
12/6/2014 - Despite the Thanksgiving holiday impacting the news cycle the last few weeks, it certainly did not stanch the flow of news and insights in the Next Generation Communications Community.

LTE-A, Small Cells Drive Microwave Equipment Market Back to Growth in 2015
12/3/2014 - As the end of the year draws closer, it's not just holiday season but also when analyst firms are busy with summaries of what has transpired over the course of the last 12 months and recent quarters, as well as predictions for 2015. In short, it is an exciting time for those of us who write about industry insights and trends since there is a lot of information to digest and impart in some very important markets.

Wireless Broadband Alliance Finds Improved Customer Experience Key to Carrier Wi-Fi Investment
12/3/2014 - According to the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) attitudes and investment by mobile service providers concerning carrier Wi-Fi hotspots has become bullish.

Alcatel-Lucent and Ooredoo Algeria Partner on Superfast Mobile Network
12/2/2014 - Next generation communications are a big concern when it comes to North America and Europe but they are also something that government and private businesses are looking at when it comes to the developing world. That is why the recent announcement by Alcatel-Lucent and Ooredoo Algeria was so welcomed. The companies have announced the construction of a high capacity optical transport network that is able to connect Algeria's main cities of Algiers, Constantine and Oran to other smaller cities using ultra broadband mobile networks.

Motive Customer Experience Management Enables Virtualized Device Security Service
12/1/2014 - Alcatel-Lucent Motive CEM helps service providers deliver virtualized device security service.

Telefonica Announces Completion of SDN Proof-of-Concept Trial
12/1/2014 - Late last week, Telefonica SA announced it had completed the successful launch of a multi-domain and multi-vendor SDN interoperability proof-of-concept trial.

Survey Finds Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) Open to OTT Collaboration
11/24/2014 - We keep hearing from industry observers that operators of physical communications networks, especially those in Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), view Over-the-Top (OTT) providers as the enemy. Well it turns out based on a new global survey from mobilesquared, sponsored by mobile interactions solutions specialists, tyntec, of MNOs that they have met the enemy and they can be as much friend as foe. In fact, the message is MNOs have adopted the attitude of, "why can't we be friends?"

Report Shows Growth of VoIP, IMS Equipment Market
11/24/2014 - A new report, "Service Provider VoIP and IMS Equipment and Subscribers," discusses the Q3 2014 market share of various vendors within the voice-over-IP (VoIP) and IP multimedia subsystems (IMS) equipment market and their relationships with global content providers.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Alcatel-Lucent, Inmarsat and GreenTouch
11/22/2014 - Whether literally up in the air, through the air or on the ground, it was an interesting week in the Next Generation Communications Community.

Alcatel-Lucent and Inmarsat Partner for Development of the first EU Aviation Network
11/20/2014 - Back in the 1950s, the original Superman TV show used to start with somebody intoning: "Look, up in the sky. It is a bird. It is a plane. No, it's Superman." Well, it may not be Superman that will be up in the sky in the near future, but over Europe, thanks to Inmarsat's new technology partnership with Alcatel-Lucent there will be a new, fully integrated telecommunications network delivering high-speed broadband services to commercial and business aviation passengers across the European Union (EU).

GreenTouch Innovations Reduce Energy Consumption in Wireline Access Networks by 46 percent
11/20/2014 - For those not familiar with them this would be a great time to get informed. GreenTouch is who is being referenced. As the name bespeaks, it is a consortium of leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry, academic and non-governmental research experts who are collaborating to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of ICT devices, platforms and networks. They are doing important work, and their latest is certainly a cause for attention.

Alcatel-Lucent Edge Service Router Provides High Performance Aggregation in Compact Form Factor
11/19/2014 - Hard on the heels of the recent announcement at the Alcatel-Lucent 2014 Technology Symposium of the company's expanding portfolio of virtualized IP Edge Service Routers, aimed at accelerating network functions virtualization (NFV) adoption, there is additional enhancements at the edge. Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) has introduced a flexible and resilient hardware-based edge routing platform - the 7750 SR-a. The new router is to offer high density, high performance aggregation of mobile backhaul, business and residential services, in addition to rich service functionality, in a compact, modular design.

Carrier Wi-Fi Market to Hit $3 Billion in 2018
11/18/2014 - At the just concluded 2014 Alcatel-Lucent Technology Symposium, Bell Labs President Marcus Weldon presented the company's Network Vision 2020. The presentation will be covered in more detail in another posting, but the vision has a decidedly wireless bent. In fact, it could be said that what we are going to witness in the next few years is the wiring of the macro infrastructure for wireless to best accommodate the massive deployment of small cells. Said deployment is being driven by the need to put capacity closer to the users as macro cellular networks are constrained, and as enablers of the Internet of Things (IoT). In short, the market for Wi-Fi in general and Carrier Wi-Fi in particularly is going to be big.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Alcatel-Lucent, Net Neutrality
11/15/2014 - For frequent visitors to the Next Generation Communications Community if you look below you will see there is a bit of a departure in terms of the type of content highlighted. Not to worry. In fact, I was privileged to have spent this past week as a guest of community host Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) at their 2014 Alcatel-Lucent Technology Symposium, where as you can see below a lot was happening.

Alcatel-Lucent CEO Michel Combes Highlights Shift of Gears -'Back in the Game to Win'
11/13/2014 - On the first day of the 2014 Alcatel-Lucent Technology Symposium, CEO Michel Combes led off the proceedings with both a look forward as well as an interesting look ahead. In fact, an analogy given the CEO's remarks provides good context. If the first 18 months of the Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) Shift Plan were all about adjusting to going downhill on a steep grade in low gear, what Combes spent most of his time on was the company successfully navigating the hazards of what had been a long and winding road, and is literally shifting gears to accelerate on what looks to be a promising straight away.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Alcatel-Lucent, Infonetics and Thales
11/8/2014 - For frequent visitors to the Next Generation Communications Community and our weekly reviews of community items of interest, you are aware that last week we were heavy on the news. This week, while there is no shortage of interesting developments it was features and blogs that are back as major areas of focus.

Infonetics says Carrier SDN and NFV Ready for Takeoff, Market to reach $11 billion by 2018
11/5/2014 - You read the headline correctly. After all of the hype, proof-of-concepts, tests and even a few commercializations, respected market research firm Infonetics Research is ready to make the call on a subject of intense interest, the markets for carrier Software Defined Networks (SDN) the Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). The company's new report, Carrier SDN and NFV Hardware and Software, is likely to raise some eyebrows. Rather than call it aggressive, a better way to characterize this report is that it reflects both the maturity of the technology and the urgency that service providers are feeling to deploy it.

iPhone 6 Users Switch 4G Voice Calls-'Try It You'll Like It!'
11/4/2014 - Three unanswered questions about the deployment of Voice over LTE capabilities, at least here in the U.S., appear to have been answered according to recent research by Newfield Wireless, a Tektronix Communications company that is a provider of next-generation Radio Access Network (RAN) geoanalytics.

Thales and Alcatel-Lucent Sign Partnership Deal to Transfer Cybersecurity Services Activities
11/3/2014 - The Shift Plan, the industrial, operational and financial plan to refocus Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) as an IP Networking and Ultra-Broadband specialist that ALU CEO Michel Combes instituted in June of 2013 continues to move ahead. Following the recent finalization of the sale of the ALU Enterprise unit to Huaxin, comes the finalization of a strategic partnership contract whereby cybersecurity solutions provider Thales acquires the cybersecurity services and solutions and the communications security activities of Alcatel-Lucent.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Alcatel-Lucent Closes Enterprise Unit Sale
11/1/2014 - Last week the Next Generation Communications Community had a slew of rich content in our features and blogging sections and this week to add to that continuing stream of insights there was a lot of news as well. In fact, community host Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) was extremely active on that front.

China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile Chose the Alcatel-Lucent 7950 XRS
10/30/2014 - Any time an organization gets a contract after winning a bid it is good news, but when three of those companies are China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile, the three biggest telecommunication providers in China, it has got to be a great day. With a customer base numbering more than 700 million, Alcatel-Lucent will now be responsible for supplying its 7950 XRS (Extensible Routing System) IP technology for core networking projects to meet the demand of these three companies for their fixed and mobile broadband needs.

Alcatel-Lucent, CenturyLink Get Together to Drive IP Core Network Development
10/29/2014 - With demand for bandwidth rapidly on the rise, mobile device use skyrocketing and a host of new devices coming online that need interconnecting, it's not surprising to see that, along with all these developments, follows development in bandwidth as well. These developments have all come together in a new announcement from CenturyLink and Alcatel-Lucent that shows just how far the growing network can go as the two companies combine efforts to put in play powerful new tools to drive network growth.

Alcatel-Lucent, Internet Society Inks New MoU to Enhance Thailand's Internet Infrastructure
10/29/2014 - Since its inception in 1992, The Internet Society (ISOC) has been at the forefront working with countries to enable core network development, interconnection, and Internet traffic exchange. It delivers on these goals through hands-on technical training, organizing seminars and conferences on topical Internet issues, supporting local and regional Internet organizations, issuing briefings and white papers on Internet technologies, and funding participation opportunities for Internet experts in developing countries.

Alcatel-Lucent Closes Enterprise Sale to China Huaxin
10/29/2014 - In front of its quarterly earnings report on October 30, which financial analysts are expecting will show a reduction in the company's losses reflecting the impact of it's The Shift Plan, Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) announced the closing of the sale of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise to China Huaxin Post & Telecommunication Economy Development Center.

Alcatel-Lucent Teams up with Crystal System Consulting to Showcase 4G LTE Mobile Solution
10/29/2014 - 4G LTE, or long-term evolution, is the latest standard in mobile network technology. It offers the fastest data speeds available, which helps users to work and play faster than ever before. This technology creates a platform for innovative applications and has gained attention of wireless operators, equipment makers (OEMs), investors, and industry watchers around the world. This technology promises higher data rates and expanded multimedia services.

MASS Communications Selects GTT Communications
10/29/2014 - GTT Communications, Inc. has been selected by MASS Communications, a full-service connectivity and telecom management provider, to power the MPLS network for one of its multi-site health care clients.

Globecomm Completes Deployment of 158 Mb VSAT Network in Support of Iraqi Oil Exploration
10/29/2014 - Globecomm, in partnership with a top Iraqi telecommunications provider, has announced its recent completion of a 158-Mb VSAT network that will support oil (and gas) exploration for a crew camp that supports over 5,000 people working and living on site, said Patrick Visser of Globecomm Europe. The connectivity solution is needed to carry out the camp business and daily communication for voice, data and broadband activity, he said.

Sckipio Selects CEVA-XC Communications DSP
10/28/2014 - CEVA has announced the company's XC DSP is licensed and deployed by Sckipio in the world's first G.fast modem chipsets. Sckipio has deployed these mechanisms to provide 1Gbps broadband access to its customers over the existing copper wiring. According to Sckipio, CEVA's DSP provides outstanding performance capabilities which will strengthen G.fast modem chipsets with the processing horsepower.

Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks to Acquire Optoplan
10/28/2014 - Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks (ASN), a subsidiary of Alcatel-Lucent, recently announced an agreement with Sercel, part of the CGG Group, for the acquisition of Optoplan, a provider of 4D permanent reservoir monitoring solutions used in offshore oil and gas production. The acquisition will help ASN come up with an all-in-one 4D PRM solution for oil and gas companies. The new solution will help further improve oil recovery ratio as well as extend the life of oil fields.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: NFV on OpenStack
10/25/2014 - This week the focus in the Next Generation Communications Community was on not so much on the news but rather on industry issues as exemplified in the features and blog sections.

FCC Scrutinizes NG911 Rollout in Wake of Massive Outage
10/21/2014 - The term "all-IP" has become shorthand for "innovation" and "cool new features." But it's not always ready for primetime. This seems to be the case in a seven-state 911 outage in April, which the FCC says was caused by the transition to next-generation 911 (NG911) emergency services.

Aruba WLAN Products Selected for Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint Test Bed
10/20/2014 - Aruba Networks, a provider of next-generation network access solutions for the mobile enterprise, recently announced that Wi-Fi Alliance has selected the company's wireless LAN products for the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint test bed.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Keeping Legacy Systems Alive
10/18/2014 - Perhaps the last thing that readers expect to hear when reading about next generation communications is the continuing need for legacy systems. That is, however, the material on which this week's news focused.

DJEZZY Selects Alcatel-Lucent 9500 Microwave Packet Radio Solution
10/16/2014 - DJEZZY (OTA) has selected the 9500 Microwave Packet Radio solution from Alcatel-Lucent, which upgrades OTA's mobile backhaul architecture and enables OTA to meet the increasing invasion of smartphones. In other terms, OTA will now get eight times its earlier capacity while dealing with smartphones.

Alcatel-Lucent Inks New Technical Collaboration Agreement with Korea's KT
10/16/2014 - KT, a communications service provider in Korea, has recently inked a new technical collaboration agreement with Alcatel-Lucent to promote the usage of Network Functions Virtualization (NFV)-based infrastructure.

A Look at Network Functions Virtualization
10/14/2014 - Networks are evolving to keep pace with advancements made in the world of smartphones and connected devices. One of the biggest roadblocks that prevents networks from being conducive to message transmission across different devices is infrastructure. All the functions of the network such as DNS, address translation and caching are associated with the underlying hardware device, so any change to the network means a replacement of the hardware as well.

Telect Unveils nrgSMART BDFB
10/13/2014 - Preventative networking can save both cost and energy. Telect, a designer and manufacturer of copper, fiber, power, and rack network infrastructure equipments is also working towards helping its customers achieve this. The company recently unveiled its new circuit-level monitoring system nrgSMART Battery Distribution Fuse Bays (BDFB).

Wheelings & Dealings: InterCloud Systems Finalizes Acquisition of VaultLogix LLC
10/13/2014 - InterCloud Systems provides end-to-end information technology (IT) and next-generation network solutions to service providers and corporate enterprise markets through cloud-centric solutions and services. As more organizations migrate to the cloud, the company has been looking to acquire strategic assets designed to enhance its position in the marketplace. In March of this year InterCloud announced it had entered a definitive agreement to acquire VaultLogix, a company specializing in providing businesses with cloud backup and data protection services. The company announced it completed the acquisition in a deal consisting of cash and stock.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: OVH Selects Nuage Networks SDN Solution
10/11/2014 - It was an interesting week in the Next Generation Communications Community, thanks to a range of news and features covering a broad landscape of activities that included SDN moving from promise to deployment, Wi-Fi related items and a guest blog on the subject of Shadow IT.

iGR Releases North America Carrier and Cable Wi-Fi Forecast Study
10/9/2014 - In its new market study, "North America Carrier and Cable Wi-Fi Forecast, 2013-2018: Meeting Mobile Demand with Wi-Fi", iGR has offered an insight into the carrier and cable MSO Wi-Fi market in the U.S. and Canada. The study looks at the standards that are making the growth of Wi-Fi possible in these regions. It also provides valuable data into the usage patterns of Wi-Fi customers in U.S.

Stackify Releases New Error and Log Management Solution
10/8/2014 - Stackify is the developer of an innovative cloud-based application monitoring, performance and troubleshooting platform for developers and operations.

OVH Selects Nuage Networks' SDN Solution to Enable OpenStack-based Dedicated Cloud Services
10/7/2014 - With so much industry talk and predictions about the future of Software-Defined Networks (SDN), what sometimes gets lost is that SDN is not just some kind of "coming attraction" but is actually here and now and ready for prime time. An illustration is the announcement that Alcatel-Lucent's Nuage Networks SDN business unit's Nuage Networks Virtualized Services Platform (VSP) been selected by OVH, the No. 3 largest hosting company in the world, for deployment within and across OVH datacenters in Europe and Canada in order to enable dedicated cloud services for their customers.

DE-CIX Frankfurt Selects 7950 XRS-40 Routing Systems
10/6/2014 - The XRS-40 is way ahead of its competition as it offers twice the density of other systems. The 7950 XRS provides up to 80 100GE and/or 800 10GE ports in a single 19-inch rack and this capacity can be doubled in a dual-chassis, back-to-back system configuration. This enables service providers to expand their core network capacity for video, cloud-based applications and immersive multimedia.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Open Platform for NFV Project (OPNFV)
10/4/2014 - This week the Next Generation Communications Community not only touched on a variety of topics ranging from the Internet of Things to SDN and NFV, but all sub-categories of the community (news, features and blogs) got some very interesting content.

Open Platform for NFV Project (OPNFV) is Open for Business
10/2/2014 - For those who might be mourning the looming death of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)-and to be honest, I am not sure you should be-the good news is that the ICT industry has come to its communal senses. The interoperability and ease of use of the PSTN, which enabled a voice-connected world to emerge and serve as the foundation for global economic growth once everyone agree to connect and interoperate, looks like it will be replicated in the data center-based and increasingly cloud-centric software defined all IP world that is forcing PSTN retirement.

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Goes Solo with Investment from Chinese Investor
10/1/2014 - Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise is becoming its own company with the help of a new majority investor out of China. These changes are being made with the goal of doubling the size of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise's business over the next five years.

The Park Bench Is Talking: JCDecaux, Alcatel-Lucent Combine on Connected Street Furniture
9/30/2014 - The idea of street furniture-benches and the like-that can actually communicate with users may seem unlikely to some; indeed, to more than a few it may sound like the first reason for involuntary institutionalization. But, it's a development that's all too real, in a sense, thanks to the work of JCDecaux SA and Alcatel-Lucent that's bringing about street furniture that can easily connect to other users and the world beyond.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Bell Labs XG-FAST Set Speed Record over Copper
9/27/2014 - This week the Next Generation Communications Community once again demonstrated its broad range of interests with news and insights on a variety of fronts ranging from things involving the connected home to the smart cities those homes are connected to.

SevOne Joins Alcatel-Lucent OSS Connected Partner Program
9/26/2014 - SevOne joins Alcatel-Lucent OSS Connected Partner Program for interoperability certification.

Bundling Not Speed is Being Used by Mobile Operators to Differentiate
9/25/2014 - There was a time not too long ago when the biggest selling point for choosing one mobile operator over another came down to speed. Of course, this was during the time when LTE 4G networks were first being deployed. With the previous options of 2G and 3G being available to everyone the ability to offer 4G speeds was definitely a selling point.

ARRIS and Comcast Trial New RDK Software in Broadband Modems
9/25/2014 - The RDK is designed to accelerate the development and deployment of next-generation video services such as cloud-based functionalities like Video on Demand (VOD), and improved guide experiences with richer graphics and better search functionality. Comcast licenses the RDK to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), semiconductor manufacturers, software vendors and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs).

Alcatel-Lucent Extends Mobile Backhaul Capabilities
9/23/2014 - Alcatel-Lucent , coming off its recent announcement of its partnership with Qualcomm to accelerate the availability of next generation small cells, has added another key ingredient to facilitate for rapid deployment with the addition to its ultra-broadband wireless portfolio of several new products for wireless backhaul. These include full outdoor microwave networking unit and new transceivers accelerate small cell installation while reducing cost and power.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: SDN Interoperability Testing
9/20/2014 - Hopefully you notice this week there was a shift in noteworthy items in the Next Generation Communications Community away from the past few weeks of wireless focus to a number of other areas. These ranged from SDN interoperability test to optical networking to multiscreen IPTV.

OIF and ONF Announce Participants in Transport SDN Interoperability Demonstration
9/19/2014 - The old saying that, "seeing is believing," is extremely pertinent when it comes to understanding the vitality and validity of technology capabilities that many would characterize as being very much in hype stages of development. This has particularly become the case when it comes to Software Defined Networking (SDN) where there has been much said about vendor-specific solutions and their promise, but where the critical area of interoperability has been an open issue.

Thailand's Symphony Communication Uses Alcatel-Lucent's Agile Optical Networking Portfolio
9/17/2014 - Thailand's Symphony Communication is well known as a national telecommunications infrastructure provider in the region. Recently, the firm selected Alcatel-Lucent's Agile Optical Networking portfolio to increase network speed, capacity and support its ultra-broadband services.

Alcatel-Lucent Developing New Technology Architecture for TV Providers
9/17/2014 - Alcatel-Lucent, a French global telecommunications equipment company, recently announced its plan to develop a new virtual private copy architecture allowing for cloud storage.

Avea Installs Alcatel-Lucent Remote Device Management Technology
9/16/2014 - Alcatel's Motive ServiceView promises to build a better customer experience around the mobile device. This solution enables users to execute on a complete customer experience management vision by combining device activation, comprehensive customer care and big data analytics.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: IP Video on the Rise
9/13/2014 - You might have thought with the CTIA show in Las Vegas and the IBC event in Amsterdam that things relating to video would be center stage in the Next Generation Communications Community this week and you would be correct. Plus, there was plenty of other news and topics of interest that caught our attention as well.

North America to Consume More Mobile Data per Month
9/11/2014 - North America is predicted to consume more mobile data per month in the coming days, according to a new market study.

With IP Video On the Rise, Alcatel-Lucent Velocix CDN Steps Up to Help
9/10/2014 - One thing that's clear these days is that there's plenty more video out there available over Internet protocol (IP) networks than was commonly seen in the past. With several pay-TV operators turning to the service to add value and help keep subscribers in the fold, IP video is the kind of thing that can be valuable, yet can also put a lot of strain on an already overburdened network. But Alcatel-Lucent has stepped up its own offerings in response to increased demand by adding some potent new features to the Velocix Content Delivery Network (CDN).

Enterprise Session Border Controller (eSBC) Market Up and Shaking Out
9/10/2014 - There can be little doubt that Session Border Controllers (SBCs) are valuable. This is true on the enterprise side of things as well as cloud-based SBCs being used by service providers. Indeed, thanks to SBCs being in essence a Swiss Army knife for everything-ranging from cutting SIP trunking costs to enabling Voice over IP (VoIP), presence interoperability and a foundation for enhancing unified communications (UC) to providing enhanced network security-the enterprise SBC (eSBC) market in particularly is experiencing robust growth.

Alcatel-Lucent to Provide 4G LTE Services to NTELOS Holdings Corp.
9/9/2014 - Alcatel-Lucent recently announced that it has signed an agreement to provide 4G LTE network services to NTELOS Holdings Corp. for its nTelos Wireless network build-out in West Virginia and parts of western Virginia. The officials from NTELOS Holdings Corp. said that Alcatel-Lucent LTE solutions will help the company to LTE faster with a complete LTE overlay Radio Access Network (RAN) and Mobile Blackhaul solution. nTelos will deploy Alcatel-Lucent base stations supporting Sprint's 1900MHz, 800MHz and 2.5G spectrum.

Alcatel-Lucent and Qualcomm Accelerate Availability of Next Gen Small Cells
9/8/2014 - As anyone with a smartphone knows, obtaining seamless broadband wireless connectivity inside buildings can be daunting, even as the BYOD trend puts a premium on such connectivity and users demand quality experiences. This challenge is only going to grow as those smart devices of all types become the interaction platforms of preference and the expectation as to real-time voice and applications performance are set as being as good or better than when attached to a wired network.

Taqua Acquires Kineto Wireless
9/8/2014 - Taqua acquires Kineto Wirelss expanding its Voice over WiFI (VoWiFi) portfolio to provide end-to-end solution.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review: Wireless, Submarine Cable, NFV
9/6/2014 - It was a short business week in the U.S. because of the Labor Day holiday but that did not mean a shortage of news and insights for the Next Generation Communications Community. In fact, unlike the past few weeks which were very wireless-centric, this week had a little something for almost every member of the community.

Globalstar 9600 World's Smallest Satellite Data Hotspot
9/5/2014 - The term "off the grid" has been around for many years to describe when you are unreachable. And, while it is sometimes hard to imagine that anybody is off the grid, the places where people can be reached via terrestrial fixed and wireless networks are dwarfed geographically by those where they cannot. Realities are that work done by energy companies, construction companies and all of the associated support services companies that work in harsh and remote climates and/or at sea would be unreachable without quality satellite communications.

Vubiq Networks Selects Vitesse
9/2/2014 - The new age smartphone data revolution is led by 4G technology. Operators are discovering the benefits of 4G, namely meeting the increasing broadband demands by today's smartphone users. An average 4G user typically consumes twice as much data per month as other users.

Upgrade of SAT-3/WASC Undersea Cable System Completed
9/2/2014 - Alcatel-Lucent enables SAT-3/WASC/SAFE to complete fourth upgrade of undersea cable system to meet traffic needs.

Hospice Center Upgrades Unified Communications System
9/2/2014 - A not-for-profit hospice care center in New Zealand announced this past week that it has updated its communications systems by pairing with several technology providers.

Motorola Solutions Improves Service at La Cage aux Sports Bar and Restaurant
9/2/2014 - Having wireless access is almost mandatory for hospitality businesses as the adoption rate of smartphones and other mobile devices with Internet accessibility continues to increase. This is especially true for restaurants because it is an environment in which customers spend a considerable amount of time, which allows them to check their emails, social media pages and more. La Cage aux Sports Bar and Restaurant in Canada has deployed technology from Motorola Solutions to help the company improve customer service and increase revenue.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review
8/30/2014 - The close of the summer vacation period across the Northern Hemisphere certainly did not slow down the news in the Next Generations Communications Community. As has been a trend throughout the past several months, wireless developments continue to dominate the news, and to a certain extent the attention of our features and blogs.

EU Project Aims to Develop 5G Cellular Mobile Networks
8/29/2014 - There are still plenty of 3G mobile networks around the world, and we are still early in the deployment of 4G. As we all know, what this means is that companies and those in academia, are already looking ahead. What we also know, or at least hope for, is that consensus on fundamental infrastructure for whatever comes next can be achieved so that interoperability issues do not become roadblocks to global adoption.

Telecom Awarded Two U.S. Patents, Now Holds Total of 51
8/28/2014 - An international communications company announced this week that it has been granted two additional patents to its portfolio. This brings its total awarded patents just this year to 14 in the U.S. and a grand total of 51overall in the U.S.

ZTE Selects LitePoint Solutions
8/26/2014 - Looking to deliver innovative new smartphones in the highly competitive Chinese mobile phone market, ZTE has selected LitePoint's cellular and connectivity test solutions. These test solutions will help ZTE calibrate and verify the company's 4G smartphones still under production.

DOCOMO and Huawei Confirm LTE Can Be Deployed Over the 5GHz Unlicensed Spectrum
8/25/2014 - DOCOMO and Huawei test show LTE is suitable in the 5GHz unlicensed spectrum expanding LTE use.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review
8/23/2014 - It should come as no surprise to frequent readers of the week in review that this week's news, features and blogs in our Next Generations Communications Community have a decidedly wireless bent.

Broadband Aggregation Market Crosses $2 Billion in 2Q14
8/22/2014 - New Infonetics Research report highlights strong global growth of broadband aggregation market.

Verizon Wireless Recognized by RootScore Award for Overall Performance
8/22/2014 - RootMetrics has ranked Verizon Wireless highest in multiple performance categories.

Global VoIP and IMS Market Down 6 Percent in 2Q
8/21/2014 - The global service provider VoIP and IMS market is down 6 percent from the second quarter of 2013, according to Infonetics Research's vendor market share and forecasts from its 2nd quarter.

North America will Continue to Lead Global LTE Market
8/20/2014 - When 4G LTE was announced, smartphone owners around the world rejoiced at the thought of not having to wait for the buffering loading wheel of doom to watch their favorite videos. This of course didn't mean everyone would have access to the technology, and depending what corner of the globe you call home, you might have to wait sometime before you can say goodbye to that dreaded wheel. According to one recent report, the global growth of LTE is progressing, but the North American market still holds the lion share of the deployments taking place.

iBasis Provides Roaming for Mobile Users in Peru
8/20/2014 - Operators can also leverage the hosted DRA solution from iBasis to easily implement 4G/LTE roaming without having to make heavy capital investments.

Could Cable TV via a Mobile Network Shake Up the Pay-TV Industry?
8/18/2014 - Verizon's recently announced plans to deliver cable TV over its mobile network system within a year has industry insiders buzzing about what the move could mean for the pay-TV industry.

Next Generation Communications Week in Review
8/16/2014 - The Next Generation Communications Community, as this week's news, features and blogs highlights certainly cover the globe as well as an incredible diversity of interests. And, this in fact is one of the reasons (see below) why bookmarking the community home page is something you should do if you have not done so already for easy access to topics that interest you.

Alcatel-Lucent to Rollout 4G LTE Network Pioneer Cellular
8/12/2014 - Alcatel-Lucent is all set to rollout a 4G LTE network in Oklahoma and Kansas with Pioneer Cellular, an affiliate of Pioneer Telephone Cooperative.

INOVA Geophysical Partners with TGC Industries
8/11/2014 - INOVA Geophysical, a provider of land geophysical technology, recently announced that TGC Industries, Inc., a provider of seismic data acquisition services, has purchased 10,500 channels of Hawk autonomous nodal system, along with all peripheral equipment.

Comtech Systems Awarded Huge Contract by Major Oil Company
8/11/2014 - Comtech Telecommunications Corp., an organization that designs, develops, produces and markets products, systems and services for advanced communications solutions, recently announced that Comtech Systems, Inc., the company's subsidiary, will provide troposcatter system and CS67200i modems to a major international oil company.

HCL to Begin 2G/3G Support Services and R&D Development for Alcatel-Lucent
8/11/2014 - The Alcatel-Lucent Shift Plan was established last year in order to reposition the company from a telecommunications equipment generalist to one specializing in IP networking, mobile, and fixed ultra-broadband access, which it sees as being at the center of next-generation networks. Migrating to this sector means the company has to outsource its 2G/3G support services and R&D development, which is what it did by offering HCL Technologies a $400 million deal to manage this part of its operations.