Next Generation Networks

NGN services architecture — stalled out

Danish carrier TDC is the latest to get into the API program to attempt to secure developer support to expand service features and flexibility, but the offering is still very limited.

The problem with “third-party access” has been as much what is available for access as how to access...

Australia nixes Telstra broadband bid

In a decision whose short-sightedness was worthy of U.S. process, the Australian government disqualified its national carrier Telstra from bidding on an enormous and controversial program to provide more universal broadband access in Australia. There have been political fights between Telstra...

Over-the-top players: A race to the bottom

One of the forgotten truths of the current economic crisis is that while telcos worldwide will certainly be deferring some projects and obsessing even more about monetization, their competitors are likely to be even more concerned. The guys at the greatest risk, in fact, are the darlings of the...

Alcatel-Lucent position could be game-changer

Alcatel-Lucent has posted a press release with more color on its new strategy, one that makes it clear just how dramatic its new position is. The company is now committed to a program of facilitation for the composition of services by partners as a primary strategic thrust, a position that is...

Alcatel-Lucent strategy: Focus on third-party access

Alcatel-Lucent has announced job cuts and predicts a decline in global telecom spending of between 8 and 12%, which is much larger than any dip we can see based on any credible set of economic trends.

The forecast appears to be based on the presumption that the recession will continue not...

Cisco’s new broad, vague Web 2.0 program

Cisco announced a broad if somewhat vague program to bind the Elements of Web 2.0 applications into a cohesive whole. The details on this vision were extremely difficult to extract, and we could find no Cisco material online to offer more insight. But it appears to us that Cisco is proposing a...

Microsoft telco framework quietly dropped

Microsoft has quietly dropped its Connected Services Framework, an ambitious program that targeted telcos with a package of components that was, at some points in Microsoft’s positioning, a service and sometimes a product.

The move has been interpreted as a response to the complex...

Good season for start-up acquisition

Tellabs is indicating it may be willing to use its strong balance sheet for some down-market M&A, something that we think might be a very good idea for a lot of the larger players in the current market. The industry is filled with small startups, some of which have good technology and strong...

Cisco’s four-day holiday: Signaling stability?

Cisco plans an unprecedented shutdown for four days during the holiday period, part of a plan to achieve over a billion dollars in cost savings to help counter the impact of the downturn in IT and networking spending.

We believe the step is a kiss blown at Wall Street, something Cisco...

Report on IP traffic growth greatly exaggerated?

UBS has released a sector report on telecom that suggests that the slowing IP traffic growth will threaten router vendors. While the firm has long taken a rather bearish stance on the industry, this seems more alarming and less justified than most positions. We know of no credible reports of...