O2 ties up with Cisco for cloud services (Ireland)

On 11.22.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Telecom operator O2 has reportedly entered into an agreement with Cisco for cloud services targeting large business segments and public sector organisations. According to reports, the new service termed O2 Unified Communications will enable corporate houses to combine their fixed and mobile telephone, voice mail, instant messaging and videoconferencing operations into a single managed cloud-based service without any capital expenditure.

As per sources, Alan Brown, Business Director, Telefonica Ireland, has said that they are the first major communications provider in Ireland to bring the full range of Cisco Unified Communications services to the corporate market via the cloud. He added that because of the current economic climate, many Irish large organisations are sitting on outdated and costly legacy telecommunications systems and have had to delay the move to more efficient communications. O2 has launched Unified Communications to address this need and help organisations to upgrade to efficient, cutting-edge communications systems at a manageable price.

Reports reveal that the unified communications service enables users to interact in real time regardless of their location or the device being used, as it is compatible with smartphones, desktop PCs, laptops and tablets.

 

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Orange Business Services highlights strategic focus on Middle East region at conference in Oman

On 03.29.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Orange Business Services, the B2B arm of France Telecom-Orange and one of the largest ICT employers in the Middle East, has identified the Middle East as a strategic region for the next five years. The company is focusing on the opportunities presented by smart cities, cloud computing and the development of the enterprise services market.

This strategy was presented during the annual Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA) regional meeting held in Muscat. Customers and partners joined more than 200 senior Orange Business Services staff representing 80 countries.

Philippe Koebel, Senior Vice President and Head of Emerging Markets for Orange Business Services, said: Orange Business Services has all of the necessary needed assets in the region to contribute to our strong business ambition in the emerging markets of generating 1 billion euros in revenue by 2015. We offer a full range of solutions from various local network access options through Business VPN up to telepresence, unified communications and fully connected smart cities. With 2,000 regional staff, five regional offices, a major service center, and two Orange labs, Orange Business Services is well equipped to meet the needs of our customers whether simple or complex.”

Orange Business Services is a smart city pioneer, delivering telecommunications infrastructure solutions to cities that provide ubiquitous IP-based infrastructure and connectivity, backed by innovative related ICT services, including voice solutions, business and on-demand connectivity, public Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art security.

2010 proved to be a successful year for Orange Business Services in the region with 10 major new clients added and a range of high profile smart city project wins. Orange Business Services supports more than 500 multinational customers in EEMEA, including: BHP Billiton, Ecobank, Lafarge, MAF Carrefour, Omantel, South African Breweries, and United Arab Shipping Company (UASC).

To address the cloud computing demand, Orange Business Services appointed its first Middle East & Africa Regional Cloud Director in August 2010 and, along with Cisco, EMC and VMware, announced Flexible 4 Business to offer end-to-end cloud computing services for enterprises.


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Cisco completes mobile network for RCom’s 3G deployment (India)

On 03.14.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Networking solutions provider, Cisco has completed mobile network for Reliance Communications’ 3G deployment in India. With this the company’s customers will be able to experience mobile services such as high-quality video telephony and high-speed mobile data.

According to Cisco, it has completed the mobile network for RCom that will cover 100,000 square km – the largest 3G deployment in India.

It added that with the new network, the customers of Reliance will be able to experience mobile services such as high-quality video telephony and high-speed mobile data, along with enhanced music downloads, instant messaging and online gaming.

 

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Enterprise WLAN grew at fastest rate since 2006

On 03.10.11, In Mobile, By Editor

­A recent report has revealed that the worldwide Wireless LAN (WLAN) market achieved a record higher in 2010 as revenues grew by 25% to surpass $5 billion. The report has also shown that  the small office, home office (SOHO) segment surpassed $3 billion, while the Enterprise WLAN segment grew at its fastest rate since 2006 to exceed $2 billion in 2010.

According to researchers, the enterprise WLAN segment has now seen seven straight quarters of revenue growth, having pushed its way over the $500 million mark for the first time in the third quarter of 2010, and then over the $600 million mark in the fourth quarter.

Enterprise WLAN vendors recognized continued strength from the education and healthcare vertical segments, but also saw a corresponding rise from their general enterprise sales as well. Researchers believe this to be another sign of the continued importance of wireless LAN to companies’ networking infrastructures, and of a worldwide economy that is on the upswing. Almost all enterprise WLAN vendors had at least modest quarterly revenue gains in the fourth quarter, but Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, and Aruba each posted quarterly revenue gains of more than 10%.

According to the report, the following vendors each posted full-year 2010 WLAN revenue growth that exceeded 40 percent: Alcatel-Lucent, Aruba, Belkin, NETGEAR, Tropos, and ZyXEL.

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Worldwide WLAN market reaches nearly $5 billion in 2010

On 03.05.11, In Mobile, By Editor

A recent research report has revealed that the combined retail and enterprise worldwide wireless local area network (WLAN) market segments experienced year-over-year market growth of 12.4% for the full year 2010 and quarter-over-quarter growth of 11.6% in the fourth quarter of 2010 (4Q10). The enterprise segment paved the way in 4Q10 with impressive 34.9% year-over-year growth and 12.3% quarter-over-quarter.

As per researchers, the tremendous momentum behind smart mobile devices and the continued proliferation of higher performance 802.11n networks are driving enterprises to move forward with upgrades, extensions, and replacements of their wireless infrastructures. Researchers expect these trends will continue over the next several quarters as 802.11n dominates and becomes the de facto standard in the enterprise.

Additionally, the retail-class WLAN market continues to stabilize from previous quarterly declines. Despite tight consumer spending and concerns about the economy, this segment of the market grew 11.1% quarter-over-quarter and 11.2% year-over-year in 4Q10. Dropping prices and increased consumer interest in networked home entertainment applications will continue to support this segment going forward.

Key Vendor Updates

  • Cisco’s enterprise WLAN revenue capped a good year with strong growth in 4Q10, growing 43.4% year-over-year and 16.3% quarter-over-quarter. For the full year 2010, Cisco grew revenues 30.7%. Cisco’s Linksys consumer division, after a decline in 3Q10, grew 14.1% quarter-over-quarter in 4Q10.
  • Aruba had an exceptional 4Q10 with branded revenue increasing 13.5% quarter-over-quarter and 72.2% year-over-year.
  • HP recorded 22.4% year-over-year growth in 4Q10, whereas Motorola had a weaker quarter for WLAN declining 11.6% year-over-year

 

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Du joins the league of first regional companies to converge its mobile and fixed transport networks, in collaboration with Cisco

On 01.25.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Du, the UAE’s integrated telecom service provider, has announced it has converged its fixed and mobile Internet Protocol transport networks using the Cisco CRS Carrier Routing System. This enables fixed-mobile convergence on du’s network to meet the demand for high-end broadband services and makes the company unique in its ability to rapidly deploy new high-bandwidth mobile applications and data packages.

Cisco and du have collaborated previously to develop a portfolio of data and mobility services in the UAE. This new phase of network development will allow du to improve the speed, flexibility and scalability of mobile-based services to its customers.

Highlights / Key Facts:
This is one of the first regional fixed-mobile convergence projects where the fixed and mobile all services run on the same IP network with mobile (signaling and bearer), mobile data, residential Internet, business Internet, residential voice, enterprise voice, international voice, Layer 2 VPNs, Layer 3 VPNs and video running on a single IP/Multiprotocol Label Switching core powered by Cisco. This collaboration between Cisco and du also paves the way for future mobile applications and services to du’s customers in the UAE.
By consolidating cores, du is able to offer its customers in the UAE a more scalable platform to deliver future services at a higher quality. The reduction in core equipment and the move to the latest technology also reduce du’s energy consumption and carbon footprint.

The project consisted of the Cisco CRS and core points-of-presence upgrades to meet higher bandwidth requirements, with a 10x bandwidth upgrade for mobile-based services through the addition of new hardware to the mobile nodes. The Mobile network was then enabled with end to end quality of service prioritizing critical traffic.

Executive Quotes:
Hatem Bamatraf, Senior Vice President, Network Development, du
Our vision to run a fully converged network where all the fixed and mobile services run on the same IP network is being achieved through our fixed mobile convergence projects. By collaborating with Cisco will be able to continue to deploy state-of-the art technology to continue enhancing the level of service we are delivering to our customers.”

Wayne Hull, General Manager, Cisco, UAE
du and Cisco’s combined experience and expertise, built through a long-standing relationship, has resulted in superior service and technology offerings that can enhance productivity and reduce operational costs across organizations in the UAE. Through the fixed mobile convergence, du and Cisco are now even better positioned to help our customers gain significant returns from their networks through greater productivity and reduced operating expenses.”

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du Joins The League Of First Few Regional Companies To Converge Its Mobile And Fixed Transport Networks, In Collaboration With Cisco

On 01.17.11, In Mobile, By Editor

du, the UAE’s integrated telecom service provider, has announced it has converged its fixed and mobile IP transport networks using the Cisco CRS Carrier Routing System. This will enable FMC (Fixed Mobile Convergence) on du’s network to meet the demand for high-end broadband services and makes the company unique in its ability to rapidly deploy new high-bandwidth mobile applications and data packages.

Cisco and du have collaborated previously to develop a portfolio of data and mobility services in the UAE. This new phase of network development will allow du to improve the speed, flexibility and scalability of mobile-based services to its customers.

Highlights / Key Facts:

• This is one of the first regional FMC projects where all the fixed and mobile services run on the same IP network with mobile (signaling and bearer), mobile data, residential internet, business internet, residential voice, enterprise voice, international voice, layer 2 VPNs, layer 3 VPNs and video running on a single IP/MPLS core powered by Cisco. This collaboration between Cisco and du also paves the way for future mobile applications and services to du’s customers in the UAE.

• By consolidating cores, du is able to offer its customers in the UAE a more scalable platform to deliver future services at a higher quality. The reduction in core equipment and moving to latest technology also reduces du’s energy consumption and reduce carbon footprint.

• The project consisted of the CRS’s (Cisco Carier Routing System) and core points-of-presence upgrades to cater for higher bandwidth requirements offering 10x bandwidth upgrade for mobile based services through the addition of new hardware to the mobile nodes. The Mobile network was then enabled with end to end quality of service prioritising critical traffic.

Executive Quotes:

Hatem Bamatraf, SVP Network Development, du, said:Our vision to run a fully converged network where all the fixed and mobile services run on the same IP network is being achieved through our fixed mobile convergence projects. By collaborating with Cisco will be able to continue to deploy state-of-the art technology to continue enhancing the level of service we are delivering to our customers.”

Wayne Hull, general manager, Cisco, UAE

du and Cisco’s combined experience and expertise, built through a long-standing relationship, has resulted in superior service and technology offerings that can enhance productivity and reduce operational costs across organizations in the UAE. Through the fixed mobile convergence, du and Cisco are now even better positioned to help our customers gain significant returns from their networks through greater productivity and reduced operating expenses.”

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Cisco reveals Videoconferencing system

On 10.07.10, In Mobile, By Editor

Cisco Systems Inc. has unveiled a videoconferencing system, representing the first venture by the company into a market now conquered by free video chat services like Skype.

The system, called Cisco UMI, will allow consumers to make video chats from high-definition and Internet-connected televisions. Umi includes a HD camera, a console and a remote. The device will cost US$599 with a monthly fee of US$24.99 for unlimited calling and video messaging and storage.

According to John Chambers, Cisco’s chief executive officer, Cisco Umi will bring the unique tele-presence experience into living rooms and change the way we are able to be together with family and friends. The company envisions a future where technologies like this will play a role in connecting consumers with businesses to enable the delivery of new services ranging from education, to health care, to financial services, to the home.

According to Cisco, consumers can pre-order Umi on the company’s website and the product is scheduled to be available in the stores of electronics retailer Best Buy from Nov. 14.

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Cisco and Logitech introduces Couch-to-couch video calls (USA)

On 10.04.10, In Mobile, By Editor

LifeSize, a part of Logitech is aiming to build a High Definition Videoconferencing platform along with industry giants Cisco and Microsoft and will soon announce products for the consumer market.

According to sources, Cisco is planning the launch of an inexpensive home tele-presence product for personal use in US market. The services will be launched in conjunction with either Comcast or Verizon’s network facilities. The subsidized prices might range from US$200-US$500.

According to ATD, the big selling point for the company is the high-definition quality which is supposed to be very good. Cisco will use this selling point to contrast it to what will be its big competitor, Internet telephony and video-calling giant Skype.

If reports are to be believed, Couch-to-couch video calls are being introduced by Cisco and Logitech as the tele-presence systems of the corporate world and will become affordable for mainstream consumers.

The two companies will not be alone in introducing family video calling to the living room this autumn, Skype’s calling service which is already available on several models of high-definition TVs sold by Panasonic and Samsung. In November, video calling will be offered by Microsoft with the launch of its Kinect motion controller for the Xbox 360 games console. The device features a camera and an array of microphones.

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Bharti, Cisco, and Servion sign contract to offer Hosted Contact Center Services

On 06.17.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: A consortium of Bharti Airtel, Cisco, and Servion today announced their foray into the Indian hosted Contact Center services market valued at USD 50 Million with the launch of India’s first ‘customizable’ hosted Contact Center services. This hosted Contact Center solution for large, medium, and small enterprises offers freedom from technology obsolescence, capital investments, and continuity challenges while leveraging the capability to customize the solution based on business requirements. The consortium targets acquiring 5000 ports / seats in the first year.

Improving customer service and cutting costs are everlasting business goals, regardless of the economic climate. With capital expense budgets shrinking, organizations are seeking innovative approaches to achieve these goals. Hosted Contact Center solutions offer access to technology without having to buy software licenses, hardware, building infrastructure, and dedicating IT resources to implementing, maintaining, and upgrading the technologies. That can mean plenty of cost savings and flexibility. Hosted Contact Center solutions are faster and less expensive to implement than customer premise-based Contact Centers, and require no ongoing capital equipment or maintenance fee investment.

According to Milan Rao, CEO, Enterprise Services, Bharti Airtel, the company is very happy to partner with Servion and Cisco and this alliance is in line with its philosophy to partner with industry leader, besides the company is committed to offer state-of-the-art solutions that enhance productivity and minimize costs for our customers. There is a great potential for Call Center solutions over a hosted platform as it promises huge benefits for enterprises across different verticals”.

We understand that the business challenges each organization face are unique. A ‘one size fits all solution’ will not be effective under such circumstances. Hence we brought in the capability to customize these solutions”, explains Mr. K. Balakrishnan, Managing Director and CEO of Servion Global Solutions. The consortium combines the best of three worlds reach and brand of Bharti Airtel communication network, technology leadership of Cisco, and domain expertise and integration capabilities of Servion in offering a tailor made hosted Contact Center solution to the enterprise customer” he adds.

The tough economic climate has brought about the need for innovative solutions and consumption models and the hosted contact center model is a great example of one. Cisco, Bharti Airtel and Servion are coming together today to offer a truly transformational solution that factors in the vital business imperatives of agility and scale, in times like this,” said Vikram Sharma, Head Managed Services, Cisco India & SAARC. He added, In addition to bringing the benefits of converged voice, mobile and data services to every desktop in the organization, the offering allows businesses to dramatically reduce upfront investment, while accelerating the adoption of unified communications on a global scale”.

In addition to the features that are available for any high end premise based Contact Center solution self service, inbound, outbound, and international conferencing capabilities, the hosted Contact Center solution offers the domain expertise to customize applications, performance monitoring, infrastructure, skill sets, technology adoption and financial investments.

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