NEW NAME, NEW NETWORKS

To better reflect the company's mission and purpose, Bellcore last week announced its long-anticipated name change to Telcordia Technologies, with the tagline "Performance from Experience." The change comes 17 months after Bellcore was acquired by parent Science Applications International Corp. As part of the agreement, the regional Bell operating companies demanded that Bellcore drop "Bell" from its name.

The new name was chosen to reflect Bellcore's history in telecommunications and its ability to promote cooperation among service providers. "We've had a central role in having various carriers reach accord. We play this role well," said Richard C. Smith, Telcordia CEO.

In tandem with the name change, Telcordia announced a suite of new products and services designed to help turn legacy networks into next generation networks. Telcordia is focusing on telecom-grade software that runs on servers and asynchronous transfer mode switches. Most companies' software offerings are tied to hardware, said Sanjiv Ahuja, president and chief operating officer of Telcordia. "Bellcore is the only one that is independent of any hardware line," he said. "There is almost a vacuum here, and we're filling it."

Telcordia's first order of business is to facilitate interoperable next generation networks (Telephony March 8, page 16). "We have an effort to create generic requirements for next generation networks, similar to what we have done with the [public network] over several years," Ahuja said.

The products include consulting and engineering services, call agent software and operations support systems (OSSs), said Ahuja. Consulting services encompass business assessment, network design, network engineering, integrated services, product engineering support, training and education.

The call agent software will operate on a computer server, but with carrier-grade availability, reliability and scalability, Ahuja said. "It's a set of software that runs on a computer system and provides capabilities [found] in a traditional Class 5 switch," he said. Applications will be built to an open application programming interface so carriers can create value-added services. Sprint and Le Groupe Videotron were the first to sign on.

The OSS "is the broadest set of OSS ever offered in this industry for next generation networks," Ahuja said. Encompassing service creation, network management, support for public network and next generation networks, it operates in pure or hybrid circuit-switched, packet-switched and cell-based networks.

The interest in next generation networks is undoubtedly fueled by the growth of non-traditional carriers. In fact, Ahuja said, "We are moving aggressively with the [competitive local exchange carriers], wireless and satellite, Internet and cable service providers. We've not had a major focus on them until the last couple years."

Bellcore has fought the incumbent carrier stigma for so long that the new name and products represent a fresh opportunity, said Paul Hughes, senior analyst with The Yankee Group. "They want to innovate and create new products. They're doing their best to stay on top of the marketplace."

Telcordia's integrated approach reminds Hughes of Lucent Technologies' one-stop shopping model. With a suite of services, Telcordia can offer a provider a complete solution, he said. That will make it more competitive as the market heats up.

"New market interests are evolving," he said. "It's more saturated with new players. But I'm positive Bellcore is aware of this. That's one reason why they announced new products. They are going after new market opportunities."

The biggest challenge is getting the various carriers on the same page, said Clif Holliday, president of B&C Consulting. Competitive carriers need open gateways and software, but getting them involved with Bellcore will be tough. "You don't wantto fund something for your competitors, yet you need it, too," he said.