NXTcomm 2008: Everything under the sun

BROADBAND WIRELESS

Coming off the FCC's recent 700 MHz auction, not to mention the Sprint/Clearwire partnership, broadband wireless is once more in the spotlight. The NXTcomm Broadband Wireless World pavilion, held in conjunction with a conference of the same name, will feature broadband wireless access technologies, including both 3G and 4G systems. The exhibit will focus on the transition to next-generation 3G, WiMAX and long-term evolution (LTE) networks, as well as open-access business models for mobile Internet applications, a follow-up to the 700 MHz spectrum auction, all-IP network architectures for mobile broadband operators and reducing backhaul transport costs.

FIXED/MOBILE CONVERGENCE

Convergence is said to be a trend at every major telecom trade show. The term has been overused so much it has become more associated with hype than actual industry progress. This may start to change at NXTcomm, where convergence and its actual implementations in today's networks will be a common thread among exhibitors, presenters and attendees.

Convergence will be talked about in terms of FMC, unified communications (UC), operations support systems/business support systems (OSS/BSS) and billing and IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) — and that's just the start. Companies such as NewStep Networks, traditionally an FMC company, will focus on the more exciting arena of service convergence: being able to deliver any content to any device in any place, regardless of the type.

“I think as we start looking at [convergence] today in its new form, there is an exciting opportunity on the table,” said Peter Vicars, CEO of NewStep, who will be speaking at NXTcomm. “Not so much in the concept of fixed/mobile convergence, but really in the form of service convergence. How do I handle a call between a cell phone and fixed-line phone — yawn. But in the context of how do we work, live and play in that world; how do we make those connections; how do we want our social world to be? There is an exciting opportunity.”

Tamer Abbas, director of marketing for testing company Spirent, which is announcing news at NXTcomm, said right now consumers are starting to demand this type of convergence. They are at the stage where they want the same experience from each of their service pipes — cellular, broadband and wireline — but they still have to log in separately and use different connections for each one. As these services merge and the pipes become faster, the experience could be the same. Abbas said NXTcomm will focus on this emerging 10 Gigabit world and how telcos are continuing to grow the pipes in response.

“It is the year of the 10 Gig,” he said. “There will discussion on how these 10 Gig devices are embedded in the broadband networks and what they are giving the user in terms of voice, data and network experiences.”

Enabling technology provider Aculab will also have a presence at the show, focusing on video and IP gateway products through its Prosody X and applianX product lines, respectively. Chris Gravett, sales and marketing director for Aculab, expects the show to mirror Aculab's dual focus on both UC and video.

“It appears that this year, video is becoming a tick-box item for just about all traditional voice communications and definitely mobile,” he said. “Video in all its different guises is going to be big, and if there is a focus on UC, then I'm sure the Microsoft debate will be big on what kind of impact they'll have this time around on the traditional telecom market.”

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