I have recently returned from sampling the finest of New Orleans hospitality and hanging out with my wireless friends at the CTIA Wireless 2012 conference.  CTIA provides great insights into the wireless industry in one of the world’s biggest markets and technology superpower – the USA.  It’s hard not to compare CTIA with the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  While many of the things that I observed at MWC in February were equally visible at CTIA, I also observed a number of different items, or different slants on where the mobile industry was heading.  I am always amazed and overwhelmed at just how big the mobile ecosystem and economy are.  Unlike MWC, the CTIA show floor had a very healthy representation from all parts of the mobile ecosystem – everything from device accessories, to back-up power solutions, to applications, to CNBC broadcasting live, and many things that I couldn’t understand.  It makes you realize just how big this industry is and how innovation across all parts of the value chain have fueled this phenomenon.

The U.S. wireless industry feels like it is back on top.  Once the leader in innovation and customer demand, U.S. mobile lost much of that position over the last decade as it battled amongst itself on competing 3G technologies.  The U.S. now has 105% mobile penetration and 64% of the world’s LTE subscribers.  Not to mention that innovation in mobile has shifted back to the U.S., with the likes Read More »

Tags: byod, ctia, IBSG, LTE, M2M, mobile cloud, mobile operator, mobility, ott, Service Provider

Mobile World Congress, the huge service provider-focused event in Barcelona, wrapped up today.  Cisco has continued to make headlines with even more news about operator uptake on Cisco Mobile Internet solutions.

To wit:

• Cisco has been selected by Telefónica to support the company’s newest mobile video pilot in Spain. The trial is designed to deliver mobile video services across both Wi-Fi and 3G networks and was demonstrated at Telefónica’s stand at MWC.  The Telefónica España pilot is built upon the Cisco ASR 5000 architecture, part of the Cisco Mobile Videoscape solution.
• At Mobile World Congress, Cisco introduced the industry’s first carrier-grade, end-to-end Wi-Fi infrastructure to deliver Next-Generation Hotspots (NGH).  Cisco also announced it is working with leading global service providers such as AT&T, BT, PCCW mobile, Portugal Telecom, Shaw Communications, Smart and True, to deliver innovative mobile services with a new generation of intelligent “small cell” solutions utilizing licensed and unlicensed radio technology.
• PCCW mobile in Hong Kong has successfully completed a commercial trial of the Next-Gen Hotspot, becoming the first operator in the world to have achieved this milestone. The NGH rides on IEEE 802.11u and 802.1x specifications in conjunction with Cisco’s Service Provider Wi-Fi solution.
• Bell Mobility continues to build out its 4G LTE mobile services with the ASR 5000. Bell Mobility now delivers 4G LTE services to its most populous markets in western Canada, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The ASR 5000 is the foundation of the packet core for Bell Mobility’s LTE network.
• Cisco announced that du, a leading integrated telecommunications service provider in the United Arab Emirates, is deploying a nationwide mobile broadband network enabled by a Cisco mobile Internet solution based on the ASR 5000 to deliver highly secure, high-speed 4G long-term evolution (LTE) mobile data services. 

Tags: 4G, ASR_5000, Cisco, Hotspot, LTE, mobile, Mobile_Internet, mobile_operator, NGH, service_provider, SP_WiFi

Mobile World Congress, the huge service provider-focused event, takes place next week in Barcelona, and Cisco has gotten a running start this week with much news about operator deployments:

• Magyar Telekom, Hungary’s largest telecommunications company, is using Cisco Mobile Internet solutions to deploy 4G/LTE multimedia services. Magyar Telekom, part of Germany’s Deutsche Telekom Group, selected the Cisco ASR 5000 Series mobile multimedia core platform, ASR 9000 Series routers and ME 3800X Series Carrier Ethernet Switch Routers to help transform its network for delivery of advanced mobile services like video, social networking and high-speed Web browsing.
• LG U+, a service provider in Korea, will trial two Cisco mobile Internet offerings to deliver voice, video and messaging services to its rapidly growing number of 4G/LTE customers. The Cisco V2oLTE solution, based on the ASR 5000, will help LG U+ meet the performance challenge of carrying voice traffic over LTE.  
• Softbank, in Japan, recently became the first mobile operator in the world to deploy the Cisco ASR 903 unified Ethernet access router, and Softbank is now seeing the benefits of its high performance and small footprint.   Cisco recently spoke with two Softbank executives about this.
• Another operator, Vodafone Hungary, is thinking about how not only to manage, but monetize, mobile traffic.    Hear two of Vodafone Hungary’s strategic and technical leaders discussing how Vodafone Hungary is planning to leverage the intelligence in the ASR 5000 to design new services, deliver differentiated services and develop new business models.

Tags: 4G, ASR_5000, ASR_9000, ASR_903, Cisco, LTE, Mobile_Internet, mobility, operator, service_provider, VoLTE

By Jim O’Leary, Cisco Service Provider Mobility Solutions Marketing Manager

The leaves have turned color and are falling quickly here in New England, the days are getting shorter, and the end of 2011 is fast approaching. But one shining light that occurred last week at LTE North America in Dallas, Texas was Cisco Systems’ Consulting Engineer Aeneas Dodd-Noble receiving the LTE North America Award for Individual Contribution to LTE Development.  This industry recognition was a great acknowledgment of Aeneas’ dedication to working with Verizon Wireless on their LTE network development and deployment.  Aeneas noted that it is really recognition of his team and Cisco’s investment in our people, ingenuity, and leadership on intelligent LTE solutions.

Aeneas talks about LTE deployment at Verizon Wireless in the following video:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y2U9QaXbGY
Read More »

Tags: Long term evolution, LTE, LTE Development, LTE NA, LTE North America Award, Service Provider

Cisco has been going mobile in Canada.

Or, perhaps more accurately, Canadian mobile operators have been going for Cisco.  To wit:

In one example, Shaw Communications will deploy an extensive, advanced Wi-Fi network in Western Canada to provide broadband wireless access. The next-generation network will enable Shaw customers to connect Wi-Fi enabled devices like tablets, mobile phones and computers at thousands of Wi-Fi access points.

Shaw will deploy several advanced Cisco technologies, including the CRS-3 Carrier Routing System, ASR 5000 multimedia core platform, ASR 1000 Series routers and Service Provider Wi-Fi, part of Cisco’s M.O.VE architecture. 

Shaw Communications also announced that it will conduct a technical trial of HotSpot 2.0 in conjunction with Cisco, Shaw’s Wi-Fi technology partner.  HotSpot 2.0 will represent a significant improvement in Wi-Fi accessibility and security.

In addition, Bell Mobility has selected the Cisco ASR 5000 platform for delivering 4G and LTE mobile services in its next-generation wireless network.  The ASR 5000 will form the foundation of the packet core for Bell Mobility’s LTE network, delivering higher bandwidth and greater intelligence for faster mobile Internet services and improved user experiences.

Designated as a 4G mobile specification, LTE is designed to provide multi-megabit bandwidth, more efficient use of radio networks, latency reduction and improved mobility. LTE aims to enhance user interaction with the network and further drive demand for mobile multimedia services.

Tags: 4G, ASR_1000, ASR_5000, ASR_9000, Cisco, CRS, LTE, Mobile_Internet, mobility, operator, service_provider