Mobility Phones - Mobile Phones

According to recent market research commissioned by Nortel, consumers want more convenience, flexibility and cost savings from their VoIP and communication applications. This is good news for service providers, thanks to Nortel’s new IP Powered Home solutions - a variety of flexible, innovative application bundles for the consumer market that combine personal Internet, TV and home phone services into simple, customizable packages.Many consumers don’t have access to converged communications capabilities that enable consistent IP communications across fixed phones, computers, mobile phones and television. Although some consumers today have the beginnings of unified communications solutions in their homes, very few have access to advanced functionalities like the ability to easily send instant messages (IM) and call people from any device - fixed phone, computer, mobile phone or TV. Nortel’s IP Powered Home solutions make these new levels of communication a reality, bringing consumers truly unified and simplified home communications.

The market research, conducted by RONIN Corporation, included a web survey of over 2,000 consumers across the United States, France and the United Kingdom. It was designed to gain insight into consumer perception on VoIP, converged mobility, web services and one-number services. The research found that one in four consumers found converged mobility - the ability to make phone calls over WiFi and cellular networks via a dual-mode phone - to be a highly appealing service. The level of appeal was also found to be higher among current VoIP users than non-users, and among consumers with data-enabled cell phones.

“Consumers are looking for communications that simplify and enhance their lives,” said John McCready, general manager, Carrier Multimedia Networks, Nortel. “We’ve deployed multiple applications to carriers serving millions of consumers worldwide and we’re building on our success in this space with our IP Powered Home so carriers can sell complete communications packages to consumers. These packages include the most sought after voice and multimedia services with a variety of SIP soft-clients, phones and videophones. Not only are these attractive, affordable options for the consumer market, but they help enable carriers to boost their revenue and reduce customer churn with a wider variety of subscription based services.”

Nortel’s IP Powered Home solutions allow service providers to offer a core VoIP bundle and three optional bundles. The core bundle includes advanced phone services for the home like affordable VoIP lines for each member of the family, videocalling features and one number for both fixed and mobile phones. The core bundle also includes Nortel’s Personal Agent, a web-based tool that allows users to take control of their communications by defining how calls are routed based on time of day, day of the week or caller ID as well as the ability to configure ringing profiles so that calls ring only on the home phone, simultaneously on the home phone and the mobile phone, or in sequence. The IP Powered Home bundles build on an extensive open developer program providing consumers with a choice of easy-to-set-up soft-clients as well as a variety of SIP phones, videophones or adaptors for existing analog phones.

The three optional bundles are:

- IPPH-4-Mobile - This mobile option provides a dual-mode phone that operates on both cellular and WiFi networks and can be used in the home or as a regular mobile phone. The user can benefit from inexpensive call rates at home using WiFi or make and receive calls on normal cellular networks while out.

- IPPH-4-Web - This web option, built on a combination of web services and telecom functionality allows users to expand their communications onto the Internet. Without displaying a phone number, consumers can be called directly from a link on their webpage, blog, social network like Facebook or even email signature using simple voice or a full video service.

- IPPH-4-TV - This TV option allows users to experience the power of the IP Powered Home base bundle from the comfort of their living room. The user can now manage voicemail messages, call logs, instant messages and see who’s calling on their TV. They can also initiate calls from their TV and easily reject, ignore, or forward calls using their TV remote.

The IP Powered Home bundles can be deployed in next-generation and IMS networks, allowing carriers to benefit from the innovative services today with the network architecture of their choice. To enhance the IP Powered Home experience, the solution also leverages Nortel’s recently announced Adaptive Application Engine software, a next-generation SIP application server that provides new residential features like multiple line ringing, click-to-connect, auto call-back, self-provisioning or the ability to add friends registered with other instant messaging providers to the Nortel PC Client.

Nortel is building on its experience in consumer business for carriers with deployments such as the “Twin” offering launched by Neuf Cegetel in France, which accounted for 30% of the growth(2) in the number of Neuf Mobile contracts sold during the final quarter of 2007and a WiFi SIP phone for home communications launched by LG-Dacom in Korea, which attracted more than 300,000 new subscribers in just nine months.

According to Dell’Oro Group, Nortel is the worldwide leader in carrier VoIP and has maintained that position for the last six years (2002-2007). Nortel has shipped more than 88 million carrier IP voice and multimedia ports to over 250 carriers globally and Nortel’s IMS-ready solutions have been adopted by over 150 customers, including carriers operating across wireline, wireless and cable domains. IP Powered Home Core and the IPPH-4-TV bundles are available today, with the remaining bundles expected to be available for trial in 2008. For more information on IP Powered Home, check out the Nortel podcast on the solution.

U.S. Cellular has awarded Nortel a five-year contract to provide advanced wireless capabilities that deliver high-quality mobile voice and data services while easily supporting addition of new subscribers. The deal builds on Nortel and U.S. Cellular’s long-standing relationship for supplying CDMA solutions.Using Nortel’s CDMA solution, U.S. Cellular can offer reliable wireless coverage to its expanding customer base with applications beyond superior voice service, such as web browsing, e-mail, instant messaging, picture messaging, gaming and advanced data services for wireless handheld devices and smartphones.

“U.S. Cellular is committed to offering the highest level of service to our customers. Not only must our network be reliable, it must also provide exceptional call quality and clarity, and support a wide array of features that allow our customers to communicate in useful and productive ways,” said Michael S. Irizarry, executive vice president & chief technology officer at U.S. Cellular. “We demand a lot from our network and Nortel’s CDMA technology always delivers. Nortel’s dedication to excellence matches our own, and together we will continue to offer enhanced communication, information, and entertainment services on the go to our customers.”

“With this new agreement, Nortel’s CDMA solution will help U.S. Cellular continue offering its industry-leading customer service for years to come,” said Doug Wolff, general manager, CDMA and LTE solutions, Nortel. “CDMA is one of the best technologies available today for offering reliable, high-quality mobile voice and multimedia services. With customers like U.S. Cellular and others still investing in CDMA to grow their networks, it continues to show strength in the marketplace as a profitable solution, while in the labs, it continues to evolve with boosted mobile capabilities.”

Under this agreement, U.S. Cellular will purchase Nortel’s CDMA switching, base stations, and software to address their technology needs and support the delivery of mobile wireless services. The new agreement also includes emergency technical support, spares management, software patch management, performance monitoring and other services from Nortel’s Global Services portfolio.

Nortel is unveiling new unified communications solutions that let today’s mobile worker connect more quickly with colleagues, make faster decisions, and increase responsiveness to customers while helping enterprises make better use of their mobile communications budgets.”Companies are deploying mobile unified communications for many reasons, but primarily because it makes people more effective,” said Brent Kelly, senior analyst and partner, Wainhouse Research. “With a mobile unified communications solution, call completion rates can rise 30% - 50%. Companies can also trade savings from mobile phone charges for an increased spend in Wi-Fi networks, dual-mode phones, customer-based equipment or licenses to support a mobile unified communications deployment. The key is that organizations can do a lot more with a similar spend.”

Now, employees can access the same VoIP and unified communications features they have come to rely on in the office no matter where they go as Nortel extends these capabilities to a wide range of cellular and popular smart phone platforms. The Nortel unified communications solutions also help workers eliminate the time wasting frustration of managing multiple phone numbers and voice mailboxes.

“Many business people use about six different communication devices and almost as many software applications on those devices - but that’s not helping people to better connect,” said Joel Hackney, president, Enterprise Solutions, Nortel. “By bringing together all of the devices, phone numbers and inboxes, Nortel is simplifying the work environment and allowing more real-time interaction.”

In addition to giving mobile workers access to the same voice calling features of the corporate network, like dialing by extension, conferencing, and call transferring, Nortel is augmenting these so-called ‘basics’ with a number of other communications-transforming capabilities:

- A single phone number and voicemail across devices, from the desk phone, to the PC and mobile.

- A presence indicator letting colleagues know when you are available or on the phone, even when mobile.

- The ability to move from one device to another without interrupting a call. If you are on your mobile phone when you arrive at your desk and want to switch devices, just press a ‘handoff’ key on the desk phone and hang up the mobile.

- Regardless of which device you call from or where, the only number people will see is your business line, making it easier for them to reach you and keep their own contact lists from becoming unwieldy with multiple contact numbers.

Nortel’s unified communications solutions can also help bring down mobile communication costs by up to 30 percent through more efficient handling of mobile calls using corporate enterprise dial plans.

Traveling employees can rack up huge mobile expenses to the point where some enterprises are seeing 50 percent of their total mobile communications costs being generated by less than 10 percent of their employee base. Mobile unified communications linked to the corporate network creates an opportunity for enterprises to lower these costs by avoiding many cellular long distance and roaming charges that make up the majority of these expenses.

“Nortel has been a key collaborator in providing technologies that power TDC Sweden’s communications solutions and allow our customers to benefit from the most advanced and cost-efficient technology,” said Jeanette Jager, product and marketing director, TDC Sweden(2). “We are excited about the value Nortel’s new mobile extension capability will provide to our customers by enabling them to transform their businesses with lower cost mobility, and tighter integration between mobile phones and enterprise-based applications. In fact, we have recently seen deployments with customer savings of more than US $5 million annually when implementing Nortel’s unified communications solutions featuring mobile extension capabilities.” TDC Sweden is a part of the TDC group, a pan-Nordic communication provider. In Sweden TDC provides the B2B market with total solutions within data and telecom.

Nortel’s strength in delivering mobile unified communications to both enterprises and carriers, provides unmatched deployment flexibility, including the option of solutions located in the enterprise, carrier-hosted or a model that uses both approaches to match a customer’s unique requirements.

Nortel’s mobile unified communications solutions are enabled by Release 5.5 of Communication Server 1000 IP PBX, available in April, and the new Mobile Communication 3100 Release 2.0, a fixed mobile convergence solution for enterprises, which is available now. Also part of Nortel’s mobile unified communications solution is release 3.0 of IP Softphone 2050 for laptop PCs, and a new high capacity SIP DECT solution that is being introduced in EMEA and APAC for campus mobility.

The Communication Server 1000 is the cornerstone of the company’s unified communications portfolio and the first call server to be qualified by Microsoft’s Unified Communications Open Interoperability Program.

Nortel is demonstrating this and other unified communications solutions this week at VoiceCon Orlando 2008(2) (booth #1011).

3G Americas, a wireless trade association, will host the HSPA Mobile Broadband Pavilion at CTIA, April 1-3, 2008, in the Las Vegas Convention Center with the participation of 19 other companies. Pavilion guests will see, feel and experience true mobile broadband services and applications on a broad variety of HSPA devices and learn about the evolution path to LTE. HSDPA is the leading mobile broadband technology commercially available today on 182 networks in 79 countries, with more than 400 devices available from 90 suppliers.The HSPA Mobile Broadband Pavilion will allow attendees to put themselves in real-life scenarios and interact with products and applications that are available today to revolutionize their lives — at work, at home, in the classroom and on the move. Guests will see many of the 400 different HSDPA devices currently available. Additionally, viewer-selected videos and presentations will be available for technology tutorials and real operator success stories worldwide. The future migration to LTE is exhibited as well as a roadmap to the numerous displays featuring live LTE demonstrations throughout CTIA.

Some of the demonstrations planned for the Pavilion include services that might be used “At Home” such as the “three-screen revolution,” using an HSPA femtocell to integrate the home IPTV experience with a mobile device and a PC. “On the Move” applications to be showcased include a file download and upload, laptop Internet browsing, streaming video, IP meetings and group calls. “In the Classroom” will feature an instant communications application, and “At Work” will showcase live video-sharing between a mobile device and a PC. Another application solution to be shown adapts video streams from off-deck broadband sites for delivery on HSPA devices.

“HSPA is a global reality. We invite you to visit the HPSA Mobile Broadband Pavilion at CTIA and experience the vibrant HSPA ecosystem here today,” said Chris Pearson, President of 3G Americas. “At the same time, there is another growing ecosystem for LTE evolving rapidly with its recent 3GPP standards specifications approval. This is an ecosystem of vendors as impressive as that of HSPA, with operators already announcing their future LTE deployments.”

Many members of 3G Americas will be present in the Pavilion to demonstrate or discuss HSPA and/or LTE technology. Members of the 3G Americas Board of Governors include: Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Ericsson, Gemalto, HP, Motorola, Nortel Networks, Nokia, Openwave, Research in Motion (RIM), Rogers, T-Mobile USA, Telcel, Telefonica, and Texas Instruments.

The HSPA Mobile Broadband Pavilion is located in the Central Hall between the North Hall and South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at CTIA in the ‘Road to 4G’ zone. The Pavilion will be open Tuesday and Wednesday, 9am to 5pm and Thursday, 9am to 3pm (April 1-3). Media and analysts are encouraged to visit and contact 3G Americas for a private briefing and demonstrations.

HSPA, High Speed Packet Access, provides compelling advantages over competing technologies today, including the ability to support simultaneous voice and data services on the same radio spectrum, while also being backwards-compatible and enabling roaming across 220 countries worldwide. Some network operators report HSDPA users can expect average throughput rates of 600-1400 Kbps on the downlink. HSUPA users, on 31 commercial networks worldwide, can today experience peak achievable rates close to 1 Mbps in the uplink under favorable conditions. HSPA Evolution (HSPA+), with volume deployments scheduled for 2009, will more than double HSPA capacity as well as reduce latency below 25 milliseconds.

LTE, Long Term Evolution, an approved 3GPP standard specification, is a high data rate, low latency wireless technology based on OFDMA technology, and the next evolutionary step for GSM operators after HSPA+. It will match or exceed the capabilities of any other OFDMA mobile standard. For LTE, with advanced enhancements (MIMO), 3GPP reports peak theoretical network throughput rates of up to 326 Mbps and 86 Mbps respectively for the downlink and the uplink in 20 MHz of spectrum.

Nortel has successfully tested a solution with Qualcomm that will improve the mobile phone experience for users by allowing them to continue conversations uninterrupted and avoid additional roaming charges when a caller is moving between different wireless networks.The completion of testing between Nortel’s IMS-based Voice Call Continuity (VCC) network solution and the Qualcomm chipset solution that uses their IMS/VCC device client is a major step towards the availability of out-of-the box VCC-enabled mobile phones. VCC helps decrease mobile phone charges by seamlessly switching voice calls, without interruptions, between WiFi and cellular networks. Airtime and long distance charges do not apply when the user roams into areas of WiFi coverage - which can be in the home, office or some public retail locations.

Nortel and Qualcomm’s pre-validated solutions allow dual-mode mobile phones to be VCC-ready upon purchase without any additional software downloads or service provider configuration, which is expected to help accelerate broader use of the technology.

“Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) with the ability to seamlessly switch between cellular and WiFi networks is a critical requirement for many carriers,” said Akshay Sharma, research director, Gartner, Carrier Network Infrastructure. “IMS VCC requires both a network-based component and a handset-based solution. Specific handset offerings with advanced client software have proven difficult for operators to maintain. Having VCC-enabled phones will accelerate the up-take and deployment of the technology in the market.”

As an IMS-based application, VCC moves beyond traditional cellular solutions by enabling service providers to offer innovative multimedia services on mobile phones like network-based real-time, multi-player gaming, enterprise service integration and interactive blogging.

“Because Nortel’s VCC is based on IMS, it will allow operators to deploy more multimedia services compared to other FMC solutions,” said Alf Decardenas, general manager, Carrier Multimedia Networks, Nortel. “Also, Nortel’s VCC solution supports seamless voice calling across a wide range of next-generation technologies, as well as Femto cellular access points that are able to connect to the network using residential DSL or cable broadband connections. Nortel is a leading contributor to VCC standards and our successful completion of testing with Qualcomm illustrates that we are committed to deploying commercial VCC solutions in the market, making them available to service providers within their current networks or as they evolve to 4G solutions such as WiMAX, UMB and LTE.”

“Nortel’s successful testing with our chipset solution is another step towards enabling operators to offer new FMC solutions,” said Steve Mollenkopf, senior vice president of product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “Qualcomm’s IMS/VCC device client solution provides efficient power management, optimizations in the VoIP client software, and other optimizations that help deliver a seamless user experience that can now be made available across a wide range of handsets around the globe in the very near future.”

Test sessions were conducted with a Qualcomm test handset using live cellular coverage, rather than a simulation. Testing included authentication, calls on cellular/WiFi, in-call handover using manual and automatic triggers and a variety of error cases. Both Nortel and Qualcomm have implemented the VCC standards defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)(2), the global standard for 3G mobile phone systems.

Testing was conducted using Qualcomm’s IMS/VCC device client solution on a Mobile Station Modem (MSM) chipset powering a test handset together with Nortel’s IMS VCC network solution in Nortel’s Ottawa research and development labs. The Nortel VCC network solution is expected to be commercially available from Nortel in the first quarter of 2008. VCC-ready devices are expected to be available from Qualcomm in the market mid 2008.

Czech Railways has awarded Nortel partner Kapsch CarrierCom AG an order for developing the GSM-R system along the International Corridor IV rail route running from the Czech Republic through Slovakia and Hungary to destinations in Greece, Turkey and Romania. This will enhance the train to track communications and improve the speed and efficiency of railway travel.This new portion of the International Corridor IV GSM-R project covers the distance from the towns of Kolin, east of Prague, to Kuty on the Slovakia border and on to Hohenau on the Austrian border. Construction begins in November 2007 and the projected completion date is the end of 2008.

As general contractor, Kapsch CarrierCom will deliver a new digital European standard GSM-R system to connect staff on board Czech Railways trains to ground-based staff. The system enables European Train Control System Level 2 digital radio-based signal and train protection for displaying movement authority and other signals in the train driver’s cab.

Nortel is supplying the GSM-R infrastructure (an application of the GSM standard for mobile communications) including the train radio system for supporting the electronic exchange of train and operating data. This allows cross-border trains to be processed quickly and passed to the rail operators in neighbouring countries saving journey time and increasing the competitiveness and environmental advantage of rail transport compared to road or aviation which have greater carbon footprints.

Kapsch CarrierCom was awarded the project after conducting a pilot scheme project along 200 kilometres of track between Prague and Kolin in the Czech Republic. Nortel supplied the GSM-R infrastructure for the pilot scheme and is the sole GSM-R infrastructure equipment provider for the latest project.

“This contract award underscores our competence in implementing the European digital train radio system and we are pleased that a successful pilot scheme has resulted in a substantial order, “said Thomas Schopf, CEO Kapsch CarrierCom. “Our extensive expertise and experience in GSM-R systems is helping to make eastern European rail travel more efficient, simpler, convenient and safe and will benefit the entire region.”

“By enhancing track train communications and helping make rail services more competitive, Nortel is making it more attractive for people and businesses to choose railways over less environmentally friendly forms of transport such as road transport and short-haul aviation,” said Wim te Niet, president Central Europe, Nortel. “As world leader in GSM-R, Nortel is continuing its successful partnership with Kapsch CarrierCom on a key project at the rail crossroads of Europe. This latest project emphasizes Nortel’s continued commitment to GSM and its application to GSM-R.”

The extension to the Czech digital train radio system involves adding 67 new base stations at intervals along the track and installing an additional Base Station Controller to deliver packet data functionality. Kapsch CarrierCom will supply the necessary transmission equipment (optical cables, dispatcher equipment, and communication recording systems) and infrastructure including masts, antennas, handsets, and power supplies. Nortel will provide design and supply of GSM-R network technology (base stations, base station controllers) and packet data functionality GPRS.

Nortel is teaming up with leading universities across the globe to develop new innovations that will help meet the growing demand for 4G mobile broadband applications like video, mobile TV and other multimedia services.Nortel’s collaborative research with universities supports the new era of communications that is characterized by Hyperconnectivity, where everything that can be connected will be connected - encompassing person-to-person communication, person-to-machine and machine-to-machine.

To increase its competitive advantage and foster new 4G mobile broadband technologies, Nortel has expanded its existing long-standing research partnerships with leading universities like the University of Waterloo in Canada, The University of Texas at Austin in the U.S., and National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taiwan. Nortel has also formed new partnerships with Mera Networks in Russia and Technische Universitaet Ilmenau in Germany. Nortel’s investigations with these universities are designed to improve spectral efficiency, and decrease time to market for Nortel’s 4G mobile broadband solutions, which include Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e), and the Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) cellular standards.

“Through these university partnerships Nortel is sharing knowledge and expertise critical to identifying new disruptive technologies that help improve spectrum efficiencies and cost advantages that our service provider customers need,” said John Hoadley, leader, 4G Business and Ecosystem Development, Carrier Networks, Nortel. “Nortel is also laying the foundation for a future hyperconnected communication experience, where the number of devices and applications connected to the network will be greater than the number of people using the network.”

Nortel is expanding its existing relationship with the University of Waterloo which was announced in 2006 with Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Nortel is working closely with the Coding and Signal Transmission (CST) group of the University of Waterloo to increase the capacity of the future wireless networks through advanced multi-user transmission techniques. As part of its expanded partnership, Nortel is utilizing Waterloo’s on-campus research facilities to allow students and faculty to test and develop next-generation wireless technologies.

As an affiliate sponsor of The University of Texas at Austin’s Wireless Networking and Communications Group (WNCG), Nortel has been working with the university on the development of advanced 4G mobile broadband technologies, including MIMO-OFDM. MIMO and related advanced antenna technologies will help improve the spectral efficiency, network coverage and capacity of cellular base stations. This empowers service providers to deliver higher speed data applications including mobile video, gaming and other high-speed data transfers. Nortel and UT also have plans to work on advanced multi-user MIMO technologies and relay links to extend the coverage of cellular base stations. The goal is to enable a “true broadband” 4G experience everywhere by blanketing an area with small, relay access nodes, rather than costly base stations, to ensure high-speed, high-bandwidth capabilities.

Nortel announced collaboration with the Graduate Institute of Business Administration and the Electrical Engineering department of NTU on a WiMAX broadband service trial in 2006. The Nortel team is currently working with researchers at NTU on WiMAX proof of concept activities and interoperability testing geared at ensuring an end-to-end ecosystem is in place to support the widespread adoption of WiMAX. The work done with NTU will help to deliver enhanced capabilities over 4G WiMAX such as multimedia video conferencing with voice, video and IM, and location-based applications.

Nortel is also working with Mera Networks, the largest Russian Telecom R&D services provider and Technische Universitaet Ilmenau in Germany to develop advanced combinations of spatial processing and MIMO technologies. These advanced wireless radio techniques will improve network performance and increase capacity by re-using spectrum resources by as much as 4x over conventional systems. This will help improve the end user mobile broadband experience and allow carriers to deliver more high-speed data, including video and other multimedia services, more efficiently.

Nortel invests in approximately 50 technology innovation initiatives with more than 20 major universities and research consortia around the world to help fuel a new era of communications where all things and information are connected to an intelligent, pervasive mobile broadband network.