ITU Preview/Siemens Viewpoint
It's amazing how far this industry has come in a few years: from voice-only services to the ability to deliver TV shows, photos, games, stock reports - all forms of information imaginable - over a single network. It's a revolution that analysts say rivals - perhaps exceeds - the emergence of the PC or the Internet, transforming the way we work, have fun and stay in touch.
For suppliers like Siemens, the challenge is to help operators translate technology advances into bottom-line benefits: lower costs, streamlined processes, more productive employees. We also have to help them address the top line, providing the foundation to launch new services, tap new revenue streams, and grow the business. We have to accomplish these goals in a way that supports future capabilities as the pace of innovation quickens.
Getting to 3G and NGMN
Since the launch of GSM in 1991, mobile network technology has been constantly evolving, pushed by the drive toward ever-higher quality and more advanced services. The introduction of GPRS marked the first shift toward packet switching, and then in 2002 the launch of 3G/UMTS brought the capability of providing multimedia services and applications to the table. This evolution is continuing with the deployment of HSDPA/HSUPA technology which will offer data speeds comparable to wireline DSL. Now the mobile industry is preparing itself for the next step forward, the evolution to next generation mobile networks (NGMN).
The vision of the NGMN is of a seamless integrated network able to deliver advanced mobile broadband services. The NGMN will be able to coexist with 2G and 3G networks while facilitating the migration to a single IP-based infrastructure, which will offer lower costs and superior performance. Work on standardizing the NGMN is already in hand and deployment is anticipated in the post 2009 timeframe. The NGMN is designed to meet and overcome the challenges facing mobile operators.
Moving to IP and triple play
Demand for triple-play services - voice, data and video over an IP network - provides opportunities to generate new revenue from the wire-line infrastructure. For example, we've just begun to tap the possibilities for integrating the home television with phone and data - like seeing a friend's face on your TV screen while talking to them on the phone. Enterprise customers benefit through offerings such as IP Centrex, unified messaging and video telephony - providing integrated communications with a common look and feel, whether a user is in the office, on the road or at home.
To deliver triple-play services, fixed-line operators need to migrate from their legacy TDM environment to a next-generation network based on IP. Hybrid platforms such as Siemens SURPASS combine TDM and IP functionality, with a VoIP gateway between the two networks. In addition to allowing the networks to interoperate, the SURPASS architecture ensures that the high-quality of service of the classic PSTN migrates to the IP world.
With telephony, Internet and services such as television merging into a single stream of information, access technologies must deliver unprecedented speed, flexibility and quality of service.