Lucent

GENBAND, Top VoIP Company 2008: FierceVoIP, Fierce 15

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:01:16 -0500

GENBAND

Where it's based: Plano, Texas
When was it founded: 1999
Website: www.genband.com

Why it's Fierce: Since it started acquiring companies in September 2006, GENBAND has been on a Fierce jag to dominate hardware equipment in the core by bridging the old TDM network while offering the next generation network all-IP, IMS capable solutions to carriers when they're ready. The company has acquired Siemens switch division, Tekelec's switching solutions group, Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) gateway product lines and NextPoint Networks. On top of that, add reseller relationships with Alcatel-Lucent, NEC, NSN, and Nortel.

GENBAND's purchase of NextPoint was significantly Fierce; NextPoint had developed deep packet inspection (DPI) and session border control (SBC) technology on open platforms, with the number two market share position on SBCs. Loading new security capability on existing GENBAND hardware is basically a code port.

With all of its acquisitions, GENBAND has over 800 service provider customers in more than 80 countries and lists 61 of the top 100 largest service providers. Given current market conditions, we wouldn't be surprised with another acquisition or two in 2009.

Alcatel-Lucent gets ClubMed account

Pete Wylie — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:01:22 -0400

Alcatel-Lucent added ClubMed to its big name customer roster Friday and will install about 30,000 total lines in a complete VoIP telephony system for ClubMed resorts, sales offices and corporate HQ initially with more rollouts planned for the future.

The companies signed a seven-year service agreement that will see Alca-Lu's OmniPCX enterprise telephony solution deployed across Club Med's 87 locations. Club Med will use the solution to streamline existing communications, cut costs, and manage telephony centrally, and the resort chain can now add locations easily through the centralized management tools Alca-Lu provides.

Plans are also being discussed to roll out softphones in resort room TVs and WiFi in every guest room, which would cut back on costs for guests and Club Med alike. Alca-Lu has had an executive shake up this month, and big partnerships like this could help to assuage wary investors. Focusing an enterrise story about cutting telephony costs with WiFi and VoIP capabilities also seems like a wise idea going forward.

For more:
- see the press release here

Related Articles
IDC: VoIP Strong, UC Hype, Cisco Gains
Alcatel chases dynamic enterprises

ALSO NOTED: Radware announced Q1 results; IMS an ingredient in SureWest's VoIP recipe; and much more...

Thu, 01 May 2008 06:59:52 -0400

> Radware Ltd. announces Q1 results

> IMS an ingredient in SureWest's VoIP recipe Report

> Cicero Launches Rich Communication For Mobile Devices

> U4EA Technologies Expands Multi-Service Business Gateway Product Line

> Global Crossing Announces Excess Cash Offer for Senior Secured Notes and Global Crossing Reports GCUK's Q4 and Full Year 2007 Results

> Belgacom Selects Alcatel-Lucent to Deploy End-To-End IMS Solution

> Vodafone New Zealand brings VoIP to mobile plans with Vodafone Office Article

> Cox Pays Qwest $2 Million For VoIP Skullduggery Report

> TMCNet's Tom Keating Muses about VoIP Call Screening Report

> Verso Declares Bankruptcy Report

ALSO NOTED: Sonus Networks to Acquire Atreus; J-COM launches VoIP Mobile Phone; and much more...

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:59:52 -0400

> Sonus Networks to acquire Atreus Systems

> Japan Communications launches VOIP Mobile Phone

> EQO's Global Mobile Community triples in size over past 10 weeks

> SureWest Communications deploys Alcatel-Lucent solution to enable new SureWest Digital Phone VoIP service

> UCN signs significant enterprise contact center accounts in Q1 2008

Cisco leaps to No. 2 enterprise VoIP vendor

Tom Burton — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:59:57 -0500

Cisco has capped an aggressive 2007 growth path, leaping from fifth to become the second largest supplier of enterprise telephony technology. According to Infonetics latest report, Cisco has climbed over Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel and Siemens to grab the second-largest market share behind leader Avaya. The top five PBX/KTS system vendors accounted for three quarters of total market revenue. However only Cisco enjoyed significant market-share growth, with other vendors flat or losing share.

The enterprise telephony market rose to $9.6 billion for 2007, up 6 percent over 2006, despite a sharp fall in traditional TDM infrastructure, down 20 percent to $1 billion. Hybrid IP PBX systems accounted for two thirds of all lines shipped in 2007 while pure IP systems accounted for 18 percent.

Perhaps most significant of the numbers was the 55 percent increase in softphone deployment to 385,000, as companies finally start to exploit the features and UC savings from fully IP-software driven telephony. This heralds the next generation of IP usage with initial VoIP deployment focused on telephony savings.

For more:
- Infonetics release

Related articles:
Fonality and Dell take on Enterprise market Article
Cisco king of vendors Article

Alcatel chases dynamic enterprises

Tom Burton — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:59:57 -0500

Alcatel-Lucent is aggressively ramping up its enterprise play, this week unveiling its Dynamic Enterprise strategy. The pitch is that unified communications and real time networks will help unleash the knowledge that is often locked in large firms because of their disparate systems and said legacy processes. CEO Pat Russo told a Paris conference that Alcatel-Lucent was focusing on tools and applications that help firms tap the information they have in a timely and relevant way.

Russo said knowledge and expertise was too often confined to certain key employees and processes; Alcatel-Lucent was focusing on network and web services to help firms "use the knowledge that already exists in companies to best effect." The push to engage corporates in a major up grade of their networks and IP applications comes as telco hardware spending is rapidly slowing.

For more:
- Individuals hording key data says Rosso Article

Related articles:
Alca-Lu quarterly loss improves, dividend cut Report
Ericsson sells PBX unit to focus on carriers Report

Avaya offers 0% financing

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:59:57 -0500

Avaya has announced a 0% finance offer for European mid-size clients as it readies for its battle with unified comms heavyweights Cisco, Nortel and Microsoft. Clients in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland will be able to lease equipment and pay for services over a three-year period with no interest or starting fees. The offer includes all maintenance and upgrades.

Avaya is the former business services unit of Lucent and recently went private as part of an $8.5 billion private equity buyout. The arrival of Microsoft as a significant player in the unified communications space has spurred a rash of offerings, product launches (and relaunches!) and alliances as vendors and service providers scramble to be part of the next big thing in the transition to fully real time networks.

For more:
Avaya Reaches Out To Mid-Market With 0% Financing Release

Related articles:
Avaya was one of our top ten VoIP leaders for 2007 Report
Cisco vs. Microsoft in unified communications Report

IMS coming on strong in 2008?

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:59:57 -0500

When many people think about the future of VoIP, they go beyond voice to IP-based Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). The story on IMS is interesting because it's not a set of technologies that's coming out of small, obscure startups--the largest carriers are looking at IMS to bring new rich media experiences to their customer base.

Alcatel-Lucent is pushing its customers to deploy IMS-capable VoIP, even if they're not ready to immediately make the move into multi-media content. The reason, they say, is that the IMS capabilities will provide for a rich set of personalized services for customers, which can then be followed by multimedia offerings when the carrier (and customer base) is ready. There's an admission that interoperability between carriers can be exciting, but SS7 (signaling system 7), which leaves IMS optional, will ultimately be replaced by fully-IMS capable protocols and systems.

Of course, IMS isn't solely a carrier-grade service; enterprise VoIP systems can play, too. In fact, enterprise deployments can be easier and faster than carrier installations because enterprises tend to run on a shorter system life cycle than do carriers. For either corporate customers or carriers, though, there are significant reasons--that don't involve watching the latest episode of your favorite comedy--to look at moving IMS capabilities into the network infrastructure.

For more:
NetworkWorld has the entire article here

Related articles:
Verizon unifies biz VoIP Report
Elephant Talk taps Blueslice Report

SPOTLIGHT: Lucent upgrades carrier-grade firewalls

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 20:01:33 -0400

Just because it's been bought by Alcatel doesn't mean business at Lucent comes to a crashing halt. The company made a big upgrade to its carrier-grade VPN Brick 700 and 1200 firewalls. Article

Lucent, Alcatel to ease U.S. security concerns

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 16:32:48 -0500

Lucent and Alcatel plan to place some of Lucent's most sensitive defense-related research under the eye of a separate "proxy board" composed only of Americans and block any French access to government R&D work. This is to appease U.S. government security concerns, which will be a crucial part of negotiations. Both Congress and the U.S. Defense Department have taken a skeptical view to foreign takeover plans of Lucent, fearing that national security could be compromised in the process. A small portion of the Bell Labs' research is directed to classified projects either funded by the U.S. government or designed for its use. During 2005, Lucent spent about $1.2 billion on R&D, and the total funding for government projects was less than $100 million.

The two companies must also figure out details such as which programs fall under proxy control, how their technology could be converted into commercial use and how a combined Lucent-Alcatel would fund the efforts. This could be a complex and time-consuming exercise to reach an agreement. Even after that, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. would need to approve it. The secretive body recently came under intense fire for its handling of Dubai Ports World's plan to purchase port facilities across the U.S.

For more on this developing story:
- read this Wall Street Journal article (sub. req.)

PLUS: One key factor fueling the merger talks between France-based Alcatel and its long-time American rival Lucent is a looming competitive threat from Chinese vendors such as Huawei and ZTE. Article (Wall Street Journal sub. req.)

ALSO: Alcatel's board will meet on March 30 to discuss the possible merger with Lucent. Article (Wall Street Journal sub. req.)

FINALLY: Alcatel and Thales are pressing ahead with discussions on a possible deal to create a European satellite champion. Article

Rumor Mill: Juniper, Ericsson next at the altar?

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 16:32:46 -0500

Analysts says that if Lucent and Alcatel merge, Ericsson and Juniper Networks could be next in line. Citigroup sees "a good fit" between Sweden-based Ericsson and California-based Juniper Networks and speculates that the rising pressure on equipment vendors to build scale makes such a transaction possible. Citigroup says that while Juniper is not for sale, at the right price a deal could make sense.

For more on this speculation:
- check out this MarketWatch article