Skip to main content

Alcatel-Lucent, Korea’s KT sign collaboration agreement to deliver 5G networks



Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korean telecommunications provider, KT, under which the companies will collaborate to test technologies for the eventual introduction of 5G mobile networks and infrastructure capable of meeting the huge connectivity demands expected in the future.

The collaboration will initially focus on Alcatel-Lucent’s virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) technology. At Mobile World Congress this year, Alcatel-Lucent demonstrated how its vRAN capability could help operators dynamically meet changing customer, market and environmental demands while enhancing network performance and lowering costs.

Amid the exploding demand today for data caused by smartphones and other mobile devices, and increasingly via technologies such as ‘the Internet of Things’ and machine-to-machine networks, 5G technology promises greater speeds, capacity and flexibility, enabling mobile operators to meet the data demand in a highly personalized way. It will also deliver a completely ‘untethered’ experience, enabling people and connected devices to access any information from anywhere and in any way they choose.
                                         
South Korea has a strong appetite for data: according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning at the end of February 2015 72% of mobile subscribers were smartphone users.[1] KT wants to leverage the flexibilities and efficiencies promised by 5G to offer subscribers a high-quality seamless mobile broadband experience, with new differentiated and personalized revenue-generating services.

Agreement sees Alcatel-Lucent and KT collaborating to develop the future of 5G network architecture. This will allow KT to meet the massive connectivity demands of the Internet of Things (IoT) – delivering a personalized experience as more people, devices and machines are connected. 

The scope of the agreement includes the development and testing of mobile ultra-broadband access, network functions virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN) technologies for 5G network architectures and interfaces as well as the driving of interworking and 3GPP standardization activities.

Alcatel-Lucent has proven experience in both wireless networks and virtualization and has already announced virtualization of a wide range of network functions, including the evolved packet core (vEPC), and IMS (vIMS), Content Delivers Network (vCDN), and service routing (VSR). The company demonstrated its Vran solution at Mobile World Congress 2015.

 Its NFV leadership is underpinned by the participation of the CloudBand NFV platform in over 30 customer pojects, an NFV ecosystem of over 60 members and extensive Nuage Networks SDN capabilities - including the launch of the Virtualized Networks Services (VNS) in 2014 - which further builds on Alcatel-Lucent’s strategy of delivering a complete range of cloud networking solutions for a software-driven world.

 ‘‘DongMyun Lee, CTO and Senior Vice President of KT said: “KT recognizes Alcatel-Lucent as a global leader in vRAN and SDN. We are eager to use their vRAN and SDN technology to help us implement the 5G architecture that we have defined in our GiGatopia Vision.”


Chi Il Yoo, Head of Alcatel-Lucent Korea said “Alcatel-Lucent has a long-history of innovating to solve the world’s biggest communications challenges. We are fully aligned with KT’s vision and committed to help KT in its strategic network evolution. We see NFV technologies, such as vRAN as a vital step in this evolution and by working with KT we are further underlining our leadership in this area.”





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Vodafone sells 45% shares in Verizon for US$130 billion

Vodafone has sold its 45% stake in Verizon Wireless to US telecoms group Verizon Communications in one of the biggest deals in corporate history. The US$130 billion (£84bn) deal was announced by Vodafone after the close of trading on the London Stock Exchange. The company will return £54 billion to its shareholders, of which £22 billionn will go to shareholders in the UK. Vodafone will also invest money in its business, with funds earmarked for high speed mobile phone networks. It said that by 2017 its main five European markets would have almost complete 4G coverage. Possibly it would be wrong to carp and wring hands that Vodafone won't be paying a penny of tax to the British taxman” Vodafone group chairman Gerard Kleisterlee said: "The transaction will position Vodafone strongly to pursue our leadership strategy in mobile and unified communication services for consumers and enterprises, both in our developed markets and across our emerging markets businesses." The...

Shortage of weighing cards hit major hospitals in Accra

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express There is scarcity of Child Health Records Book (weighing cards), in some major public hospitals in the capital, information reaching the Daily Express indicates. Checks by this paper revealed that while some of the hospitals have being encountering the shortage for about a year now, others started experiencing it six months ago. In place of the Child Health Record Book (weighing card), the nursing mothers are given a single card on which information of children are recorded on it. Those hospitals identified are the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Korle Bu Polyclinic, Kaneshie Polyclinic, Adabraka Polyclinic and the Ridge Hospital. At the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the nursing mothers are given yellow cards in place of the weighing cards. The Public Relations Secretariat at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital said such information has not come to their notice and for that matter they cannot comment on it. “We do not have some ...

Barbering Salons, bridging the unemployment gap in Ghana

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong Barbering business in Ghana is money making venture, depending on the location of the shop. Various barbering shops scattered across the country charges according to the location of the shop. The nature and sustainability of every barbering shop depends on the location of the shop. The location will determine how much one can charge a customer for barbering his or her hair. Checks indicate that some barbering shops located at Spintex, East Legon and Osu Oxford street charges between GHc15.00 and GHc20.00 per hair cut. At South La Estate, it will cost a customer to pay GHc4.00 for hair cut, while one will have to pay GHc3.00 to barber his or her hair at a place like Nima, Maamobi and Mallam Gbawe. Royal Vulture Executive Barbering Salon is one of the biggest barbering salons one can locate within Accra. One is its shops is located at Madina, near Taxi rank while one is located at Accra New Town, near the Post Office. Customers at Madina pay GHc7.00 ...