In This Section
What They’re Saying About NXTcomm08 and the Industry
What do you see as the biggest opportunities in the industry?
“The biggest opportunities lie in helping our customers reduce the cost of deploying infrastructure that supports the FTTP/FTTX initiatives in any way possible. Helping our customers meet, or exceed installation and service turn-up deadlines, will ensure that they win the war for “life-long” subscribers that will create on-going revenue streams for years to come. They know they can easily compete with the cable industry, so we just have to help them deliver the product to the customer as quickly and inexpensively as possible. Any company that can focus in on providing the products and services that help our customers better compete in the intense race for new subscribers will have incredible opportunities in this industry for many years to come.
There will also be huge opportunities to assist customers with the challenge of funding the support of legacy networks, and the eventual retirement, or migration of legacy network elements to IP based infrastructure at minimal cost. Devices that provide least cost single port legacy to IP mediation will be in big demand. The industry no longer has budgets to replace this critical network, but it will still have to maintain it for at least another decade.”
Michael C. Stephens
President & CEO, CBM of America, Inc.
Sponsors &
Conference Affiliates
Co-locating with InfoComm08
Conference NXTcomm Partner Conferences IEC
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IEC
IEC Communications Forums presented at NXTcomm08
The IEC Communications Forums will bring industry professionals together to examine the opportunities and challenges raised by the emergence of next-generation information and communication technologies (ICT) services and applications. Eighteen 90-minute panel sessions cover the areas of content, entertainment, and applications; network transformation; and international perspectives. Topics include personalized services, IP-centric network architectures, IMS, broadband access networks, service deliver platforms, service provisioning, and network deployment case studies.
| June 17, 2008 |
| 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. |
| A1: The Next Step in the Packet Transport Evolution: The Virtualization of the Optical Layer towards Unified Packet Network Architectures * |
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Carrier Ethernet, MSPP/MSTP, and ROADM equipment, collectively referred to as packet transport platforms, provide today a clear path for the evolution toward all-IP network and services architectures. By providing different Layer 2 transport alternatives, packet transport vendors guarantee scalability, performance, and optimal bandwidth utilization at the transport layer. In every case, IP services are mapped onto Ethernet and/or directly over WDM to be transported over discrete 10G and 40G wavelengths. It is at the wavelength level where current efforts are under way in order to achieve optical bandwidth virtualization, completing the current packet transport transformation efforts. This panel will present and discuss the alternatives packet transport vendors have in order to make optical bandwidth virtualization a reality. Topics such as optical burst switching, 100G Ethernet, and end-to-end carrier Ethernet transport will be discussed in the context of enabling optical bandwidth-efficient packet transport networks capable of delivering a unified service architecture for the virtualization of network resources. |
| Chairperson Michael Howard Principal Analyst and Co-Founder Infonetics Research |
| Speakers: Tom Goodwin, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Alcatel-Lucent Timon Sloane, Vice President, Marketing, Matisse Networks Tony Thakur, Vice President, Time Warner Telecom |
| A2: Key Business Case Considerations for WiMAX Deployments ** |
| This session will explore the decision-making process behind selecting WiMAX for stationary, portable, and mobile applications. It will examine the CAPEX and associated design inputs such as market demographics, services, base-station and CPE parameters, backhaul, and core services design, along with the impacts on the OSS/BSS design. In order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the lifecycle costs for a WiMAX deployment, a number of additional operational inputs will be examined. Specifically, the session will cover a structured RF planning model, site acquisition impacts, and an illustration of the impact of each of the key impacts in a 10-year financial model. |
| Chairperson Kevin Suitor Vice President, Marketing and Business Development Redline Communications |
| Speakers Frank Bernhard, Managing Principal, Supply Chain and Telecommunications Practice, OMNI Consulting Group Rajendra Nath Datta, Senior Director, Marketing, Telecom Solutions Division, Symmetricom Jeff Thompson, Chief Executive Officer and President, TowerStream Corporation Tracy Trent, President and Chief Executive Officer, Proximetry |
| 2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. |
| B1: Enabling Mass Deployment of Triple Play * |
| The implementation of video in a telco network for completing the triple-play service offering is seen as one of the most costly and challenging adventures undertaken in decades. Nonetheless, it is being undertaken because of the significant ROI it promises. Service providers have to not only scale their network and operations, but also provide the subscriber with a satisfying in-home experience through customer-premises equipment and software. The panel will provide insight into the key mechanisms for successful implementation of triple-play services and the technologies for cost-effective mass deployable access and CPE solutions. Subjects addressed will be the access network investment, equipment vendor challenges, meeting the customer premise requirements, and the triple-play service provider experience. |
| Chairperson Raanan Gewirtzman Chief Executive Officer Broadlight |
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Speakers Martin Mellor, Manager PM, Markting and Communications Benjamin Piper, Director, Broadband Network Strategies, Strategy Analytics Marcus Weldon, Chief Technology Officer, Alcatel-Lucent |
| B2: The Next Generation Mobile Internet – Network Convergence of Internet and Mobile Communications Networks ** |
| With the development of wireless communication technology, it is more and more convenient to access network via mobile terminals. Increasing data rates provided the basis for many more new services and brought on new business models. The convergence of mobile communications networks and the Internet has become the trend of wireless communication. In this session, we will look forward the requirements from new data services and open Internet business model to the development of mobile Internet. Network architecture for the next-generation mobile Internet, the effect of these new techniques, heterogeneous access networks with multi-radio connection, MESH, generic mobility control mechanism, and network computing in the deployment of the mobile Internet also will be included in the discussion. |
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Chairperson General Manager China Mobile Research Institute |
| Speakers Pat Calhoun, Chief Technology Officer, Access Networking and Services Group, Cisco Sysems Patrick Hosein, Principal Engineer, Wireless Research Huawei Hewu Li, Director, Wireless and Mobile lab of Network Research Center, Tsinghua University Goran Malmgren, Director, Networks, Ericsson Research, Ericsson Zhigang Yan, Project Manager, Wireless Technology, China Mobile Research Institute |
| 4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. |
| C1: An SDP for the Telco 2.0 World * |
| In the telco 2.0 era, operators will be able to offer hundreds, if not thousands, of services that combine applications and content from a variety of sources to form composite services or mashups. However, service providers need a foundational platform to help them create, deploy, manage, and monetize these mashups. This presentation will discuss the need for a service delivery platform to aggregate, provision, and manage service mashups in the telco 2.0 world. |
| Chairperson Steve Zimba Managing Director, Global Telecom Business Microsoft |
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Speakers Martin Taylor, Vice President, MetaSwitch |
| June 18, 2008 |
| 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. |
| D1: Are You My Televisionary? *** |
| TV is at a turning point. Consumers are becoming increasingly demanding of what they want. They want the most relevant entertainment and information whenever they want, wherever they are. They want to watch, create, and share experiences from any device. They want to be continually entertained, never missing a thing, and they want to do it all without excessive fees. Is this impossible? Are consumers wanting too much? Does the TV have the same vision as its consumers have for it? In this session, Ericsson asks the question: Are you my televisionary? Through an examination of the possibilities of TV, Ericsson will share its vision and current offerings, solutions, and services that will forever change the TV experience. |
| Chairperson Peter Laurin Vice President and General Manager, Multimedia Systems Ericsson |
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Speakers Tom Brookbanks, Managing Partner, Media Edge |
| D2: Converged TV: Delivering Rich TV & Video Experiences on a Converged Platform *** |
| Entertainment services such as video and TV are viewed by many telecommunications operators as an important catalyst for driving increasing revenues and growing market share. These services are typically delivered today from separate platforms over either fixed or mobile networks in the form of IPTV or mobile TV, respectively. The delivery of these individual TV and video services to a customer will not provide the basis for differentiation of an operator's service offering from that of their competitors. However, a converged TV and video service offering delivered from a single platform, provides potential for the addition of new service capabilities such as interactivity, personalization, and communication to the traditional TV/video experience. This session will cover the various aspects of implementing converged TV and actually delivering the content and service. |
| Chairperson Graham Ellis Head of Solutions for Emerging Technologies Nokia Siemens Networks |
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Speakers Steve Oetegenn, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Verimatrix Robert Phelan, Senior Vice President, Global Project Execution, SES Americom Steve West, Director, North America Strategy, Alcatel-Lucent |
| D3: Network Transformation to IP Core * |
| Operators are transforming their networks to optimize the shift from a voice-and-connection model to an all-IP core. As operators migrate to the new networks, they can best suit their business needs by deploying a single IP core to accommodate growth while controlling costs. This enables the operator to take action now, during this time of change and uncertainty. Real-life customer cases are used to illustrate how fixed, mobile, and converged operators around the world are transforming their networks from circuit to an all-IP core. Market drivers may differ, but the need to control the cost of the core network, combined with a need to attract and retain subscribers, provides the fundamental requirements for a common core IP network. |
| Chairperson Michael Cooper Vice President Marketing and Strategy, Convergence Business Group Alcatel-Lucent |
| Speakers Dave Elmendorf, BT Christopher Macfarland, Chief Technology Officer, PAETEC Joseph McGarvey, Principal Analyst, Current Analysis |
| D4: Network Transformation: Broadband Access Networks – Ultra-Broadband Delivery for the 100Mb Home ** |
| Broadband service providers around the globe are taking advantage of deep fiber to grow their networks in response to growing demand for bandwidth-intensive services. While regions differ both in what operators have deployed and what consumers are demanding, there is renewed interest across the board in fiber and its potential to deliver revenue-generating services now and in the future. Households in North America, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and Europe all are being affected. In the short term, that means a wave of competitive broadband offerings with support for added HDTV content, VoD services, and high-speed data traffic. Down the road, growth in direct fiber or FTTx deployments will prove not just a competitive advantage for select providers, but a necessity for those wanting to deploy feature-rich, triple-play service bundles. |
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Chairperson
Speakers Ronald Heron, Director, Optical Access Network Strategy Michael Kennedy, Managing Partner, Network Strategy Partners |
| 2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. |
| E1: P2P TV v. TelecoTV |
| With major studios starting to use P2P overlay networks and technologies, P2P has finally stepped out of its former shadows of illegal use and needs to be addressed as a serious player in the media distribution world. However, carriers and service providers stress the point that real TV and their value-added services over the Internet is only possible with their complex telco TV media distribution network; many non-facility-based service providers claim to be able to provide television “over the top” of existing networks. Our panelists will discuss technical solutions and implementations of P2P TV and telco TV as well as their business models, target markets, and usage behaviors. We will present lessons learned for big-head and long-tail content types as well as their usage scenarios, as well as how P2P media distribution approaches will impact a carrier’s network. Further, our panelists will present two flavors of an evolved hybrid P2P distribution platform that will address solutions to problems regarding technology, business, regulatory, legal, billing, and customer experience and expectation issues. |
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Chairperson Director |
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Speakers Laird Popkin, CTO, Pando Barry Tishgart, Vice President, Internet Services, Comcast Steve West, Director, North America Strategy, Alcatel-Lucent |
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E2: Open Networks: Accelerating Innovation or Potential Threat? *** |
| This session will explore the role of opening up the operating system in the telecommunications industry-will it be limited to consumer devices, or will openness find a place in service provider networks as well? The session will explore the risks and benefits of opening up a networking operating system and discuss how far into the network openness should go. The session will feature a range of network equipment providers, software/application developers, and service providers. Specific topics will include the following: • The use of APIs and SDKs to give software and application developers the ability to affect network policy • Open source code • Update on standards • Discussion of real-world deployments of such services and technologies |
| Chairperson Kim Perdikou Executive Vice President and General Manager, Infrastructure Products Group Juniper Networks |
| Speaker Chris Bilton, Director, Technology Strategy, BT Anthony Lewis, Vice President, Open Development, Verizon Tom Noll, President, CIMI Corporation |
| E3: A Comparison of PON Architectures * |
| PONs are the prevalent form of FTTH systems, which are gaining a lot of traction among telecom providers worldwide. Service providers of all stripes are opting for FTTH as the best option for triple play, since the technology provides them with numerous advantages, including more subscriber bandwidth than other broadband technologies. Several standards have been developed for PONs. For example, the ITU has standardized GPON as a replacement for BPON and the IEEE has standardized GE-PON (also called EPON). This panel compares the various PON standards, where they are similar, and where they differ. Why should a carrier choose one over another? The panel will include service providers using the different PON standards. Panel members also will compare the relative capabilities of each system and the competitive position of a service provider using any of the PON standards vis-a-vis alternative broadband technology (e.g., DSL, HFC). |
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Chairperson |
| Speakers Ray Buzzard, Manager, Fiber Optics, Tullahoma Utilities Board Mark Showalter, Directing Analyst, Broadband Networks,Infonetics Research Greg Solomon, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, HQ, Pulaski Electric System |
| E4: New Service Launches:Service Provider Lessons Learned? ** |
| There is the theory of what it takes to launch IPTV services, and then there is the practice. What are the small issues that became major hurdles? What are the big issues that never really mattered? All the participants in this panel have had laurels and scars from commercially launching IPTV services. An open discussion followed by recommendations for launching commercial IPTV services is the goal of this panel. |
| Chairperson Derek Turner, Senior Product Manager, TV Business, Microsoft Corporation |
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Speakers Pablo Martinez, Director of Product Marketing,Telcordia Fred Wydler, Vice President, Products, Spirit |
| 4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. |
| F1: Of Order and Entropy: Controlling the IP Content Explosion |
| The multicast and faster-than-real-time attributes of IP, when merged with the quality and security of wideband television, result in content choices consistent with post-Internet viewer expectations while maintaining security consistent with the most stringent studio and content owner requirements. The rights, content management and exhibit for scheduling, transmission, acquisition, post-reception editing of metadata and remote status monitoring of the vast array of assets that such a unique system enables requires automation and distribution-control systems capable of both overcoming the human and mechanical limitations of on-demand network elements. |
| Chairperson Dom Stasi, Chief Technology Officer, TVN Entertainment |
| Speakers Andrea Franz, Product Development Manager, IP Prime, SES Americom Reza Rassool, Chief Engineer, Widevine Technologies Christopher Stasi, Senior Vice President, Operations and Development, TVN Entertainment |
| F2: Seizing the On-Demand Video Opportunity: Delivering High Quality at Low Cost *** |
| With the rise of IPTV, YouTube, and Move Networks, consumers are now expecting movies, network TV, and past TV to be available on-demand on their television, computer, and mobile devices. With the growth of high-definition TVs, network service providers can differentiate themselves by providing high-quality streaming. This session discusses both what can be achieved today in on-demand streaming performance and future architectures that will drive to the new levels of performance. |
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Chairperson Principal Engineer Intel Corporation |
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Speakers Matt Smith, Video Architect/Evangelist, Yahoo! Jeff Wolford, Master Architect, HP |
| F3:Peering – The Protocol for Success * |
| Peering or interconnect is on the rise as service providers look for alternative mechanisms to exchange VoIP traffic. The exchange of voice traffic using IP rather than TDM can be set up faster, resulting in significant operational cost savings, improved call quality, and a foundation for delivering interactive video, collaboration, and other services/applications beyond basic voice. This panel will address the following requirements for successful peering today and in the future: • What are best common practices for successful peering in terms of business models, operational procedures, and technology-signaling, transport, and encryption protocols; codecs; routing/ENUM; etc.? • What are the advantages and actual service provider experiences of multi-lateral versus bi-lateral peering? How will bilateral and multilateral models coexist? • What are the issues associated with interconnecting heterogeneous services in terms of the Internet versus managed network-based, free versus fee-based services, and anonymous versus known subscribers? • Where is settlement headed? • What is the role of neutral/third-party exchanges/peering providers? |
| Chairperson Seamus Hourihan Vice President, Marketing and Product Management Acme Packet |
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SPEAKERS Ian Neale, President, Business Fututures Richard Shockey, Director Strategic Technology, NeuStar |
** Denotes Track focusing on International
*** Denotes Track focusing on Content, Entertainment and Applications
The IEC Communications Forums will bring industry professionals together to examine the opportunities and challenges raised by the emergence of next-generation information and communication technologies (ICT) services and applications. Eighteen 90-minute panel sessions cover the areas of content, entertainment, and applications; network transformation; and international perspectives. Topics include personalized services, IP-centric network architectures, IMS, broadband access networks, service delivery platforms, service provisioning, and network deployment case studies.
More information about IEC.