Category: Het Nets

The Het Nets posts examine new mobile access architectures (and the advances needed to make them a reality) including small cells along with traditional macro cells as well as cellular technologies alongside technologies like WiFi.

SpiderCloud Claims Nokia as Partner; Nokia Disagrees. In This Public Spat, Neither Company Wins.

by , posted in Het Nets
Ed Gubbins
Ed Gubbins

Summary Bullets:

• SpiderCloud’s CEO recently claimed Nokia as a reseller partner along with Cisco and NEC

• Nokia disputed this characterization, saying the arrangement was specific to a single operator engagement

If you ended up confused this week about whether or not SpiderCloud Wireless and Nokia Networks are partners, you’re not alone.

In an interview with news publication Light Reading, SpiderCloud Wireless CEO Mike Gallagher claimed a partnership with Nokia Networks wherein Nokia had been reselling SpiderCloud’s multi-mode 3G/4G enterprise small-cell solutions since February. Nokia responded by publicly denying any partnership between the two firms, adding that Nokia had supplied SpiderCloud’s solutions to a single specific customer and citing confidentiality agreements with the customer that prevent any further disclosure on the matter. A few tense online comments were exchanged. Continue reading “SpiderCloud Claims Nokia as Partner; Nokia Disagrees. In This Public Spat, Neither Company Wins.” →

The Challenge Facing Enterprise Small Cells: Changing Minds

by , posted in Het Nets
Ed Gubbins
Ed Gubbins

Summary Bullets:

  • Overcoming enterprise small-cell obstacles requires changing existing paradigms and business models.
  • Some vendors and operators have already begun accepting new business models, but convincing enterprises, venue owners – even some operators – could be tough.

You have to sympathize with enterprise small-cell vendors. Who knows how many months they have dedicated to R&D, product management, standards work, testing, trialing, marketing – all promising operators the prospect of bringing coverage and capacity to a place where a huge portion of human communication begins and ends. And yet, when operators approach enterprises with these innovative solutions, in many cases they’re likely to be met with just four frustrating words: “We’ve already got WiFi.” Continue reading “The Challenge Facing Enterprise Small Cells: Changing Minds” →

Small Cells & Location-Based Services (LBS) – Why Vendors Will Have to Push Harder

by , posted in Het Nets
Ed Gubbins
Ed Gubbins

Summary Bullets:

  • Mobile access infrastructure vendors are increasingly pushing location-based services for indoor/enterprise networks.
  • It’s a logical concept but one that hasn’t shown much traction yet.
  • Such services face serious challenges, including finding killer apps despite a somewhat fractured market.

Enterprise small-cell deployments haven’t exactly spread like wild fire yet (the latest market information from the Small Cell Forum shows most shipments are still residential). Yet, vendors are talking more than ever about applying location-based services (LBS) and analytics to indoor enterprise networks including small cells and WiFi access points. Continue reading “Small Cells & Location-Based Services (LBS) – Why Vendors Will Have to Push Harder” →

The Maker Network: The Potential and Perils of Building Block Marketing

by , posted in Het Nets, Net Transformation, SDN/NFV, Ultra Broadband
Peter Jarich
Peter Jarich

There’s been a lot made of the ‘maker movement’ over the past few years. Combining technology and a do-it-yourself ethos, ‘Maker Faires’ have popped up all over the world, fueled by advancements in software development, robotics, and 3D printing. For anyone upset by rampant consumerism, the maker economy is a cause for hope.

But, does it have any place in a telco network?

On some level, the answer has always been ‘yes.’ Vendors and carriers alike pull together network solutions from disparate components and disparate suppliers. Yet, recent messaging from vendors suggests that we’ll see a good deal of maker-ism injected into Mobile World Congress this year. Consider a few of the launches that have already taken place. Continue reading “The Maker Network: The Potential and Perils of Building Block Marketing” →

MWC 2015: Who’s Ready to Play MWC Buzzword Bingo?

by , posted in Het Nets, Net Transformation, SDN/NFV, Ultra Broadband
Ed Gubbins
Ed Gubbins

Summary Bullets:

  • RAN vendors are sure to repeat key buzzwords at MWC, including C-RAN, license-assisted access and 5G.
  • Vendors need to strike the right balance between getting attention and demonstrating credibility.

With Mobile World Congress almost upon us, exhibitors are fine-tuning the messages they plan to emphasize at the show. Trust us, we’ve been having a lot of these conversations lately. For RAN vendors, it can be pretty challenging to craft messages that not only rise above the din of competing announcements, but also attract attention in general at a show where devices and applications often hog the spotlight. Continue reading “MWC 2015: Who’s Ready to Play MWC Buzzword Bingo?” →

MWC 2015: The Trends of MWC Were Telegraphed at CES

by , posted in Het Nets, Net Transformation, OSS/BSS/CEM, SDN/NFV, Ultra Broadband, Vendor Transformation
Peter Jarich
Peter Jarich

Summary Bullets:

  • CES 2015 was dominated by high-profile telecom trends – IoT, Connected Cars, 4K Video – along with a growing number of potentially connected devices (EG, robots and drones)
  • Mobile World Congress 2015 should see a focus on the technologies needed to execute on the trends of CES, including LTE-A and 5G

With less than a month to go before MWC 2015 kicks off, we will soon start to see reports and analyses of what will likely be the show’s big themes. It turns out that nobody really likes a surprise. Or maybe they just want to come to Barcelona prepared so that they can plan early to hit all the important booths, exhibits and keynotes. In any case, if you’re one of those people who wants to start outlining your MWC wrap-up reports even before the show begins, you’ve got a few options for predicting its dominant themes. You could just assume that the major themes of 2015 are likely to be extensions of what we saw in 2014. That’s probably a safe bet. With vendors trying to get their MWC messaging out long before the noise of the show (see ) you can just see what gets announced over the next few weeks. Or, you can look to themes that emerged at CES and extrapolate from there. Continue reading “MWC 2015: The Trends of MWC Were Telegraphed at CES” →

Positioning License-Assisted Access (LAA) Relative to WiFi

by , posted in Het Nets, Ultra Broadband
Ed Gubbins
Ed Gubbins

Summary Bullets:

  • License-assisted access (LAA) poses messaging/positioning challenges for RAN vendors.
  • Each vendor’s LAA positioning may vary based on their position in WiFi, devices and other factors.

This month, Ericsson has been heavily promoting the concept of license-assisted access (using LTE in unlicensed spectrum as a supplement to LTE in licensed spectrum), with press releases, videos and so forth, demonstrating some of the challenges that other RAN vendors will need to navigate as the technology becomes more prominent. Continue reading “Positioning License-Assisted Access (LAA) Relative to WiFi” →

2014: The Technologies, Themes, Topics (and Reports) You Spaced On!

by , posted in Het Nets, Net Transformation, OSS/BSS/CEM, SDN/NFV, Ultra Broadband, Vendor Transformation
Peter Jarich
Peter Jarich

Summary Bullets:

  • Every year, we write many analyses which “get lost in the shuffle” – read many fewer times than our average report.
  • The topics of these reports are varied – SDN/NFV, video, OSS/BSS, services, small cells – but all include important insights for telecom vendor and operator success.

Where we looked at some of our most read reports from 2014 in an earlier report, it may be even more important to look at the reports that weren’t so well read. Just like the “cool kids” back in school, the top reports showcase what everyone was paying the most attention to. Those reports at the bottom of the list, however, tell an equally important story – specific topics that may be getting ignored, at the peril of telecom stakeholders (think the “not so cool kid” from high school that ended up changing the world). Continue reading “2014: The Technologies, Themes, Topics (and Reports) You Spaced On!” →

2014: The Technologies, Themes, Topics (and Reports) You Cared About

by , posted in Het Nets, Net Transformation, OSS/BSS/CEM, SDN/NFV, Ultra Broadband, Vendor Transformation
Peter Jarich
Peter Jarich

Summary Bullets:

  • In 2014, SDN and NFV dominated our “most read reports list,” speaking to what was on the minds of telecom carriers and vendors around the world.
  • A preoccupation with virtualization (network and/or function) could be dangerous if it distracts from other key network technology evolutions.

By definition, some of the analyses we pen will get more attention than others. That attention may be due to any number of factors – the time at which the report was posted, the author, a particularly engaging title – but it’s only natural to assume that the topic of a report is what drives the greatest interest.

To this end, one might wonder: What were the top 10 event analyses and advisories from Current Analysis’ Service Provider Infrastructure practice in 2014? Continue reading “2014: The Technologies, Themes, Topics (and Reports) You Cared About” →

The Trouble with Being ‘Early’ to the Small Cell Market

by , posted in Het Nets, Vendor Transformation
Ed Gubbins
Ed Gubbins

Summary Bullets:

  • The small-cell market has taken longer to take off than many anticipated.
  • This dynamic requires vendors to think a bit differently about what it means to be ‘early’ or ‘late.’

You don’t want to be late to market, do you? Of course not. Equipment vendors often get criticized for being late to market, sometimes by me. Where small cells are concerned, however, what it means to be ‘late to market’ is a bit more complicated. Continue reading “The Trouble with Being ‘Early’ to the Small Cell Market” →