Smartphone users demand best voice and data quality – and are at the highest risk for churn
Posted: 15-Sep-2010 [Source: Nokia Siemens Networks]
[Global customer Acquisition and Retention Study reveals one out of three users ready to swap operators. ]
Espoo, Finland -- Smartphone users demand best voice and data quality – and are at the highest risk for churn
Global customer Acquisition and Retention Study reveals one out of three users ready to swap operators
*Customer loyalty to operators is lowest in mature markets with high smartphone penetration
*Close to 40% of smartphone and data card users likely to churn within a year
*20,000 subscribers in 17 countries interviewed for global study
Nokia Siemens Networks has identified that customer intent to churn in the UK, Germany and the US due to dissatisfaction with network quality has grown significantly over 2008 levels. This is just one of the findings of a global Acquisition and Retention Study that highlights key drivers for customer satisfaction for fixed and mobile telecoms services.
“In mature markets, where mobile broadband and smartphones have recently taken off, customer loyalty is lowest,” said Michael Matthews, head of strategy and business development at Nokia Siemens Networks. “The silver lining in our findings, however, is that price is becoming less critical as a churn trigger. Without a doubt, access to mobile broadband has changed people’s priorities and the expectations they have of their service providers.”
“Now it’s the experience people have - how happy they are with the service they’re getting - that’s key to attracting and retaining subscribers. People are asking: How good’s the coverage? How clear are my voice calls? Do I get a connection when I want one? Are my messaging services simple and flexible? And, increasingly, how accessible and fast is my Internet connection?”, added Matthews.
The study reveals that in the UK, 45% of the negative experiences people have with their mobile can be explained by network quality falling below expectation. This may be attributable to the recent steep increase of smartphones in the network, which can cause a rapid increase in signaling traffic that has the potential to cause network congestion for all subscribers. The study results were similar in the US and Germany, and, unless the issue is proactively addressed, it’s only a matter of time before emerging markets around the world have same issues. Already, the global impact of network quality on subscriber retention stands at 34%, far higher than in previous years.
Many operators around the world are already taking action to improve the quality of experience for their subscribers. Nokia Siemens Networks recently completed the London Experience Project with Telefónica O2, in which the company optimized the network for smartphones by minimizing the signaling load. The O2 network has now been verified by the British Approvals Board for Telecommunications as the “fastest mobile broadband” network in London.
Nokia Siemens Networks conducts its Acquisition and Retention Study to provide the world’s leading operators with vital information on consumer behavior across mobile and fixed networks. More than 20,000 consumers are interviewed for the study across 17 countries covering mature markets and highly competitive emerging markets.
2010年9月15日 星期三
2010年9月13日 星期一
IDC：國內Android手機出貨量坐二望一
Android第二季出貨已佔智慧型手機的四分之一，以些微差距超越iOS，預期2011年Android將超越Symbian成為國內最大智慧型手機平台。
IDC第二季最新統計指出，國內智慧型手機市場Android平台出貨量已超越iOS，成為國內第二大智慧型手機平台，明年可望進一步超越Symbian。
今年第一季Android才剛超越Windows成為國內第三大智慧型手機平台，第二季仍維持高成長，Android在智慧型手機市場佔比攀昇至26.7%，已超越25%的iOS，成為僅次於Symbian（40.3%）成為第二大平台，每四支手機出貨就有一台為Android手機。
預期Android將持續後到各手機業者青睞，2011年Android在國內智慧型手機出貨可能就會超越Symbian。IDC預期2011年國內智慧型手機市場，Android將佔有3成左右出貨比重，iOS佔比則有26%，Symbian則降至25%左右。
IDC手機產業分析師嚴蘭欣表示，iOS與Android是目前成長最快的兩個平台，但iOS由蘋果獨佔，Android因開放平台的特性，各家手機業者紛紛支持下，Android手機機型、售價都更齊全，是Android未來能持續成長的原因。
以Android手機售價為例，國內三星、LG已推出9千元上下的低階機型，為刺激行動數據營收成長，台灣大哥大也推出售價不到7千元的自有品牌手機，將Android手機空機售價向大眾市場推進。
國內第二季智慧型手機出貨總體較去年同期成長105%，手機市場佔比成長至2成，每5支手機出貨便有一支為智慧型手機。
IDC日前預測Android到了2014年將拿下四分之一的全球智慧型手機市場，屆時將超越BlackBerry黑莓機，僅次於Symbian系統的32.9%之後。
IDC第二季最新統計指出，國內智慧型手機市場Android平台出貨量已超越iOS，成為國內第二大智慧型手機平台，明年可望進一步超越Symbian。
今年第一季Android才剛超越Windows成為國內第三大智慧型手機平台，第二季仍維持高成長，Android在智慧型手機市場佔比攀昇至26.7%，已超越25%的iOS，成為僅次於Symbian（40.3%）成為第二大平台，每四支手機出貨就有一台為Android手機。
預期Android將持續後到各手機業者青睞，2011年Android在國內智慧型手機出貨可能就會超越Symbian。IDC預期2011年國內智慧型手機市場，Android將佔有3成左右出貨比重，iOS佔比則有26%，Symbian則降至25%左右。
IDC手機產業分析師嚴蘭欣表示，iOS與Android是目前成長最快的兩個平台，但iOS由蘋果獨佔，Android因開放平台的特性，各家手機業者紛紛支持下，Android手機機型、售價都更齊全，是Android未來能持續成長的原因。
以Android手機售價為例，國內三星、LG已推出9千元上下的低階機型，為刺激行動數據營收成長，台灣大哥大也推出售價不到7千元的自有品牌手機，將Android手機空機售價向大眾市場推進。
國內第二季智慧型手機出貨總體較去年同期成長105%，手機市場佔比成長至2成，每5支手機出貨便有一支為智慧型手機。
IDC日前預測Android到了2014年將拿下四分之一的全球智慧型手機市場，屆時將超越BlackBerry黑莓機，僅次於Symbian系統的32.9%之後。
2010年9月11日 星期六
4G行動寬頻 德蓄勢待發
電信業者伏德風（Vodafone）宣佈，年底前在德國啟動LTE行動寬頻服務，德意志電信和O2的LTE服務也蓄勢待發，德國即將邁入第4代（4G）行動寬頻的時代。
傳輸速度比一般UMTS第3代行動電話和家用的網路寬頻都還快的LTE（Long Term Evolution），可望為行動通訊掀起革命性的變化。
德國政府是在今年4月拍賣LTE頻譜，共有德意志電信（Deutsche Telekom）、英國的伏德風（Vodafone）、荷蘭的E-plus、和西班牙的O2等4家電信營運商競標，結果一口氣進賬44億歐元（約合新台幣1800億元）。
為了讓偏遠鄉鎮的居民也能上網。德國政府還強制得標的業者，先從人口稀少的地區開始佈建行動網路。
伏德風在柏林國際消費電子展（IFA）上宣佈，9月底就開始架設基地台，年底前完成1000座城鎮的基礎建設佈建，正式推出LTE的服務。
伏德風強調，明年年底前，LTE就可覆蓋全德國。
德國最大的通信業者德意志電信和O2也表示，預計在明年推出LTE的服務，德國從此將邁入第4代行動寬頻的新紀元。
【中央社/中央社記者林育立柏林6日專電】
傳輸速度比一般UMTS第3代行動電話和家用的網路寬頻都還快的LTE（Long Term Evolution），可望為行動通訊掀起革命性的變化。
德國政府是在今年4月拍賣LTE頻譜，共有德意志電信（Deutsche Telekom）、英國的伏德風（Vodafone）、荷蘭的E-plus、和西班牙的O2等4家電信營運商競標，結果一口氣進賬44億歐元（約合新台幣1800億元）。
為了讓偏遠鄉鎮的居民也能上網。德國政府還強制得標的業者，先從人口稀少的地區開始佈建行動網路。
伏德風在柏林國際消費電子展（IFA）上宣佈，9月底就開始架設基地台，年底前完成1000座城鎮的基礎建設佈建，正式推出LTE的服務。
伏德風強調，明年年底前，LTE就可覆蓋全德國。
德國最大的通信業者德意志電信和O2也表示，預計在明年推出LTE的服務，德國從此將邁入第4代行動寬頻的新紀元。
【中央社/中央社記者林育立柏林6日專電】
iPhone 4掀起手機視訊的革命性商機
利用前後端內建攝影機進行視訊的功能，是賈伯斯口中iPhone 4的殺手級應用。雖然視訊手機並非新鮮事，但由於賈伯斯就是有能力把非主流變主流，因此相關光學鏡頭廠商，業績將可望水漲船高。
6月7日，在iPhone 4發表大會上，蘋果執行長賈伯斯鉅細糜遺地介紹著iPhone 4的各項新功能。最後他拿起了iPhone 4撥給蘋果首席設計師喬尼．伊夫（Jony Ive），在電話撥通時，喬尼的影像也同時出現在手機畫面上，現場立即響起了一陣歡呼聲。賈伯斯於是得意地宣布，這個利用前後端內建攝影機進行視訊的功能，正是iPhone 4的殺手級應用。
雖然iPhone 4並不是第一個具有視訊功能（也不是第一個具備雙鏡頭）的手機，但這同樣不是蘋果第一次發表早已存在的功能。蘋果之所以是蘋果，就在於它有能力將非主流變成主流，智慧型手機亦如是，平板電腦亦如是。
「2010年，iPhone 4將比前作帶來更多進步與改變……，視訊電話功能，我們稱呼它為『FaceTime』，它將永遠改變我們聯繫彼此的方式。」蘋果iPod／iPhone產品市場行銷部副總裁喬斯維亞克（Greg Joswiak）在iPhone 4的廣告中這麼介紹FaceTime，它的特別就在於在撥打影像電話的過程中，只要輕按一個鍵，就能從前置鏡頭影像切換到後方鏡頭拍攝，將所看到的分享給對方。
即使以往有不少手機都具備雙鏡頭的視訊功能，但卻鮮少人使用，原因就在於不知道為什麼要用？然而，在iPhone 4的廣告中，蘋果卻已經將FaceTime的使用情境都想好了：除了可以與自己思念的人面對面談話之外，也能用它來詢問好友對衣著的意見；又或者當老婆在做產檢時，你除了可與她即時視訊，只要一個切換，還能馬上讓你看見老婆面前的超音波攝影機上，那個小小的卻令你感動萬分的身影。
「當然，最有感覺的使用者，應該就是聾啞人士了，」拓墣產業研究所通訊研究中心副理謝雨珊表示，一般的手機對聾啞人士來說可以說是無用的，但具備雙鏡頭視訊功能的手機，則可以讓聾啞人士在鏡頭前盡情地用手語溝通，大大提升了便利性。也因為蘋果給了這些「必須」使用視訊電話的原因，「在蘋果的帶領下，未來使用視訊電話的人將越來越多，因為大家會習慣這種服務，智慧型手機配備雙鏡頭的視訊功能也將成為趨勢，」謝雨珊說。拓墣產業研究所美西研究中心協理尤克熙也認為，由於iPhone 4的FaceTime視訊電話功能目前只適用於iPhone 4之間的傳輸，而且需透過Wi-Fi才能進行，因此其他智慧型手機業者未來勢必會推出可支援3G或4G網路的視訊電話功能來搶客。
在iPhone 4的熱賣下，鏡頭廠商是其中的最大受益者，大立光及玉晶光7月的合併營收已雙雙創下單月歷史新高。大立光7月合併營收達10.59億元，和去年同月相較成長42.1％；玉晶光自結7月合併營收為2.61億元，與去年同月相較更是大幅成長205.8％。
預估自2010年下半年起，將有更多具備前後相機模組之智慧型手機面市。而未來這場智慧型手機的新世代戰爭打得越火熱，手機相機鏡頭相關廠商的業績也將可望隨之增溫！
6月7日，在iPhone 4發表大會上，蘋果執行長賈伯斯鉅細糜遺地介紹著iPhone 4的各項新功能。最後他拿起了iPhone 4撥給蘋果首席設計師喬尼．伊夫（Jony Ive），在電話撥通時，喬尼的影像也同時出現在手機畫面上，現場立即響起了一陣歡呼聲。賈伯斯於是得意地宣布，這個利用前後端內建攝影機進行視訊的功能，正是iPhone 4的殺手級應用。
雖然iPhone 4並不是第一個具有視訊功能（也不是第一個具備雙鏡頭）的手機，但這同樣不是蘋果第一次發表早已存在的功能。蘋果之所以是蘋果，就在於它有能力將非主流變成主流，智慧型手機亦如是，平板電腦亦如是。
「2010年，iPhone 4將比前作帶來更多進步與改變……，視訊電話功能，我們稱呼它為『FaceTime』，它將永遠改變我們聯繫彼此的方式。」蘋果iPod／iPhone產品市場行銷部副總裁喬斯維亞克（Greg Joswiak）在iPhone 4的廣告中這麼介紹FaceTime，它的特別就在於在撥打影像電話的過程中，只要輕按一個鍵，就能從前置鏡頭影像切換到後方鏡頭拍攝，將所看到的分享給對方。
即使以往有不少手機都具備雙鏡頭的視訊功能，但卻鮮少人使用，原因就在於不知道為什麼要用？然而，在iPhone 4的廣告中，蘋果卻已經將FaceTime的使用情境都想好了：除了可以與自己思念的人面對面談話之外，也能用它來詢問好友對衣著的意見；又或者當老婆在做產檢時，你除了可與她即時視訊，只要一個切換，還能馬上讓你看見老婆面前的超音波攝影機上，那個小小的卻令你感動萬分的身影。
「當然，最有感覺的使用者，應該就是聾啞人士了，」拓墣產業研究所通訊研究中心副理謝雨珊表示，一般的手機對聾啞人士來說可以說是無用的，但具備雙鏡頭視訊功能的手機，則可以讓聾啞人士在鏡頭前盡情地用手語溝通，大大提升了便利性。也因為蘋果給了這些「必須」使用視訊電話的原因，「在蘋果的帶領下，未來使用視訊電話的人將越來越多，因為大家會習慣這種服務，智慧型手機配備雙鏡頭的視訊功能也將成為趨勢，」謝雨珊說。拓墣產業研究所美西研究中心協理尤克熙也認為，由於iPhone 4的FaceTime視訊電話功能目前只適用於iPhone 4之間的傳輸，而且需透過Wi-Fi才能進行，因此其他智慧型手機業者未來勢必會推出可支援3G或4G網路的視訊電話功能來搶客。
在iPhone 4的熱賣下，鏡頭廠商是其中的最大受益者，大立光及玉晶光7月的合併營收已雙雙創下單月歷史新高。大立光7月合併營收達10.59億元，和去年同月相較成長42.1％；玉晶光自結7月合併營收為2.61億元，與去年同月相較更是大幅成長205.8％。
預估自2010年下半年起，將有更多具備前後相機模組之智慧型手機面市。而未來這場智慧型手機的新世代戰爭打得越火熱，手機相機鏡頭相關廠商的業績也將可望隨之增溫！
電信三雄明年加碼智慧手機、平板電腦
2010-09-10 08:17 時報資訊 【時報-台北電】
時序還未進入第4季，3大電信公司已相繼釋出2011加碼採購智慧型手機、平板電腦、電子書甚至3D手機訊息，同時預言電信公司明年積極採購智慧型手機、iPAD等平板電腦、電子書後，將擠壓小筆電在電信通路的銷量。
法人分析，以電信三雄初步規畫的明年目標看來，3家電信公司明年衝刺加值服務營收、合計超過新台幣350億元，採購智慧型手機總量超過185萬台。
遠傳執行副總經理何永生昨日宣布，非語音服務營收明年上半年就可突破百億元，中華電信行動通信分公司副總經理石木標表示，明年加值營收初估相較今年成長30％、目標挑戰140億元，台灣大個人消費事業營運長賴弦五日昨宣布明年行動加值營收挑戰百億元以上，合計三雄加值營收2011將超過350億元，相較今年淨增百億元、成長幅度超過30％。
電信三雄為擴大加值服務營收，明年將擴大採購智慧型手機比重至超過35％上看40％，中華電、台灣大、遠傳今年分別採購60萬、40萬、及45萬台智慧型手機，明年分別上看80萬、50萬及超過55萬。(新聞來源：工商時報─記者林淑惠／台北報導)
時序還未進入第4季，3大電信公司已相繼釋出2011加碼採購智慧型手機、平板電腦、電子書甚至3D手機訊息，同時預言電信公司明年積極採購智慧型手機、iPAD等平板電腦、電子書後，將擠壓小筆電在電信通路的銷量。
法人分析，以電信三雄初步規畫的明年目標看來，3家電信公司明年衝刺加值服務營收、合計超過新台幣350億元，採購智慧型手機總量超過185萬台。
遠傳執行副總經理何永生昨日宣布，非語音服務營收明年上半年就可突破百億元，中華電信行動通信分公司副總經理石木標表示，明年加值營收初估相較今年成長30％、目標挑戰140億元，台灣大個人消費事業營運長賴弦五日昨宣布明年行動加值營收挑戰百億元以上，合計三雄加值營收2011將超過350億元，相較今年淨增百億元、成長幅度超過30％。
電信三雄為擴大加值服務營收，明年將擴大採購智慧型手機比重至超過35％上看40％，中華電、台灣大、遠傳今年分別採購60萬、40萬、及45萬台智慧型手機，明年分別上看80萬、50萬及超過55萬。(新聞來源：工商時報─記者林淑惠／台北報導)
手機作業系統市占排名，顧能：年底Android三跳二
2010-09-11 15:57 時報資訊 【時報-台北電】
Android排名直線上升，Android在今年第2季已成為全球第3大智慧型手機作業系統，隨著三星、摩托羅拉等品牌下半年將對Android手機投入更多行銷資源，市場調查機構顧能（Gartner）預期，今年底Android就將成為全球第2大智慧型作業系統，2014年則將威脅一哥Symbian的霸主地位。
隨著Android手機廣受消費者與電信服務業者的歡迎，不僅帶動智慧型手機銷售量直線上升，更讓Android在全球智慧型手機作業系統市場的地位更為穩固，根據顧能8月中發表的資料，Android在今年第2季已經超越蘋果iOS，成為全球第3大智慧型手機作業系統。
顧能表示，三星、索尼愛立信、摩托羅拉、宏達電、LG等品牌在今年下半年將會投入新的行銷預算推廣搭載Android的手機，將促使Android進入大眾市場，此一趨勢不僅有助於Android在今年底成為北美市場排名第1的作業系統，今年底Android更可望正式超越RIM、成為全球第2大智慧型手機作業系統，比顧能原先預估的時間點，整整提早兩年。
諾基亞今年起中低階以上的手機全部搭載Symbian作業系統，替Symbian創造高額銷售量，加上Symbian手機價格帶更為貼近大眾市場，讓Symbian在2014年前都會是智慧型手機作業系統一哥，這也代表，Symbian和Android將主宰全球手機作業系統市場，到2014年，兩大作業系統合計將佔整體手機作業系統銷售的59.8％。
但值得注意的是，顧能預期在2014年Android在智慧型手機作業系統市場占有率將達29.6％，Symbian占有率為30.2％，二哥Android「做掉」一哥Symbian只有一步之遙。 (新聞來源：工商時報─記者吳筱雯／台北報導)
Android排名直線上升，Android在今年第2季已成為全球第3大智慧型手機作業系統，隨著三星、摩托羅拉等品牌下半年將對Android手機投入更多行銷資源，市場調查機構顧能（Gartner）預期，今年底Android就將成為全球第2大智慧型作業系統，2014年則將威脅一哥Symbian的霸主地位。
隨著Android手機廣受消費者與電信服務業者的歡迎，不僅帶動智慧型手機銷售量直線上升，更讓Android在全球智慧型手機作業系統市場的地位更為穩固，根據顧能8月中發表的資料，Android在今年第2季已經超越蘋果iOS，成為全球第3大智慧型手機作業系統。
顧能表示，三星、索尼愛立信、摩托羅拉、宏達電、LG等品牌在今年下半年將會投入新的行銷預算推廣搭載Android的手機，將促使Android進入大眾市場，此一趨勢不僅有助於Android在今年底成為北美市場排名第1的作業系統，今年底Android更可望正式超越RIM、成為全球第2大智慧型手機作業系統，比顧能原先預估的時間點，整整提早兩年。
諾基亞今年起中低階以上的手機全部搭載Symbian作業系統，替Symbian創造高額銷售量，加上Symbian手機價格帶更為貼近大眾市場，讓Symbian在2014年前都會是智慧型手機作業系統一哥，這也代表，Symbian和Android將主宰全球手機作業系統市場，到2014年，兩大作業系統合計將佔整體手機作業系統銷售的59.8％。
但值得注意的是，顧能預期在2014年Android在智慧型手機作業系統市場占有率將達29.6％，Symbian占有率為30.2％，二哥Android「做掉」一哥Symbian只有一步之遙。 (新聞來源：工商時報─記者吳筱雯／台北報導)
IC廠PicoChip搶攻
2010-09-11 01:45 工商時報 記者張瀞文／台北報導
Femtocell微型基地台晶片領導廠商PicoChip昨（10）日發表業界第一顆能將femtocell延伸至公共存取設施領域的晶片PC333，PicoChip表示，此款晶片預計在今年第4季供應樣本給特定客戶，而截至今年6月為止，PicoChip的femtocell晶片出貨量已經超過百萬套的水準。
手機上網成為趨勢，使得資料流量無止境的攀升，因此造成傳統大蜂巢基地台（macrocell）的架構從成本與性能的角度來看都已經無法負荷，為解決頻寬不足的問題，Femtocell微型基地台設備無疑是近2年來，歐美主要電信業與網通設備產業最當紅且力推的的新產品項目之一。
業者表示，從去年下半年開始，北美與歐洲部分電信業者已更積極動建置推廣Femtocell，而目前在Femtocell居於領先地位的晶片廠商PicoChip昨日也發表業界第一顆能將femtocell延伸至公共存取設施領域的晶片PC333。
隨著3G通訊不斷成熟，Femtocell的應用優勢引起運營商及設備商高度關注及興趣，網通設備廠商包括阿爾卡特朗訊、思科、愛立信、華為、中興、摩托羅拉、NEC與三星等都積極投入Femtocell產品的研發，業界預估，隨著產品走向成熟，2011年將是Femtocell起飛年。
Femtocell微型基地台晶片領導廠商PicoChip昨（10）日發表業界第一顆能將femtocell延伸至公共存取設施領域的晶片PC333，PicoChip表示，此款晶片預計在今年第4季供應樣本給特定客戶，而截至今年6月為止，PicoChip的femtocell晶片出貨量已經超過百萬套的水準。
手機上網成為趨勢，使得資料流量無止境的攀升，因此造成傳統大蜂巢基地台（macrocell）的架構從成本與性能的角度來看都已經無法負荷，為解決頻寬不足的問題，Femtocell微型基地台設備無疑是近2年來，歐美主要電信業與網通設備產業最當紅且力推的的新產品項目之一。
業者表示，從去年下半年開始，北美與歐洲部分電信業者已更積極動建置推廣Femtocell，而目前在Femtocell居於領先地位的晶片廠商PicoChip昨日也發表業界第一顆能將femtocell延伸至公共存取設施領域的晶片PC333。
隨著3G通訊不斷成熟，Femtocell的應用優勢引起運營商及設備商高度關注及興趣，網通設備廠商包括阿爾卡特朗訊、思科、愛立信、華為、中興、摩托羅拉、NEC與三星等都積極投入Femtocell產品的研發，業界預估，隨著產品走向成熟，2011年將是Femtocell起飛年。
高通TD晶片直攻4G，明年中量產
2010-09-10 08:17 時報資訊 【時報-台北電】
3G晶片龍頭高通（Qualcomm）昨（9）日宣佈，目前正於上海世博會展示的高通TD-LTE晶片，今年下半年進行測試後，將在明（2011）年中正式量產投入商用市場。由於在TD SCDMA晶片領域，目前已呈現天碁、聯芯、聯發科、展訊、晨星等多家競爭的局面，後進者的高通將憑藉著領先的技術，跨過3G，直攻下世代TD LTE 4G的市場。
在8月中旬市場就傳出高通內部已經確定TD-LTE晶片將在今年進行試驗，明年年中將正式投入商用，而這個訊息昨日也由高通正式對外宣佈。高通表示，公司的TD LTE晶片（MDM9200解決方案）目前正在上海世博會展示，且即將邁向商用化。
高通表示，此款TD LTE晶片同時具備2x2 MIMO技術，以2.3GHz頻段進行傳輸展示，公司預計在今年年底與全球多家電信業者合作，針對採用MDM9200以及MDM9600解決方案的TD LTE產品進行行動測試，預計在明年年中正式量產，同時投入商用市場。(新聞來源：工商時報─記者張淨文／台北報導)
3G晶片龍頭高通（Qualcomm）昨（9）日宣佈，目前正於上海世博會展示的高通TD-LTE晶片，今年下半年進行測試後，將在明（2011）年中正式量產投入商用市場。由於在TD SCDMA晶片領域，目前已呈現天碁、聯芯、聯發科、展訊、晨星等多家競爭的局面，後進者的高通將憑藉著領先的技術，跨過3G，直攻下世代TD LTE 4G的市場。
在8月中旬市場就傳出高通內部已經確定TD-LTE晶片將在今年進行試驗，明年年中將正式投入商用，而這個訊息昨日也由高通正式對外宣佈。高通表示，公司的TD LTE晶片（MDM9200解決方案）目前正在上海世博會展示，且即將邁向商用化。
高通表示，此款TD LTE晶片同時具備2x2 MIMO技術，以2.3GHz頻段進行傳輸展示，公司預計在今年年底與全球多家電信業者合作，針對採用MDM9200以及MDM9600解決方案的TD LTE產品進行行動測試，預計在明年年中正式量產，同時投入商用市場。(新聞來源：工商時報─記者張淨文／台北報導)
易利信、摩托羅拉攜手打造LTE解決方案
2010-09-10 08:27 時報資訊 【時報記者何美如台北報導】
易利信(NASDAQ: ERIC)與摩托羅拉公司(NYSE: MOT)旗下的摩托羅拉解決方案（Motorola Solution）部門簽署合作協議，將攜手為公共安全行動寬頻推出一項領先業界的LTE解決方案，能支援公共安全領域相關的重要語音及資料通訊服務，提供整合的高效能的語音及寬頻多媒體的應用服務。
透過LTE行動寬頻技術，摩托羅拉的下世代整合平台，將能運用由可攜式無線電、車載終端及手持LTE資料設備所組成的協同裝置，讓多媒體指揮中心與現場人員共享即時資訊，提供公共安全所需的先進通訊效能。易利信遍佈全球的LTE網路，將提供符合全球規模經濟的高效率優勢。
結合摩托羅拉公共安全最佳化LTE核心及相容平台後，易利信將能提供業界領先的LTE存取設備，以及部分封包式核心網路設備(packet core)與相關服務，為公共安全領域推出寬頻多媒體服務。摩托羅拉先進的終端設備、視訊安全系統、及命令與控制解決方案(Command & Control Solution)，將充分運用這些技術平台，讓公共安全領域能夠達到前所未有的現場協同及狀況掌握能力。
易利信全球副總裁暨無線網路部門負責人艾華信(Ulf Ewaldsson)表示，高速行動寬頻與LTE技術，將為公共安全領域帶來嶄新機會。LTE技術能夠實現事故現場與通訊中心的視訊通訊，並進一步引進更多新應用。藉由對現場情形掌握度的增加可提高決策效率，進而確保資產安全並挽救生命。
摩托羅拉無線解決方案部門全球資深副總裁Bob Schassler表示，摩托羅拉致力於創新開發公共安全領域關鍵產品與服務，確保我們所量身打造的端對端(end-to-end)解決方案，能夠滿足最嚴苛的執勤任務需求。在摩托羅拉全面展開的下世代解決方案建置目標中，易利信將是最具價值的合作夥伴，為我們的公共安全領域客戶提供先進的LTE技術。
易利信(NASDAQ: ERIC)與摩托羅拉公司(NYSE: MOT)旗下的摩托羅拉解決方案（Motorola Solution）部門簽署合作協議，將攜手為公共安全行動寬頻推出一項領先業界的LTE解決方案，能支援公共安全領域相關的重要語音及資料通訊服務，提供整合的高效能的語音及寬頻多媒體的應用服務。
透過LTE行動寬頻技術，摩托羅拉的下世代整合平台，將能運用由可攜式無線電、車載終端及手持LTE資料設備所組成的協同裝置，讓多媒體指揮中心與現場人員共享即時資訊，提供公共安全所需的先進通訊效能。易利信遍佈全球的LTE網路，將提供符合全球規模經濟的高效率優勢。
結合摩托羅拉公共安全最佳化LTE核心及相容平台後，易利信將能提供業界領先的LTE存取設備，以及部分封包式核心網路設備(packet core)與相關服務，為公共安全領域推出寬頻多媒體服務。摩托羅拉先進的終端設備、視訊安全系統、及命令與控制解決方案(Command & Control Solution)，將充分運用這些技術平台，讓公共安全領域能夠達到前所未有的現場協同及狀況掌握能力。
易利信全球副總裁暨無線網路部門負責人艾華信(Ulf Ewaldsson)表示，高速行動寬頻與LTE技術，將為公共安全領域帶來嶄新機會。LTE技術能夠實現事故現場與通訊中心的視訊通訊，並進一步引進更多新應用。藉由對現場情形掌握度的增加可提高決策效率，進而確保資產安全並挽救生命。
摩托羅拉無線解決方案部門全球資深副總裁Bob Schassler表示，摩托羅拉致力於創新開發公共安全領域關鍵產品與服務，確保我們所量身打造的端對端(end-to-end)解決方案，能夠滿足最嚴苛的執勤任務需求。在摩托羅拉全面展開的下世代解決方案建置目標中，易利信將是最具價值的合作夥伴，為我們的公共安全領域客戶提供先進的LTE技術。
奈斯比：世界重心早已東移
2010-09-12 01:35 旺報 記者邱詩文／綜合報導
世界步入「後金融危機時代」，「一超多強」的世界格局沒有發生根本變化，但著名的美國未來學家奈斯比（John Naisbitt）與中國外交學院副院長秦亞青均認為，各國力量態勢開始「向東（指亞太地區）向南（指發展中國家）」運行；且西方觀點不見得正確，國際體系中的規則，要符合更多發展不同的主體的最廣泛利益，才能使大家服氣並遵守。
發展中國家 群體崛起
在剛剛結束的大陸全國政協「21世紀論壇」舉辦期間，新華社特別針對「後金融危機時代」、「全球治理」等國際議題，邀請奈斯比與秦亞青進行對話。奈斯比認為，金融危機爆發前很久，世界重心就開始從西向東轉移，金融危機是一個小事件，並未影響到世界主要力量的調整。
秦亞青卻認為，金融危機後「一超多強」的基本框架雖沒有發生根本變化，但實力分布卻是有消有長，開始「向東向南」運行。「向東」就是亞太地區成為世界政治的重要地帶；「向南」就是發展中國家呈現群體崛起的態勢。
金融危機暴露出全球治理體系出現很多問題，對此應該怎麼調整？奈斯比打比方說，在國際關係中，幾乎所有的現行交通規則，都是由西方國家制定的。他們認為所有在路上跑的車都得遵守這個規則，這個規則就成了國際規則。他們這一觀點不見得正確。
規則要符合廣泛利益
秦亞青則認為新興國家沒有尋求推翻現有這些交通規則，並不要求「紅燈行、綠燈停」，不過是希望在某個地方加個拐彎燈。現在世界經濟規模比過去大那麼多，新興經濟體不斷增加。新進來的車對規則提出改進意見，也是正當要求。
他表示，原來制定規則的大國，雖然意識到了只有現在的燈不夠，但出於自身利益又希望規則大體延續。怎麼調整和改善這些規則？舊車和新車肯定有利益糾纏，談判過程會很複雜。秦亞青認為，國際體系中的規則，要符合更多發展階段不同的各種行為體的最廣泛利益，才能使大家服氣並遵守，最終希望像歐洲的一些地方那樣，雖然沒有交通規則，但大家更遵守交通秩序，達到理想的社會狀態。
世界步入「後金融危機時代」，「一超多強」的世界格局沒有發生根本變化，但著名的美國未來學家奈斯比（John Naisbitt）與中國外交學院副院長秦亞青均認為，各國力量態勢開始「向東（指亞太地區）向南（指發展中國家）」運行；且西方觀點不見得正確，國際體系中的規則，要符合更多發展不同的主體的最廣泛利益，才能使大家服氣並遵守。
發展中國家 群體崛起
在剛剛結束的大陸全國政協「21世紀論壇」舉辦期間，新華社特別針對「後金融危機時代」、「全球治理」等國際議題，邀請奈斯比與秦亞青進行對話。奈斯比認為，金融危機爆發前很久，世界重心就開始從西向東轉移，金融危機是一個小事件，並未影響到世界主要力量的調整。
秦亞青卻認為，金融危機後「一超多強」的基本框架雖沒有發生根本變化，但實力分布卻是有消有長，開始「向東向南」運行。「向東」就是亞太地區成為世界政治的重要地帶；「向南」就是發展中國家呈現群體崛起的態勢。
金融危機暴露出全球治理體系出現很多問題，對此應該怎麼調整？奈斯比打比方說，在國際關係中，幾乎所有的現行交通規則，都是由西方國家制定的。他們認為所有在路上跑的車都得遵守這個規則，這個規則就成了國際規則。他們這一觀點不見得正確。
規則要符合廣泛利益
秦亞青則認為新興國家沒有尋求推翻現有這些交通規則，並不要求「紅燈行、綠燈停」，不過是希望在某個地方加個拐彎燈。現在世界經濟規模比過去大那麼多，新興經濟體不斷增加。新進來的車對規則提出改進意見，也是正當要求。
他表示，原來制定規則的大國，雖然意識到了只有現在的燈不夠，但出於自身利益又希望規則大體延續。怎麼調整和改善這些規則？舊車和新車肯定有利益糾纏，談判過程會很複雜。秦亞青認為，國際體系中的規則，要符合更多發展階段不同的各種行為體的最廣泛利益，才能使大家服氣並遵守，最終希望像歐洲的一些地方那樣，雖然沒有交通規則，但大家更遵守交通秩序，達到理想的社會狀態。
未來學家奈斯比 鐵口直斷30年
2010-09-12 旺報 【記者邱詩文／綜合報導】
約翰·奈斯比（John Naisbit）是世界著名的未來學家，埃森哲評選的全球50位管理大師之一，有著哈佛、康乃爾和猶他3所大學的教育背景，目前還在大陸南京大學擔任客座教授，並且擔任許多跨國大公司高層及政府高官的顧問。
奈斯比早年曾涉足政壇，1963年被前美國總統甘迺迪任命為教育部助理部長，還曾任前美國總統詹森的特別助理。離開白宮後他任職於有「藍色巨人」之稱的IBM，1967年忽發奇想開始創業，時年39歲。
27年前，奈斯比在其著作《大趨勢》一書中，從十個方面探討美國政治、經濟和文化在20世紀50年代以後的發展變化情況，該書在全球的銷售量達1400多萬冊。據《金融時報》證實，《大趨勢》一書中沒有一條預言是錯誤的；去年底奈斯比出版與妻子桃樂絲（Doris）新書《中國大趨勢》，點出未來支撐中國發展有八根支柱：分別是一、思想的解放，二、自上而下與自下而上的結合，三、圍地造林讓樹木自由成長，四、摸著石頭過河，五、藝術與學術的發酵，六、融入世界，七、自由與公平，八、目標諾貝爾獎的創新之路。
約翰·奈斯比（John Naisbit）是世界著名的未來學家，埃森哲評選的全球50位管理大師之一，有著哈佛、康乃爾和猶他3所大學的教育背景，目前還在大陸南京大學擔任客座教授，並且擔任許多跨國大公司高層及政府高官的顧問。
奈斯比早年曾涉足政壇，1963年被前美國總統甘迺迪任命為教育部助理部長，還曾任前美國總統詹森的特別助理。離開白宮後他任職於有「藍色巨人」之稱的IBM，1967年忽發奇想開始創業，時年39歲。
27年前，奈斯比在其著作《大趨勢》一書中，從十個方面探討美國政治、經濟和文化在20世紀50年代以後的發展變化情況，該書在全球的銷售量達1400多萬冊。據《金融時報》證實，《大趨勢》一書中沒有一條預言是錯誤的；去年底奈斯比出版與妻子桃樂絲（Doris）新書《中國大趨勢》，點出未來支撐中國發展有八根支柱：分別是一、思想的解放，二、自上而下與自下而上的結合，三、圍地造林讓樹木自由成長，四、摸著石頭過河，五、藝術與學術的發酵，六、融入世界，七、自由與公平，八、目標諾貝爾獎的創新之路。
2010年6月3日 星期四
阿爾卡特-朗訊 攜台廠入全球
2010-06-03 工商時報 【記者林淑惠／台北報導】
阿爾卡特-朗訊（Alcatel-lucent；ALU）北亞暨南亞總裁Alain Biston昨（2）日在台表示，最快年底就會在台成立LTE（4G）IOT測試中心，攜台廠直接打入全球主要電信公司的LTE供貨鏈。
ALU強調，該公司已為NTT DoCoMo、Verizon、新加坡電信提供LTE基礎網路設備，ALU未來將扮演台廠LTE終端設備供貨全球電信客戶的橋樑。
法人分析，已經成為ALU全球WiMAX產業鏈供貨商的華碩、廣達、威盛、精英、合勤、正文、智邦，未來都有機會延伸至ALU的LTE全球供應鏈夥伴或委外代工廠。
Alain Biston昨日應經濟部之邀，參加Computex下一代網路（NGN）研討會，ALU對於未來5年全球無線寬頻產業發展提出最新報告，ALU指出，2015年時、全球行動電話普及率將達85％、手機用戶會由目前45億增長至60億，屆時，智慧型手機出貨規模將達5億支、占整體手機出貨占比達1/3，換言之，到2015年時，全球手機出貨總量將達15億支。
至2013時，小筆電、平板電腦的出貨量將達3億台；2015時，行動上網裝置如UMPCs、導航、遊戲及電子書等設備銷售量將達6.33億台，物聯網裝置出貨量達6.15億台，顯示4G行動寬頻時代加速來臨，並將帶動各種寬頻應用終端產品銷量飛快成長。
ALU台灣區總經理翟良超指出，ALU目前是中華電MOD平台唯一供應商，並已拿到中華電等電信業的光傳輸網路、光纖到大樓網路、IPTV及Femto等網通設備，未來將進一步耕耘LTE市場。
2010-06-03 工商時報 【記者林淑惠／台北報導】
阿爾卡特-朗訊（Alcatel-lucent；ALU）北亞暨南亞總裁Alain Biston昨（2）日在台表示，最快年底就會在台成立LTE（4G）IOT測試中心，攜台廠直接打入全球主要電信公司的LTE供貨鏈。
ALU強調，該公司已為NTT DoCoMo、Verizon、新加坡電信提供LTE基礎網路設備，ALU未來將扮演台廠LTE終端設備供貨全球電信客戶的橋樑。
法人分析，已經成為ALU全球WiMAX產業鏈供貨商的華碩、廣達、威盛、精英、合勤、正文、智邦，未來都有機會延伸至ALU的LTE全球供應鏈夥伴或委外代工廠。
Alain Biston昨日應經濟部之邀，參加Computex下一代網路（NGN）研討會，ALU對於未來5年全球無線寬頻產業發展提出最新報告，ALU指出，2015年時、全球行動電話普及率將達85％、手機用戶會由目前45億增長至60億，屆時，智慧型手機出貨規模將達5億支、占整體手機出貨占比達1/3，換言之，到2015年時，全球手機出貨總量將達15億支。
至2013時，小筆電、平板電腦的出貨量將達3億台；2015時，行動上網裝置如UMPCs、導航、遊戲及電子書等設備銷售量將達6.33億台，物聯網裝置出貨量達6.15億台，顯示4G行動寬頻時代加速來臨，並將帶動各種寬頻應用終端產品銷量飛快成長。
ALU台灣區總經理翟良超指出，ALU目前是中華電MOD平台唯一供應商，並已拿到中華電等電信業的光傳輸網路、光纖到大樓網路、IPTV及Femto等網通設備，未來將進一步耕耘LTE市場。
Alcatel-Lucent collaborates with Innofidei and ASTRI to complete the first high-definition video call over China
Posted on: Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:12:16 EDT
Shanghai, Jun 02, 2010 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) --
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU | PowerRating)and China Mobile today announced that they have successfully completed the first high-definition video call over a TD-LTE network at the World Expo. Leveraging Alcatel-Lucent's network infrastructure and systems integration expertise, as well as a TD-LTE USB dongle from Innofidei and ASTRI, World Expo visitors can experience a new class of ultra high-speed mobile services - including fast Internet access, significantly improved FTP upload/download speeds, 3D games and 3D maps.
As one of the key suppliers of China Mobile's TD-LTE network at the Shanghai World Expo, Alcatel-Lucent is providing indoor broadband mobile coverage in the Theme and the Africa pavilions to the more than 70 million expected visitors. The achievement with Innofidei and ASTRI, both industry-leading TD-LTE terminal chip makers and recognized terminal vendors for China Mobile's TD-LTE network, results from a series of successful interoperability tests aiming at an acceleration of TD-LTE's commercialization.
'It is great to see the growth of TD-LTE in China. This achievement demonstrates that the TD-LTE industry chain is maturing, which will help boost the technology's commercialization and global adoption,' said China Mobile's TD-LTE EXPO project manager.
'This is a significant milestone for Alcatel-Lucent in the TD-LTE space. The successful interoperability tests, and resulting demonstrations with leading terminal vendors, further demonstrate our commitment to create an open TD-LTE ecosystem,' said Romano Valussi, president of Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell and head of Alcatel-Lucent's China regional business unit.
'As a major chip maker, Innofidei is actively participating in efforts to promote the TD-LTE industry. We launched our TD-LTE project in 2007, conducting further research with ASTRI. We were proud to see our efforts recognized by being awarded the bid for terminals for China Mobile's TD-LTE network at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai,' said Innofidei CEO Dr. Tom Zhang.
'Hong Kong ASTRI is determined to develop key technologies to benefit local and regional high tech industry. The cooperation with Alcatel-Lucent and Innofidei this time further illustrates our technology advance in TD-LTE' said Dr. Cheung Nim-Kwan, CEO of ASTRI.
In November 2009, Alcatel-Lucent was selected by China Mobile to deploy the first TD-LTE network in the world. This February, Alcatel-Lucent achieved record speeds of more than 80 Mbps downstream by using a single 20MHz spectrum band to accommodate both upstream and downstream traffic.
Alcatel-Lucent's end-to-end LTE solution is a key element of its High Leverage NetworkTM architecture, providing sufficient capacity for the ever-growing data traffic at the lowest cost per bit, all with the intelligence necessary to create new business opportunities for our customers. The company's end-to-end LTE network solution includes eNodeBs (base stations),its Ultimate Wireless Packet Core, IP/MPLS mobile transport, a comprehensive IMS solution and the ng Connect ecosystem with content and application vendors.
Having been selected to support more than 45 LTE trials around the globe and securing commercial contracts with two of the largest operators in the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a recognized market leader in LTE.
Shanghai, Jun 02, 2010 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) --
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU | PowerRating)and China Mobile today announced that they have successfully completed the first high-definition video call over a TD-LTE network at the World Expo. Leveraging Alcatel-Lucent's network infrastructure and systems integration expertise, as well as a TD-LTE USB dongle from Innofidei and ASTRI, World Expo visitors can experience a new class of ultra high-speed mobile services - including fast Internet access, significantly improved FTP upload/download speeds, 3D games and 3D maps.
As one of the key suppliers of China Mobile's TD-LTE network at the Shanghai World Expo, Alcatel-Lucent is providing indoor broadband mobile coverage in the Theme and the Africa pavilions to the more than 70 million expected visitors. The achievement with Innofidei and ASTRI, both industry-leading TD-LTE terminal chip makers and recognized terminal vendors for China Mobile's TD-LTE network, results from a series of successful interoperability tests aiming at an acceleration of TD-LTE's commercialization.
'It is great to see the growth of TD-LTE in China. This achievement demonstrates that the TD-LTE industry chain is maturing, which will help boost the technology's commercialization and global adoption,' said China Mobile's TD-LTE EXPO project manager.
'This is a significant milestone for Alcatel-Lucent in the TD-LTE space. The successful interoperability tests, and resulting demonstrations with leading terminal vendors, further demonstrate our commitment to create an open TD-LTE ecosystem,' said Romano Valussi, president of Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell and head of Alcatel-Lucent's China regional business unit.
'As a major chip maker, Innofidei is actively participating in efforts to promote the TD-LTE industry. We launched our TD-LTE project in 2007, conducting further research with ASTRI. We were proud to see our efforts recognized by being awarded the bid for terminals for China Mobile's TD-LTE network at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai,' said Innofidei CEO Dr. Tom Zhang.
'Hong Kong ASTRI is determined to develop key technologies to benefit local and regional high tech industry. The cooperation with Alcatel-Lucent and Innofidei this time further illustrates our technology advance in TD-LTE' said Dr. Cheung Nim-Kwan, CEO of ASTRI.
In November 2009, Alcatel-Lucent was selected by China Mobile to deploy the first TD-LTE network in the world. This February, Alcatel-Lucent achieved record speeds of more than 80 Mbps downstream by using a single 20MHz spectrum band to accommodate both upstream and downstream traffic.
Alcatel-Lucent's end-to-end LTE solution is a key element of its High Leverage NetworkTM architecture, providing sufficient capacity for the ever-growing data traffic at the lowest cost per bit, all with the intelligence necessary to create new business opportunities for our customers. The company's end-to-end LTE network solution includes eNodeBs (base stations),its Ultimate Wireless Packet Core, IP/MPLS mobile transport, a comprehensive IMS solution and the ng Connect ecosystem with content and application vendors.
Having been selected to support more than 45 LTE trials around the globe and securing commercial contracts with two of the largest operators in the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a recognized market leader in LTE.
Alcatel-Lucent to set up LTE ecosystem with Taiwan makers
Alcatel-Lucent, in view of large market potential for LTE, will team up with Taiwan-based makers of networking/communication equipment to set up an LTE ecosystem, according to the company's North and South East Asia president Alain Biston.
Alcatel-Lucent has successfully cooperated with Taiwan-based makers to set up a WiMAX ecosystem, including a WiMAX IOT (interoperability testing) lab in Taiwan, Biston indicated. Alcatel-Lucent will follow the model to set up the LTE ecosystem, Biston said.
In addition, Alcatel-Lucent will extend the WiMAX IOT lab into a 4G IOT lab to cover LTE technology, with the extension to be completed at the end of 2010 or early 2011, Biston noted.
Alcatel-Lucent has successfully cooperated with Taiwan-based makers to set up a WiMAX ecosystem, including a WiMAX IOT (interoperability testing) lab in Taiwan, Biston indicated. Alcatel-Lucent will follow the model to set up the LTE ecosystem, Biston said.
In addition, Alcatel-Lucent will extend the WiMAX IOT lab into a 4G IOT lab to cover LTE technology, with the extension to be completed at the end of 2010 or early 2011, Biston noted.
2010年6月2日 星期三
LTE雲手機將打破手機市場格局
Strategy Analytics發佈最新研究報告“LTE演進：給手機廠商帶來的威脅和機會”。分析指出，2015年“雲手機”或將打破領先手機廠商的市場地位。
與目前大多數手機不同的是，雲手機將主要依賴互聯網雲伺服器為消費者提供增值應用和服務。Strategy Analytics分析師，本報告的作者，Alex Spektor認為：“每一代網路技術的演進都帶來顛覆市場格局的新設計，新功能，或是新終端。隨著運營商在未來幾年開始部署LTE網路，雲手機將會成為下一個具有顛覆市場格局能力的技術。雲手機能充分利用LTE網路的低成本、低延時、高頻寬連線性等優勢，提供極其廣泛的基於互聯網雲伺服器的內容、應用和服務。今天的市場領先者必須謹慎地管理如何向LTE演進，以使潛在的市場威脅轉變為市場機遇。”
Strategy Analytics無線行業研究執行總監Chris Ambrosio補充道：“有兩種截然不同的戰略可讓手機廠商在開發雲手機上實現最大的市場潛力 ：
其一是華為和中興等廠商將迎戰三星和LG，以成為移動運營商的首選合作夥伴，提供定制手機以優化移動運營商提供的雲服務；
其二是終端廠商尋求開發自己的雲服務。諸如戴爾和惠普等廠商，能憑藉其規模和在電腦領域的優勢開發雲手機，使雲手機成為其‘多螢幕雲服務’戰略的一部分。”
Strategy Analytics發佈最新研究報告“LTE演進：給手機廠商帶來的威脅和機會”。分析指出，2015年“雲手機”或將打破領先手機廠商的市場地位。
與目前大多數手機不同的是，雲手機將主要依賴互聯網雲伺服器為消費者提供增值應用和服務。Strategy Analytics分析師，本報告的作者，Alex Spektor認為：“每一代網路技術的演進都帶來顛覆市場格局的新設計，新功能，或是新終端。隨著運營商在未來幾年開始部署LTE網路，雲手機將會成為下一個具有顛覆市場格局能力的技術。雲手機能充分利用LTE網路的低成本、低延時、高頻寬連線性等優勢，提供極其廣泛的基於互聯網雲伺服器的內容、應用和服務。今天的市場領先者必須謹慎地管理如何向LTE演進，以使潛在的市場威脅轉變為市場機遇。”
Strategy Analytics無線行業研究執行總監Chris Ambrosio補充道：“有兩種截然不同的戰略可讓手機廠商在開發雲手機上實現最大的市場潛力 ：
其一是華為和中興等廠商將迎戰三星和LG，以成為移動運營商的首選合作夥伴，提供定制手機以優化移動運營商提供的雲服務；
其二是終端廠商尋求開發自己的雲服務。諸如戴爾和惠普等廠商，能憑藉其規模和在電腦領域的優勢開發雲手機，使雲手機成為其‘多螢幕雲服務’戰略的一部分。”
2013年聯網電視 出貨量將達1億台
文／劉家瑜
隨著數位匯流趨勢的到來，電視網路化、網路電視化早在多年前就已經被開始倡導，而電視上網這個議題也在多年前曾被熱炒。然而，當時有礙於使用者習慣及產業標準不定等障礙，使整個產業無法如預期般普及。不過，從2009年開始，全球再一次掀起電視上網熱潮，電視邁向TV 3.0時代，指日可待。
下個重要網路應用平台
其實，很多人無法釐清電視上網與網路電視（IPTV，Internet Protocol Television）之間的差異。其實兩者之間有很大的不同，電視上網採取公眾網路，使用者可以自己選擇服務內容；IPTV是屬於封閉式網路，中華電信的MOD服務就屬之，服務內容是由平台業者提供。資策會網多所所長何寶中表示，TV 1.0時代電視服務為單向傳輸，電視提供隨選服務（VOD）的時代屬於TV 2.0，而聯網電視就是TV 3.0時代，民眾可以在電視上使用更多網路互動服務與應用。
更精準分析，電視上網主要結合數位電視廣播與網路內容，因此，使用者可以在觀看電視的時候，同時上網進行各種資訊查詢，或是進行各種互動服務。整體而言，該技術稱為複合式聯網電視（HBB TV，Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV）。
何寶中認為，幾年前的第一波電視上網熱潮之所以沒有成功，主要在於大家當時都想著把電視變電腦來使用，但是今天不一樣，為了符合家庭老老小小的需求，現在的使用者只要用遙控器就可以進行電視上網，使用各種網路互動應用，因此將會普及的較快。再加上，許多相關技術以及商業模式逐漸成熟的情況下，全球這一波電視上網熱潮，業者普遍相當看好。
此外，近年來各種寬頻技術的突飛猛進，不管是有線網路如ADSL、無線網路的3G、WiMAX，不僅有飛快的速度，也有很好的連線品質，因此使用者在進行網路互動服務時，可以有很好的體驗，而這也是促成未來電視上網可以被順利推廣的重要原因。電視上網聯盟會長翁樸山指出，目前台灣已經有超過125萬光纖到府，預計到了2013年將達到240萬，這顯示出未來的寬頻服務，足以滿足電視上網的頻寬需求。
「從今年初美國CES展覽的趨勢來看，配備網路化功能的智慧化網路電視，儼然是今年的重要趨勢。」拓墣產業研究所指出，電視上網將打破傳統電視市場的消費體驗與產業鏈生態，繼智慧型手機與平板電腦之後，具備網路功能的電視機，又稱聯網電視（Connected TV），將結合影、視、資、聽於一體，成為下一個最重要的數位匯流平台。拓墣認為，具備智慧化功能的網路電視機，絕對是2010年的重頭戲。現任電視上網聯盟主席暨台灣數位電視協會理事長林蔚山指出，網路與電視結合之後，民眾可以在電視上使用許多互動的加值服務，這樣的應用確實充滿商機。
全球各國政策積極推動
有鑑於電視上網產業日漸明朗，現階段世界各國政府紛紛透過政策推動電視上網產業，而國際大廠也紛紛投入市場，並且積極進行異業合作。從種種現象來看，電視邁向3.0時代的機會很大。
確實，電視上網產業發展的蓬勃發展，與各國政府積極推動，以及各國產業聯盟不斷成立有很大的關係。日本早在2007年就已經成立日本電視上網聯盟，該聯盟由日本5家知名品牌數位電視製造商Sony、Sharp、Panasonic、Toshiba與Hitachi，以及網路ISP業者So-Net共同成立，聯盟共同打造一家數位電視入口服務公司TV Portal Service Corp，並成立一個IPTV入口網站acTVila。
透過acTVila入口網站，使用者可以直接在客廳的電視機上，連上網路觀看天氣、地圖與新聞資訊，還可以看影片、唱卡拉OK與玩線上遊戲。據估計，2010年聯網電視售出台數將達到800萬台。
至於歐盟也在2009年8月開始進行複合式聯網電視的標準規範。現在歐洲多家電視品牌業者也都已經推出可上網的電視機，根據調查機構Futuresource Consulting的報告，2010年歐洲出貨的電視機，將有20％具備上網功能。
至於美國市場的聯網電視聯盟也早在去年就已經成立。據了解，在美國市場，現階段美國某些大型3C通路商的可連網電視機上架率，已經達到30％。至於中國大陸電視產業管理單位廣電總局，以及管理網路產業的工訊部門，雖然還沒有針對電視上網制定出相關管理規則，但據了解，這兩個部門將在今年中訂定出相關規則，力求讓電視上網產業的發展更加迅速。
產業鏈商機將一同爆發
在全球大廠與各國政策的積極推動下，究竟電視上網商機有多大？根據2010年CES主辦單位預估，內建網路功能的電視出貨量，將從2009年的10％，激增到2013年的逾50％。拓墣預估，2010年全球網路電視機的銷售量將達到3,000萬台，市場產值估計會超過300億美元（約新台幣1兆元），形成一個嶄新且巨大的網路電視市場，並以40％的月成長率快速成長。
保守估計，其中有五分之一的市場會是在中國大陸，相當於600萬台出貨量。到了2013年，全球網路電視機銷售量將達到8,700萬台，其中，大陸市場將有1,800萬台的出貨量。拓墣指出，2010年中國大陸電視上網應用為ICT科技的熱門議題之一，從2009年下半年開始，聯網電視就在中國大陸市場開始熱銷，2010年大陸聯網電視機的銷售將呈現火爆態勢，同時將帶領全球邁向電視上網的起飛元年。
另外，根據資策會MIC的預估，包含電視機與機上盒等聯網電視的硬體設備，到了2010年出貨量將可達到1,919萬台，年成長率高達210％，估計到2013年將快速增加到6,800萬台。資策會MIC產業分析師邱婉真認為，未來除了電視機、機上盒等硬體設備之外，隨著網路電視走上開放式平台經營模式，將會有更多元的內容與載具，使整個市場更加蓬勃發展。
▲ 電視上網不僅是將電視變得可上網，近來熱門的平板電腦，也將化身為行動式網路電視機，蘋果iPad就是行動網路電視機的最佳體現。（達志影像）
而調查機構Display Search最新一季研究的報告也看好電視上網市場，Display Search認為，基於USB介面、線上電影租售服務與Skype網路普及等因素，將全面促成電視上網產業的發展。隨著電視機具備下一代USB功能，將使消費者可以在客廳使用到過去只能在電腦上使用的許多應用。該機構估計，2009年全球聯網電視出貨量已經達到1,500萬台規模，預計到了2013年將成長到１億台，短短4年就成長546％，其中，北美市場銷售量占據50至60％，亞太與日本市場也將明顯成長。
市場調查機構iSuppli指出，隨著多種網路服務YouTube影片分享、線上遊戲愈來愈普及，愈來愈多消費者表示電腦螢幕太小，已經無法滿足需求，因此他們希望可以在電視上使用這些服務。iSuppli在2010年2月所進行的問卷調查指出，愈來愈多美國民眾已經利用各種方式讓他們的電視機可以上網。
電視上網商機還不僅只於將客廳的電視變得可以上網，近來相當熱門的平板電腦，也將化身為行動式網路電視機，讓電視上網也朝行動化發展，而最近相當熱銷的蘋果iPad，就是行動網路電視機的最佳體現。
確實，整個電視上網市場絕對不僅止於硬體設備。隨著電視進入數位聯網時代，未來電視上的許多應用將以網際網路為主要傳播途徑，如此一來，從上游的半導體晶片開發業者、聯網電視、藍光機等硬體業者，以及Yahoo!在內的互動式內容與數位內容服務提供商、平台業者與系統整合商等多個產業，都有其利益所在，所以電視上網商機可說是含括整個產業鏈。
文／劉家瑜
隨著數位匯流趨勢的到來，電視網路化、網路電視化早在多年前就已經被開始倡導，而電視上網這個議題也在多年前曾被熱炒。然而，當時有礙於使用者習慣及產業標準不定等障礙，使整個產業無法如預期般普及。不過，從2009年開始，全球再一次掀起電視上網熱潮，電視邁向TV 3.0時代，指日可待。
下個重要網路應用平台
其實，很多人無法釐清電視上網與網路電視（IPTV，Internet Protocol Television）之間的差異。其實兩者之間有很大的不同，電視上網採取公眾網路，使用者可以自己選擇服務內容；IPTV是屬於封閉式網路，中華電信的MOD服務就屬之，服務內容是由平台業者提供。資策會網多所所長何寶中表示，TV 1.0時代電視服務為單向傳輸，電視提供隨選服務（VOD）的時代屬於TV 2.0，而聯網電視就是TV 3.0時代，民眾可以在電視上使用更多網路互動服務與應用。
更精準分析，電視上網主要結合數位電視廣播與網路內容，因此，使用者可以在觀看電視的時候，同時上網進行各種資訊查詢，或是進行各種互動服務。整體而言，該技術稱為複合式聯網電視（HBB TV，Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV）。
何寶中認為，幾年前的第一波電視上網熱潮之所以沒有成功，主要在於大家當時都想著把電視變電腦來使用，但是今天不一樣，為了符合家庭老老小小的需求，現在的使用者只要用遙控器就可以進行電視上網，使用各種網路互動應用，因此將會普及的較快。再加上，許多相關技術以及商業模式逐漸成熟的情況下，全球這一波電視上網熱潮，業者普遍相當看好。
此外，近年來各種寬頻技術的突飛猛進，不管是有線網路如ADSL、無線網路的3G、WiMAX，不僅有飛快的速度，也有很好的連線品質，因此使用者在進行網路互動服務時，可以有很好的體驗，而這也是促成未來電視上網可以被順利推廣的重要原因。電視上網聯盟會長翁樸山指出，目前台灣已經有超過125萬光纖到府，預計到了2013年將達到240萬，這顯示出未來的寬頻服務，足以滿足電視上網的頻寬需求。
「從今年初美國CES展覽的趨勢來看，配備網路化功能的智慧化網路電視，儼然是今年的重要趨勢。」拓墣產業研究所指出，電視上網將打破傳統電視市場的消費體驗與產業鏈生態，繼智慧型手機與平板電腦之後，具備網路功能的電視機，又稱聯網電視（Connected TV），將結合影、視、資、聽於一體，成為下一個最重要的數位匯流平台。拓墣認為，具備智慧化功能的網路電視機，絕對是2010年的重頭戲。現任電視上網聯盟主席暨台灣數位電視協會理事長林蔚山指出，網路與電視結合之後，民眾可以在電視上使用許多互動的加值服務，這樣的應用確實充滿商機。
全球各國政策積極推動
有鑑於電視上網產業日漸明朗，現階段世界各國政府紛紛透過政策推動電視上網產業，而國際大廠也紛紛投入市場，並且積極進行異業合作。從種種現象來看，電視邁向3.0時代的機會很大。
確實，電視上網產業發展的蓬勃發展，與各國政府積極推動，以及各國產業聯盟不斷成立有很大的關係。日本早在2007年就已經成立日本電視上網聯盟，該聯盟由日本5家知名品牌數位電視製造商Sony、Sharp、Panasonic、Toshiba與Hitachi，以及網路ISP業者So-Net共同成立，聯盟共同打造一家數位電視入口服務公司TV Portal Service Corp，並成立一個IPTV入口網站acTVila。
透過acTVila入口網站，使用者可以直接在客廳的電視機上，連上網路觀看天氣、地圖與新聞資訊，還可以看影片、唱卡拉OK與玩線上遊戲。據估計，2010年聯網電視售出台數將達到800萬台。
至於歐盟也在2009年8月開始進行複合式聯網電視的標準規範。現在歐洲多家電視品牌業者也都已經推出可上網的電視機，根據調查機構Futuresource Consulting的報告，2010年歐洲出貨的電視機，將有20％具備上網功能。
至於美國市場的聯網電視聯盟也早在去年就已經成立。據了解，在美國市場，現階段美國某些大型3C通路商的可連網電視機上架率，已經達到30％。至於中國大陸電視產業管理單位廣電總局，以及管理網路產業的工訊部門，雖然還沒有針對電視上網制定出相關管理規則，但據了解，這兩個部門將在今年中訂定出相關規則，力求讓電視上網產業的發展更加迅速。
產業鏈商機將一同爆發
在全球大廠與各國政策的積極推動下，究竟電視上網商機有多大？根據2010年CES主辦單位預估，內建網路功能的電視出貨量，將從2009年的10％，激增到2013年的逾50％。拓墣預估，2010年全球網路電視機的銷售量將達到3,000萬台，市場產值估計會超過300億美元（約新台幣1兆元），形成一個嶄新且巨大的網路電視市場，並以40％的月成長率快速成長。
保守估計，其中有五分之一的市場會是在中國大陸，相當於600萬台出貨量。到了2013年，全球網路電視機銷售量將達到8,700萬台，其中，大陸市場將有1,800萬台的出貨量。拓墣指出，2010年中國大陸電視上網應用為ICT科技的熱門議題之一，從2009年下半年開始，聯網電視就在中國大陸市場開始熱銷，2010年大陸聯網電視機的銷售將呈現火爆態勢，同時將帶領全球邁向電視上網的起飛元年。
另外，根據資策會MIC的預估，包含電視機與機上盒等聯網電視的硬體設備，到了2010年出貨量將可達到1,919萬台，年成長率高達210％，估計到2013年將快速增加到6,800萬台。資策會MIC產業分析師邱婉真認為，未來除了電視機、機上盒等硬體設備之外，隨著網路電視走上開放式平台經營模式，將會有更多元的內容與載具，使整個市場更加蓬勃發展。
▲ 電視上網不僅是將電視變得可上網，近來熱門的平板電腦，也將化身為行動式網路電視機，蘋果iPad就是行動網路電視機的最佳體現。（達志影像）
而調查機構Display Search最新一季研究的報告也看好電視上網市場，Display Search認為，基於USB介面、線上電影租售服務與Skype網路普及等因素，將全面促成電視上網產業的發展。隨著電視機具備下一代USB功能，將使消費者可以在客廳使用到過去只能在電腦上使用的許多應用。該機構估計，2009年全球聯網電視出貨量已經達到1,500萬台規模，預計到了2013年將成長到１億台，短短4年就成長546％，其中，北美市場銷售量占據50至60％，亞太與日本市場也將明顯成長。
市場調查機構iSuppli指出，隨著多種網路服務YouTube影片分享、線上遊戲愈來愈普及，愈來愈多消費者表示電腦螢幕太小，已經無法滿足需求，因此他們希望可以在電視上使用這些服務。iSuppli在2010年2月所進行的問卷調查指出，愈來愈多美國民眾已經利用各種方式讓他們的電視機可以上網。
電視上網商機還不僅只於將客廳的電視變得可以上網，近來相當熱門的平板電腦，也將化身為行動式網路電視機，讓電視上網也朝行動化發展，而最近相當熱銷的蘋果iPad，就是行動網路電視機的最佳體現。
確實，整個電視上網市場絕對不僅止於硬體設備。隨著電視進入數位聯網時代，未來電視上的許多應用將以網際網路為主要傳播途徑，如此一來，從上游的半導體晶片開發業者、聯網電視、藍光機等硬體業者，以及Yahoo!在內的互動式內容與數位內容服務提供商、平台業者與系統整合商等多個產業，都有其利益所在，所以電視上網商機可說是含括整個產業鏈。
2010年5月27日 星期四
2010年全球電腦出貨可望成長22% 家用產品為主力
國際研究和顧問機構 Gartner 發布最新預測報告指出， 2010年全球電腦出貨量可望達到3億7,660萬台，較2009年的出貨量3億830萬台成長22%。2010年全球電腦支出預期將達2,454億美元，亦較2009年成長12%。2010年全球家用電腦市場的成長幅度達29.5%，遠高於商用市場的13.1%。
Gartner 首席分析師Ranjit Atwal表示：「即使全球經濟仍充滿許多不確定性，消費市場的電腦需求依然強勁。現在，消費者已將電腦視為比奢侈品更重要的必需品。在成熟市場上，儘管在景氣衰退時，電腦仍然會是家庭所得支出的主要電子產品選項，我們不認為此一情況在2010年以後會有任何改變。」
Atwal進一步指出：「在商用電腦市場，當電腦進入老舊期時將帶動換機潮。機構會發現很難在不增加預算的情況下，延長電腦的使用壽命。除了這一點，再加上 Winodows 7 的採用，將增加商用市場的需求。大型企業計畫在 2010年下半年展開電腦汰換，大多數的換機會在2011年。我們現在預期， Windows 7 引發的換機潮將延續至2012年。」
小筆電的出貨量維持快速成長，但是當次市場成熟之後，其成長已呈現趨緩的徵兆。全球小筆電2010年出貨量初估將達4,180萬台，與2009年的3,210萬台相較足足成長30%。2010年小筆電將佔行動電腦整體出貨量的18.6%，但是今年之後的市佔率將呈穩定下降的趨勢， 2014年在行動電腦市場比重已降至13.9%。
Gartner分析師Raphael Vasquez表示：「小筆電市場將受到愈展競爭優勢的超低電壓產品的衝擊，行動電腦價格下滑和消費者偏好亦會造成影響。」他接著指出：「部份消費者購買小筆電僅出於價格因素。許多消費者現在會選購位在價格曲線上緣而非下緣的小筆電。」
Gartner定義，平板電腦(Tablet PC)具五吋或更大的觸控螢幕，配備全功能的作業系統(OS)，如Windows 7、Windows Vista、Windows XP或是Mac OS X。平板媒體(Media Tablet)則是被定義為，含五吋以上的觸控螢幕但配備有限功能的作業系統，如 iPhone 、 Android 和 Chrome。Gartner對電腦市場的統計和預測已納入平板電腦，但不包含平板媒體。僅管如此，Gartner分析師表示，平板媒體將會影響電腦市場，特別是小筆電，該預測已反映這一點。
Vasquez指出：「平板媒體不會影響今年的小筆電市場，但預期2013年後iPad與其他類似的平板媒體將使小筆電出貨量大大減少，原因之一是我們預期屆時iPad等產品的價格會降低，更重要的是它們的功能將與小筆電愈來愈接近。」
在Gartner的預測情境中， 2010年平板媒體出貨量預期可達約1,000萬台。與平板電腦相較，平板媒體在電腦市場上的比重較高。2010年全球平板電腦出貨量約200萬台，但2012年後出貨量可能將不會超過300萬台。
Gartner研究部主任George Shiffler表示：「從區域來看，2010年電腦出貨量成長半數以上係來自西歐、中國與美國的市場。2011年超過半數的 PC 出貨量成長則是來自於美國與中國。2010年第一季，歐洲、中東與非洲(EMEA)等區域的成長則是顯著落後於其他市場。然而，EMEA區域較預期更早恢復強勁成長，尤其是東歐地區。南歐的經濟並不穩定，對電腦的需求似乎暫緩，儘管此一情況可能出現變化。」
Gartner 首席分析師Ranjit Atwal表示：「即使全球經濟仍充滿許多不確定性，消費市場的電腦需求依然強勁。現在，消費者已將電腦視為比奢侈品更重要的必需品。在成熟市場上，儘管在景氣衰退時，電腦仍然會是家庭所得支出的主要電子產品選項，我們不認為此一情況在2010年以後會有任何改變。」
Atwal進一步指出：「在商用電腦市場，當電腦進入老舊期時將帶動換機潮。機構會發現很難在不增加預算的情況下，延長電腦的使用壽命。除了這一點，再加上 Winodows 7 的採用，將增加商用市場的需求。大型企業計畫在 2010年下半年展開電腦汰換，大多數的換機會在2011年。我們現在預期， Windows 7 引發的換機潮將延續至2012年。」
小筆電的出貨量維持快速成長，但是當次市場成熟之後，其成長已呈現趨緩的徵兆。全球小筆電2010年出貨量初估將達4,180萬台，與2009年的3,210萬台相較足足成長30%。2010年小筆電將佔行動電腦整體出貨量的18.6%，但是今年之後的市佔率將呈穩定下降的趨勢， 2014年在行動電腦市場比重已降至13.9%。
Gartner分析師Raphael Vasquez表示：「小筆電市場將受到愈展競爭優勢的超低電壓產品的衝擊，行動電腦價格下滑和消費者偏好亦會造成影響。」他接著指出：「部份消費者購買小筆電僅出於價格因素。許多消費者現在會選購位在價格曲線上緣而非下緣的小筆電。」
Gartner定義，平板電腦(Tablet PC)具五吋或更大的觸控螢幕，配備全功能的作業系統(OS)，如Windows 7、Windows Vista、Windows XP或是Mac OS X。平板媒體(Media Tablet)則是被定義為，含五吋以上的觸控螢幕但配備有限功能的作業系統，如 iPhone 、 Android 和 Chrome。Gartner對電腦市場的統計和預測已納入平板電腦，但不包含平板媒體。僅管如此，Gartner分析師表示，平板媒體將會影響電腦市場，特別是小筆電，該預測已反映這一點。
Vasquez指出：「平板媒體不會影響今年的小筆電市場，但預期2013年後iPad與其他類似的平板媒體將使小筆電出貨量大大減少，原因之一是我們預期屆時iPad等產品的價格會降低，更重要的是它們的功能將與小筆電愈來愈接近。」
在Gartner的預測情境中， 2010年平板媒體出貨量預期可達約1,000萬台。與平板電腦相較，平板媒體在電腦市場上的比重較高。2010年全球平板電腦出貨量約200萬台，但2012年後出貨量可能將不會超過300萬台。
Gartner研究部主任George Shiffler表示：「從區域來看，2010年電腦出貨量成長半數以上係來自西歐、中國與美國的市場。2011年超過半數的 PC 出貨量成長則是來自於美國與中國。2010年第一季，歐洲、中東與非洲(EMEA)等區域的成長則是顯著落後於其他市場。然而，EMEA區域較預期更早恢復強勁成長，尤其是東歐地區。南歐的經濟並不穩定，對電腦的需求似乎暫緩，儘管此一情況可能出現變化。」
2010年5月20日 星期四
Reuters Summit-Alcatel CEO not interested in big M&A
* On lookout for small technology acquisitions
* Confident about balance sheet, no need to raise cash PARIS, May 20 (Reuters) - Alcatel-Lucent (ALUA.PA) Chief Executive Ben Verwaayen said he was not interested in carrying out large mergers and acquisitions as they were too complex.
"Yes, there are certain technologies that you may want to add so we are always on the lookout for technology acquisitions, but they are small. A startup here and a startup there," the CEO said at the Reuters Global Technology Summit on Thursday.
Verwaayen added that he was confident about the company's balance sheet and did not need to raise money.
(For more on the Reuters Global Technology Summit, see [nN14211075])
(Reporting by Leila Abboud and Marie Mawad; Editing by James Regan)
((leila.abboud@thomsonreuters.com; + 33 1 49 49 51 82; Reuters Messaging: leila.abboud.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: TECH SUMMIT/ALCATEL
* Confident about balance sheet, no need to raise cash PARIS, May 20 (Reuters) - Alcatel-Lucent (ALUA.PA) Chief Executive Ben Verwaayen said he was not interested in carrying out large mergers and acquisitions as they were too complex.
"Yes, there are certain technologies that you may want to add so we are always on the lookout for technology acquisitions, but they are small. A startup here and a startup there," the CEO said at the Reuters Global Technology Summit on Thursday.
Verwaayen added that he was confident about the company's balance sheet and did not need to raise money.
(For more on the Reuters Global Technology Summit, see [nN14211075])
(Reporting by Leila Abboud and Marie Mawad; Editing by James Regan)
((leila.abboud@thomsonreuters.com; + 33 1 49 49 51 82; Reuters Messaging: leila.abboud.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: TECH SUMMIT/ALCATEL
Huawei open to buys, no immediate target
(Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies , the world's second-largest mobile gear maker, is open to acquisitions but has no specific target at present, a senior executive said on Wednesday.
Ken Hu, the company's chief marketing officer, told the Reuters Global Technology Summit that Huawei will take "cross cultural" integration into consideration when making decisions, but dismissed the potential acquisition of Alcatel Lucent (ALUA.PA) as a "rumor".
"When we think about making an acquisition we need to think about our capability to consolidate the new business and whether we will be able to manage it well, especially for the cross cultural element," Hu said.
Unlike its peers, Huawei posted 2009 profit that more than doubled and forecast strong revenue growth in 2010, fed by an ambitious export drive and strong 3G spending in its home market.
Although Hu made it clear that Huawei had no current targets, he emphasized the firm's open attitude and healthy financial status with regard to making buys.
"Huawei has a very healthy financial status. Very good revenue growth, profit growth and very strong cash flow," Hu said.
"We have an open attitude toward acquisitions and if an opportunity shows up we won't turn off the possibility," he added.
Analysts, who forecast 2 percent growth in the industry this year, said the tough conditions will be a catalyst for consolidation in the sector with market leader Ericsson (ERICb.ST) and Huawei weathering the storm, but loss-making French firm Alcatel could be a target for takeover.
Alcatel shares soared last August on talk that the ailing firm could be bought by a Chinese buyer. Huawei also denied the buzz then.
"Alcatel is a respectable company and currently Alcatel Lucent is doing great, especially in providing the end users with very good service experience," Hu said.
Huawei, which is targeting 20 percent revenue growth this year, said it is investing heavily in cloud computing and is also trying to improve its services. Cloud computing is a term used to describe online computing services.
The firm, which is seeing global capital expenditure spending stronger in the first 4 months of the year compared to last year on increased LTE investments said it is building 60 Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks worldwide.
Huawei is building commercial LTE networks for European carriers Telenor (TEL.OL) and TeliaSonera (TLSN.ST), and trial ones for the likes of Vodafone (VOD.L) and T-Mobile TMOG.UL.
It is also trialing an LTE network for Australia's Telstra Corp (TLS.AX).
Huawei, which said in February it may try to revive its spin-off plan of its devices unit after an aborted attempt in 2008, has no such current plans.
"The devices unit accounts for a key part of the whole connectivity strategy for Huawei. So currently, we don't have any plans to spin off that business," Hu said, adding that there were no plans for an initial public offering.
INDIA AND TRANSPARENCY
Huawei, one of China's biggest success stories on the global stage, has found it hard to crack the North American market where its ambitions and technologies are viewed with suspicion by various lobby groups.
The firm's founder, Ren Zhengfei, was an officer in China's People's Liberation Army before founding Huawei. The company also recently suffered a setback when India decided to ban gear from Chinese telecom equipment makers.
When asked about the security spat with India, Hu said Huawei had not received any official notification from the Indian government regarding restrictions on Chinese telecom equipment.
Huawei's cross-town rival, Shenzhen-based ZTE Corp (0763.HK) have also been affected by the ban.
"This (transparency) issue concerns Huawei a lot," said Hu.
"Having a transparent image in society will help us to get better relations with society and the government," he said.
Ken Hu, the company's chief marketing officer, told the Reuters Global Technology Summit that Huawei will take "cross cultural" integration into consideration when making decisions, but dismissed the potential acquisition of Alcatel Lucent (ALUA.PA) as a "rumor".
"When we think about making an acquisition we need to think about our capability to consolidate the new business and whether we will be able to manage it well, especially for the cross cultural element," Hu said.
Unlike its peers, Huawei posted 2009 profit that more than doubled and forecast strong revenue growth in 2010, fed by an ambitious export drive and strong 3G spending in its home market.
Although Hu made it clear that Huawei had no current targets, he emphasized the firm's open attitude and healthy financial status with regard to making buys.
"Huawei has a very healthy financial status. Very good revenue growth, profit growth and very strong cash flow," Hu said.
"We have an open attitude toward acquisitions and if an opportunity shows up we won't turn off the possibility," he added.
Analysts, who forecast 2 percent growth in the industry this year, said the tough conditions will be a catalyst for consolidation in the sector with market leader Ericsson (ERICb.ST) and Huawei weathering the storm, but loss-making French firm Alcatel could be a target for takeover.
Alcatel shares soared last August on talk that the ailing firm could be bought by a Chinese buyer. Huawei also denied the buzz then.
"Alcatel is a respectable company and currently Alcatel Lucent is doing great, especially in providing the end users with very good service experience," Hu said.
Huawei, which is targeting 20 percent revenue growth this year, said it is investing heavily in cloud computing and is also trying to improve its services. Cloud computing is a term used to describe online computing services.
The firm, which is seeing global capital expenditure spending stronger in the first 4 months of the year compared to last year on increased LTE investments said it is building 60 Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks worldwide.
Huawei is building commercial LTE networks for European carriers Telenor (TEL.OL) and TeliaSonera (TLSN.ST), and trial ones for the likes of Vodafone (VOD.L) and T-Mobile TMOG.UL.
It is also trialing an LTE network for Australia's Telstra Corp (TLS.AX).
Huawei, which said in February it may try to revive its spin-off plan of its devices unit after an aborted attempt in 2008, has no such current plans.
"The devices unit accounts for a key part of the whole connectivity strategy for Huawei. So currently, we don't have any plans to spin off that business," Hu said, adding that there were no plans for an initial public offering.
INDIA AND TRANSPARENCY
Huawei, one of China's biggest success stories on the global stage, has found it hard to crack the North American market where its ambitions and technologies are viewed with suspicion by various lobby groups.
The firm's founder, Ren Zhengfei, was an officer in China's People's Liberation Army before founding Huawei. The company also recently suffered a setback when India decided to ban gear from Chinese telecom equipment makers.
When asked about the security spat with India, Hu said Huawei had not received any official notification from the Indian government regarding restrictions on Chinese telecom equipment.
Huawei's cross-town rival, Shenzhen-based ZTE Corp (0763.HK) have also been affected by the ban.
"This (transparency) issue concerns Huawei a lot," said Hu.
"Having a transparent image in society will help us to get better relations with society and the government," he said.
Alcatel CEO sees telco spending boost
(Reuters) - Alcatel-Lucent (ALUA.PA) Chief Executive Ben Verwaayen said he was on track to turn the loss-making telecom gear maker around after a painful merger, helped by a boom in consumers surfing the Internet on the go.
The CEO is betting that telecom operator spending on networks will help Alcatel-Lucent overcome its traditional weakness in mobile where it is smaller than rivals Ericsson (ERICb.ST), Huawei HWT.UL and Nokia Siemens Networks NSN.UL.
Telecom operators are not engaging in "catch-up" spending after the recession, rather it is being driven by investment in new services and technology, Verwaayen said at the Reuters Global Technology Summit in Paris on Thursday.
"They are not just building inventory up in the old stuff," said Verwaayen, who took over the helm of Alcatel-Lucent in September 2008.
Instead operators are seeking to change the business model fundamentally to find a way to make money by "putting broadband capabilities into the palm of your hand."
Investors are waiting to see if Verwaayen can deliver on this vision. He confirmed the group's aims to reach an adjusted operating margin of 1 to 5 percent and roughly break-even on cash flow this year.
But after a disappointing first quarter in which component shortages crimped sales, some analysts question whether those goals are attainable.
Concerns over the group's balance sheet have also come back to the fore, with some analysts asking whether Alcatel-Lucent will need funds as it continues to burn cash to finance its operations and pay for restructuring.
Verwaayen dismissed such concerns on Thursday, saying he was confident about the company's balance sheet.
Asked whether that was the case even if the year proved more difficult than predicted, he said: "We still don't need the money.
"I would suggest that people should take a little bit a step back and say: ok what was the Q1 situation? And you can't extrapolate too much over the total, and we've been clear about that," he said.
"I don't think that you will see us changing the mood tone that we've given. We have been pretty consistent over the last 18 months."
The CEO added that he did not want to carry out any major mergers or acquisitions because of the complexity involved.
EYEING STARTUPS
Analysts and industry executives have said more consolidation may be in the offing in telecom gear because of intense competition. Some speculate that Alcatel-Lucent could become a takeover target for Nokia Siemens Networks or a Chinese player if it proves unable to prosper on its own.
"I had to deal with complexities as the result of mergers. If I look back where the company spent its energy, it was dealing with complexity," he said. "I wouldn't want to go through that again."
However, Alcatel-Lucent would stay on the look-out for small technology purchases, such as "a startup here and a startup there" to bolster its product portfolio beyond its internal research and development.
Asked how Alcatel-Lucent could compete for deals with deeper-pocketed rivals such as Cisco (CSCO.O) or IBM (IBM.N), Verwaayen said he did not think they would be going after the same targets.
Since the Franco-American group was formed in a merger in 2006 it has struggled first with a complex integration and then intense competition from Chinese and European rivals, especially in its fixed business where it was traditionally strong.
The company has posted only two profitable quarters since the merger while burning through cash with restructuring costs and has not proven it can match or exceed pre-merger margins.
Verwaayen also dismissed rumors that he could take a position in the Dutch government should the Liberals be part of a cabinet after June 9 elections.
Verwaayen in 2006 helped write the Liberals' election manifesto and his name has come up in Dutch media as a potential member of cabinet.
"They have been asking me this question for 25 years. I have been boringly consistent... and the answer is no... under no circumstances," he said, adding that he was happy to help the party with advice from the sidelines.
(Editing by James Regan)
The CEO is betting that telecom operator spending on networks will help Alcatel-Lucent overcome its traditional weakness in mobile where it is smaller than rivals Ericsson (ERICb.ST), Huawei HWT.UL and Nokia Siemens Networks NSN.UL.
Telecom operators are not engaging in "catch-up" spending after the recession, rather it is being driven by investment in new services and technology, Verwaayen said at the Reuters Global Technology Summit in Paris on Thursday.
"They are not just building inventory up in the old stuff," said Verwaayen, who took over the helm of Alcatel-Lucent in September 2008.
Instead operators are seeking to change the business model fundamentally to find a way to make money by "putting broadband capabilities into the palm of your hand."
Investors are waiting to see if Verwaayen can deliver on this vision. He confirmed the group's aims to reach an adjusted operating margin of 1 to 5 percent and roughly break-even on cash flow this year.
But after a disappointing first quarter in which component shortages crimped sales, some analysts question whether those goals are attainable.
Concerns over the group's balance sheet have also come back to the fore, with some analysts asking whether Alcatel-Lucent will need funds as it continues to burn cash to finance its operations and pay for restructuring.
Verwaayen dismissed such concerns on Thursday, saying he was confident about the company's balance sheet.
Asked whether that was the case even if the year proved more difficult than predicted, he said: "We still don't need the money.
"I would suggest that people should take a little bit a step back and say: ok what was the Q1 situation? And you can't extrapolate too much over the total, and we've been clear about that," he said.
"I don't think that you will see us changing the mood tone that we've given. We have been pretty consistent over the last 18 months."
The CEO added that he did not want to carry out any major mergers or acquisitions because of the complexity involved.
EYEING STARTUPS
Analysts and industry executives have said more consolidation may be in the offing in telecom gear because of intense competition. Some speculate that Alcatel-Lucent could become a takeover target for Nokia Siemens Networks or a Chinese player if it proves unable to prosper on its own.
"I had to deal with complexities as the result of mergers. If I look back where the company spent its energy, it was dealing with complexity," he said. "I wouldn't want to go through that again."
However, Alcatel-Lucent would stay on the look-out for small technology purchases, such as "a startup here and a startup there" to bolster its product portfolio beyond its internal research and development.
Asked how Alcatel-Lucent could compete for deals with deeper-pocketed rivals such as Cisco (CSCO.O) or IBM (IBM.N), Verwaayen said he did not think they would be going after the same targets.
Since the Franco-American group was formed in a merger in 2006 it has struggled first with a complex integration and then intense competition from Chinese and European rivals, especially in its fixed business where it was traditionally strong.
The company has posted only two profitable quarters since the merger while burning through cash with restructuring costs and has not proven it can match or exceed pre-merger margins.
Verwaayen also dismissed rumors that he could take a position in the Dutch government should the Liberals be part of a cabinet after June 9 elections.
Verwaayen in 2006 helped write the Liberals' election manifesto and his name has come up in Dutch media as a potential member of cabinet.
"They have been asking me this question for 25 years. I have been boringly consistent... and the answer is no... under no circumstances," he said, adding that he was happy to help the party with advice from the sidelines.
(Editing by James Regan)
台灣通訊設備業產值首季年成長34.5%
工研院IEK ITIS計畫發表2010年第一季台灣通訊設備產業現況與展望報告，指出當季該產業由於在供給面上受到上游材料(關鍵IC、被動元件)缺貨影響，導致部分訂單延後出貨；而在市場需求面，電信業者和中小企業對於網通設備採購轉為積極，零售市場也持續補足庫存到過去水準，故第一季呈現淡季不淡，產值為1,611億新台幣，年成長率34.5%。
在國內外生產比重方面，手機廠商微幅調高了海外生產比重，故2010年第一季海外生產比重小幅增加為63.8%，國內生產比重則為36.2%。在個人行動裝置-手機部份，我國手機品牌業者銷售量表現優於傳統淡季，除美國地區銷售持續旺盛外，歐亞地區的季銷售量成長強勁。
另外主要客戶Motorola積極重整低價功能手機，Sony Ericsson衝刺高階智慧型手機策略成功，第一季營收轉虧為盈，間接帶動我國手機產值成長，總計2010年第一季我國手機產值為681億台幣，較上一季成長18.4%，並較2009年同期成長43.4%。
至於個人行動裝置-GPS，由於歐美市場對於PND需求趨緩，外加手機內建導航功能的競爭下，導致PND銷售量逐漸下滑，不過Garmin積極打入中國大陸，TomTom也在北美推低階PND，透過低價促銷策略來帶動市場買氣，總計2010年第一季我國GPS產值為239億新台幣，較2009年同期成長0.7%。
在網路通訊設備部分-WLAN，第一季受到缺工和缺料(WLAN IC)影響，大部分廠商僅能出貨八成訂單；而在市場需求面，Notebook/Netbook對於WLAN模組需求穩定成長，其他產品對於無線模組需求持續增加，例如LCD TV、手機、遊戲機。
而主要代工客戶Netgear，2010年第一季營收表現亮眼，較2009年同期成長4成，間接帶動我國WLAN Router產值提升。總計2010年第一季我國WLAN產值為147億新台幣，年成長率為90.9%，有如此高的成長率，主要是因為2009年第一季零售市場買氣不佳且持續降低庫存，使得比較基期較低。
在DSL CPE方面，由於歐洲電信業者力推triple-play服務，出貨明顯增加，特別以IAD和Wireless DSL Router等高階和整合功能產品為主；在無線技術上，由於11n跌價速度快，晶片價格低於11g，故Wireless DSL Router已開始升級至11n規格，持續為DSL CPE產業帶來換機潮。總計2010年第一季DSL CPE產值為111億新台幣，較2009年同期成長12.1%，但較第四季衰退7.5%。
在WiMAX部分，營運商(Clearwire、Yota、Tata、馬來西亞、菲律賓、印尼、印度)持續看好WiMAX用戶的成長力道，其中Clearwire更訂出2010年達到180萬用戶(2009年用戶數為64.2萬)，預估市場對於WiMAX CPE的需求將逐季增加。在價格上，由於電信營運商持續壓低單價(如Tata喊出USB Dongle要低於30美元)，加上產品成熟度增加，導致ASP快速下滑(約較2009年下滑15%)。
在產品出貨型態上，Indoor產品比重增加約10%，達到50%，雖然量增加，但由於單價快速下滑，故產值的成長率較產量來得低，總計2010年第一季我國WiMAX的產值較2009年同期成長191.3%，產值為32.4億新台幣。
2009~2010年我國通訊產業產值估算 (單位：億新台幣)
（來源：工研院IEK ITIS計畫，2010/05）
2010年5月13日 星期四
Nokia restructures for high-end handset battle
Nokia, the world’s leading handset manufacturer, has announced a structural and managerial shake-up designed to improve its performance in the high end smartphone segment as well as its growing services portfolio.
In a move that signals the firm’s concerns in the top end of the handset market, where it has recently lost ground to Apple and Android, a new unit has been created to oversee the production of smartphones and mobile computers. The Mobile Solutions unit will be headed by Anssi Vanjoki, a Nokia veteran with nearly 20 years’ service. The rest of the company will be split between two other new units: Mobile Phones and Markets.
Nokia said that the reorganisation, which will become effective on July 1st this year, will “increase competitiveness and deliver a stronger and more differentiated consumer experience.” Last week, speaking to shareholders at the company’s AGM, CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo pledged to regain ground in the lucrative smartphone market, conceding the firm’s recent shortcomings.
“We are working hard to reclaim leadership in high-end smartphones and mobile computers,” he said. “It is critical that we improve the customer experience with the usability of both our devices and our services.”
Vanjoki, who between 2004 and 2008 was responsible for Nokia’s Multimedia unit and its NSeries smartphones, is now responsible for fulfilling those pledges, with the firm’s services strategy now part under his new Solutions unit. This will focus on the continued integration of the Ovi services offering into both smartphones and portable computers. Vanjoki will count among his direct reports Rich Green, who has been appointed Nokia’s new chief technology officer.
The Mobile Phones unit, to be headed by Mary McDowell, will manage the lower tiers of Nokia’s output, essential to retain the firm’s overall volume leadership in the handset space, likely to come under increasing attach from Far Eastern vendors. The Markets unit, under the direction of Niklas Savander, will oversee sales and marketing functions as well as sourcing and supply chain management.
Rick Simonson, who currently leads the Mobile Phones unit has announced his intention to retire from Nokia.
2010年5月11日 星期二
阿尔卡特朗讯贝尔实验室创行业第一：在一对传统DSL线路上实现300 Mbps传输速率
“DSL幻象模式” 实验室测试超越DSL能力极限，实现现有铜线网络价值最大化
（联合电讯社/上海）-- 阿尔卡特朗讯(巴黎证交所和纽约证交所：ALU)宣布，其研发机构贝尔实验室日前成功地进行了一项新技术的演示，能够显著提升在一对数字用户环路(DSL)上的传输速率。在“DSL幻象模式”(DSL Phantom Mode)的实验室测试中，贝尔实验室在超过400米的传输距离上实现了300 Mbps的下行数据流传输速率;当传输距离在1公里时，速率则达100Mbps。在此传输速率，运营商可以将已在全球获得广泛部署的铜线网络的传输潜力发挥到极致，从而满足未来几年内住宅三重播放与企业服务等高带宽业务的需求。
铜线传输的标准配置一般为两条物理线路。作为该项技术的核心，DSL幻象模式能够在这两条物理线路以外再创建一个虚拟通道，或叫做幻象通道。贝尔实验室之所以能够实现该项技术创新并通过“DSL幻象模式”显著提升DSL线路的传输能力，其关键在于应用了模拟幻象模式技术，该技术融合了行业标准的“矢量”以及“绑定”等技术。矢量技术能够消除铜线间的干扰或“串扰”，而绑定技术则能够实现多个线路的汇聚。
Ovum的分析师Kamalini Ganguly表示：“阿尔卡特朗讯贝尔实验室的DSL幻象模式实验室测试，为业界正在争辩的&LSquo;100Mbps承载所有业务’的观点增加了全新的探讨层面。现有铜线环路在400米距离上可提供300Mbps的传输速率这一事实会改变整个下一代宽带的竞争环境，将为传统的DSL运营者开辟出更为阔广的新业务发展空间。该项演示实验也充分表明，阿尔卡特朗讯致力于探究各种可能的创新，并通过对先进的铜线与光纤技术的巧妙结合，力助客户加快下一代接入网的部署。”
贝尔实验室研发主管Gee Rittenhouse指出：“我们常认为创新的作用在于铸就未来技术。DSL幻象模式有力地证明了创新能够为现有解决方案创造出未来型应用并为其注入全新的价值。DSL幻象模式之所以能够成为一项重要的突破性技术，在于其将尖端的技术与极具吸引力的业务模式相结合，为业务提供商开拓出全新的商业机会，使他们能够利用现有网络基础架构提供最新的宽带IP服务。”
目前，进一步的研究正在进行中，旨在完善部署模型，并确定兼容DSL幻象模式技术的客户端设备(CPE)的具体规格。Dell’Oro最新的接入产品市场报告(Access Report*)显示，在过去的一年中，阿尔卡特朗讯继续引领着DSL市场的发展。最近，阿尔卡特朗讯宣布树立了一个独特的里程碑，即其DSL产品出货量达到2亿线，全球1/3的固定宽带用户通过其提供的网络接入技术获得服务。
（联合电讯社/上海）-- 阿尔卡特朗讯(巴黎证交所和纽约证交所：ALU)宣布，其研发机构贝尔实验室日前成功地进行了一项新技术的演示，能够显著提升在一对数字用户环路(DSL)上的传输速率。在“DSL幻象模式”(DSL Phantom Mode)的实验室测试中，贝尔实验室在超过400米的传输距离上实现了300 Mbps的下行数据流传输速率;当传输距离在1公里时，速率则达100Mbps。在此传输速率，运营商可以将已在全球获得广泛部署的铜线网络的传输潜力发挥到极致，从而满足未来几年内住宅三重播放与企业服务等高带宽业务的需求。
铜线传输的标准配置一般为两条物理线路。作为该项技术的核心，DSL幻象模式能够在这两条物理线路以外再创建一个虚拟通道，或叫做幻象通道。贝尔实验室之所以能够实现该项技术创新并通过“DSL幻象模式”显著提升DSL线路的传输能力，其关键在于应用了模拟幻象模式技术，该技术融合了行业标准的“矢量”以及“绑定”等技术。矢量技术能够消除铜线间的干扰或“串扰”，而绑定技术则能够实现多个线路的汇聚。
Ovum的分析师Kamalini Ganguly表示：“阿尔卡特朗讯贝尔实验室的DSL幻象模式实验室测试，为业界正在争辩的&LSquo;100Mbps承载所有业务’的观点增加了全新的探讨层面。现有铜线环路在400米距离上可提供300Mbps的传输速率这一事实会改变整个下一代宽带的竞争环境，将为传统的DSL运营者开辟出更为阔广的新业务发展空间。该项演示实验也充分表明，阿尔卡特朗讯致力于探究各种可能的创新，并通过对先进的铜线与光纤技术的巧妙结合，力助客户加快下一代接入网的部署。”
贝尔实验室研发主管Gee Rittenhouse指出：“我们常认为创新的作用在于铸就未来技术。DSL幻象模式有力地证明了创新能够为现有解决方案创造出未来型应用并为其注入全新的价值。DSL幻象模式之所以能够成为一项重要的突破性技术，在于其将尖端的技术与极具吸引力的业务模式相结合，为业务提供商开拓出全新的商业机会，使他们能够利用现有网络基础架构提供最新的宽带IP服务。”
目前，进一步的研究正在进行中，旨在完善部署模型，并确定兼容DSL幻象模式技术的客户端设备(CPE)的具体规格。Dell’Oro最新的接入产品市场报告(Access Report*)显示，在过去的一年中，阿尔卡特朗讯继续引领着DSL市场的发展。最近，阿尔卡特朗讯宣布树立了一个独特的里程碑，即其DSL产品出货量达到2亿线，全球1/3的固定宽带用户通过其提供的网络接入技术获得服务。
Apollo, Alcatel-Lucent transmit 3 Tbps via submarine network
May 11, 2010
MAY 11, 2010 – UK-based Apollo, a transatlantic fiber-optic cable system operator, and Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) say they have successfully demonstrated the transmission of approximately 3 Tbps of data, based on 40-Gbps channels, per fiber pair in a submarine network.
Using Alcatel-Lucent technology, the test was performed over Apollo’s north cable system linking the US and the UK, a distance of 6,221 km, and almost quadrupled the original design capacity of the system. The demonstration comprised 72 channels at 40 Gbps, all error-free. The test demonstrated for the first time on a live system a capacity increase of a factor of two compared to the maximum capacity achievable based on 10-Gbps channels, the companies assert.
“Capacity upgrades of submarine networks using existing fiber are critical for operators as existing networks near full capacity and as terrestrial networks start supporting 40 Gbps. These two factors drive the need to increase the capacity of submarine networks, seamlessly handing-off traffic to keep the highest level of efficiency end-to-end,” said Richard Elliott, managing director of Apollo.
For the trial, the Alcatel-Lucent 1620 Light Manager submarine line terminal used a phase shift keying (PSK)-based modulation format with coherent detection.
May 11, 2010
MAY 11, 2010 – UK-based Apollo, a transatlantic fiber-optic cable system operator, and Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) say they have successfully demonstrated the transmission of approximately 3 Tbps of data, based on 40-Gbps channels, per fiber pair in a submarine network.
Using Alcatel-Lucent technology, the test was performed over Apollo’s north cable system linking the US and the UK, a distance of 6,221 km, and almost quadrupled the original design capacity of the system. The demonstration comprised 72 channels at 40 Gbps, all error-free. The test demonstrated for the first time on a live system a capacity increase of a factor of two compared to the maximum capacity achievable based on 10-Gbps channels, the companies assert.
“Capacity upgrades of submarine networks using existing fiber are critical for operators as existing networks near full capacity and as terrestrial networks start supporting 40 Gbps. These two factors drive the need to increase the capacity of submarine networks, seamlessly handing-off traffic to keep the highest level of efficiency end-to-end,” said Richard Elliott, managing director of Apollo.
For the trial, the Alcatel-Lucent 1620 Light Manager submarine line terminal used a phase shift keying (PSK)-based modulation format with coherent detection.
Alcatel-Lucent – On the Selling Block? Verwaayen May Need To Consider It
Summary
Alcatel-Lucent has had a rough time in the global marketplace for the last few years. With China going full steam ahead, it is hard to see how Alcatel-Lucent will survive the next year or two without a miracle.
Analysis
I give Alcatel-Lucent credit for getting its house in order over the last 2 years. However, given the global recession, the company’s own weakened financial state since 2006, the merger integration troubles of combining two different telecom equipment vendors, and the 2010 component shortages, it is a miracle the company is still operating.
Alcatel-Lucent will need to find an acquirer unless at least one of the following occurs:
· The company has something unique in its portfolio to give it market dominance
· The company has some very large contracts in the process of being signed.
· The carrier community suddenly upgrades the network to deal with 4G. Lucent is focused on LTE.
Unless Alcatel-Lucent has something hidden away in its labs, which is so technically unique, it is doubtful the company will achieve market dominance through a brand new product or service. Developing ground-breaking technology costs money. Unless I have missed something, Alcatel-Lucent’s R&D budget is not that big. Maybe the company developed a new technology with almost no incremental costs in the company’s R&D budget. Get real. Strike this one from the list.
I have not heard of any carrier ready to sign a big contract (hundreds of millions of dollars; north of $500 M) with them in 2010 (now). Don’t even think 2011 for now. Most carrier sign general purchase agreements with vendors that include performance clauses. General purchase agreements do not guarantee anything from a carrier except that the carrier will buy something from the vendor; no guarantees on quantities either. Strike this one from the list.
I have not heard the carrier community launching any 2010 or early 2011 effort to upgrade their radio and fixed networks to deal with 4G wireless or other advanced wireless demands. The carriers have announced LTE trials and made claims of launching services in 2011 but that is different from actually doing it. The trouble with dealing with publicly traded companies is that half the time you do not know if the information is for the benefit of the stock price or it is the truth. Regardless of whether the carriers deploy LTE en masse in 2011 or not, the carriers (like Verizon) are on an irreversible path to deploy LTE. So whether it is late 2011 or 2012, LTE will be deployed at some point. However wild Ben Verwaayen’s comments about network upgrades may sound, they actually make sense and I agree with him.
By the end of 2010, wireless carriers will be taking steps to upgrade their networks to 4G. Do not expect billions of dollars of orders to come streaming through in 2010. What investors would like the vendors to say is: “We are having discussions with carriers about 4G network upgrades”, followed a few months later with “Carrier XYZ has just signed a billion dollar deal with us”. By late 2010, wireless carriers should be ordering and installing sufficient quantities of equipment to facilitate beta and commercial trials this year and early next year (2011). I do not believe any large-scale-commercial-ready LTE systems are going to be deployed until late 2011 or early 2012.
What investors need to hear from Verwaayen are specifics about deals. Even if the deals are not big, the information will be important for investors to hear to so that they can make intelligent decisions. What Verwaayen needs are patient investors. Patient investors may be the answer to Verwaayen’s concerns about surviving into 2012.
With increasing competition from Chinese telecom vendors, Alcatel-Lucent is facing an uphill battle to profitability. With Chinese vendors aggressively competing in the global market it is doubtful that Alcatel-Lucent’s small technology lead will matter. It is this aggressive competition from China that will prove to be Alcatel-Lucent’s (and all other vendors’) biggest obstacle.
Verwaayen is correct in stating there will be a need for network upgrades but it is likely the Chinese vendors will win a large number of the equipment contracts. Alcatel-Lucent is already facing stiff competition, which will get even worse this year. Should Alcatel-Lucent find a buyer now? Any competent CEO would be looking for a suitable buyer now; he/she would have to be considering the company’s options. From the looks of it, Ben Verwaayen understands his situation.
The questions I have are: Who would want Alcatel-Lucent? Who has the money to buy Alcatel-Lucent?
Alcatel-Lucent has had a rough time in the global marketplace for the last few years. With China going full steam ahead, it is hard to see how Alcatel-Lucent will survive the next year or two without a miracle.
Analysis
I give Alcatel-Lucent credit for getting its house in order over the last 2 years. However, given the global recession, the company’s own weakened financial state since 2006, the merger integration troubles of combining two different telecom equipment vendors, and the 2010 component shortages, it is a miracle the company is still operating.
Alcatel-Lucent will need to find an acquirer unless at least one of the following occurs:
· The company has something unique in its portfolio to give it market dominance
· The company has some very large contracts in the process of being signed.
· The carrier community suddenly upgrades the network to deal with 4G. Lucent is focused on LTE.
Unless Alcatel-Lucent has something hidden away in its labs, which is so technically unique, it is doubtful the company will achieve market dominance through a brand new product or service. Developing ground-breaking technology costs money. Unless I have missed something, Alcatel-Lucent’s R&D budget is not that big. Maybe the company developed a new technology with almost no incremental costs in the company’s R&D budget. Get real. Strike this one from the list.
I have not heard of any carrier ready to sign a big contract (hundreds of millions of dollars; north of $500 M) with them in 2010 (now). Don’t even think 2011 for now. Most carrier sign general purchase agreements with vendors that include performance clauses. General purchase agreements do not guarantee anything from a carrier except that the carrier will buy something from the vendor; no guarantees on quantities either. Strike this one from the list.
I have not heard the carrier community launching any 2010 or early 2011 effort to upgrade their radio and fixed networks to deal with 4G wireless or other advanced wireless demands. The carriers have announced LTE trials and made claims of launching services in 2011 but that is different from actually doing it. The trouble with dealing with publicly traded companies is that half the time you do not know if the information is for the benefit of the stock price or it is the truth. Regardless of whether the carriers deploy LTE en masse in 2011 or not, the carriers (like Verizon) are on an irreversible path to deploy LTE. So whether it is late 2011 or 2012, LTE will be deployed at some point. However wild Ben Verwaayen’s comments about network upgrades may sound, they actually make sense and I agree with him.
By the end of 2010, wireless carriers will be taking steps to upgrade their networks to 4G. Do not expect billions of dollars of orders to come streaming through in 2010. What investors would like the vendors to say is: “We are having discussions with carriers about 4G network upgrades”, followed a few months later with “Carrier XYZ has just signed a billion dollar deal with us”. By late 2010, wireless carriers should be ordering and installing sufficient quantities of equipment to facilitate beta and commercial trials this year and early next year (2011). I do not believe any large-scale-commercial-ready LTE systems are going to be deployed until late 2011 or early 2012.
What investors need to hear from Verwaayen are specifics about deals. Even if the deals are not big, the information will be important for investors to hear to so that they can make intelligent decisions. What Verwaayen needs are patient investors. Patient investors may be the answer to Verwaayen’s concerns about surviving into 2012.
With increasing competition from Chinese telecom vendors, Alcatel-Lucent is facing an uphill battle to profitability. With Chinese vendors aggressively competing in the global market it is doubtful that Alcatel-Lucent’s small technology lead will matter. It is this aggressive competition from China that will prove to be Alcatel-Lucent’s (and all other vendors’) biggest obstacle.
Verwaayen is correct in stating there will be a need for network upgrades but it is likely the Chinese vendors will win a large number of the equipment contracts. Alcatel-Lucent is already facing stiff competition, which will get even worse this year. Should Alcatel-Lucent find a buyer now? Any competent CEO would be looking for a suitable buyer now; he/she would have to be considering the company’s options. From the looks of it, Ben Verwaayen understands his situation.
The questions I have are: Who would want Alcatel-Lucent? Who has the money to buy Alcatel-Lucent?
Costa Rica's ICE Moves Alcatel-Lucent Bribery Allegations to the USA
Costa Rica's telecommunications provider, El Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) has filed a complaint in Miami, Florida, against Alcatel-Lucent relating to bribery allegations affecting a former mobile network contract. The complaint asserts claims for violations of civil racketeering and other laws of Florida in connection with Alcatel Lucent's bribery and corruption of Costa Rican officials to secure telecommunications contracts with ICE.
If successful, the lawsuit will allow ICE to recover three times the amount of its damages.
The complaint alleges that Alcatel Lucent's bribery and corruption in Costa Rica was partially directed from Miami, Florida, and was part of a broader world-wide scheme. Earlier this year, Alcatel Lucent announced that it had reached agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission whereby it would admit to violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (generally prohibits bribing foreign officials) and pay criminal fines and disgorge profits in an amount over US$137 million in order to avoid criminal prosecution and an SEC enforcement action in connection with its actions in Costa Rica and in other countries. Alcatel Lucent also announced that, as part of that agreement, certain of its subsidiaries would plead guilty to violations of that Act.
"Alcatel Lucent's unlawful conduct significantly impacted ICE and affected Costa Rica's telecommunications system, and has caused a tremendous amount of damage to both the company and the system," said ICE's executive director, Don Pedro Pablo Quieros. "Alcatel Lucent acted criminally, tried to take advantage of ICE and Costa Rica, and although it has taken a step in the right direction by admitting its criminal behavior, it must pay for the significant damages it has caused to ICE."
The lawsuit in Florida is significant because U.S. laws offer victims of racketeering enterprises, like Alcatel Lucent's, three times the amount of damages they have suffered.
If successful, the lawsuit will allow ICE to recover three times the amount of its damages.
The complaint alleges that Alcatel Lucent's bribery and corruption in Costa Rica was partially directed from Miami, Florida, and was part of a broader world-wide scheme. Earlier this year, Alcatel Lucent announced that it had reached agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission whereby it would admit to violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (generally prohibits bribing foreign officials) and pay criminal fines and disgorge profits in an amount over US$137 million in order to avoid criminal prosecution and an SEC enforcement action in connection with its actions in Costa Rica and in other countries. Alcatel Lucent also announced that, as part of that agreement, certain of its subsidiaries would plead guilty to violations of that Act.
"Alcatel Lucent's unlawful conduct significantly impacted ICE and affected Costa Rica's telecommunications system, and has caused a tremendous amount of damage to both the company and the system," said ICE's executive director, Don Pedro Pablo Quieros. "Alcatel Lucent acted criminally, tried to take advantage of ICE and Costa Rica, and although it has taken a step in the right direction by admitting its criminal behavior, it must pay for the significant damages it has caused to ICE."
The lawsuit in Florida is significant because U.S. laws offer victims of racketeering enterprises, like Alcatel Lucent's, three times the amount of damages they have suffered.
Alcatel-Lucent to Upgrade Russian CDMA Network
Russian CDMA network has signed an agreement with Alcatel-Lucent to upgrade its network to 3G/CDMA2000 1x-EVDO Revision B radio access network functionality. The EV-DO Rev. B (Evolution-Data Optimized Revision B) standard, entirely based on IP, will allow Sky Link to increase network capabilities without radio channel widening and will significantly increase data speed rates as from base station to subscriber - up to 6.2 Mbit/s, and also from subscriber to base station - up to 3.9 Mbit/s.
As part of the agreement, Sky Link is also planning to upgrade the EV-DO network it is currently operating in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar.
"We have successfully been using Alcatel-Lucent's mobile network equipment in 10 licensed territories for years - covering amongst others our 3 largest and most important regions: Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar. It is a priority for us to introduce EV-DO Rev.B first in these regions. Thanks to Alcatel-Lucent's network upgrade, we will be able to realize an increase in network capacity of at least 15% and provide our customers with mobile broadband access services that surpass the competitors offering in data speed and end-user experience," says Gulnara Khasyanova, ZAO Sky Link's general director.
Article published on 11th May 2010
As part of the agreement, Sky Link is also planning to upgrade the EV-DO network it is currently operating in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar.
"We have successfully been using Alcatel-Lucent's mobile network equipment in 10 licensed territories for years - covering amongst others our 3 largest and most important regions: Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar. It is a priority for us to introduce EV-DO Rev.B first in these regions. Thanks to Alcatel-Lucent's network upgrade, we will be able to realize an increase in network capacity of at least 15% and provide our customers with mobile broadband access services that surpass the competitors offering in data speed and end-user experience," says Gulnara Khasyanova, ZAO Sky Link's general director.
Article published on 11th May 2010
Alcatel-Lucent faces bribery lawsuit
Right on the heels of a tough Q1 earnings report, Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) is being sued by El Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), Costa Rica's telecommunications and electricity provider, which alleges that Alcatel-Lucent directed bribery and civil racketeering out of Miami, Fla.
The suit is connected to Alcatel-Lucent's bribing of Costa Rican government officials to secure telecom contracts with ICE. If ICE wins, they could receive three times the amount of its damages.
Alcatel-Lucent has owned up to the bribery charges. The vendor crafted an agreement with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by admitting it violated the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and agreed to pay criminal fines and disgorge $137 million in profits to avoid criminal prosecution and SEC enforcement action in connection with actions in Costa Rica and other countries.
"Alcatel Lucent's unlawful conduct significantly impacted ICE and affected Costa Rica's telecommunications system, and has caused a tremendous amount of damage to both the company and the system," said ICE's executive director, Don Pedro Pablo Quieros in a release. "Alcatel Lucent acted criminally, tried to take advantage of ICE and Costa Rica, and although it has taken a step in the right direction by admitting its criminal behavior, it must pay for the significant damages it has caused to ICE."
Read more: http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/alcatel-lucent-faces-bribery-lawsuit/2010-05-10#ixzz0nfmrSHil
The suit is connected to Alcatel-Lucent's bribing of Costa Rican government officials to secure telecom contracts with ICE. If ICE wins, they could receive three times the amount of its damages.
Alcatel-Lucent has owned up to the bribery charges. The vendor crafted an agreement with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by admitting it violated the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and agreed to pay criminal fines and disgorge $137 million in profits to avoid criminal prosecution and SEC enforcement action in connection with actions in Costa Rica and other countries.
"Alcatel Lucent's unlawful conduct significantly impacted ICE and affected Costa Rica's telecommunications system, and has caused a tremendous amount of damage to both the company and the system," said ICE's executive director, Don Pedro Pablo Quieros in a release. "Alcatel Lucent acted criminally, tried to take advantage of ICE and Costa Rica, and although it has taken a step in the right direction by admitting its criminal behavior, it must pay for the significant damages it has caused to ICE."
Read more: http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/alcatel-lucent-faces-bribery-lawsuit/2010-05-10#ixzz0nfmrSHil
Alcatel-Lucent's Net Loss Widens
By MAX COLCHESTER
Telecommunications-equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent SA posted a net loss in the first quarter, saying Thursday that a shortage of electronic components meant it couldn't fulfill some orders.
The Paris-based company, which has recorded a quarterly profit only twice since its creation in 2006, said its net loss widened to €515 million ($660.3 million) in the three months ended March 31, compared with a loss of €402 million a year earlier.
Revenue fell 9.8% to €3.25 billion from €3.6 billion, as the company lacked key components, such as microchips, to manufacture some of its products. Revenue was down 18% from the fourth quarter of 2009.
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Reuters
CEO Ben Verwaayen expects Alcatel-Lucent to post a second-half profit.
"In the first quarter, we failed to take the demand and translate it into sales," Alcatel-Lucent Chief Executive Ben Verwaayen said in an interview.
Mr. Verwaayen said the company was in talks with parts makers to address the supply issue. The Alcatel-Lucent CEO said the company has signed a series of large orders, notably in the U.S., and forecast that the company will make a profit in the second half of 2010. The company is set to turn its first-ever full-year profit in 2011, he added.
Mr. Verwaayen said he was confident that the popularity of data-hungry devices, such as smartphones, will force telecommunications operators to invest in improving their networks in the coming years. As proof of this market trend, he cited an order which Alcatel-Lucent booked in February to supply AT&T Inc. with advanced wireless-network equipment.
This boom in demand has yet to be felt across the world.
Alcatel-Lucent's first-quarter loss underscore the challenges that European telecommunication equipment makers face as Asian rivals, such as China's Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd and ZTE Corp., are now able to provide similar products at much cheaper prices.
Alcatel-Lucent's revenue fell 18% in the Asia-Pacific region to €531 million in the quarter.
Analysts said Alcatel-Lucent finds itself in a delicate position because the technological lead it had over competitors has been eroded. "There is no easy solution to the problem," said Vincent Rech, an analyst at Société Générale. "Alcatel-Lucent must either develop a ground breaking technology or eventually merge with a competitor."
Shares of Alcatel-Lucent fell 6.24% to €2.12, in contrast with a rising Paris stock market.
Telecommunications-equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent SA posted a net loss in the first quarter, saying Thursday that a shortage of electronic components meant it couldn't fulfill some orders.
The Paris-based company, which has recorded a quarterly profit only twice since its creation in 2006, said its net loss widened to €515 million ($660.3 million) in the three months ended March 31, compared with a loss of €402 million a year earlier.
Revenue fell 9.8% to €3.25 billion from €3.6 billion, as the company lacked key components, such as microchips, to manufacture some of its products. Revenue was down 18% from the fourth quarter of 2009.
View Full Image
Reuters
CEO Ben Verwaayen expects Alcatel-Lucent to post a second-half profit.
"In the first quarter, we failed to take the demand and translate it into sales," Alcatel-Lucent Chief Executive Ben Verwaayen said in an interview.
Mr. Verwaayen said the company was in talks with parts makers to address the supply issue. The Alcatel-Lucent CEO said the company has signed a series of large orders, notably in the U.S., and forecast that the company will make a profit in the second half of 2010. The company is set to turn its first-ever full-year profit in 2011, he added.
Mr. Verwaayen said he was confident that the popularity of data-hungry devices, such as smartphones, will force telecommunications operators to invest in improving their networks in the coming years. As proof of this market trend, he cited an order which Alcatel-Lucent booked in February to supply AT&T Inc. with advanced wireless-network equipment.
This boom in demand has yet to be felt across the world.
Alcatel-Lucent's first-quarter loss underscore the challenges that European telecommunication equipment makers face as Asian rivals, such as China's Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd and ZTE Corp., are now able to provide similar products at much cheaper prices.
Alcatel-Lucent's revenue fell 18% in the Asia-Pacific region to €531 million in the quarter.
Analysts said Alcatel-Lucent finds itself in a delicate position because the technological lead it had over competitors has been eroded. "There is no easy solution to the problem," said Vincent Rech, an analyst at Société Générale. "Alcatel-Lucent must either develop a ground breaking technology or eventually merge with a competitor."
Shares of Alcatel-Lucent fell 6.24% to €2.12, in contrast with a rising Paris stock market.
Alcatel-Lucent Plunges as Quarter’s Loss Is Double Estimates
May 6 (Bloomberg) -- Alcatel-Lucent SA, France’s largest telecommunications equipment maker, tumbled the most in three months after posting a net loss in the first quarter of more than double what analysts had estimated.
The shares plunged more than 11 percent in Paris trading after the company said parts shortages contributed to the widening of its net loss to 515 million euros ($660 million) from 402 million euros in the year-earlier period. Analysts had predicted a loss of 244.4 million euros, the average of 11 estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
“The numbers were extremely disappointing, although there was a positive tone from management,” Pierre Ferragu, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein in London, said by phone. “The market is reacting to the numbers, not the comments.”
Alcatel has lost money in all but two quarters since 2006, when Alcatel SA bought Lucent Technologies Inc. Its woes are mirrored at other European equipment vendors, which face price competition from companies including China’s Huawei Technologies Co. Last month Nokia Siemens Networks, the joint venture between Nokia Oyj and Siemens AG, increased planned job cuts in Finland, citing market conditions.
Alcatel’s shares had their biggest intraday drop since Feb. 11, the day it cut margin targets for this year. The shares fell 7.3 percent to 2.09 euros as of 9:22 a.m. in Paris, giving the company a market value of 4.86 billion euros.
“We were not able to fully satisfy customer demand for our products due to tightening components availability,” Chief Executive Officer Ben Verwaayen said in an e-mailed statement. “This resulted in a weak financial performance this quarter, which does not reflect the overall underlying momentum.”
Outlook
The company reiterated its 2010 outlook, and said it would benefit from “booming data traffic and the need to increase network efficiency.” In the latest quarter, Paris-based Alcatel said in the statement that sales fell 9.8 percent to 3.25 billion euros.
Verwaayen is banking on demand for upgraded mobile-phone networks to revive the company’s fortunes. Mobile-phone operators including AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. are trying to build networks that can more easily handle demand from data-hungry devices such as Apple Inc.’s iPhone.
Supply problems are “an industry wide issue,” Verwaayen said on a conference call with reporters. Shortages are most acute for “components of a more general nature, for which we compete, to be honest, with the car industry and consumer electronics,” both of which are recovering from the recession, he said.
Verwaayen and Chief Financial Officer Paul Tufano declined to name suppliers whose parts are in short supply.
Cost Cuts
Revenue in North America was stable at about 1.11 billion euros, while the Asia-Pacific region slid 18.2 percent to 531 million euros. European sales fell 8.3 percent to 1.15 billion euros.
Verwaayen has targeted asset sales and cost cuts to return Alcatel to sustained profit. Last May, the company sold its 20.8 percent stake in aerospace equipment supplier Thales SA to Dassault Aviation SA for 1.57 billion euros. Alcatel-Lucent was created by the 2006 merger of Alcatel SA and Lucent Technologies Inc.
--Editors: Vidya Root, Simon Thiel
The shares plunged more than 11 percent in Paris trading after the company said parts shortages contributed to the widening of its net loss to 515 million euros ($660 million) from 402 million euros in the year-earlier period. Analysts had predicted a loss of 244.4 million euros, the average of 11 estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
“The numbers were extremely disappointing, although there was a positive tone from management,” Pierre Ferragu, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein in London, said by phone. “The market is reacting to the numbers, not the comments.”
Alcatel has lost money in all but two quarters since 2006, when Alcatel SA bought Lucent Technologies Inc. Its woes are mirrored at other European equipment vendors, which face price competition from companies including China’s Huawei Technologies Co. Last month Nokia Siemens Networks, the joint venture between Nokia Oyj and Siemens AG, increased planned job cuts in Finland, citing market conditions.
Alcatel’s shares had their biggest intraday drop since Feb. 11, the day it cut margin targets for this year. The shares fell 7.3 percent to 2.09 euros as of 9:22 a.m. in Paris, giving the company a market value of 4.86 billion euros.
“We were not able to fully satisfy customer demand for our products due to tightening components availability,” Chief Executive Officer Ben Verwaayen said in an e-mailed statement. “This resulted in a weak financial performance this quarter, which does not reflect the overall underlying momentum.”
Outlook
The company reiterated its 2010 outlook, and said it would benefit from “booming data traffic and the need to increase network efficiency.” In the latest quarter, Paris-based Alcatel said in the statement that sales fell 9.8 percent to 3.25 billion euros.
Verwaayen is banking on demand for upgraded mobile-phone networks to revive the company’s fortunes. Mobile-phone operators including AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. are trying to build networks that can more easily handle demand from data-hungry devices such as Apple Inc.’s iPhone.
Supply problems are “an industry wide issue,” Verwaayen said on a conference call with reporters. Shortages are most acute for “components of a more general nature, for which we compete, to be honest, with the car industry and consumer electronics,” both of which are recovering from the recession, he said.
Verwaayen and Chief Financial Officer Paul Tufano declined to name suppliers whose parts are in short supply.
Cost Cuts
Revenue in North America was stable at about 1.11 billion euros, while the Asia-Pacific region slid 18.2 percent to 531 million euros. European sales fell 8.3 percent to 1.15 billion euros.
Verwaayen has targeted asset sales and cost cuts to return Alcatel to sustained profit. Last May, the company sold its 20.8 percent stake in aerospace equipment supplier Thales SA to Dassault Aviation SA for 1.57 billion euros. Alcatel-Lucent was created by the 2006 merger of Alcatel SA and Lucent Technologies Inc.
--Editors: Vidya Root, Simon Thiel
Alcatel CEO Verwaayen’s Credibility Tested by Losses
By Matthew Campbell
May 7 (Bloomberg) -- Ben Verwaayen took over as Alcatel- Lucent SA Chief Executive Officer in 2008 with a promise to turn the unprofitable telecommunications equipment maker around. Now, his credibility is being tested.
The Paris-based company yesterday posted a first-quarter loss that was more than double what analysts had estimated, bringing the total deficit since Alcatel-Lucent’s creation in 2006 to 9.78 billion euros ($12.4 billion). Verwaayen was optimistic about the company’s outlook, saying the second quarter would be stronger and reiterating targets for 2010 margins. Some analysts remain skeptical.
“The problem is, the level of trust in those sorts of comments is going down,” said Pierre Ferragu, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein in London.
The 58-year-old former CEO of BT Group Plc blamed the larger-than-estimated loss on component shortages, and said the dearth of parts is an indication of rising demand in the global economy. That failed to bolster Alcatel shares, which tumbled 6.5 percent yesterday and fell another 6.3 percent today to 1.98 euros.
Since Verwaayen was appointed in September 2008, Alcatel shares have lost more than half their value, eroding market value by 5.03 billion euros. In the same period, Swedish rival Ericsson AB’s shares have risen about 3.8 percent.
‘Normal Company’
Alcatel’s first-quarter loss of 515 million euros -- more than double the average of estimates from analysts of 244.4 million euros -- means the company has lost money in every quarter except two since 2006, when Alcatel SA bought Lucent Technologies. Verwaayen maintains that the company remains on course for his three-year turnaround plan.
The “aspiration to be at the end of 2011 a normal company is absolutely still there,” he said yesterday.
During Verwaayen’s time as head of BT, profit almost doubled, going from 995 million pounds ($1.49 billion) in 2002, the year he took over, to 1.74 billion pounds in 2008.
He cut about 5,000 jobs a year at London-based BT to counter falling sales from land-line voice calls and increased competition in broadband services.
The challenges he faces at Alcatel are very different.
Different Challenge
“He came into a situation with a very low bar to cross,” said Jason Willey, an analyst at Standard & Poor’s Equity Research in London. Still, “I’m not sure there was that much belief he was going to get exactly where he said in that timeframe.”
The French company and its European rivals Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks are confronting the rapid emergence of competition from Chinese companies including Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp.
Ericsson, the world’s largest wireless equipment supplier, on April 23 posted a 27 percent drop in first-quarter profit. Like Alcatel, the company said it had difficulties sourcing basic parts such as semiconductors. Nokia Siemens Networks reported an operating loss of 226 million euros, reversing a profit in the previous quarter.
Profit in 2009 at closely held Huawei, China’s biggest maker of phone equipment, more than doubled to 18.3 billion yuan ($2.7 billion), the company said in March. ZTE first-quarter profit rose 40 percent to 109.9 million yuan.
Competitive Landscape
The Chinese companies have made the competitive landscape tougher, Willey said.
“Huawei and ZTE have the ability to operate and compete in a different manner,” he said. “For the European players, it’s even more competitive than it was.”
Huawei has been aggressive in winning business from some of the world’s biggest mobile operators, including China Unicom, Telstra Corp, and Vodafone Group Plc. The Shenzhen, China-based manufacturer is also targeting a “breakthrough” in the U.S., Western Europe vice-president Tim Watkins said last year.
Competition in the equipment industry claimed a notable casualty in 2009 when Mississauga, Canada-based Nortel Networks Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection after reduced spending by telecom operators and price competition.
European suppliers including Alcatel, Ericsson, and Nokia Siemens Networks must continue to invest in innovation while also cutting costs in order to keep ahead of emerging-market competitors, said Patrik Karrberg, a researcher in the London School of Economics’ Information Systems and Innovation Group.
Boost Investment
For emerging-market companies, “it’s easy to catch up because you can copy your way to a certain point,” he said. However, “there will be a point where they will have caught up and then have to invest in R&D.”
Verwaayen is betting that surging demand for data-hungry devices like Apple Inc.’s iPhone will drive investments in the higher-end network infrastructure the Paris-based company provides.
It has scored some notable successes. It’s supplying so- called fourth generation wireless technology to AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., the two largest U.S. mobile operators, and rebuilding emergency-service communication networks for the German government.
Alcatel may benefit more than other European equipment suppliers from the U.S. network upgrades because of its presence in North America through Lucent, said Mirko Maier, an analyst at Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart.
Uphill Task
Still, after yesterday’s results, the company faces an uphill struggle to meet its stated target of reaching an adjusted operating margin between 1 percent and 5 percent this year, he said.
Some investors are not willing to wait.
“I thought the company would get its act together,” said Ulf Moritzen, who helps manage about 1 billion euros at Hamburg- based Aramea Asset Management, which sold its Alcatel shares late last year. “Alcatel lost a little of the pace. We decided to focus more on companies with a clearer outlook for growth.”
May 7 (Bloomberg) -- Ben Verwaayen took over as Alcatel- Lucent SA Chief Executive Officer in 2008 with a promise to turn the unprofitable telecommunications equipment maker around. Now, his credibility is being tested.
The Paris-based company yesterday posted a first-quarter loss that was more than double what analysts had estimated, bringing the total deficit since Alcatel-Lucent’s creation in 2006 to 9.78 billion euros ($12.4 billion). Verwaayen was optimistic about the company’s outlook, saying the second quarter would be stronger and reiterating targets for 2010 margins. Some analysts remain skeptical.
“The problem is, the level of trust in those sorts of comments is going down,” said Pierre Ferragu, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein in London.
The 58-year-old former CEO of BT Group Plc blamed the larger-than-estimated loss on component shortages, and said the dearth of parts is an indication of rising demand in the global economy. That failed to bolster Alcatel shares, which tumbled 6.5 percent yesterday and fell another 6.3 percent today to 1.98 euros.
Since Verwaayen was appointed in September 2008, Alcatel shares have lost more than half their value, eroding market value by 5.03 billion euros. In the same period, Swedish rival Ericsson AB’s shares have risen about 3.8 percent.
‘Normal Company’
Alcatel’s first-quarter loss of 515 million euros -- more than double the average of estimates from analysts of 244.4 million euros -- means the company has lost money in every quarter except two since 2006, when Alcatel SA bought Lucent Technologies. Verwaayen maintains that the company remains on course for his three-year turnaround plan.
The “aspiration to be at the end of 2011 a normal company is absolutely still there,” he said yesterday.
During Verwaayen’s time as head of BT, profit almost doubled, going from 995 million pounds ($1.49 billion) in 2002, the year he took over, to 1.74 billion pounds in 2008.
He cut about 5,000 jobs a year at London-based BT to counter falling sales from land-line voice calls and increased competition in broadband services.
The challenges he faces at Alcatel are very different.
Different Challenge
“He came into a situation with a very low bar to cross,” said Jason Willey, an analyst at Standard & Poor’s Equity Research in London. Still, “I’m not sure there was that much belief he was going to get exactly where he said in that timeframe.”
The French company and its European rivals Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks are confronting the rapid emergence of competition from Chinese companies including Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp.
Ericsson, the world’s largest wireless equipment supplier, on April 23 posted a 27 percent drop in first-quarter profit. Like Alcatel, the company said it had difficulties sourcing basic parts such as semiconductors. Nokia Siemens Networks reported an operating loss of 226 million euros, reversing a profit in the previous quarter.
Profit in 2009 at closely held Huawei, China’s biggest maker of phone equipment, more than doubled to 18.3 billion yuan ($2.7 billion), the company said in March. ZTE first-quarter profit rose 40 percent to 109.9 million yuan.
Competitive Landscape
The Chinese companies have made the competitive landscape tougher, Willey said.
“Huawei and ZTE have the ability to operate and compete in a different manner,” he said. “For the European players, it’s even more competitive than it was.”
Huawei has been aggressive in winning business from some of the world’s biggest mobile operators, including China Unicom, Telstra Corp, and Vodafone Group Plc. The Shenzhen, China-based manufacturer is also targeting a “breakthrough” in the U.S., Western Europe vice-president Tim Watkins said last year.
Competition in the equipment industry claimed a notable casualty in 2009 when Mississauga, Canada-based Nortel Networks Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection after reduced spending by telecom operators and price competition.
European suppliers including Alcatel, Ericsson, and Nokia Siemens Networks must continue to invest in innovation while also cutting costs in order to keep ahead of emerging-market competitors, said Patrik Karrberg, a researcher in the London School of Economics’ Information Systems and Innovation Group.
Boost Investment
For emerging-market companies, “it’s easy to catch up because you can copy your way to a certain point,” he said. However, “there will be a point where they will have caught up and then have to invest in R&D.”
Verwaayen is betting that surging demand for data-hungry devices like Apple Inc.’s iPhone will drive investments in the higher-end network infrastructure the Paris-based company provides.
It has scored some notable successes. It’s supplying so- called fourth generation wireless technology to AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., the two largest U.S. mobile operators, and rebuilding emergency-service communication networks for the German government.
Alcatel may benefit more than other European equipment suppliers from the U.S. network upgrades because of its presence in North America through Lucent, said Mirko Maier, an analyst at Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart.
Uphill Task
Still, after yesterday’s results, the company faces an uphill struggle to meet its stated target of reaching an adjusted operating margin between 1 percent and 5 percent this year, he said.
Some investors are not willing to wait.
“I thought the company would get its act together,” said Ulf Moritzen, who helps manage about 1 billion euros at Hamburg- based Aramea Asset Management, which sold its Alcatel shares late last year. “Alcatel lost a little of the pace. We decided to focus more on companies with a clearer outlook for growth.”
阿爾卡特朗訊合並後連虧5年 累計達124億美元
彭博社周五發表分析文章稱，韋華恩（Ben Verwaayen）在2008年臨危授命，出任了陷入困境的阿爾卡特-朗訊（以下簡稱：阿朗）首席執行官。在接過阿朗帥印之時，韋華恩曾承諾讓虧損的阿 朗重新恢複盈利。但是如今，阿朗業績仍在不斷虧損中，韋華恩的信譽也開始受到了投資人的質疑。
阿朗周四發布的財報顯示，在截至3月31日的第一季度，阿朗淨虧損為5.15億歐元（約 合6.60億美元）。 這一業績不及上年同期，2009年第一季度，阿朗淨虧損為4.02億歐元。阿朗第一季度營收為32.5億歐元，同比下滑9.8%。阿朗第一季度業績未達市 場預期。彭博社的調查顯示，市場分析師此前預計，阿朗第一季度淨虧損為2.444億歐元。
阿朗第一季度的業績表明，自阿爾卡特與朗訊在2006年合並至今，新公司每個季度都處於虧損之中， 且累計虧損已達到驚人的97.8億歐元（約合124億美元）。韋華恩對公司的前景仍充滿信息。他在周四表示，阿朗第二季度的業績將有著強勁表現，並繼續重 申了阿朗在2010年的利潤率。不過市場分析師卻對此持懷疑的態度。投資公司Bernstein分析師皮埃爾·法拉古（Pierre Ferragu）表示，「阿朗當前的問題在於，市場對該公司類似評論的信任程度正在下滑。」
在出任阿朗首席執行官之前，現年58歲的韋華恩曾是英國電信的首席執行官。他在周四表示，阿朗第一季度虧損幅度超過市場預期，主要原因歸咎於 產品配件缺乏。這些配件的缺乏，說明全球經濟複蘇導致市場需求不斷上漲。受業績大幅虧損影響，阿朗股價周四下滑6.5%，報收於2.1歐元。自韋華恩 2008年9月執掌阿朗帥印以來，該公司股價跌幅已接近50%，公司市值也蒸發了48億美元。
不同的挑戰
韋華恩在英國電信出任首 席執行官時期，該公司的淨利潤增長了近一倍，從2002年他就任時的9.95億英鎊（約 合14.9億美元），上漲至2008年離職時的17.4億英鎊。但是他在阿朗，卻面臨著一種截然不同的挑戰。
阿朗及其在競爭對手愛立信、諾基亞西門子，目前都面臨著來自中國的電信設備商華為和中興通訊的沖擊。作為全球第一大電信設備制造商，愛立信在4月23日發布的財報顯示，公司第一季 度淨利潤同比下滑了27%。諾基亞西門子的財報則顯示，該公司第一季度運營虧損為2.26億美元，表現不及上一季度。
競爭格局
華為在今年3月表示，該公司2009年的淨利潤較上年增長一倍多，達到人民幣183億元（約合27 億美元）。市場分析師指出，中國公司的加入，使得市場競爭變得更加激烈。標准普爾證券研究公司（S&P Equity Research）分析師賈森·維利（Jason Willey）說，「華為與中興通訊，有能力用不同的方式運轉和競爭。對歐洲的競爭對手而言，來自中國公司的競爭要比它們以前遇到的競爭激烈的多。」
在獲取包括中國聯通、澳洲電信、沃達豐等全球大型移動運營商訂單問題上，華為的做法一直都咄咄逼人。華為西歐業務部門副總裁蒂 姆·沃特金斯（Tim Watkins）在去年曾表示，該公司在歐洲電信設備市場份額已達10%，預計今年會進一步提高。此外，華為計劃在美國市場取得重大突破。
增加投資
倫敦政治經濟學院研究員帕特裏克·卡伯格（Patrik Karrberg）表示，包括阿朗、愛立信、諾基亞西門子等歐洲電信設備供應商，必須繼續在產品創新進行投資的同時，削減公司支出，這樣才能保持對新興市 場競爭對手的領先。他說，對來自新興市場的公司而言，「它們很容易就能夠追上這些老牌的設備制造商，因為在某種程度上他們能夠複制前輩們的成功經驗。」業 內人士指出，阿朗可能會從美國電信運營商升級網絡中受益，因為朗訊曾經在美國市場占有很高的市場份額。
阿朗在發布了虧損的第一季度財報後，該公司實現今年運營利潤率達到1%至5%的目標將面臨著巨大的 困難。投資人可能已不願在為此等待。資產管理公司Aramea Asset Management投資經理烏爾夫·莫瑞茨恩（Ulf Moritzen）就已不再看好阿朗。莫瑞茨恩在去年年底拋空了持有的阿朗股票。他對此表示，「我們決定更多的專注那些有著明確增長前景的公司。」
阿朗周四發布的財報顯示，在截至3月31日的第一季度，阿朗淨虧損為5.15億歐元（約 合6.60億美元）。 這一業績不及上年同期，2009年第一季度，阿朗淨虧損為4.02億歐元。阿朗第一季度營收為32.5億歐元，同比下滑9.8%。阿朗第一季度業績未達市 場預期。彭博社的調查顯示，市場分析師此前預計，阿朗第一季度淨虧損為2.444億歐元。
阿朗第一季度的業績表明，自阿爾卡特與朗訊在2006年合並至今，新公司每個季度都處於虧損之中， 且累計虧損已達到驚人的97.8億歐元（約合124億美元）。韋華恩對公司的前景仍充滿信息。他在周四表示，阿朗第二季度的業績將有著強勁表現，並繼續重 申了阿朗在2010年的利潤率。不過市場分析師卻對此持懷疑的態度。投資公司Bernstein分析師皮埃爾·法拉古（Pierre Ferragu）表示，「阿朗當前的問題在於，市場對該公司類似評論的信任程度正在下滑。」
在出任阿朗首席執行官之前，現年58歲的韋華恩曾是英國電信的首席執行官。他在周四表示，阿朗第一季度虧損幅度超過市場預期，主要原因歸咎於 產品配件缺乏。這些配件的缺乏，說明全球經濟複蘇導致市場需求不斷上漲。受業績大幅虧損影響，阿朗股價周四下滑6.5%，報收於2.1歐元。自韋華恩 2008年9月執掌阿朗帥印以來，該公司股價跌幅已接近50%，公司市值也蒸發了48億美元。
不同的挑戰
韋華恩在英國電信出任首 席執行官時期，該公司的淨利潤增長了近一倍，從2002年他就任時的9.95億英鎊（約 合14.9億美元），上漲至2008年離職時的17.4億英鎊。但是他在阿朗，卻面臨著一種截然不同的挑戰。
阿朗及其在競爭對手愛立信、諾基亞西門子，目前都面臨著來自中國的電信設備商華為和中興通訊的沖擊。作為全球第一大電信設備制造商，愛立信在4月23日發布的財報顯示，公司第一季 度淨利潤同比下滑了27%。諾基亞西門子的財報則顯示，該公司第一季度運營虧損為2.26億美元，表現不及上一季度。
競爭格局
華為在今年3月表示，該公司2009年的淨利潤較上年增長一倍多，達到人民幣183億元（約合27 億美元）。市場分析師指出，中國公司的加入，使得市場競爭變得更加激烈。標准普爾證券研究公司（S&P Equity Research）分析師賈森·維利（Jason Willey）說，「華為與中興通訊，有能力用不同的方式運轉和競爭。對歐洲的競爭對手而言，來自中國公司的競爭要比它們以前遇到的競爭激烈的多。」
在獲取包括中國聯通、澳洲電信、沃達豐等全球大型移動運營商訂單問題上，華為的做法一直都咄咄逼人。華為西歐業務部門副總裁蒂 姆·沃特金斯（Tim Watkins）在去年曾表示，該公司在歐洲電信設備市場份額已達10%，預計今年會進一步提高。此外，華為計劃在美國市場取得重大突破。
增加投資
倫敦政治經濟學院研究員帕特裏克·卡伯格（Patrik Karrberg）表示，包括阿朗、愛立信、諾基亞西門子等歐洲電信設備供應商，必須繼續在產品創新進行投資的同時，削減公司支出，這樣才能保持對新興市 場競爭對手的領先。他說，對來自新興市場的公司而言，「它們很容易就能夠追上這些老牌的設備制造商，因為在某種程度上他們能夠複制前輩們的成功經驗。」業 內人士指出，阿朗可能會從美國電信運營商升級網絡中受益，因為朗訊曾經在美國市場占有很高的市場份額。
阿朗在發布了虧損的第一季度財報後，該公司實現今年運營利潤率達到1%至5%的目標將面臨著巨大的 困難。投資人可能已不願在為此等待。資產管理公司Aramea Asset Management投資經理烏爾夫·莫瑞茨恩（Ulf Moritzen）就已不再看好阿朗。莫瑞茨恩在去年年底拋空了持有的阿朗股票。他對此表示，「我們決定更多的專注那些有著明確增長前景的公司。」
財報─阿爾卡特朗訊Q1表現不如預期 虧損擴大
法國電信設備製造商阿爾卡特朗訊（Alcatel-Lucent）（ALUA-FR）（），第一季財報不如預期，虧損擴大，主要是受到零件供應吃緊的影響。
執行長Ben Verwaayen表示，該公司本身製造的高階晶片組供貨無虞，但是一般零件卻受到汽車與消費電子產品製造商的採購擠壓，面臨供應不足的壓力
阿爾卡特周四公佈財報，今年第1季營收32.5億歐元，淨虧損5.15億歐元，遜於原先分析師預期的34.97億歐元營收與1.66億歐元淨虧損。
執行長Ben Verwaayen表示，該公司本身製造的高階晶片組供貨無虞，但是一般零件卻受到汽車與消費電子產品製造商的採購擠壓，面臨供應不足的壓力
阿爾卡特周四公佈財報，今年第1季營收32.5億歐元，淨虧損5.15億歐元，遜於原先分析師預期的34.97億歐元營收與1.66億歐元淨虧損。
Alcatel Lucent to compensate Telecom NZ over 3G network failings
May 10, 2010 Written by Mike HibberdPrintEmail
Ben Verwaayen, CEO, Alcatel Lucent, has been visiting Telecom New Zealand over the past week
Reports from New Zealand suggest that Franco-US vendor Alcatel Lucent (ALU) is to award a compensation payment of NZ$100m (US$72.8m) to incumbent player Telecom over the poor performance of the ‘XT’ 3G network it delivered to the carrier, and operates on its behalf. ALU CEO Ben Verwaayen has been visiting New Zealand over the last week and the deal was understood to have been struck during his meetings with Telecom
In February this year Telecom’s CTO Frank Mount and Alcatel Lucent’s head of New Zealand Stevel Lowe both resigned over the network’s well publicised shortcomings, which have included several outages.
A report commissioned by Telecom from Analysys Mason argued that the network and support systems were not robust enough to deal with demand from Telecom customers migrating from the firm’s CDMA network. The Radio Network Controller was the weakest link in the chain, Analysys Mason reported.
Crucially, however, traffic levels were within Telecom forecast ranges, suggesting that the network ought to have been capable of handling them. Analysys Mason recommended that customer acquisition activities be slowed as the firms work to improve the network’s performance. It also said that ALU and Telecom had already made improvements to the network.
“The review has been both chastening and heartening at the same time,” said Paul Reynolds, CEO, Telecom New Zealand. “Clearly some serious errors were made but the report shows that XT is fundamentally sound, that Telecom, and our partner Alcatel Lucent are now on the right track. Significant progress in improving the robustness and reliability of XT has been made.”
Ben Verwaayen, CEO, Alcatel Lucent, has been visiting Telecom New Zealand over the past week
Reports from New Zealand suggest that Franco-US vendor Alcatel Lucent (ALU) is to award a compensation payment of NZ$100m (US$72.8m) to incumbent player Telecom over the poor performance of the ‘XT’ 3G network it delivered to the carrier, and operates on its behalf. ALU CEO Ben Verwaayen has been visiting New Zealand over the last week and the deal was understood to have been struck during his meetings with Telecom
In February this year Telecom’s CTO Frank Mount and Alcatel Lucent’s head of New Zealand Stevel Lowe both resigned over the network’s well publicised shortcomings, which have included several outages.
A report commissioned by Telecom from Analysys Mason argued that the network and support systems were not robust enough to deal with demand from Telecom customers migrating from the firm’s CDMA network. The Radio Network Controller was the weakest link in the chain, Analysys Mason reported.
Crucially, however, traffic levels were within Telecom forecast ranges, suggesting that the network ought to have been capable of handling them. Analysys Mason recommended that customer acquisition activities be slowed as the firms work to improve the network’s performance. It also said that ALU and Telecom had already made improvements to the network.
“The review has been both chastening and heartening at the same time,” said Paul Reynolds, CEO, Telecom New Zealand. “Clearly some serious errors were made but the report shows that XT is fundamentally sound, that Telecom, and our partner Alcatel Lucent are now on the right track. Significant progress in improving the robustness and reliability of XT has been made.”