Guides

• On the road to 21CN 30 March 2005

  It's time to embrace change and embrace the opportunities of the 21st century, says Paul Reynolds, chief executive of BT Wholesale

• Integrating easily into the digital networked economy 30 March 2005

  BT's 21st Century Network programme is the biggest transformation the telecoms industry has ever seen, says the group's chief information officer, Al Noor Ramji. If the transition is carried out properly, BT will move from selling capacity to selling capabilities that the customer asks for

• Setting the standards for the industry 30 March 2005

  For Meryl Bushell, BT's chief procurement officer, the next few months will be the most exciting in her career, as she and her team negotiate with the companies that will supply the 21st Century Network project. At the same time (below) group technology officer Mike Reeve explains the standards behind the project and Peter Gandy, director of the 21CN portfolio, discusses the service trials. By Alan Burkitt-Gray

• Unfashionably late or worth the wait? 30 March 2005

  by Jim Kinsella, executive chairman, Interoute

• Will 21CN stimulate or stymie competition in the UK market? 30 March 2005

  by Jill Ainscough, UK managing director, Easynet

• An exciting time 30 March 2005

  by John Pluthero, chief executive of Energis

• The edge is global 30 March 2005

  Co-sponsored feature: EDS Globalization is real for large and small companies, says Chris Moyer, an EDS Fellow, and all-IP networks will help it to serve its customers better throughout the world

• Ensuring service excellence 30 March 2005

  Co-sponsored feature: NetTest For quality of service to be judged, it has to be measured — and measurement needs to be monitored end-to-end, while being easily visible on a central OSS platform

• Battle for the access network 30 March 2005

  Co-sponsored feature Evolved Networks Without good data operators will not be able to deliver the high degree of operational cost reductions that they will need in order to make money from the increasing array of low margin 21CN services

• The maths of triple play 30 March 2005

  Co-sponsored feature: Alcatel Add video and high-speed internet to traditional voice services and you get the "triple play". But it's more than just the addition of three revenue streams, says Alan Mottram of Alcatel: operators can go further and link the services together in new ways. This linking of services, with a focus on the end user, is what Alcatel calls User-Centric Broadband; personalised services that recognize the unique needs of individuals. And, Alcatel's User-Centric Broadband program goes beyond the triple play; it focuses on three main areas: triple play, convergence and managed communications services (MCS)

• Connected services: that’s what it’s all about 30 March 2005

  Co-sponsored feature: Microsoft Watch the match and chat to your friends about it at the same time — or use Xbox to show how it should really be done. Operators will be able to link services together and drive new revenue streams, says Michael O'Hara of Microsoft, using the company's Connected Services Framework

• Keep it flexible 30 March 2005

  Co-sponsored feature: Redback Networks It's hard to know at this stage which services will succeed most for new generation networks, yet operators need to make crucial infrastructure decisions. Build in flexibility, says Kevin DeNuccio, CEO of Redback Networks, and telcos will be able to deliver efficient broadcast TV, video on demand and other new services

• Engineering the best in telecommunications 30 March 2005

  Co-sponsored feature: Bechtel Telecommunications From the Hoover Dam to the Channel Tunnel to the Hong Kong Airport, Bechtel has been at the centre of some of the world's largest engineering and construction projects, including global telecommunications deployments, says CIO Geir Ramleth

• More features...