GLOBALCOMM BOOTH #13015 -- Lucent Technologies today unveiled a new end-to-end network architecture designed to deliver high-bandwidth Internet protocol (IP)-based multimedia services -- voice, data and video -- to business, residential and mobile subscribers more efficiently and at a lower cost than is possible using traditional IP networks.
Lucent's Acuity(TM) Network Architecture offers service providers "service aware" networks that dynamically adjust bandwidth and quality of service (QoS) parameters simultaneously, and manage the availability of required network resources, to support the optimum end user "Quality of Experience" (QoE) for enterprise services such as VoIP, video conferencing and Ethernet access, and consumer services such as high-definition video/IPTV and multi-party video gaming on both fixed and wireless devices. The Acuity(TM) Network Architecture also will enable service providers to offer end-to-end service level agreements (SLAs) for particular services to specific customers, enabling them to generate additional revenue by ensuring consistently high QoS levels across their transport and metro networks.
The Acuity(TM) architecture is designed to support the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) standard and delivers specific advantages when implementing IMS to support blended lifestyle services that combine voice, data and video capabilities to create innovative new services. This innovative new architecture will also enable operators to control non-IMS applications, giving operators comprehensive control over their entire network and ensuring that the appropriate resources are available to support all services, both IMS and non-IMS.
"The Acuity(TM) architecture extends the approach and benefits of the IMS architecture to the data/transport and access portions of the network, taking advantage of more efficient, IP/Ethernet-based platforms to reduce the cost of providing multimedia services," said John Leonard, marketing and offer management vice president, Lucent Technologies. "It takes a variety of significant advances in IP, Ethernet and optical networking technologies, as well as the open, standards-based approach that characterizes IMS, and combines them into an elegant package that will help service providers lower their cost structure and enable them to better address subscriber demand for more and more bandwidth-intensive applications."
According to a "cost of ownership" study conducted by Bell Labs, the Acuity(TM) architecture can save service providers more than 30 percent in capital and operating expenses by employing a streamlined architecture that integrates network elements, reduces networking layers, and leverages new resource management and network management capabilities.
At the same time, the Acuity(TM) architecture enables service providers to control the entire set of network capabilities involved in giving subscribers a QoE free of perceptible impairments - such as slow response times, video artifacts, audible clicks and other disturbances -- caused by uncontrolled latency, jitter and congestion. Network-based resource management, combined with intelligent network elements, enable the Acuity(TM) architecture to reduce bandwidth "bottlenecks" in the network and to enforce policies for handling critical traffic, thus allowing service providers to deliver multimedia services with the reliability and QoE that end-users demand, and that content providers are willing to pay for.
Network Transformation Services for Acuity Networks
In support of the Acuity(TM) architecture, the Lucent Worldwide Services organization has developed a comprehensive suite of network transformation services to help carriers plan and execute their migration to next-generation networks. Professional Services range from consultation on initial business strategies, assessing the existing network, defining, planning, and designing for the secure migration of network transport infrastructure, network databases, business and operations support systems, applications, and actual service-bearing traffic.
These network transformation services feed into a holistic offering of network integration services tuned to the unique challenges of today's network transformations and migrations. Deployment Services cover actual deployment and implementation of the Acuity(TM) network solution including site construction and material sourcing if required. Managed Services offers hosted and managed applications support as well as network security management and network management support for a next-gen network such as an Acuity(TM) network. A full suite of Maintenance Services; on-site, off-site, spares exchange, and software support completes this comprehensive services support offering for Acuity(TM) networks.
New Products Enhance Acuity Architecture
The architecture benefits from the capabilities of the Lucent Ethernet Router family of products (recently acquired as part of a purchase of Riverstone Network assets), the Lucent Base Station Router announced in February 2006, and the Lucent Multimedia Access Platform, announced in October 2005.
It also employs two new Lucent offerings -- the Universal Packet Mux (UPM), a converged optical/packet transport platform for high-bandwidth multimedia services, and the Lucent Resource Manager, a network element that supports the dynamic control of network resources across data/transport platforms and broadband access nodes.
The Lucent Resource Manager will work in combination with bearer gateway functions distributed at the edges of the network. These two elements will work in tandem to support the dynamic allocation of bandwidth, with the resource manager making the policy decisions and the bearer gateway function, much like a traffic cop, enforcing those decisions by directly controlling the per service/session traffic, based on the policy. (See separate news release.)
The Lucent Universal Packet Mux (UPM) is an integrated Optical/Ethernet aggregation solution. It supports current and emerging data transport standards, and integrates best-in-class wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), re-configurable optical add/drop multiplexing (ROADM), Carrier Ethernet/multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), and time division multiplexing (TDM) capabilities -- all on a single frame, helping reduce both capital and operational costs for operators. (See separate news release.)
For further information about the Acuity(TM) architecture, visit: http://www.lucent.com/acuity.
About Lucent Technologies
Lucent Technologies designs and delivers the systems, services and software that drive next-generation communications networks. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent uses its strengths in mobility, optical, software, data and voice networking technologies, as well as services, to create new revenue-generating opportunities for its customers, while enabling them to quickly deploy and better manage their networks. Lucent's customer base includes communications service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide. For more information on Lucent Technologies, which has headquarters in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, visit http://www.lucent.com.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act - This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on Lucent Technologies' current beliefs, expectations, estimates, and forecasts about the performance of its products and services, its customers' adoption and use of those products and services and the industries in which Lucent and its customers operate. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include unforeseen technical issues, the acceptance of Lucent's products and services, the suitability and performance of those products and services for its customers' networks, the demand for the services that Lucent's customers offer and fluctuations in the telecommunications market, along with those risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in Lucent's SEC reports, including the reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. Except as required under the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the SEC, Lucent does not have any intention or obligation to update publicly these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, or otherwise.