AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Oser Communications Group
P4C GLOBAL LEADER IN CELL PHONE RECYCLING
ADTRAN PROVIDES SMART SOLUTIONS FOR A CONNECTED WORLD
WW: Please tell us about your company and how it is unique in the market.
WW: ADTRAN is best known for its
Wireless World talked with Steve Hopwood, CEO of P4C Global, about the company’s objectives and goals as an e-waste solution provider.
Continued on Page 53
THE ADVANTAGE OF RAPIDLY BECOMING LTEREADY WITH INTERTEK
Darrell Lehman, Vice President of Information and Communication Technologies at Intertek, urges manufacturers to engage labs early as they embrace the growing demand for LTE solutions. WW: What are the advantages of becoming Continued on Page 36
TIMING RIGHT FOR BATTERY TESTING IN RETAIL STORES
Two trends in the mobile communications market are coming together to create a critical need for battery testing in retail stores. The first trend is becoming evident for anyone who has had to charge their phone twice or more in one day. The Continued on Page 53
Gary Bolton, Vice President of Global Marketing, ADTRAN, explains what makes them the North American market leader in mobile backhaul.
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CELL TREES: PIONEER OF CELLULAR TREE POLE INDUSTRY
Orlando
ALPHA GROUP: POWERING CELLSELL: THE WIRELESS THE WORLD’S COMMUNI- INDUSTRY’S FIRST TRUE CATIONS NETWORKS RETAIL ERP PLATFORM
Wireless World speaks to Alpha Technologies Ltd. President and CEO Mark W. Schnarr about the company’s line of power solutions.
Ron Moss, CEO of Worthware Systems International, talks about the CellSell® Simplified Cellular Retail ERP platform.
WW: Tell our readers a little about
WW: Tell our readers a little about your company and its main line of business.
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PRIVATE PLANET: NOW IS AUDIOCODES: THE TIME FOR PERSONAL ENABLING OUTSTANDING CLOUD COMPUTERS MOBILE VOIP SERVICE
SK: Cell Trees Inc. was founded in 1999
Janko Flogel, CEO of Private Planet®, tells Wireless World all about Private Planet personal Cloud computers and how mobile carriers can create new revenue streams by offering personal Cloud platforms to their customers.
Eyal Zach, Bio Director, Vice President Marketing, Mobile VoIP Solutions for AudioCodes, explains how service providers can now offer their customers cost-effective, high-definition VoIP service over existing mobile devices with AudioCodes VMAS.
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An interview with Scott Krenzer, CEO of Cell Trees Inc.
WW: Tell our readers a little about your company. What's your main line of business?
YANKEE GROUP SEES USERS DRIVING TRILLION DOLLAR MARKET
Gigi Wang, Yankee Group’s new Chief Research Officer, explains how she sees the latest trends in the industry changing the lives of consumers—and the global marketplace. Continued on Page 47
INTEROP ENABLES VIAERO PRESENTING THE MOST FLEXIBLE CORE NETWORK WIRELESS TO OFFER POPULAR CONTENT SOLUTION FOR TODAY
Jay Salkini founded Tecore Networks in 1991, and grew the company to be a global supplier of mobile network infrastructure, today focusing on 3G-4G scalable networks. As one of the longest-serving CEOs in telecommunications, he has a Continued on Page 47
Viaero Wireless differentiates its service and strengthens its brand by implementing the Interop Technologies Common Short Code Gateway
Interop Technologies, a provider of core wireless solutions for messaging, device management, and connectivity gateways, announced on Feb. 17, 2011, that Viaero Continued on Page 47
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Wednesday, March 23, 2011
GLOBECOMM SYSTEMS HELPS MAKE THE TRANSITION TO FUTURE 4G NETWORKING Planning ahead, rural operators can begin to put structure and strategy in place for the wireless needs of 2020. The bottom line: the mass of the population will be getting used to 4G in 2020 and customers will expect a 4G-service environment, no matter where they are in the country. This creates a few challenges on multiple fronts; most importantly, how to deliver that kind of bandwidth in a rural environment when LTE and others will be aimed at high-density applications and high-density environments. Rural providers take note: it will be
the quality of service, not the speed of the network, that will be the key to success. Educating against the hype of speed will be imperative. Helping customers understand that in a rural market, when a customer isn’t competing for bandwidth with the herd, is when she can get excellent service. Additionally, our experience is that rural operators must execute on a business model that derives revenue from both roaming and local/home subscribers. This way, the rural operator mitigates risk of the big four operators moving in on their
CYAN SHOWCASES TOWERAWARE WIRELESS BACKHAUL Cyan has chosen the CTIA Wireless Tower Technology Pavilion to showcase its new TowerAwareSM wireless backhaul solutions. A combination of wireless backhaul optimized hardware, software, and support systems, Cyan’s TowerAware solution provides industryleading packet-optical transport performance with “game-changing” virtual
network visualization and real-time SLA reporting of backhaul networks. This market-leading solution is on display at Cyan’s exhibit in booth 247. Responding to the demanding service level performance and scale requirements of 3G and 4G/LTE wireless services, many of Cyan’s customers now
Wireless World markets, as well as continuing to lower the roaming rates. The success of the rural home subscriber market is local, personal customer support and service at the same or better performance than the big four. To prepare for the network architecture changes, there are some key technologies in the pipeline that will help adapt 4G services for the rural market―EHF frequency radio, spot beam satellites and leased Ethernet with QOS (MPLS). When it comes to the financials, future call plans must be able to charge by the byte. Carriers must learn how much it takes to deliver a byte through the network and charge accordingly. The technology can be adapted, and it will allow rural carriers to create in LTE, cheaper than they could with GSM/CDMA. For more information, stop by booth 647 or visit www.globecomm.com. provide wireless backhaul solutions for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and others. As wireless providers ramp up their networks to support bandwidth intensive 4G/LTE, with stringent service level agreement (SLA) requirements, Cyan has worked closely with their customers and wireless operators to evolve its industry-leading Z-Series of packetoptical transport systems to support specific TowerAware wireless backhaul requirements. “LTE wireless backhaul is one of the more challenging new services in multiple dimensions,” said Kevin Wade, Continued on Page 12
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Wednesday, March 23, 2011
THE POINT TO POINT GROUP HAS WIDE RANGE OF IN-VEHICLE SOLUTIONS The Point to Point Group is a hands-free communication specialist and distributor for technology-based hands-free products. They have recently expanded their hands-free range to now carry Smoothtalker and Seecode hands-free products, and continue to distribute highquality and easy-to-use accessories. The Point to Point Group is an established business and has been a major wholesaler
and distributor of hands-free products and accessories since 2003. PTP have registered and traded companies throughout the globe. Our major hub offices are located in Delaware, United States; Melbourne, Australia; and Christchurch, New Zealand. These offices manage our warranty, support and warehousing teams. Our sales team works out of our three main offices, but
A 160-FOOT SELF-SUPPORTING TOWER ERECTED IN 90 MINUTES … WITHOUT A CRANE “This can’t be true … What’s the catch?”
Crane costs have skyrocketed and the new crane rules are proving to be very expensive to follow. So how do you lower installation costs without additional risk? In 2010, Stainless began fabrication of a new and innovative tower designed for rapid deployment. Developed initially for small windpower applications, this unique design has potential to change the
way towers are deployed in the field. The tower was designed by Don Miller, and developed as a rapid deployment system without the use of a crane for installing wind turbines on farms and in remote locations. This same design can be used for multiple applications and has many advantages over conventional tower design with minimal impact on fabrication costs.
ONE APPLICATION, MANY PLATFORMS: IT STARTS WITH ARCHITECTURE Premier mobile application development focuses on solving problems and providing advanced functionality by creating compelling user experiences across all mobile platforms. Customers on each mobile platform are different, and they interact with their devices in ways that are
unique to the platform they’re on. This makes development even more challenging, as what is intuitive on one platform is confusing on another. How do you build one application that provides great experiences for customers on BlackBerry, iPhone and Android, not to mention
Wireless World also work out of our dedicated sales offices in Australia; Sydney, Auckland, New Zealand; California, United States; Dallas, Texas, United States; and Nashville, United States. We can provide you or your company with a wide variety of invehicle solutions, including portable and hardwired voice-commanded systems. Point to Point offers solutions to stream your music or read an e-mail from your
Blackberry, and secure your cell phone in a cradle to provide charge external and antenna whilst ensuring the driver can do what’s important: stay safe and concentrate on driving. Find out more on Point to Point Group at booth 4482. More information is also available by calling 888-807-4838 or visiting www.ptp.net.au.
Wind towers and Cell towers have similar characteristics. Concentrated loads are placed at the top of the tower and then subjected to the worst Mother Nature has to offer. So, if the tower looks conventional, it is. What Stainless brought to the table was their unique ability to assist the engineer in design techniques that streamline fabrication, and their extensive experience in installation added to the ease of erection. How about the antenna systems? This tower is designed to install the antennas before the tower is erected. That’s right: Install the T-bars, antennas, jumpers all on the ground, where fine adjustments and careful assembly can be monitored. How about transmission lines? Yes, the transmission lines too. Simply follow procedures for locating the transmission lines and they can also be installed. What about maintenance
work in the future? Simply reverse the process and lower the entire tower without the use of a crane. Service the antennas system and re-erect. It’s that simple. A recap: unique design, fabrication by the oldest and most experienced tower fabricator and erection without the use of crane. What’s not to like? Stainless LLC has been in the tower business since 1947. More than 7,500 towers have been built, delivered and erected in more than 100 countries worldwide. Located in the heart of the steel industry, Pennsylvania is closest to the steel mills, minutes from the finest galvanizing facilities in the world and conveniently located for rapid delivery. When you have a challenging tower to build, there is no company more qualified than Stainless. Visit Stainless at booth 832, call 800-486-3333 or visit their website at www.talltowers.com.
different sized tablet devices? At bitHeads, we recognize that there are many different approaches to building mobile applications that work on multiple platforms. Each approach comes with its own set of risks to be managed. However, with a grounded and experienced approach to development, you can deliver an application with the power to swing market share in your favor. Solid application architecture promotes flexibility to economically
address the requirements of multiple operating systems, while still allowing enough differentiation on each platform to provide a great customer experience. Take the case of Bridgewater Systems, whose global base of carrier clients were challenged by their customers’ possibility of “bill shock” because end users were unknowingly exceeding their data download limits. To resolve the challenge, Bridgewater needed an application Continued on Page 53
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engaging customer experience, but also streamlines the sales process for staff. With XQ solutions in place, retailers will experience increased customer traffic, fewer walk-outs, improved sales efficiency and higher profits. XQ transforms the in-store experience with a suite of dynamic digital media solutions that entertain, educate and guide shoppers through the process of buying a mobile device. Using interactive touchscreen displays equipped with intuitive browsing and streaming software, XQ puts all the relevant products and information at customers’ fingertips.
The following are ways in which XQ Interactive Retail can attract customers to your store and increase profits: • Curb appeal: Having XQ technology in place sets your store apart from the competition. The visual impact arouses curiosity, bringing customers in for the first time. • Positive customer experience: Once inside, customers are energized by the fun and engaging XQ interface. The ability to learn more about the product, plan and features they’re buying ensures a more informed and satisfying purchase. After such a unique, pleasant and modern shopping experience, they’ll be excited to tell family and friends all about it. • Fewer walk-outs: Customers hate waiting. XQ provides customers with opportunities to entertain and educate themselves, which keeps them in the store and browsing until a sales associate is available to help them.
• Improved sales efficiency: If the sales process is long for customers, it is also long for sales staff. XQ technology communicates product information and speeds up the sales cycle. Many customer questions are already answered before they approach a salesperson.
web-based customer portal that provides real-time SLA monitoring and reporting. We’ve also evolved our products to support outside plant (OSP) cabinet solutions with optional DWDM to provide virtually unlimited scale, even in fiber constrained metro networks. These tower-optimized attributes work in concert with our CyMS multi-layer management system to deliver a winning TowerAware combination for our customers and their customers.” Cyan has some of the new hardware systems and demonstrations of their
revolutionary software systems on display in their booth. Wade also shared that the new SLA performance monitoring and reporting portal works with third party Ethernet NIDs supporting the Y.1731 Ethernet OAM standards, in addition to Cyan’s own standards compliant transport platforms. Providing a multi-vendor roll up of key Ethernet SLA performance parameters, such as latency, jitter, delay, throughput, and availability is critical for new wireless backhaul deployments and an expanding array of Ethernet services in general.
Cyan has announced multiple key network design wins across a number of applications, such as low-latency data center deployments, major broadband stimulus middle-mile design wins, wireless backhaul and regional wholesale transport. The company claims to have extensive network deployments, spanning 35 states in the U.S. and three European countries. Cyan is based in Petaluma, Calif. For more information, stop by and meet Cyan in booth 247 at the CTIA show, or visit www.cyaninc.com.
ATTRACTING WIRELESS CUSTOMERS WITH XQ INTERACTIVE RETAIL Buying a new mobile phone is a major decision, but shopping for one can leave customers confused and discouraged. Customers are looking for a better way to buy a phone, and the in-store experience is a key determinant for where they decide to shop. Today’s customer is better informed and less inclined to wait idly for service, so retailers who invest in an engaging store experience are more capable of drawing customers into their stores. XQ Interactive Retail, the revolutionary new wireless retail platform from iQmetrix, not only provides a more Cyan (Con’t. from p. 4)
Director of Product Marketing, Cyan. “Wireless operators are looking for TowerAware solutions that deliver massive scalability, superior packet performance, real-time SLA visibility and compelling economics. By working in partnership with key customers and wireless operators, Cyan has evolved our Z-Series packet-optical transport systems to support the industry’s latest packet-transport standards, with superior SLA performance, and a revolutionary
Wireless World
XQ Interactive Retail has the ability to draw customers in, keep them engaged in-store and facilitate the sales process for staff. By giving shoppers everything they’re looking for―engagement, convenience and information to identify the device and price they want―XQ truly creates the ultimate customer experience. To learn more about XQ Interactive Retail, visit www.EnergizingRetail.com, e-mail XQ@iQmetrix.com or call 866IQMETRIX (476-3874). Visit them at CTIA booth 4237 for a complete tour of the XQ Interactive Retail experience!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wireless World
SAHARA WIRELESS: A SUCCESS STORY Sahara Wireless is a manufacturer and distributor of high quality, cost effective cell phone accessories.
Product Information Sahara carries a full range of cell phone accessories for Metro PCS, LG, AT&T, Sprint, Boost Mobile, Southern Link, TMobile, US Cellular and Verizon. Its product line covers face plates (hard, silicon/gel, solid, design, single line and Cell Trees (Con’t. from p. 1)
to manufacture parts and pieces for the cellular industry. We conceal monopoles such as pine trees, palm trees, broad leaf trees, saguaro cactus and flag poles. We have sales offices in Santa Maria, Calif.; Tampa, Fla.; and Philadelphia, Pa. Our corporate office and manufacturing facility is located in Tucson, Ariz., where we employ a staff of 30 people. To date we have completed more than two thousand sites. WW: What would you say makes your company unique?
SK: Our management team’s level of expertise and years of experience and our level of commitment to providing an unparalleled, quality product to our customers at the best price is what distinguishes Cell Trees as the leading
full diamonds), batteries, head sets, adaptors, chargers, bluetooth, combo cases, displays, holsters, laptop bags, neck straps, memory cards, phone charms, pouches, screen protectors, snap ons, pouches, transmitters, 3-inones, 4-in-ones, etc., in addition to other fascinating and useful items. It carries a range of Huawei, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, Samsung, Sanyo and ZTE products.
company in the market. We are truly the pioneers in the business, having been involved in the first ever tree poles installed. WW: Are you introducing any new products?
SK: Last year we introduced several new products, one being a three carrier palm tree and also a line of deciduous broad leaf trees to expand our existing product lines. We also designed and built more than 50 saguaro cactus to disguise a DAS network in Scottsdale, Ariz.
WW: Where is your current product emphasis?
SK: We have a staff of designers and engineers in our product development group that are working on improving the
The Secret behind Sahara’s Success Even though entering the tough market of cell phone accessories was not an easy job, Sahara’s vibrant team made it look effortless by supplying superior quality products at affordable prices. A strong intention to make the company successful kept them going until they established their presence amongst the top sellers of cell phone accessories in the U.S.
lifespan of existing product lines with hybrid resins and processes that have never been used in our industry, simultaneously reducing the cost of our products and shortening our lead times. WW: What distinguishes your products from the competition?
SK: Cell Trees is a design manufacturing firm; it is not a brokerage house like a lot of our competitors. We manufacture all of the artistic soft goods, i.e. branches, fronds, bark, leaves and antenna mounts. All of our products have to pass a rigorous quality control program; they are systematically inspected throughout the manufacturing process, allowing Cell Trees to provide an expansive warranty. WW: Do you see Cell Trees Inc. expanding its services?
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Sahara’s formula • A management team of high powered visionaries. • Excellent ‘owned’ production capabilities which allows Sahara the freedom to save money by eliminating expensive middlemen, also giving it the ability to maintain quality control of its own products, which is just a dream for other suppliers Continued on Page 36
SK: In 2010, we opened a new construction division of Cell Trees, which is providing installation services of our products for new sites, as well as rehabbing existing sites that may or may not have been provided by Cell Trees. Our Tucson manufacturing team has been able to match existing branch, frond and bark designs provided by other companies to perfection. Last year we were involved in more than 45 rehab jobs alone. We are very excited about this work, and in 2011, we are opening another new facility and will have permanent crews on the ground in California to better serve our customers. At this point it appears that we are immune to the economy and we see nothing but growth and prosperity for our company.
Visit Cell Trees at booth 235, call 520663-1330, or e-mail celltrees@msn.com for more information.
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Intertek (Con’t. from p. 1)
LTE-ready?
DL: Today’s growing ICT market includes many non-traditional end devices, such as home appliances, medical devices, consumer electronics, automobiles, and industrial equipment, all of which are evolving to require up-to-theminute services and are scheduled to be launched under a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.
Becoming LTE-ready early in the production cycle is important because by the time LTE trials and tests are complete, the market will already have been captured by approved LTE equipment vendors.
LTE provides direct service and can accommodate large numbers of mobile broadband subscribers, which is essential for highly immersive and interactive applications like hand-held devices Sahara Wireless (Con’t. from p. 21)
of cell phone accessories in this market. Having its own factory also allows the company to be innovative in its designs, which is evident from the look of its high-quality and beautiful cell phone accessories, with its stylish, trendy and unique designs. • An efficient sales and shipping team which brings in the business and keeps AudioCodes (Con’t. from p. 1)
WW: It’s clear that emerging Mobile VoIP applications and services is one of the hottest trends in wireless communications. As a matter of fact, In-Stat predicts that social networking and the removal of barriers by mobile operators will push the number of mobile VoIP users to nearly 139 million by 2014. Mobile VoIP is propelled by the rising number of dual mode (Wi-Fi and Cellular enabled) handsets, projected to reach more than 400 million unit shipments in 2013. How is AudioCodes poised to harness this growth? EZ: Rather than ignoring or hindering mobile VoIP, an increasing number of mobile operators are choosing to embrace the fast growing trend by
and other emerging smart appliances and devices.
WW: How is Intertek equipped to handle the steady growth of LTE technology?
DL: Research forecasts that operator spending for LTE base station infrastructure will exceed $8.6 billion globally by 2013, and this presents a huge opportunity for the ICT industry. Intertek can be your partner of choice for LTE certification because we offer fast turnarounds for increased revenue potential, an extensive network of test labs for all your testing and certification needs, and concurrent testing to save time and money. Additionally, we maintain LTE accreditation and are a member of multiple organizations, including the Global Certification Forum [GCF], PTCRB, and CCF [CDMA Certification Forum].
Our state-of-the-art facilities staffed by knowledgeable experts are globally positioned to provide worldwide field testing everything running flawlessly.
Other Unique Features Sahara’s expertise in cost-effective production and time sensitive shipping gives it leverage over other suppliers. Even though Sahara operates from their head office in Fremont (Calif.), its customers can have their orders delivered almost anywhere in the U.S., including Hawaii. Carrier Supply: looking for solutions that can help them―and their customers―benefit from it. AudioCodes VoIP Mobile Access Solution (VMAS) is one of the most innovative and prominent solutions for this purpose. VMAS enables service providers to bring high-quality Mobile VoIP service to their customers over existing mobile devices utilizing both Wi-Fi and cellular data coverage. WW: How does it work?
EZ: VMAS is combined of a central Client Management System (CMS)―an efficient client distribution and provisioning system installed at the operator’s back end―and a variety of mobile clients for mobile devices, PC and the Web. Designed to utilize popular wideband coders along with AudioCodes’ advanced
Wireless World options and to help you navigate complex standards and requirements. Our extensive experience with LTE testing includes RF performance, protocol conformance and data throughput, among many.
WW: How can Intertek help manufacturers eliminate challenges associated with this evolving technology?
DL: We expect changes and frequent upgrades as Long Term Evolution gains momentum, so conformity, compatibility and interoperability is very important. Intertek is aware of potential challenges and delivers flexible solutions based on specific LTE testing and certification needs to aid manufacturers as they transition to launch LTE solutions. The secret to success for manufacturers will be interoperability testing of network components and devices, with comprehensive verification during the design, development, and deployment phases. By partnering with a certification lab for LTE testing, companies can positively impact Sahara is open to supplying cell phone carriers with their own packaging. Master dealers, wholesalers and distributors can contact Sahara for their own packaging and products.
The Future for Sahara With expansion plans well underway, Sahara’s products will soon be available around the world. No place is too far away for this company. The company’s
DSP technology, VMAS provides a highdefinition voice quality experience (HD VoIP). By leveraging public and private Wi-Fi as well as cellular data connectivity, VMAS bypasses the cellular voice network and its associated air-time charges. As a result, mobile operators can offload traffic to Wi-Fi in cellular congested areas, improve residential and indoor coverage, and significantly reduce customers’ drift towards low-cost alternatives. Next Generation Networks (NGN) fixed-line operators and ITSPs can expand their current wireline Voice over Broadband services into mobile handsets and evolve into Mobile VoIP and Data providers.
WW: What smartphone platforms is AudioCodes supporting?
EZ: The VMAS mobile clients for Smartphones are available for all the major operating systems, including iOS (Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad), BlackBerry, Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian. Both the CMS and the VMAS mobile clients’ are highly customizable to allow integration with hosted application servers and provide instant messaging, Presence and other UC and collaboration features. VMAS clients present an intuitive user interface and utilize the Smartphone’s existing address book.
WW: Is mobile VoIP currently deployed? If so, what markets?
EZ: Yes: dozens of service providers all over the world are already utilizing VMAS, enjoying its wide
their bottom line by monitoring, codifying and sharing test feedback. There are clear benefits in engaging a testing certification lab to help meet all the LTE requirements efficiently. A certified lab will help manufacturers reduce their time to market and avoid the expensive and time-consuming duplication of testing effort. WW: What does this mean for 3G?
DL: Intertek will expand on our current test services for 3G technology to enable device manufacturers to get to market with both technologies. With the addition of LTE to Intertek’s suite of services, we are able to leverage our extensive experience testing to 3G standards to enable faster time to market and to help manufacturers overcome specific challenges when facing adoption of 4G alongside 3G. For more on what Intertek has to offer, stop by booth 762 or visit www.intertek.com.
motto―“Best for Less, Quality for Less”―says they certainly stay true to this objective, passing on huge savings and opportunities to its wholesalers and retailers. Everyone profits with Sahara Wireless. Sahara invites distributors looking for opportunities to enter or expand in the cell phone accessory market.
Visit Sahara Wireless at booth 5137, call 510-687-1265 or click www.saharawls.com.
interoperability with leading SoftSwitches and Gateways, flexible branding and customization options. One of these service providers is Cellcom, an Israeli mobile operator with more than 3 million subscribers. Cellcom uses VMAS to provide affordable packages of mobile VoIP access to its roaming users via Wi-Fi connectivity, including seamless overthe-air configuration and set-up. WW: We hear about social media driving a lot of growth—any examples?
EZ: An exciting capability of VMAS is the integration with social networks. Vonage, a leading VoIP provider in North America with approximately 2.4 million lines, is utilizing VMAS to provide Vonage Mobile, a mobile VoIP application for Facebook. Using this application, mobile users can call their Facebook friends all over the world for free by a click of a button. WW: Any closing comments?
EZ: Mobile VoIP deployments reflect a classic win-win situation for both parties. On one hand, VMAS allows mobile endusers to enjoy significant savings on international, long distance roaming and cellular voice charges. On the other hand, it enables wireline and competitive service providers to benefit from new sources of revenue in the rapidly growing Mobile VoIP market. Come see Audiocodes at booth 1850, and check them out online at www.audiocodes.com/VMAS.
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Alpha Technologies (Con’t. from p. 1)
Alpha. What’s your main line of business?
MWS: Alpha Technologies began more than 30 years ago designing task-specific powering that would improve network reliability in the cable broadband sector. Today, The Alpha Group is a global consortium of companies, all dedicated to creating world-class powering solutions for communication, commercial, industrial and renewable energy markets. Alpha Technologies in Canada is the provider of exceptional powering solutions for the worldwide telecom, cable TV, traffic, security and renewable energy sectors. I am proud to say we have an impressive product portfolio that includes rugged uninterruptible power supplies and nextgeneration backup power solutions such as power rectifiers, converters, inverters, indoor and outdoor power system enclosures, generators and batteries. WW: What would you say makes Alpha unique in the market place?
MWS: Alpha’s distinctive excellence is our ability to develop solutions tailored to solve our customers’ unique powering challenges. By focusing on a small number of markets, we are able to develop an intimate understanding of their specific powering needs. We then leverage our 30+ years of powering innovation and Private Planet (Con’t. from p. 1)
WW: Tell us about Private Planet and what makes your company unique.
JF: Private Planet provides personal cloud computing platforms, enabling mobile telecom carriers to provide a carrier-branded personal cloud computing platform and mobile device software to their subscribers. Private Planet has developed a highly innovative Personal Cloud Computer platform that offers individuals industrial strength cloud storage, personal productivity tools, communication, publishing and synchronization tools. Put simply, Private Planet gives you the ability to manage your
expertise to design and build solutions that deliver outstanding value and reliability. In our target markets, nobody does this better, as demonstrated by our strong growth and the loyalty of our customer base. Alpha’s vision and leadership permeates throughout the executive team and general workforce. A passion for customers, technological innovation, excellence and a commitment to continuous improvement drive the business and motivate the entire Alpha team. WW: Can you describe Alpha’s presence in the Telecommunications space?
MWS: In the Telecom sector, previously primed by Argus Technologies, Alpha’s DC-based solutions have long been the standard for reliability, efficiency, and the communications and control functionality inherent in our Cordex family of controllers. Competing against global power manufacturing giants, Alpha has forged a strong relationship with many of the largest network carriers, including AT&T, TELUS, Bell and Verizon, to name just a few. Today, much of Alpha’s ongoing R&D investments are directed at developing the next generation of power solutions for the network carriers, which will not only continue to provide Alpha’s class-leading reliability, but also help drive Opex savings through greater efficiency and the innovative use of renewable energy solutions.
‘digital life’―all your data, all your content and all your communications through one place on any of your devices.
Three things make Private Planet stand out. Firstly, we have complete focus on cloudempowering individuals; a Private Planet user has sole control over their data and identity on the Internet. Second, we make things simple―an easy-to-use, attractive and carrier-branded interface working across all devices and platforms: Windows, BlackBerry OS, Android, iOS, OS X, Linux and Symbian. Thirdly, we work in partnership with our customers―our business model is based on revenue share with carriers who retain the lion share of
WW: What was the most significant event or series of events affecting your company in the past year?
MWS: Alpha Technologies Ltd. is the product of the recent merger of Alpha Technologies Ltd. and Argus Technologies Ltd.―two Alpha Group companies which had both been in operation for more than 20 years and merged effective Jan. 1, 2010. Coincident with the merger, Alpha consolidated its operations from three disparate facilities into its new 113,000 sq. ft. stateof-the-art facility in Burnaby, BC. This impressive structure is home to Alpha’s 500+ employees, corporate offices, customer service, R & D labs, AC and DC product production, warehousing, circuit board design, prototype development and final assembly and testing. WW: What distinguishes Alpha’s products from the competition?
MWS: Our products are designed and manufactured to satisfy the specific needs of our target markets, including the Telecom sector. We have more than 3,000,000 power systems in place around the world and most are operating in harsh, outdoor environments supporting critical applications where reliability is paramount. We understand these conditions better than anyone else and have evolved a product portfolio that enables us to provide our customers with total power solutions. personal data storage services they deliver based on our platform. Our success is determined by our customers’ success.
WW: What are the most significant events affecting your company this year?
JF: It’s a very exciting year for Private Planet; we have emerged out of a pure development phase and have just started commercial trials with mobile carriers in Europe. The next step is to replicate what we have achieved in Europe here in the U.S. and in other territories, such as Canada, China, Japan and Australia to validate our platform in these other markets. We are exhibiting our products for the first time this year at Mobile World Congress and are here at the CTIA Wireless as part of the Telecom Council’s Innovation Showcase [booth 4290-D] and on the UK pavilion [booth 3663-C]. WW: Are you introducing any new products this year?
JF: This year, Private Planet has launched the Personal Productivity Services suite, providing basic cloud-based and cloudassisted personal services including carried-branded personal cloud data stores, mobile and remote printing, the most easy Web publishing I have seen anywhere, device-to-device [D2D] remote file browsing, PIM functions [such as agenda, to do list, notes] and text chat and crossplatform push-to-talk voice chat services. We will be demonstrating these services at our show booths. WW: Compare the position of your products and their technology against the current market.
JF: In terms of technology, Private Planet
Wireless World
About Mark W. Schnarr Mr. Mark Schnarr is the President and CEO of Alpha Technologies Ltd., a company which designs and manufactures power conservation, protection, and standby products. Prior to that, Mark was Executive Vice President, Corporate Development for TELUS and President of TELUS Ventures. With 30 years of business management and marketing experience, Mark has held a variety of executive positions related to the creation and growth of new business ventures, marketing of products and services, management of international operations, and introduction of emerging technologies. He has been a board member of a number of organizations, including TELUS International, the TELUS Foundation, MediaLinx, Rapport Interactive, Science World, Vision Critical, IP Unity, Apparent Networks, Argus Technologies, ePost, Pacific Place Communications, and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. He is currently a board member of Alpha Technologies and Mitra Innovations (Belgium).
Meet with Alpha Technologies at booth 1228. During normal business hours, contact Alpha toll-free at 800-677-8743 or direct 604-436-5900 or e-mail sales@alpha.ca. Visit our comprehensive website www.alpha.ca at your convenience 24/7 online.
today provides a truly personal cloud computing platform that provides unparalleled integration of cloud services with devices. We think of Private Planet as the first userfriendly personal cloud computer. The Private Planet platform is open, standardsbased and that tightly integrates with mobile, desktop and embedded operating systems and device platforms. Furthermore, we are offering SDKs and developer kits that will allow independent software vendors [ISVs] to create applications and services that take fully take advantage of our underlying open platform. WW: What is the nature of your distribution?
JF: Private Planet’s business model is to create partnerships with carriers [and telecom service providers] who will customize and offer services to their customers as a value added service, creating new cloud-related revenue streams and increasing the ARPU. WW: Tell our readers about your trade show objectives and plans.
JF: Our objective is simple at this point in time: to meet with decision makers and demonstrate our capabilities to a wide range of carriers and partners with a view to increasing the number of commercial pilots and deployments we have. For more information or to arrange for a meeting at the show, please e-mail info@pripla.com, visit www.pripla.com, call 650-618-1852 or stop by our booths 4290-D or 3663-C.
Private Planet is a registered trademark of Private Planet Ltd. Other products mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wireless World ADTRAN (Con’t. from p. 1)
role in Access. Explain how ADTRAN is contributing to the wireless market.
GB: The wireless market is all about access to new exciting services and applications and ADTRAN is all about delivering access solutions. ADTRAN offers a full line of mobile backhaul solutions that provide operational cost containment or enable the rollout of new mobility services. The Total Access 5000 and NetVanta 800/8000 suite of Ethernet access and aggregation solutions are speeding the transition to next-generation 4G networks. This nextgeneration Ethernet solution delivers costeffective, reliable Gigabit Ethernet services used to connect LTE infrastructure. These Ethernet solutions are both cost-effective and time-to-market sensitive. We are the North American market leader in mobile backhaul. There is an ADTRAN solution currently deployed at the vast majority of North American cell sites, hub sites and central/mobile switching offices. ADTRAN has a proud
Yankee Group (Con’t. from p. 1)
WW: With the economic recovery taking hold and companies set to invest again, where do you see the telecom industry moving in the near term?
GW: 2010 was a pivotal year in which several forces came together in a perfect storm, ushering in a new era I call the ‘social age.’ The reality of today is, individuals come together in various business and social communities and the collective voices of these communities drive technology innovation and digital content. The content created by these communities can have more influence than a branded source. For example, user ratings on Amazon have a huge impact on the success of a new book—at least as much as a rating from a credentialed Tecore (Con’t. from p. 1)
wealth of experience and insight on the industry. We were fortunate to sit down with him and get his perspective on key issues in mobile communications today.
WW: As the wireless industry stands at the precipice of 4G, what are the key technology trends that will drive the industry forward in the next two years?
JS: The marketplace is experiencing ‘the battle of the G’s’—whether operators are competing on the breadth of their 3G networks or the speed of their 4G networks, what’s clear is that we’ve finally moved beyond the era when voice is the killer app. The bandwidth demand created by the smartphones has driven the carriers to packetize their networks. The flexibility and bandwidth options provided by LTE Viaero (Con’t. from p. 1)
Wireless, a cellular provider serving residents and businesses in Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas and Wyoming, will utilize the Interop Technologies Hosted Common Short Code (CSC) Gateway as its one-point connection to multiple Tier 1-level aggrega-
history of providing access solutions to both wireless service providers [WSP] and the network operators which provide mobile backhaul services to WSPs. ADTRAN solutions fall into two important categories: they either deliver access or optimize access. Our solutions deliver access or backhaul to cell sites and hub sites which enabled WSPs to effectively rollout 2G, 3G or 4G services over the past 20 years. Our flexible solutions allow for the ubiquitous delivery of the full breadth of access services by leveraging a variety of network infrastructure. We have also paved the way for the optimization of these same access services as WSPs deploy our solutions, enabling the reduction of OpEx associated with the growth of mobile backhaul services.
WW: The network is experiencing strain like never before as customers continually demand greater bandwidth. What is ADTRAN currently developing to address the need for speed?
GB: The short answer is edge-optimized packet optical transport solutions [P-OTS]. book critic.
For the most part, socially connected user communities are not aligned with the way technology suppliers sell to the marketplace. People use the same devices for work and play, so we need to align B2B and B2C user experiences. There are more similarities in technology demand among people within a given life stage or job function than a given industry sector. Apple has created unprecedented momentum for tablets, and tablets are being used by people for both business and personal applications. Yet, there are relatively few business apps that are optimized for tablets. I expect that to change, and the point I’m making is that we are now living in an era where being “connected” means being a member of an online community.
should propel it to the forefront of 4G in the next two years.
WW: What market opportunities are you excited about?
JS: The global proliferation of 3G and 4G technologies. It is always amazing to see the transformation in a community when people are able to communicate or surf the Web, some for the first time using a wireless device. Bringing highspeed data to remote networks and locations around the world is the next transformation in communications. The innovations that rise from these markets are exciting opportunities and ones that Tecore is well positioned to address.
WW: How is Tecore positioned to address the challenges operators are facing in the market today?
tors, giving Viaero subscribers access to the most popular short-code content. The Interop Technologies’ highly scalable CSC Gateway provides direct subscriber access to hundreds of national short-code campaigns and eliminates the need for operators to negotiate and manage relationships with individual aggre-
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The industry response to more bandwidth has often been to develop new highperformance optical technologies for the core of the network and then adapt them for the edge as that inevitably becomes the network bottleneck. This transition from core to edge has also been frocked with inefficiency―overlay and mis-sized solutions which require new infrastructure and operational requirements. ADTRAN provides solutions which are purpose-built for the application. This saves costs attributed to space, power and procedural upgrades. ADTRAN is developing P-OTS solutions which are edge-optimized. We have begun migrating WDM, DWDM, OTN, SONET, ROADMs and others for placement at the edge of the network. We have integrated these high-performance optical solutions both operationally and physically with DSL, Carrier Ethernet, FTTx or any other residential or business access delivery solution requiring highly scalable access and aggregation.
solution. ONE enables operators to launch new bandwidth and real-time intensive services from existing platforms without causing bandwidth bottlenecks, thus positioning them to ride the bandwidth wave to success. This is the effective co-existence of both prolific fractional T1 services and high-growth 10G Ethernet services and every service size in between. Just think about it.
Welcome to the age of never-ending friending and 24/7 work weeks.
customer experiences? You should be.
ADTRAN is taking the lead in the migration of the network by launching the Optical Networking Edge [ONE™]
WW: How do you see this changing the way companies compete and do business?
GW: A characteristic of the social era is that product life cycles are dramatically shorter. User needs evolve quickly, and supplier innovation must be continuous in order to stay in the game. Winners and losers are determined at the tipping points, so companies need to be hypersensitive to customer wants and needs.
At Yankee Group, we forecast the market for apps, devices and networks will reach more than $2 trillion dollars in just three years. Customers are driving this innovation. So my question for suppliers in our industry is: Are you building and delivering optimal
JS: Regional operators lack the capital to invest in separate networks by technology. The iCore platform maintains existing 2G revenue while introducing 3G services, and a forward evolution path to 4G. The key features of the iCore solution are founded in the combination of scalability and feature set. Our patented IP-based single core architecture leverages a flexible software baseline available on a range of hardware platforms that can be scaled and virtualized to match the network size and opportunity. The iCore’s ability to support multiple generations and technology sets in a single core network platform address both the distribution of key functional elements throughout the network, as well as centralization of processing in the cloud.
WW: What do you see for the future in mobile backhaul?
GB: The need for bandwidth will continue to grow. This will result in the need for new, innovative solutions to enable service providers to address the need for bandwidth in an affordable and realistic manner. ADTRAN will be leading the way, with new, innovative solutions that extend the life of current assets and yet effectively accommodate for nextgeneration solutions.
Visit booth 2618, e-mail info@adtran.com, or check out their website at www.adtran.com. WW: How does that dovetail with your vision for Yankee Group research?
GW: It’s well aligned. There are billions of connected users in the world today, people finding each other, communicating with each other. All the time. From anywhere. Yankee Group predicted this years ago, with our vision of the Anywhere revolution. The ubiquity of mobile broadband services around the world is enabling this revolution. And connected users are driving suppliers to constantly innovate. Yankee Group helps its clients identify revenue opportunities within this rapidly evolving environment.
Find Yankee Group online at www .yankeegroup.com.
architecture?
JS: The flexibility of the iCore solution supports the full range of technologies and scalability. So whether we are delivering a regional network for a commercial operator, an enterprise femto system for a private campus network, or a transportable network for rapid response, the same Core Network architecture can be scaled to meet the requirements. Likewise, by supporting a full range of base station technologies [across technologies and from multiple vendors], the Access Network can also be sized and scoped to match the application. Simply put, the iCore presents the most flexible Core Network solution for today’s network.
WW: How does the iCore solution fit into the next generation network
Visit Tecore at booth 1637. You can also e-mail info@tecore.com and find more at www.tecore.com.
gators and providers, saving operators time and money. In addition, Interop’s unified billing feed integrates easily with operators’ existing billing systems. A comprehensive reporting tool set makes it easy for operators to view all campaign information from one central location and discover
their most profitable campaigns, users, aggregator relationships, and more. With the Interop CSC Gateway, Viaero Wireless can increase customer “stickiness” by providing subscribers with access to standard, premium, and binary campaigns, such as commerce, community/chat, coupons, games, and much more.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wireless World CellSell (Con’t. from p. 1)
RM: Worthware Systems International is a technology company. We design and implement a Retail ERP business software platform designed specifically for retailers of cellular phones under the brand name CellSell. CellSell was originally introduced in 1991 in Canada, and the latest generation CellSell platform is now available throughout North America. I’m happy to say we are currently celebrating its 20th anniversary year of successful service to the wireless industry. WW: What makes the CellSell platform unique?
RM: CellSell consolidates and coordinates all of the resources information and activities needed to complete wireless retailer-specific, fully integrated storefront POS and back-office accounting P4C Global (Con’t. from p. 1)
SH: P4C Global, Inc. is leading the green charge for reuse, redistribution and recycling of OEM cell phones and batteries. We are providing green value-added e-waste solutions for waste handlers, electronics retailers, wireless carriers and OEMs. Our mission is to create both economic and environmental benefits by managing the e-waste process stream more efficiently and responsibly. WW: What is your current go-to market strategy?
SH: We offer a complete portfolio of solutions for our customers, leveraging our environmentally focused ISO 9001, 14001 certified and R2 compliant green facility. We provide e-waste solutions including battery reclamation and Cadex (Con’t. from p. 1)
power demands of today’s multi-tasking devices are outstripping the ability of their batteries to deliver, resulting in more batteries failing earlier than expected. Secondly, customers are increasingly using retail stores as their primary channel to resolve service and equipment issues, driving store owners to seek the right tools to meet their demands. Testing handset batteries in a retail store yields tremendous value by improving customer care, increasing revenue and reducing costs. For retail operators, battery testing is a service that will solidify customer loyalty by resolving many common complaints on the spot while also keeping those customers in their store longer, avoiding the uncomfortable situation of being forced to send them to a manufacturer’s bitHeads (Con’t. from p. 10)
that notified end users of their data usage relative to their own definable limits, so they could manage their personal usage and avoid unexpected costs. Bridgewater did not have in-house expertise developing applications that support multiple mobile platforms, so to expedite their development process they engaged bitHeads, an experienced mobile
operations. CellSell integrates a retailer’s entire business and supports real-time financial accounting, and features extremely simplified, cellular retailspecific point-of-sale functions including customer facing interactive retail features. CellSell supports: serialized and non-serialized inventory management; direct fulfillment; inventory optimization; retail customer relationship management; retail sales force automation; retail commission management; automated electronic carrier commissions management; supply chain management; human resources and marketing; and advanced, real-time OLAP decision technology business intelligence reporting that requires no data replication. If you look at the landscape of business software currently on the market created to serve the retail segment of the wireless industry, CellSell stands alone. CellSell allows wireless retailers to do away with their existing collections of disparate processing, cell phone processing with complete data destruction capabilities and the ability to leverage our unique global sales staff to help with any distribution needs. Our strategy is to partner with ewaste producers and help them to create a value-added green solution within their own closed-look ecosystem or improve their process by plugging into our strictly managed downstream process.
systems in order to achieve integrated business process automation and realtime enterprise-wide visibility. CellSell is the most time-tested and proven true Retail ERP platform for retailers of cellular phones in North America. WW: Is your company doing anything to celebrate the 20th anniversary of CellSell at CTIA this year?
RM: Yes we are. We’re launching our inaugural live customer success story showcase inside the CellSell exhibit.
WW: What is your Live Customer Success Story Showcase?
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CellSell success story with all CTIA attendees who choose to visit with us.
WW: Who is your guest customer this year?
RM: Our guest customer is Wireless Zone®, who with more than 430 stores, to my knowledge, is the largest independent franchise selling Verizon Wireless in the U.S. Needless to say, we are pleased to welcome Wireless Zone to our community of CellSell users and are extremely proud that they have graciously volunteered to attend CTIA this year to speak on our behalf, and be featured in our first live customer success story showcase.
RM: Our live customer success story showcase will feature a CellSell case study of a live guest customer. The guest customer will be on-site staffing our booth in a functional mock storefront for the entire show to share their own
To experience Wireless Zone’s own CellSell customer success story with the CTIA Wireless 2011 attendees, stop by the CellSell exhibit in booth 2614. For more information on CellSell, visit www.cellsell.com.
retail centers with our redistribution programs. In 2011, we will work with several companies in completely powering their entire operating model by providing logistics, processing, inventory management and sales disposition services tailored to meet their needs.
e-waste management to improve the recycle rate here in the U.S.
WW: Please assess the marketplace as it relates to e-waste.
WW: How much e-waste have you been able to save from the environment?
SH: We are proud to say that throughout the years not only have we been able to save more than a million tons of e-waste from the waste stream but we have also allowed our partners to generate millions in donations to humanitarian efforts. We are an approved EPA Waste Handler, and we also operate an ISO 9001/14001 and R2 Compliant facility. Our current program saves thousands of tons in cardboard recycling alone, providing our partners with green and safe shipping solutions.
SH: We are providing green value-added e-waste solutions for waste handlers, electronics retailers, wireless carriers and OEMs, as well as a local community and business solution for recycling under our Phones 4 Charity operation. We also cater to a wide variety of cell phone refurbishing centers, wholesalers and
SH: The EPA estimates that more than 200 million tons of e-waste related to telecommunications is accumulated annually, and this figure is growing. The recycle rate on this figure is below 25 percent and we are aiming to provide more solutions to industry partners so that they can easily offer green programs to their customers. Our focus will continue to be to create economic benefit for utilizing a green solution and allow
service center or technical support line. Up to 90 percent of all batteries returned by cellular customers claiming they are “bad” are still useful. In many cases, these batteries are simply replaced and discarded at a significant cost. A simple test could determine if there is a problem with the battery, the handset (or the user). Using such a test, the retail owner will save money by not replacing those batteries that are still good and can generate additional revenue by selling a new battery for those that are not. For companies responsible for servicing handsets, often at great expense, the ability to identify bad batteries, and therefore not process the device, translates into savings that can be shocking in magnitude for such a simple solution. The Cadex C5100 Battery Testing System, which includes a battery analyzer, universal battery adapter and
BatteryStore™ analysis software, is the ideal answer to the problem of providing a testing tool that is both simple to use but able to accommodate a vast range of battery models. Taking advantage of Cadex’s proprietary QuickSort™ technology, the C5100 requires only 30 seconds to sort batteries into three categories–good, low and poor—immediately identifying if the battery or the device is the problem. Some customers arrive with “dead” batteries that no longer accept a charge. Often this is because the battery has been discharged to a level that triggers internal protection circuits. The C5100 features a unique “boost” function that “wakes up” these batteries. There are additional service functions available for backroom processing of returned batteries. The C5100 Battery Testing System
also enables the user to print a traditional customer receipt or a full service report—with the output for either option configured for each specific store. Test results can be analyzed using the BatteryStore software or exported to a corporate database where multiple locations can be reviewed. Despite all of the features available, the focus for Cadex was to ensure ease of use, resulting in a solution that can be rapidly deployed with minimal staff training. Ultimately, the C5100 Battery Testing System allows retail store owners the opportunity to address the needs of an increasing number of consumers by providing a simple, valuable and immediate diagnosis of handset battery problems. To find out more, call 800-565-5228, e-mail info@cadex.com or visit www.cadex.com.
development partner. bitHeads has designed and built the architecture for many customizable applications that work across multiple mobile platforms. By investigating Bridgewater’s direct business needs, and the needs of their clients, bitHeads crafted a solution that Bridgewater was able to easily deploy to clients and added to the value proposition Bridgewater presents to new clients through its myPolicy™ product every day.
Reaching across multiple mobile platforms does not have to be a complicated web of code. Good application architecture and design provides the foundation to balance performance needs and multiple user experiences without making sacrifices in functionality. At bitHeads, we make sure that each platform’s architecture and user experience is tailored to drive customer engagement and effectively address your business goals.
About bitHeads For over 12 years, bitHeads has been helping companies like RIM, Hewlett Packard, Fandango, Rent.com (eBay company), New York Times, EMC, Bridgewater Systems and others to quickly build mission-critical mobile applications for financial services, retail, consumer games, enterprise and other industries. CTIA.bitheads.com. Look for us at booth 2246.
WW: Who are your target suppliers and customers?
Come see P4C Global at booth 5143, call 877-742-4562, or visit www.p4cglobal.com.