As infrastructure vendors strive to simplify their products for carriers, companies such as Hewlett-Packard Co., Sun Microsystems Inc. and IBM Corp. are positioning themselves to provide network equipment vendors with core infrastructure platforms.
HP made such a move last week with a new program to deliver what it describes as a complete, integrated telecom platform for network and service providers.
Using such expressions as standards-based, modular and low risk, HP says it has differentiated itself by providing a comprehensive suite of products comprising hardware, software, operating systems and services. This includes servers, a Linux operating system, commercial middleware, a program for integrating third parties, its Open Call signaling software and services to meet the needs of both carriers and enterprises.
Major infrastructure player Motorola Inc. and HP in August inked a multi-year cooperation deal to use HP’s platforms even in anticipation of this announcement, according to Joy King, director of network provider solutions at HP.
She said companies including Nokia Corp., Motorola, Siemens AG and Lucent Technologies Inc. traditionally have built their network platform products in-house, but they are proprietary and expensive.
“Using the new network products built with HP technologies, Motorola will be able to meet the needs in mature markets while tailoring solutions that are attractive to smaller mobile operators in emerging markets,” said both companies of the August agreement.
King said the platforms will allow telecom equipment vendors to focus more on the front-end of their networks to provide the right applications for the carriers, such as Push To Talk. She said her company distinguishes itself from others because it also focuses on carrier-grade solutions, while others simply focus on enterprise.
“These new HP platforms will enable Motorola to give our customers exactly what they need in a fast-changing market- world-class equipment, attractive return on investment, and the flexibility to adapt their networks as needed,” said Adrian Nemcek, executive vice president at Motorola, and president and chief executive officer of its global telecom solutions sector.
Nokia acknowledges this trend, but claims that it outsources only the areas that it feels it does not have the competence to perform. But the Finnish vendor would not disclose its partnerships in that area.
“There are times when it is in our own interest to build it ourselves,” remarked Andrew Button, general manager of marketing and strategy at Nokia Networks in North America. He said fewer vendors address the suites of services and equipment that carriers want, explaining that it is difficult for one player to satisfy all the needs and expertise required by a carrier.
“All carriers want uniformity and ubiquity,” said Button, adding that not all carriers have the same needs. “It varies from case to case,” he remarked.
Describing its product, King said the bottom layer of the stack consists of the commercial and carrier grade-compliant services, adding the servers conform to the Advanced Telecom Architecture standards based on Intel processors. Sun and IBM do not yet belong to this group.
She explained that its Linux OS conforms to the works of such players as Red Hat as well as Debian. The third layer is software, which embodies signaling and gateway from HP’s Open Call, a portfolio of software for the telecom market. On top of the stack are the services, which include life-cycle management, consulting, and integration. They help build the platform to the specific needs of the providers, according to King.
“We are taking the best of the commercial world and marrying it to the requirements of the carriers,” said King.
