With increasing adoption of high-bandwidth, multimedia and Web services on mobile devices, operators are moving to Long Term Evolution (LTE) to provide the performance, quality and ubiquitous coverage required to remain competitive in the market.

 

To help operators deploy mobile broadband services using LTE technology, Alcatel-Lucent has reportedly introduced Evolved Packet Core (EPC), an all-IP portfolio that supports the delivery of advanced multimedia services on LTE networks.

 

“The move to LTE is one of the most critical network transformations we will see within the next 5-10 years,” said Basil Alwan, president of Alcatel-Lucent's IP activities, in a statement. “Consumers are now using their wireless devices for more sophisticated broadband applications and mobile operators have recognized that a new IP network architecture is required to meet the resulting demands.”

 

EPC is a critical component in Alcatel-Lucent’s end-to-end LTE solution. The portfolio consists of four elements: Mobility Management Entity (MME), Dynamic Services Controller (DSC), Serving Gateway (SGW), and Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway.

 

While MME and DSC manage dynamic mobility and policy, SGW and PDN are offered as a plug-in hardware and software modules for the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router (SR), which enables operators to deploy a single router that supports 2G, 3G and LTE as well as wire-line networks.

 

LTE enables data speeds comparable to fastest broadband technologies. The technology is also characterized by reduced latency to offer high-quality end-user experience for real-time, multimedia services.

 

Alcatel-Lucent's Ultimate Wireless Broadband End-to-End solution enables wireless and converged services providers to advance their business, operational model and end-to-end network, officials said. It provides an end-to-end LTE network with a full set of LTE and IP products, transformation and integration services, plus the ng Connect open ecosystem of devices, content and application partners.

 

Alcatel-Lucent has shipped more than 30,000 7750 SR nodes to over 260 operators. According to officials, the MME leverages over 20 years of mobility management experience and expertise integrated on the latest generation Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) purpose-built platform.

 

Alcatel-Lucent has already won a contract to supply the EPC to Verizon Wireless. The contract may have severe implications on the business of Starent, which had been the exclusive supplier of the technology to Verizon Wireless, MobilityTechzone reported.