Lucent Showcases Technologies As It Prepares For Alcatel Takeover

As it prepares for its proposed merger with Alcatel, Lucent Technologies trotted out an array of products and services, aiming to show it is prepared to compete vigorously in telecommunications markets.

Most were highlighted at the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) meeting this week in Las Vegas, Nev.

Lucent demonstrated VoIP and high-speed data calls utilizing CDMA2000 1xEV-DO networks. Also featured was a video conferencing application using Lucent's UMTS/HSDPA solution.

In addition, there was a program by Bell Labs, Lucent's research and development lab. Lucent unveiled an ongoing program in which Bell Labs has been utilizing "dynamic optimization" in segments of New Zealand Telecom's mobile network. The program adjusts network performance to conform with traffic changes.

"We can 'borrow' unused capacity from areas where it isn't currently needed and direct it to other areas where demand is bigger at any given time," said Mike Flanagan, technical manager of the project, in a statement.Also at CTIA, Lucent said it is working with Sun Microsystems to simplify users' access to wireline and wireless services whether they are on web, mobile, IPTV or IP multimedia architectures. The approach, Lucent said, is to provide one-stop, rapid and secure access to multiple services.

Lucent unveiled a partnership with IBM that enables joint IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solutions to be deployed on IBM's BladeCenter servers. Lucent said its customers will be able to deploy parts of its IMS portfolio on the platform of their choice. In a statement, John Marinho, Lucent's corporate strategic marketing vice president, said: "IBM's platform will also be interoperable with Lucent's existing platform."