The following came from the JDS Uniphase thread but is good reading because DBA is going to the same conference. They will be introducing their new phone which can interface with a computer.
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"Gear for fiber-optic networks will also be featured by many equipment makers, industry watchers say. One of the hottest types of equipment in fiber optic this year is dense wave-division multiplexing, or DWDM, which increases the capacity of each strand of fiber. "
Technology News
Sat, 09 Oct 1999, 2:46pm EDT
Telecom '99 Displays Dazzle While Real Decisions Are Made Behind Scenes
By Kate Norton
Telecom '99 Displays Dazzle While Real Action Is Behind Scenes
Geneva, Oct. 9 (Bloomberg) -- While the flashy displays and brightly lit corporate stands are designed to dazzle the more than 200,000 visitors expected at Telecom '99 in Geneva this week, the real activity will be going on behind the scenes.
Industry gatherings to talk shop and view the latest in telecommunications technology abound, but the big draw to Telecom '99, veterans of previous shows say, is the sheer number of decision-makers and pace-setters present -- from Microsoft Corp.'s Bill Gates and Cisco System Inc.'s John Chambers, to the heads of some of the hottest start-up companies.
The pace of change in the industry has spawned a flurry of mergers and partnerships unthinkable the last time this event was held in 1995. This time around, the gathering is an opportunity to lay the groundwork for future alliances. 'Some very big deals are done or cemented' at this event, said Roger Wilson, communications director for Hewlett-Packard in Europe. Hewlett-Packard's joint venture with Sweden's Ericsson AB to make network management systems for telecommunications operators and service providers grew out of the Telecom 91 exhibition, he said.
Industry watchers say by far the biggest topic among company executives huddling in meeting rooms at the Palexpo exhibition site and in the bars and restaurants of Geneva will be how they can better tap demand for Internet and data services -- via both traditional phone lines and mobile.
Phone companies such as Deutsche Telekom AG and France Telecom SA, meanwhile, could be among those scouting for new opportunities to enhance their international offerings during the event, analysts say. The two are eager to expand independently after the German company's failed bid for Telecom Italia SpA soured their decade-long partnership.
Shopping Spree
Cisco Systems Inc., Lucent Technologies Inc., Alcatel SA, Siemens AG and other large phone equipment makers are likely to take advantage of the slew of smaller companies attending the event to help them continue their global shopping spree. All have been aiming to keep pace with need for gear that speeds Internet and other data services over phone lines buy buying needed expertise. 'With so much action in the phone equipment industry going on, it's hard to keep track' of the new companies sprouting up, said Peter Orr, a principal analyst at Gartner Group's Dataquest. 'It's very nice if they all come to you, and that's in effect what happens through this event.'
The lure of new business is enough to ensure companies are still splashing out millions of dollars on company stands, some of which have taken months to construct, in spite of a growing awareness of the need to cut costs. AT&T Corp., for example, is slated to have one of the largest stands at the event, even though it said last month it has frozen hiring and intends to eliminate jobs under a plan to cut $2 billion in costs by 2001. 'The output in terms of business relationships and business generated over the next four years is many more millions than the cost of the show.' H-P's Wilson said.
The Faster, the Better
Though product introductions may be secondary to making contacts, companies with large displays won't pass up the chance to show the best technology and equipment they've got. Like many technology-related conferences today, the Internet will be a central feature in many of the displays.
The wireless industry is buzzing about mobile phones that feature a WAP, or Wireless Application Protocol, browser that lets users access Internet information over their mobile phones. Nokia Oyj, Ericsson AB and other mobile phone manufacturers are expected to showcase the latest models and applications for WAP phones, which will be making their debut this year.
Nortel Networks Corp. and other equipment makers are likely to highlight gear that enables traditional phone networks and wireless networks to carry Internet and data more efficiently, at ever-higher speeds, analysts said.
France's Alcatel SA, meanwhile, is expected to be among those touting the merits of advances in ADSL, or asymmetric digital subscriber line, technology that lets traditional copper wires carry data and Internet at high speeds.
Alcatel, which boosted first-half research and development spending 25 percent largely for ADSL projects, is one of the world's biggest sellers of equipment that uses the technology.
Gear for fiber-optic networks will also be featured by many equipment makers, industry watchers say. One of the hottest types of equipment in fiber optic this year is dense wave-division multiplexing, or DWDM, which increases the capacity of each strand of fiber.
World Telecom 99, hosted by the International Telecommunications Union, runs from Oct. 10 to 17 at Geneva's Palexpo center. More information about the event is available at itu.int |
