5.- MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS
7.1. VERIFICACIÓN DE OBJETIVOS
Alcatel’s collabor ation on Ville Orange proved so success- ful that it was asked to be a partner on Orange Intense – the final phase or commercial launch. To meet the challenge of “first time right,” Alcatel conducted a rigorous and demand- ing acceptance program on the radio access and core net- 3G NETWORK POWERS INTENSE SERVICES
Mid 2001 October 2001 December 2001 July 2002 December 2002 April to October 2004 July 2003 September 2003 to May 2004 April to October 2004 June to November 2004 December 2004
Alcatel wins the first 3G Framework Agreement with the Orange Group to supply UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) solutions for the Orange Group 3G deployment in Europe. The Alcatel UTRAN is installed in France, UK and The Netherlands.
Together, Alcatel and Orange France run the first live 3G calls in Paris over an Evolium™ UTRAN and the Alcatel Evolium™ core network.
Alcatel begins working with the Orange consumer marketing team to define the 3G multimedia services and how to launch them “first time right!” The Ville Orange 3G pilot project is initiated by Orange.
Alcatel is contracted to provide all 3G network and live services, integration and hosting for city trials.
The Ville Orange trial is conducted in 12 cities for up to 7000 subscribers. Alcatel wins the Second Orange Group Framework Agreement for UTRAN. It is selected in France to deliver half the network, including Paris
and the environs, as well as to cover one-fifth of the coverage area in the UK.
Two-thousand 3G/UMTS radio sites in France are rolled out and commissioned. As a result of the Ville Orange project, Alcatel wins and delivers three
multimedia projects awarded by Orange for the commercial launch, including a video streaming solution, a fixed mobile video gateway, and a video mail box.
Final acceptance of the commercial launch of the UTRAN release, and end-to-end optimization of the 3G network – from terminals to applications – is achieved.
The commercial launch of Orange Intense begins.
Table 1: Major milestones
Lille
FRANCE
Lens Strasbourg Nice Cannes Marseille Toulouse Rennes Nantes Poitiers Bordeauxworks to ensure they provided optimum end-to-end perform- ance from terminals to transmission.
True to form, Alcatel’s operational and technical teams stayed on schedule and achieved the QoS benchmarks in a com- plex mobile environment. In fact, Alcatel installed 800 radio base stations (Node Bs) in just three mont hs, enabling Orange to meet its ambitious time-to-market goal, launching Orange Intense on 6thDecember 2004.
Broadband Services Tuned to Market Demand
Orange Intense offers subscribers a complete portfolio of new mobile multimedia services, such as audio and video streaming, videomail box, and convergent fixed/mobile video calls. The Orange Worl d Vi deo Portal is at t he heart of this offering. With its easy-to-use menu, the portal deliv- ers new multime-
dia audio, video and television services, making it unique in the mobile market (see Fi gu re 2). To ensure a finely tuned service, an upgraded portal has been deliv- ered to Orange every two months since 2003.
“This new
vi de o po rta l is completely differ- ent from what
exists in the market,” says Bruno Dachary, Orange France. “It’s very simple to use and is based only on pictures. To access a video, you just click on a picture once or twice, so it’s very straightforward for customers. With Alcatel, we are really focusing on what the customer needs.”
On this project, Alcatel served as the video portal’s end- to-end integrator, as well as the exclusive supplier of all streaming technolog y. The streaming technology, includ- ing the server, has been developed by Pack- etVideo Network Solu- tions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alcatel.
With Orange Intense, subscribers can access more than 20 television channels, live web cams and many audio and vi de o st re am s. Th es e include news, comedy, sports, fashion, people, movies, cartoons and music. Among the serv- ices, the video mailbox is proving especially attractive with about twenty percent of cus- tomers opting for the service. With video mail- box (see Fi gu re 3),
when a called party is absent, callers can record a video mes- sage using either a camera-enabled mobile phone or a desk- top web cam stored in the user’s video mailbox. Messages can also be sent from one video mailbox to another.
Figure 4 shows a typical video call.
Why Alcatel?
Orange France chose Alcatel as its strategic partner for the delivery of its 3G network based on Alcatel’s ability to repeatedly meet Orange’s deadlines. Moreover, Alcatel suc- cessfully completed a complex end-to-end acceptance process, resulting in optimized, stable and proven software. Throughout the project, the trust placed in Alcatel proved well founded. Whether as the preferred integrator of the Orange World Video Portal, the provider of turnkey services, or the validator of interoperability between all the elements of the end-to-end solution, Alcatel has delivered on the Orange vision every step of the way.
As D achary observ es: “The ad vantag e of workin g wi th a partner like Alcatel is that we are quite close. We have been working together for a long time, so we know each other quite well. This creates some good links and good ways to work towards the same target.”
Other factors were also crucial in Orange’s choice of Alc atel. Techn olo gical ly, the Evo liu m™ UTR AN produ ct
line, developed through the Alca- tel-Fujitsu joint ven tur e, was the perfect combina- tion of Fujitsu’s stable and proven
platform and
Alcate l’s expe rt - ise in building the most efficient and cost-effective radio base sta- tions.
Al ca tel ’s pi o- neering vision of
open and interoperable solutions, originally developed for the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), enabled Alca- tel to meet Orange’s requirement for guaranteed, end-to- end quality of service.
Finally, Alcatel’s operational capability had proved itself in the past during a long-standing GSM relationship with Orange. This capability included: mobilization for on- time delivery, reactivity to feedback and fast correction, optimization know-how, and worldwide delivery and tech- nical support.
The trailblazing continues
Since the launch of Orange Intense in France, Alcatel has become the first French company equippe d with 3G indoor technology. Indoor coverage is becoming essen- tial for new multimedia services being introduced with 3G. The services require extremely powerful equipment and excellent QoS.
Not surprisingly, when Alcatel decided to equip its Paris headquarters with 3G indoor coverage, it chose Orange France as its 3G network. Orange increased its 3G radio cov- erage at rue La Boétie via an indoor 3G distribution network
Figure 2: The Orange World video portal
Figure 3: Alcatel-developed video mailbox interface
supplied by Alcatel. Now from the b asement to the top floor, and even in the elevators, Alcatel employees can make 3G calls without any fear that they will be dropped. They can also make video calls and access the latest multimedia services. Once again, Alcatel’s expertise in 3G has been the key suc- cess factor in this premier 3G indoor installation.
Conclusion
From conception to execution of the Orange 3G network and multimedia services, Alcatel and Orange have proved suc- cessful partners. With both companies committed to a sim- ilar vision of new and innovative 3G services, they have been able to leverage each other’s strengths every step of the way. The net result is an unprecedented 3G network, rolled out at an unprecedented speed.
3G NETWORK POWERS INTENSE SERVICES
Olivier Perot was Vice President of the Orange Support Center in the Alcatel Mobile
Communications Group, Vélizy, France, until 1st March 2005. He is now in charge of the Regional Support Center covering Area 4 within the Fixed Solutions Division. ([email protected]) Jean-Marc Perera is Director of Marketing & Solutions in the Orange Support Center of the Alcatel Mobile Communications Group, Vélizy, France. (Jean-
Lorraine Byerley is Head of Web Communications for the Alcatel Mobile Communications Group in Ottawa, Canada. ([email protected])
Publisher: Jean-Paul BARTH - Technical Journal published by Compagnie Financière Alcatel, a corporation (Société Anonyme) with a share capital of Eur 2 610 910 922.
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