| Barcelona, Spain _ The future Nokia Siemens | | | | will happen in the next few years," he suggested. |
| Networks last week unveiled its branding and logo | | | | Commenting on the future company's new logo, |
| and held its first combined media event in a signal | | | | Beresford-Wylie said that it was a reflection of |
| that the latest merger in the telecom world is on | | | | "dynamism, movement and renewal." Like the |
| track for its close in the first quarter. | | | | telco world's other recent merger, Alcatel-Lucent, |
| The merger of the network divisions of Nokia and | | | | the logo of Nokia Siemens uses a wave shape |
| Siemens follows the tie-ups between major | | | | and purple colour, in this case combined with |
| vendors Alcatel and Lucent as well as Ericsson | | | | yellow (Alcatel-Lucent is all purple). |
| and Marconi. | | | | However, the similarities end there, according to |
| Nokia Siemens CEO-designate, Simon | | | | Beresford-Wylie, who suggested that the two |
| Beresford-Wylie, announced at the 3GSM World | | | | companies' similar cultures and close proximity in |
| Congress here in Barcelona that the future | | | | Europe would make it a better fit than one |
| company was "day one ready" and noted that its | | | | corporation from Europe and another from the |
| combined product portfolio was being shown to | | | | US. |
| customers for the first time last week. | | | | In a separate interview with Database, Stephan |
| He claimed the new entity was aiming to save 1.5 | | | | Scholz, the designated head of Research, |
| billion euros by 2010 though operational synergies, | | | | Technology and Platforms for Nokia Siemens |
| 40 percent of which would be realised from | | | | Networks, said the new company would devote |
| combined R&D. Other areas where costs can | | | | equal R&D resources to WiMAX as it does |
| be shaved include procurement, a rationalisation of | | | | to traditional cellular technologies. |
| sales and marketing functions, consolidated IT | | | | Scholz nominated access technologies as one of |
| systems and real estate. | | | | five broad areas that the new company would |
| He spoke of a strategy that would focus on | | | | focus on when it commences operations. The |
| opportunities in mobility and broadband, but which | | | | other four areas for R&D focus were more |
| wouldn't be shackled by any particular technology | | | | efficient core networks, next-generation |
| "religion". | | | | subscriber ID management, IMS for applications |
| "We need to lose the religion," he said, noting that | | | | and OSS/BSS software for both mobile and fixed |
| the future company would have a portfolio that | | | | networks. |
| encompassed a wide range of wireless | | | | While more of a longer-term initiative, the creation |
| technologies including GSM, CDMA and WiMAX. | | | | of modular software for OSS/BSS functions was |
| Open standards would be crucial to its future | | | | crucial and something that was needed on an |
| product rollouts, he said, and he suggested that | | | | industry-wide scale, according to Scholz, who |
| attempts to create a proprietary and closed | | | | nominated it as one of the first projects he would |
| mobile Internet in the past were misguided. | | | | likely start as head of research. |
| "There is only one Internet and I think we | | | | He also spoke of his surprise at the extent of the |
| misunderstood that as an industry. Services and | | | | current Nokia OSS/BSS platform for mobile |
| content [in the future] will come predominantly | | | | networks, saying it was "much more than I was |
| from the Internet and we have to understand | | | | aware of." Scholz, who has been working in |
| that," Beresford-Wylie explained. "We're moving | | | | carrier development at Siemens, suggested that |
| from a world where there was a telecom rhythm | | | | the platform could be adapted so that it can also |
| to one that has an Internet rhythm," he added. | | | | be used for fixed and converged networks in |
| The future CEO also outlined trends through till | | | | future. |
| 2015, with the merged entity expecting the | | | | Other research focusses he proposed were for |
| number of "connected" users to double to 5 billion. | | | | carrier Ethernet aggregation and a single database |
| He expected more of these to be | | | | for subscriber information that would be common |
| broadband-enabled, noting that today we're "still | | | | regardless of the application or service used. |
| living in a world that is narrowband." | | | | The 50:50 joint venture is expected to have six |
| He also expected users in emerging markets to | | | | business units when it commences operations: |
| make the transition to broadband quicker thanks | | | | Radio Access, Service Core and Applications, |
| to new technologies such as WiMAX. "Broadband | | | | Operation Support Systems, Broadband Access, |
| in the developing world won't take decades but | | | | IP/Transport and Services. |