Telecom Firms Drive A Fast-Paced Economy

Ubiquitous communications, via multiple channels and numerous devices, is the ‘call of the day.’

By Jennifer L. Nelson, Contributing Writer On May 27, 2015

In order for businesses to remain constantly connected in an increasingly fast-paced business environment, the state’s telecommunications industry must continuously deliver innovations. Whether you’re a small business or a multi-billion-dollar corporation, companies like AT&T are constantly investing in new technologies to develop new products and services to help New Jersey’s business customers do what they do … but even better. 

“Every day, our employees in New Jersey and worldwide are devising new technological innovations that will help our customers improve their lives. We’re giving them the ability to do what they want, when they want it,” says J. Michael Schweder, president of AT&T Mid-Atlantic. “And we’re working to deliver new, one-of-a-kind experiences at home, work or play.”

With a significant presence in New Jersey, AT&T Labs’ Advanced Technologies strive to look past today’s current solutions to devise new technologies that drive future innovations through research focusing on advancing the capabilities in big data, cloud services, intelligent services and networking and service quality management. From the company “suggestion box” called TIP (The Innovation Pipeline), among the largest corporate crowd-sourcing programs in the world, to its “fast pitch” outreach program that connects the company to the latest in worldwide technological developments via relationships with the venture capital community, AT&T knows the value of innovation. Its AT&T Foundry centers collaborate with developers, startups and other companies to move ideas to the marketplace up to three times faster than ever before. “Through our innovation programs, we’re coming up with new ideas, solving complex issues, speeding up the development process, putting innovative products and services into the market, and developing the network and customer experience of the future,” Schweder says.

From high-tech research to cutting-edge products and services, New Jersey businesses are taking advantage of an endless array of advancements in telecommunications capabilities to help boost their bottom lines. “Comcast has spent decades investing in the necessary infrastructure to make its advanced network broadly available to businesses of all sizes, from small organizations with only a few employees to large enterprises with offices located across the country,” says Michael McCuen, director of sales for Comcast Business. “As a result, we’re able to offer a reliable, fully diverse and scalable solution that can accommodate virtually any business demand.”

According to Vertical Systems Group, the United States Ethernet market will surpass one million customer ports by 2018 as a result of more enterprises, mid-market customers and small businesses moving to Ethernet due to the expanding service options, competitive pricing and rising bandwidth demand. For its smaller business customers, Comcast focuses on making the harnessing power of the cloud accessible and easy via scalable data solutions as well as the Upware Marketplace, a curated collection of business grade cloud applications that helps companies take advantage of both cost-efficient and convenient benefits like seamless sign-on and simple billing.

Because of the importance of WiFi to today’s local businesses of all sizes, customers can also take advantage of the Comcast Business Wireless Gateway, which provides both private and public WiFi – from a single device – while using separate networks for added security. Meanwhile, Comcast Business VoiceEdge is a hosted, cloud-based system that helps customers run their businesses faster and more efficiently while eliminating major capital investment and hardware management costs that come with traditional PBX phone systems.

“In New Jersey, we continue to proactively expand our vast fiber network and focus on helping organizations expand, diversify and prepare for the future by providing scalable bandwidth that can be adjusted as their business needs change,” McCuen adds.

In order to meet the WiFi demands of its customers in the most cost-effective way possible, Cablevision recently launched Freewheel, a new low-cost all-WiFi phone service – the first to ever be introduced by a cable provider – that will offer unlimited data, talk and text in their efforts to harness the rapid growth and unparalleled capabilities of WiFi. Cablevision has made a significant investment in building its WiFi network; today, Optimum WiFi is available at 1.1 million access points. “There has been a dramatic shift in how consumers use their mobile devices; today, it’s all about data, and WiFi is now preferred and clearly superior to cellular,” says Kristin Dolan, chief operating officer of Cablevision. “Freewheel is powered by the strength of our OptimumWiFi network integrated with a high-quality device to deliver a breakthrough service for truly unlimited data, talk and text without the high costs imposed by cellular providers.”

Of course, for any telecommunications company, a commitment to innovation automatically means making significant financial investments in its network. AT&T invested nearly $1.6 billion in its best-in-class wireless and wired networks in New Jersey between 2012 and 2014, which allowed the company to offer a wide range of upgrades in reliability, coverage, speed and performance for both its residential and business customers. Among its main focuses is the “Internet of Things,” or IoT. One of the fastest-growing technology trends, it’s the concept where all types of devices and machines are connected and ‘talking’ to each other, Schweder says. “AT&T is committed to helping businesses increase efficiency, save money and preserve natural resources,” he adds. “As a global leader in Industrial IoT, we deliver solutions that enable businesses of all sizes to better manage their operations and keep track of valuable assets.”

According to Verizon Spokesman Lee Gierczynski, “In 2013, the telecommunications and cable industry as a whole invested $46 billion in its infrastructure – more than any other industry. Robust competition and technological advancements are continuing to drive innovation in the industry,” he confirms. “Our level of innovation is matched by our investments in the communications infrastructure we provide to millions of Americans.”

Verizon’s investments in its wireless, broadband and Cloud innovations aim to deliver integrated connected solutions that work across all devices and platforms. “Verizon’s innovation labs assist entrepreneurs in leveraging the power of our networks in new devices and applications, helping to create a whole ecosystem of innovation that has already begun – and will continue – to transform our society,” Gierczynski adds.

But for many of today’s telecommunications powerhouses, the investments in their networks is only the beginning when it comes to the innovations that are taking place across the Garden State. Although Verizon has deployed its 100 percent fiber-optic network via its FiOS TV and FiOS Internet and made it available to more than 2.1 million homes and businesses across New Jersey – a total of 22,000 miles of fiber optics throughout the state – today’s companies also recognize the importance of investing in sustainable energy. In 2014, Verizon invested more than $20 million to install new solar power systems at facilities in Carteret, Freehold and Piscataway that will generate more than 3.5 megawatts of power annually, and over the last two years, the company has invested more than $34 million in its on-site green energy program in New Jersey. “New Jersey is a state that prides itself on innovation, and our company enables so much innovation in New Jersey to take place. We have made a conscious choice to be here in a state of innovators and innovative leaders,” Gierczynski says. “Being a responsible citizen is also at the heart of Verizon’s business.”

New Jersey’s telecommunications companies also work directly with their customers in order to help them identify – and overcome – their day-to-day operations challenges. Focused on the B2B and B2C business markets, Avaya collaborates with its business customers in order to deliver the communications solutions that increase their teams and customer engagements as well as help companies remain competitive in the ever-changing marketplace. “Competition in the telecommunications industry has never been more intense,” says Venkatesh Krishnaswamy, vice president of Avaya Labs. “Convergence over IP has opened the door to a vast amount of opportunity for companies, from small startups to huge service providers, and we’ve seen more significant – and disruptive – innovations in the past 20 years than there was for more than 100 years before … and that pace is only picking up.”

To that end, Avaya is focused on providing engagement and communications technologies for businesses, from small- and mid-sized to large multi-national enterprises and contact centers. “Many of our latest innovations have focused on bringing together what were previously separate technologies – such as voice, video, instant messaging/presence and conferencing – and making them available through a single client interface that works on multiple devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop telephones,” Krishnaswamy adds.

In fact, Avaya remains one of the leading providers of contact center technologies for customer service and helpdesk operations. That also means that local New Jersey businesses are taking advantage of new ways to expand their reach all across the country; for example, Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken now relies on Avaya Video Solutions to consult with customers located all throughout the country on their custom cake designs. “Just as employees now expect to be able to use any device and work from anywhere, customers are also looking for service through multiple channels, including self-service, web, video, phone and social media, and from a wide variety of devices,” he says. “Much of our research is devoted to creating the software to enable businesses to manage all these channels in a way that provides the end customer with a highly satisfactory, seamless experience throughout their entire interaction with a company.”

It’s possible that no company better understands the value of innovation in the telecommunications industry than Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs in Murray Hill – the company recently received its eighth Nobel Prize. More importantly, it was announced this past April that Alcatel-Lucent is being acquired for $16.6 billion by Finland-based Nokia, which will retain the Bell Labs brand. According to Rajeev Suri, president and chief executive officer of Nokia, “Our innovation capability will be extraordinary, bringing together the R&D engine of Nokia with that of Alcatel-Lucent and its iconic Bell Labs. We will continue to combine this strength with the highly efficient, lean operations needed to compete on a global scale.”

Theodore Sizer, vice president of the wireless research program in Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs, leads a team of more than 200 researchers in six locations (including its headquarters in Murray Hill) that focus on the development of wireless technology. “Wireless will be the only way to communicate in the future … if it isn’t already,” he says. “We’re already seeing a greater reliance in the business world on the use of mobile phones as the only way to connect … and in order to do this, we must work through new challenges and develop innovative technologies to ensure that businesses always get those five bars, whether they’re in the office, at their desk or out and about.”

That’s why the company is already looking ahead to develop 5G capabilities that provide the technical solutions that businesses of the future will need to remain competitive. “There are a myriad of new applications we envision coming to the market – and we predict that more and more businesses will be taking advantage of applications and devices that don’t have a human attached to them,” Sizer adds. Among the solutions Bell Labs is currently developing are ways to better integrate the existing cell and WiFi solutions, and allowing the end user to have seamless, reliable access to information they need at all times.

Sizer also predicts that the “Internet of Things” will have the greatest impact on the business world of the future. “We’re talking about little machines that connect you to information we never thought possible in order to help businesses function in better ways. Needless to say, it’s a really fun time to be in this business,” he concludes. “We expect a plethora of new innovations that provide enhanced function, safety and energy efficiency, and all while helping people have more time to do what they want to do, both at work and at home.”