In this new edition of Telecommunications Convergence, globally recognized telecom guru Steven Shepard gives you a life raft for the whirlpool of todays tech market. With the keen analytical skills and deep knowledge of the industry that have earned him marquee status at telecom conferences around the world, Shepard breaks down the key questions you must answer for your own company and career.

Steven Shepard predicted the current overcapacity, convergence shakeout, and downturn in telecom. Now, in this second edition, he gives you nearly 300 new pages of solutions that work--an almost entirely new book. With this information you and your company can survive--and even thrive--in the challenging environment he forecast.

If youre serious about telecom, you need Shepards technology, service, and management answers to the most critical questions you face:

* What survival strategies will work for my company?

* How do I build a company-sparing blueprint?

* Can management and network hierarchy changes improve the outcome?

* Capability: build or buy?

* What are the smart companies doing right now?

* And most important of all--whats next?

Contents           

     Acknowledgments
     Foreword
     Preface
   INTRODUCTION
    Beginnings: What Do We Know?
    So, Why Did the Crash Occur?
    Evolution
    Aftermath
    The Pivot Point: Customer Value and How to Measure It
    So, Whats the Answer?
   PART ONE: THE TECHNOLOGIES
    Introduction
    The Internets Influence Is Far from Over
    The Software Industry Will Take on a More Critical Role as the Players Evolve
    Optical Technology Will Be the Next Big Techno-hero--Again
    The Functional Migration from the Core of the Network to the Edge is Underway
    In Spite of the Hype, 3G Wireless Doesnt Cut It
    Mobile Appliances Will Become a Significant Marketplace
    The Computer and Pheripheral Device Industry Segment Will Evolve in Strange and Wonderful Ways
    The Metro Environment Will Become a Powerful Marketplace in the Next Three to Five Years
    The Semiconductor Industrys Influence Will Grow Substantially and Products Will Become More Application Specific
    Network Management (NM) Will Take on an Increasingly Important Role
    Convergence: the Technologies
    Access Technologies
    Traditional Access Technologies
    Marketplace Realities
    56-Kbps Modems
    Just Out: V.92
    ISDN
    The Technology
    The Basic Rate Interface (BRI)
    AO/DI
    The Primary Rate Interface (PRI)
    PBX Applications
    Videoconferencing
    Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
    In Support of the Remote Agent
    T-Carrier and Voice Digitization
    The Nature of Voice
    Voice Digitization
    Alternative Digitization Techniques
    Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM)
    Continuously Variable Slope Delta (CVSD)
    Linear Predictive Coding (LPC)
    Digital Speech Interpolation (DSI)
    Framing and Formatting in T-1
    Cable-Based Access Technologies
    The Broadband Balkans
    The Cable Network
    Next-Generation Cable Systems
    Hybrid Fiber Coax Systems (HFC)
    Cable Modems
    Data over Cable Standards
    Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
    ADSL Modulation Techniques
    Crosstalk Issues
    DMT
    CAP
    DSL Services
    ADSL
    A Word About the DSLAM
    High Bit Rate Digital Subscriber Line (HDSL)
    G-Lite
    SHDSL
    DSL Market Issues
    Provider Challenges
    Solutions
    Preventative Network Architecture Issues
    Loop Length
    Crosstalk and Background Noise
    Down the Road
    DSL Summary
    Wireless Access Technologies
    The Special Case of Premises Access
    Contention-based LANs
    Distributed Polling LANs
    Wireless Ethernet: 802.11
    The Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA)
    Bluetooth
    WAP
    The Mobile Appliance
    Access Technologies Summary
    Transport Technologies
    Clouds
    The Evolution of Transport
    Point-to-Point Architectures
    High-Bandwidth Wireless Services
    High-Bandwidth Wired Services
    Optical Systems
    Optical Fiber Types
    SONET
    Other SONET Advantages
    SONET Architectures
    WDM
    How it Works
    Fiber Transmission Issues and Concerns
    A Word About Optical Switching
    Other Switching Solutions
    SONET versus DWDM: A Technology Battle
    Point-to-Point Technologies Summary
    Switched Technologies
    Circuit Switching
    Packet Switching
    Connectionless Packet-Switched Service
    Connecition-Oriented Packet-Switched Service
    Fast Packet Services
    Frame Relay
    Service Granularity in Frame Relay
    Congestion Control in Frame Relay
    Frame Relay Summary
    ATM
    So: Why ATM?
    The ATM Market
    Alternatives to ATM
    ATM Summary
    IP
    Why IP?
    Making it Happen
    IP/ATM Integration
    Summary
   PART TWO: COMPANY CONVERGENCE
    The Players in the Game Will Continue to Evolve
    A New Regulatory Environment is Needed and Will Be Created
    Solutions
    E-Commerce and E-Business Will Strengthen and Mature
    E-Commerce
    Why E-Commerce?
    From E-Commerce to E-Business
    Corporate Evolution
    The Importance of Corporate Knowledge
    Data Mining
    An Aside: The SLA
    Supply-Chain Issues
    ERP in the Telecomm Space
    Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
    Putting It All Together
    The Birth of the Virtual Community
    Company Classifications
    The ILECs
    The CLECs
    The IECs
    The ISPs and Portals
    The Application Service Providers (ASPs)
    The Managed Service Providers (MSPs)
    The Cable Providers
    The Equipment Manufacturers
    Everybody