- New software platform significantly cuts the
cost and complexity of embedding and integrating voice, video, and
messaging services into any application to enrich existing services
or create new ones
PARIS, April 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcatel-Lucent
(Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) has today launched Rapport™, a
software-based, open platform that gives large enterprises and
service providers a new, and much more flexible way to deliver
communications and collaboration services.
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With Rapport, the communications network becomes a platform for
innovation, enabling the creation of new 'contextual
communications', where fundamental services such as voice, chat,
video conferencing and sharing become functions available to any
application, website or connected object. These services can then
be accessed by application developers using open application
programming interfaces (APIs) and simple software development kits
(SDKs).
Rapport goes beyond simple virtualization to fully embrace the
cloud with a single software platform that can be deployed on any
commercial, off-the-shelf hardware, dramatically driving down the
cost and complexity of deploying and managing communications
services.
Rapport is based on a fully re-architected version of
Alcatel-Lucent's IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) software, the
foundation for the company's award-winning Voice over LTE (VoLTE)
solution. Distinct configurations have been developed to address
the unique requirements of large enterprises and service providers
respectively, and were designed based on years of experience
addressing these challenges in live networks.
Bhaskar Gorti, President of
Alcatel-Lucent's IP Platforms business, said:
"Rapport liberates large enterprises from the communications
technology silos and proprietary vendor offerings that IT
departments need to contend with. It also removes the barriers for
service providers to offer more engaging communications services to
their customers, which can be delivered seamlessly using any device
and across any network."
Rapport for the Enterprise
With the growing decentralization and mobility of the workforce,
the rapid pace of technology and application evolution, and the
shift to a 'bring your own device' (BYOD) model, large enterprises
need a new approach to support their communications needs. Rapport
helps enterprises cap their investments in legacy PBX and Unified
Communications systems.
Rapport accomplishes this by offering a single open,
communications framework deployed in a private cloud, into which
large enterprises can plug in best-of-breed apps to help meet the
needs of employees for the latest services, whether in the office
or on the move. It can also help enterprises better serve their
customers by building communications services into applications,
websites and products. With this approach, large enterprises can
save up to 50% on their communications infrastructure costs, with
the return on investment breaking even in the first year of the
transformation.
Rapport for Enterprise is designed to address the specific
requirements of large enterprises. It is architected to run in a
private cloud environment leveraging HP's industry-leading
converged infrastructure platform, which is highly optimized for
scalable workloads. Rapport also supports a growing ecosystem of
technology providers, including CounterPath, for multi-device
softclients and SDKs.
Rapport for the Service Provider
Rapport strengthens the communications business case for service
providers by enabling them to support VoLTE/mobile, fixed, and WiFi
services with a single, more agile cloud communications platform,
significantly simplifying and reducing the cost per subscriber to
deliver these services. Rapport uses a network functions
virtualization (NFV) approach, and works with NFV platforms such as
Alcatel-Lucent's CloudBand™ to launch VoLTE and new services
rapidly to both consumers and businesses and scale dynamically as
subscriber demand dictates.
Rapport delivers communication services that follow people -
rather than devices - based on their presence, location, and
availability. Service providers can embed communications into
objects, applications and websites, which opens up new retail
markets such as wearables, connected homes and telematics. They can
also extend services from their single Rapport network to
application providers and web companies to pursue new wholesale
markets.
Rapport comes with an open, vibrant ecosystem of more than 800
developers and partners. This drives innovation by equipping
developers with a simpler means of embedding communications into
their apps, so that they can focus on developing and delivering
their ideas, and not be distracted by the challenges of
latency-sensitive, real-time communications.
Key Facts:
- Rapport simplifies software lifecycle management and reduces
costs with a single cloud communication platform that helps
eliminate communication silos.
- Rapport adapts user experiences to the constantly changing
needs of customers.
- Rapport transforms communications into an asset that can be
built into any application, web site and connected object.
- Rapport is based on re-architected IMS software with fully
decomposed Virtual Network Functions, that can be delivered on any
commercial off the shelf (COTS) hardware, and works with any NFV
platform.
- Rapport enables new services to be more rapidly introduced,
through access to communication features via open published APIs
and SDKs.
Quotes:
Rich Costello, Senior
Research Analyst, International Data Corporation said:
"Alcatel-Lucent's new communications platform, Rapport,
addresses something enterprises have needed – a single, open
communications framework in a private cloud. There are real
challenges with moving from a legacy PBX-based communications
approach to apps and services with communications hosted in the
enterprise cloud. Not only do enterprises need a new approach, but
they need a new method for getting there. This is a compelling new
take on how to address the relationships between communications,
applications, and the large enterprise, and this appears to be
creating a new category of communications solution."
Jim Hodges, Senior Analyst,
Heavy Reading said:
"The quest for service innovation relies on new business models
and corresponding technology enablers. Service providers need to
prepare for the next service era, by looking beyond simply mobile
additions and mobile usage and focusing on user experiences,
efficiency, and managing complexity. Virtualized solutions like
Alcatel-Lucent's Rapport for the Service Provider can play an
important role in helping service providers most efficiently meet
these new requirements. By moving communications into the cloud -
to enable new services, user experience, and apps - the service
provider is better positioned for long term success."
Liz Theophille, Chief Information Officer, Alcatel-Lucent
said:
"Like many large companies, we have multiple platforms
in place to support our communications and collaboration needs,
from voice services to video conferencing to IM and chat. At the
same time, our workforce is increasingly mobile, and relies on a
fast-growing universe of applications on smartphones and tablets to
manage their personal lives, but which are largely unavailable in
their work environments. Rapport provides a single platform to
address all of these requirements, in a way that is open and in
synch with our increasingly app-driven business culture and will
enable us to stop investing in multiple platforms."
Visit the Rapport home page to learn more or view our
podcast.
About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE:
ALU)
Alcatel-Lucent is the leading IP networking,
ultra-broadband access and cloud technology specialist. We are
dedicated to making global communications more innovative,
sustainable and accessible for people, businesses and governments
worldwide. Our mission is to invent and deliver trusted networks to
help our customers unleash their value. Every success has its
network.
For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on:
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts on the
Alcatel-Lucent blog http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow
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