Looking to help modernise and future-proof campus networks across a range of use cases and industries, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) and Nokia have strengthened their strategic partnership to deliver an end-to-end portfolio of network services designed to support the digital transformation of critical industries such as transportation, smart cities, energy and utilities, healthcare, and hospitality.
The joint networking services have been deployed by Ikos Resorts in Greece, Pantai Jerudong Hospital in Brunei and Wembley Park in the UK in deployments designed to help establish campus-wide fibre-based LAN networks capable of delivering multi-gigabit data speeds to customers.
Nokia and ALE say the wins mark a significant milestone in the five-year partnership, and add to a long list of successful deployments at some of the world’s most demanding projects, such as Grand Paris Express, Montreal Railways and Okada Manila Resort.
By integrating their respective networking portfolios, the two companies say that they are “uniquely positioned” to meet the evolving demands of complex environments such as hospitality segments where resorts like Ikos are using their combined offering to connect hundreds of bedrooms across their luxury all-inclusive sites. With Nokia and ALE, Ikos was able to run its guest services, CCTV, voice, Wi-Fi and building safety sensors through a single, high-availability network architecture.
The fibre infrastructure also helped to save space and reduce the number of network layers. Boasting a legacy in delivering optical fibre services and being a trusted integrator in enterprise communications, Nokia and ALE have deployed their joint offering into more than 100 enterprises globally.
At the heart of the infrastructures is Nokia’s Optical LAN, which is designed to provide enterprises and campuses with a high-capacity fibre-based network capable of supporting the growing bandwidth needs for all in-campus devices and applications.
The optical LAN includes network performance with 10 gigabit speeds; “significantly” reduced power consumption, making operations more sustainable and cost-effective; and a light infrastructure in which the network can be simplified with minimal hardware requirements, reducing complexity and enhancing reliability. It is also attributed with lower total cost of ownership through efficient design and reduced maintenance, maximising return on investment.
Integrated into ALE’s network offering for enterprise in-building and campus connectivity, the technology is said to offer significant advantages, including lower energy consumption and total cost of ownership. ALE’s LAN and Wi-Fi also see use in providing an automated service that is claimed to be able to onboard devices efficiently while securing the network thanks to asset discovery and classification, virtual segmentation and continuous monitoring. Features include Layer 2 services, HPOE and optional redundant uplinks.
“By combining ALE’s agile enterprise networking solutions with Nokia’s carrier-grade infrastructure, we offer a comprehensive portfolio that addresses the unique needs of critical industries,” said Sandrine El Khodry, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise’s executive vice-president of global sales and marketing. “Our partnership is built on trust, innovation and a shared commitment to customer success.”
Matthieu Bourguignon, senior vice-president and head of Europe at Nokia, added: “Our collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise allows us to deliver end-to-end, mission-critical solutions that go beyond traditional boundaries. We are proud of the joint successes we’ve achieved and look forward to enabling even more transformative projects together.”
