| This week's sponsor is Verizon. |   | Verizon has the right technology to set you apart. We have the experience, the strategic alliances, and the network to help your business get ahead. Learn More. |
Today's Top Stories
1. Are data centers wasteful power hogs?
2. Gartner tags Alcatel-Lucent, Avaya, Cisco and Siemens as telephony market leaders
3. FCC should be broadband 'cop on the beat,' says chairman
4. China's Huawei throws down telepresence gear gauntlet to Cisco
5. BT Global Services launches cloud-based UC service Editor's Corner: Come together: Living in a converged world Also Noted: ITEXPO
Spotlight On... Spotlight: UCaaS market to reach $1.9 billion in 2012
IDC rates videoconferencing gear makers; VoIP conquers the Middle East and much more...  Tying the data center and WAN worlds: Dennis Brouwer, Savvis
Dennis Brouwer, General Manager, Converged Cloud and Global Network Solutions for Savvis, admits he's still a relative newcomer to the cloud and hosted services game, having joined the company in May 2008. Following CenturyLink's acquisition of Savvis last year, Brouwer was tasked with tying together the data center world of Savvis with the WAN worlds that CenturyLink brings to bear from its own legacy operations and its acquisition of Qwest Communications. A key goal of Savvis is to move up the stack into managing applications for business customers. Sean Buckley, FierceTelecom's Senior Editor, caught up with Brouwer recently to talk about the integration of Savvis into CenturyLink's fold and the trends taking place in the data center and cloud services market segment. On the Hot Seat
 Follow @FierceEntComm on Twitter!
| This week's sponsor is EXFO. | 
| Webinar: Carrier Ethernet woes? Improve operational efficiency and network visibility
Wednesday, October 10, 11am ET / 8am PT / 3pm GMT
This webinar introduces a centralized Ethernet service activation and monitoring solution that enables network operators to deploy cost-effectively, accelerate time to revenue and boost operational efficiency, while optimizing subscriber experience. Register Today! |
Come together: Living in a converged world
Expanding connectivity will bring about widespread convergence of technologies, products, industries and vendors--so predicts Frost & Sullivan analyst Sarwant Singh in his new book New Mega Trends. With more than 80 billion connected devices, 9 billion mobile phones, 5 billion Internet users, five connected devices for every individual, 10 connected devices for every household and 500 devices with unique digital IDs per square kilometer, consumers and businesses will pave the way to a digital planet by 2020, Singh argues. Singh sees a convergence of the telecom, IT, energy/infrastructure and automation/building control industries, which will then lead to a convergence of head-to-head competition among companies in these seemingly separate spaces... Continued  More
Read more about: Cisco, Convergence
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Sponsor: Acme Packet FierceLive! Webinars > Telco-OTT: the Good, the Fast and the Nimble - Thursday, September 27, 11am ET / 8am PT
> Mobile Acceleration for the Mobile Revolution - Tuesday, November 13th, 2pm ET / 11am PT
> Webinar: Beyond the Cable: The Move to Mobility by MSOs - October 9th, 11:00 am EST/ 8:00 am PST
> Carrier Ethernet woes? Here's an economical approach to improving operational efficiency and network visibility - Wednesday, October 10, 11am ET / 8am PT / 3pm GMT
> The 1000x challenge; Small cells everywhere! - Wednesday, October 17, 12pm ET / 9am PT Events > ITEXPO 2012 - October 2-5 - Austin, TX
> Cloud Communications Expo 2012 - October 2-5 - Austin, TX
> Cloud4SMB Expo 2012 - October 2-5 - Austin, TX
> Video World Conference & Expo 2012 - October 3-5 - Austin, TX Marketplace > Research: LTE: a real disruptive technology and business opportunity?
> Whitepaper: Case Study: 4G Operator Maximizes Revenue with Flexibile, and Discovery-driven Audit Capabilities
> EBook: The New Data Center
> Whitepaper: Save 30-50% on Telecom Costs ? Free IntelePeer White Paper Shows How
> Webinar: Save 30-50% on Telecom Costs - Free IntelePeer White Paper Shows How
> EBook: Finding New Gold in Copper
> Whitepaper: Kabel Deutschland Uses Lavastorm Analytics' Flexibility to Optimize Revenue Assurance and Fraud Management Processes
> Whitepaper: Whitepaper: 7 Key Customer Trends Driving Convergent Charging
> The Benefits of Moving from Open Source to WebSphere Application Server: Forrester Research Discusses its New Total Economic Im
> EBook: Dodd-Frank: The Key to Compliance Success Jobs > Public Safety DAS Engineer - Houston, TX - Connectivity Wireless Solutions
> Project Manager - Washington, D.C. – IT WORKS!
> Project Manager Job - Charlotte, NC, USA – Yoh
> Wireless Project Manager Job - Cerritos, CA, USA – Yoh
> Field Technicians (5) Job - Melbourne, FL, USA – Yoh
> Field Technician (CDMA and LTE experience preferred) Job - Plano, TX, USA – Yoh
> Need a job? Need to hire? Visit FierceWirelessJobs * Post a classified ad: Click here.
* General ad info: Click here | Today's Top News 1. Are data centers wasteful power hogs?
In a recent article, the New York Times argues that most data centers consume large amounts of power in an "incongruously wasteful manner," squandering 90 percent or more of the electricity they pull from the grid. On average, data centers use only 6 percent to 12 percent of the electricity powering their services to perform computations, according to research conducted by McKinsey & Company for the newspaper. The remaining power is used to keep servers idle to handle demand surges that would otherwise slow or crash the system. The research sampled about 20,000 servers in 70 large data centers across a range of enterprises including drug companies, banks, media companies, military contractors and government agencies. However, Richard Fichera, an analyst with Forrester, questions the New York Times' analysis. "Technically they are correct that of the electricity going to a server, only a very small fraction is used to perform useful work, but this dramatic claim is not a fair representation of the overall efficiency picture," he wrote in a blog. The newspaper's analysis does not consider that "not all of the power in the data center goes to servers, so the claim of 6 percent efficiency of the servers is not representative of the real operational efficiency of the complete data center," Fichera said. At the same time, Fichera admits that the data centers are not as efficient as proponents claim. He used as an example a new data center that has a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.2, which is considered very efficient. Based on his calculations, the power going to IT workloads would only be around 38 percent. "Not good, but certainly better than the implication" that more than 90 percent of the power is "disappearing into thin air," Fichera opined. He went on to challenge a number of other assumptions made by the New York Times, including the sampling methodology used by McKinsey & Company. The Forrester analyst concluded: "The simple fact is that if we want to live in an information society, we need the plumbing to support it. That is perhaps the most salient observation that the New York Times made--there really is no cloud, just more and more really big data centers." For more:
- check out the New York Times article
- read Fichera's blog Related Articles
Cisco tapped by Australia NBN to be part of its data network
Savvis builds new data center in Frankfurt Read more about: Data Center
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| This week's sponsor is Acme Packet. | 
| Webinar: Telco-OTT: the Good, the Fast and the Nimble
Thursday, September 27, 11am ET / 8am PT
Service providers have been in a perennial battle with "over-the-top" internet vendors who leverage bandwidth but often do not play by the same regulatory or financial rules. Does it need to be a battle of us vs. them? Register Today! |
2. Gartner tags Alcatel-Lucent, Avaya, Cisco and Siemens as telephony market leaders
Technology research firm Gartner has named Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), Avaya, Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) and Siemens Enterprise Communications (NYSE: SI) as leaders in the hardware and software market for corporate telephony, according to the 2012 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Corporate Telephony report. Companies listed by Gartner as strong challengers include Aastra Technologies, Mitel (NASDAQ: MITL), NEC and ShoreTel (NASDAQ: SHOR). Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Digium are named as visionaries but with less ability to execute than the market leaders. Niche players are Huawei and Toshiba. Gartner evaluated the companies based on their ability to execute and their completeness of vision. Commenting on Siemens Enterprise Communications as a market leader, Chris Hummel, chief commercial officer with the company, said "voice communications will continue to serve as a pillar" of the company's strategy going forward. Gartner also identified two trends in the corporate telephony market over the last two years. First, there was aggressive discounting, ranging from 50 percent to 65 percent for corporate telephony systems, particularly for large global telephony deals. Second, vendors began offering bundling of telephony and unified communications functions into a single license. The research firm projects that shipments of corporate telephony hardware and software will grow at a modest 2.2 percent compound annual growth rate through 2016. Gartner advised enterprises to assess corporate telephony vendors based on a number of future market directions and vendor capabilities. These include: - support for voice, video and conferencing capabilities across the enterprise network
- support session management
- an open telephony platform that supports integration with conferencing and collaboration applications from different vendors
- system integration with and support for unified communications products to supplement telephony
- a scalable hosted alternative that supports communications-as-a-service products
- established network and system management tools that leverage the efficiencies and opportunities for cost savings provided by IP technology.
"Decision criteria for corporate telephony should focus on scalable solutions that support Session Internet Protocol (SIP), desired levels of resiliency, desktop and mobile functionality, and the ability to integrate with enterprise IT applications while delivering the performance and voice quality demanded by users," Gartner concluded. For more:
- see the Gartner corporate telephony report (link provided by Microsoft)
- read Siemens statement Related Articles
Gartner names Avaya, Cisco, Microsoft and Siemens as 2012 UC market leaders
Business process services dominate cloud services market, firm finds Read more about: corporate telephony
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3. FCC should be broadband 'cop on the beat,' says chairman
The Federal Communications Commission needs to be the "cop on the beat" when it comes to policing broadband competition, said the agency's top official this week. To ensure competition, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said his agency must continue to review mergers and acquisitions in the broadband market, free up spectrum from mobile broadband, encourage competition in local markets, increase market transparency and prevent anticompetitive practices, such as adopting mobile data roaming rules. At the same time, encouraging broadband competition can mean getting rid of regulations, such as the agency's decision to suspend its special access rules while they are being reviewed to ensure they promote competition in business broadband, Genachowski said in a speech at the headquarters of Vox Media in Washington, D.C. Special access refers to the high-capacity broadband lines that smaller carriers and large organizations lease from backhaul internet providers such as AT&T, Verizon and Quest. The suspended rules allowed these large carriers to raise rates for special access based on certain competitive triggers. The FCC voted last month to suspend those rules while it determines whether the special access market is competitive. Smaller carriers lease capacity on special access lines so they can provide broadband services to large businesses and other private organizations. These carriers argue that the current system lets AT&T and Verizon, which control 80 percent of the access lines market, charge unfairly high prices for access to these broadband lines. Genachowski noted that the telecom industry increased its investment in broadband networks by more than 30 percent from 2009 to 2011, reaching more than $60 billion in annual investment. This has led to a significant increase in broadband capacity. At the beginning of 2009, only 20 percent of U.S. homes had broadband networks that could provide speeds of 100 megabits per second; now more than 80 percent have that capacity. This puts the United States near the top globally in terms of deployment of high-speed broadband infrastructure, he said. This jump in capacity was done through private sector investment, not FCC actions, so the FCC chairman's argument that his agency needs to be actively involved in promoting broadband deployment is a step in a new direction. But certainly suspending outdated regulations, such as the special access rules, can only help in terms of broadband services to homes and businesses. For more:
- read Genachowski's speech
- check out the FCC's special access rules decision Related articles
FCC chairman 'concerned' about usage-based broadband pricing
Curbing prison payphone costs: FCC's Clyburn sounds off on new petition Read more about: Broadband
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4. China's Huawei throws down telepresence gear gauntlet to Cisco
A price war over telepresence equipment could be in the offing after Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies threw down the gauntlet this week to Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO). Li Jun, general manager of telepresence equipment at Huawei's Enterprise unit, said his company plans to overtake Cisco in three years to become the leading provider of telepresence and videoconferencing equipment, according to a report by Bloomberg Businessweek. The push into telepresence and videoconferencing gear is part of an effort by Huawei to diversify its product offerings and triple its revenues to $100 billion by 2021, from $32 billion last year. Huawei increased its sales of video equipment and computer services to large businesses by 57 percent to $1.5 billion last year. Li said that Huawei offers a top-of-the-line videoconferencing product at half the price of Cisco's comparable system. If accurate, this should fuel a price war at the upper end of the market. Cisco's videoconferencing and telepresence market share has slipped recently, according to the latest figures from market research firm Infonetics Research. Cisco's revenues declined 17 percent sequentially and its market share sank 5 points in the second quarter of 2012. This compares with strong results in the fourth quarter of 2011, when the market leader's revenues increased 25 percent sequentially and its market share rose 3 points. According to a report on room-based videoconferencing by Forrester, Cisco has a range of video endpoints spanning desktop units to three-screen immersive telepresence studios. Its products emphasize industrial design and user experience. Forrester noted that Huawei has built a large portfolio of video endpoints and infrastructure product, including five different series of immersive telepresence studios. Huawei appears to be positioned to make a run at market leader Cisco, although it still has to contend with other market players such as Polycom (NASDAQ: PLCM), Logitech's LifeSize and Avaya's Radvision. One thing is for sure: Enterprises that are looking for telepresence and videoconferencing equipment will benefit from the increased competition. For more:
- read the Bloomberg Businessweek story
- check out Infonetics' data Related Articles
Videoconferencing and telepresence market takes revenue hit, finds firm
Firms turn to desktop videoconferencing to improve virtual meetings Read more about: Huawei Technologies
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5. BT Global Services launches cloud-based UC service
With Luis Alvarez set to take over at the helm next week, BT Global Services is charging ahead with a bold expansion of its One unified communications (UC) portfolio. BT (NYSE: BT) is trying to capture more of the UC market in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) as well as expand in other international markets. Opportunities abound in the EMEA UC market, which IDC estimates will grow at a 23.7 percent compound annual growth rate, reaching $16.6 billion by 2015. On the same day it won the Frost & Sullivan 2012 European unified communications service provider of the year award, BT unveiled a cloud service based on Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Lync, which integrates an enterprise's email with IM, audio, device-based video, screen sharing and interactive white boarding. In addition, the firm is offering: - a new smartphone app for its VoIP service and web client, designed to reduce mobile costs by as much as 45 percent for employees who travel internationally
- an "on-site" UC product based on Cisco UC9 platform designed to cut server costs by up to 66 percent
- new high-definition video endpoints that bring telepresence to the desktop
- a BT MeetMe service upgrade developed in cooperation with Dolby Laboratories.
BP said that the One service changes were in response to a survey it conducted of 1,000 senior executives at large enterprises across industry sectors. The executives believe they are wasting up to 25 percent of their time every day due to poor communication, collaboration and information flows, as well as basic administrative tasks. The survey found a growing appetite for UC globally, with conference calls becoming almost as ubiquitous as formal meetings. For example, 58 percent of directors and general managers make on average more than one video call per week. The BT survey showed that executives are demanding more UC, with 84 percent stating that together, IM, e-mail, phone, video and telepresence help them be more successful. "[I]t is becoming very clear that a competitive advantage is at hand for those who grasp the full gamut of today's and tomorrow's communications channels. It is not just a case of buying a device or a piece of software, it is about making sure that existing investments are federated and about bringing all the tools and channels together in an effective and secure way that saves time and money," Alvarez said in a statement. For more:
- see the BT release
- check out IDC data Related articles:
Firms turn to desktop videoconferencing to improve virtual meetings
BT Openreach to extend FTTC network to 163 new exchanges in 2013 Read more about: Unified Communications
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Also Noted | This week's sponsor is ITEXPO. |  | |
SPOTLIGHT ON... Spotlight: UCaaS market to reach $1.9 billion in 2012 The unified-communications-as-a-service (UCaaS) is expected to be worth $1.9 billion this year, up a healthy 15.8 percent over the previous year, according to research firm Frost & Sullivan. The market is "very dynamic and vibrant" in the hosted and managed business applications industry, although there are "varying levels of maturity" depending on the applications and the geography, the research firm noted. Read more More news from around the World Wide Web... > New IDC MarketScape provides a vendor assessment of the worldwide enterprise videoconferencing equipment market for 2012-2013. Release > Fast growing VoIP use in Middle East and North Africa. Release > Genband's technology makes it a winner. Article > Avaya rolls out Aura and Flare solutions. Article > IPcelerate advances unified communications with launch of social network for business. Release And finally… Are you having an ID10T crisis? Article > Telco-OTT: the Good, the Fast and the Nimble - Thursday, September 27, 11am ET / 8am PT Service providers have been in a perennial battle with "over-the-top" internet vendors who leverage bandwidth but often do not play by the same regulatory or financial rules. Does it need to be a battle of us vs. them? Register Today! > Mobile Acceleration for the Mobile Revolution - Tuesday, November 13th, 2pm ET / 11am PT A revolution is underway in how companies interact with audiences online. Join us to learn the recent results from Compuware research on mobile performance expectations, unique challenges presented by delivery over cellular networks, and what to consider when balancing mobile performance and usability. Register Today! > Webinar: Beyond the Cable: The Move to Mobility by MSOs - October 9th, 11:00 am EST/ 8:00 am PST The best immediate prospects for MSOs may lie on using Wi-Fi to harvest data from mobile operators for backhaul over MSO HFC networks. Wi-Fi networks provide a huge differentiation and opportunities for cable operators. This webinar will explore how MSOs are integrating Wi-Fi into their existing network architectures and examine the economics behind Wi-Fi for cable operators. Register Now! > Carrier Ethernet woes? Here's an economical approach to improving operational efficiency and network visibility - Wednesday, October 10, 11am ET / 8am PT / 3pm GMT This webinar introduces a centralized Ethernet service activation and monitoring solution that enables network operators to deploy cost-effectively, accelerate time to revenue and boost operational efficiency, while optimizing subscriber experience. Register Today! > The 1000x challenge; Small cells everywhere! - Wednesday, October 17, 12pm ET / 9am PT To solve the 1000x mobile data challenge, we need more small cells, actually, much more, and everywhere - But, isn't interference a limiting factor? How dense can we deploy them? What are the future enhancements that takes HetNets to the next level? Find out the answers at this Qualcomm webinar. Register Today!
| > ITEXPO 2012 - October 2-5 - Austin, TX The world's largest communications & tech event - discover more new insights, new products and networking to keep you and your company ahead of the curve. Join industry powerhouses for a week of business-building and researching today’s most powerful communications solutions. Register today. > Cloud Communications Expo 2012 - October 2-5 - Austin, TX Your questions about cloud solutions answered in a collaborative, interactive setting. Businesses seeking to integrate and leverage cloud-based applications, process enhancement techniques, and network-based communications gather to learn and deliberate about the options available. Register today. > Cloud4SMB Expo 2012 - October 2-5 - Austin, TX The first event of its kind focused on unique needs & challenges facing SMBs seeking to leverage the benefits of cloud computing. Designed specifically to provide attendees with the knowledge and information SMBs need to compete and succeed in today’s competitive marketplace. Register today. > Video World Conference & Expo 2012 - October 3-5 - Austin, TX The first-of-its-kind event focuses on the identification of opportunities, creation of strategies and monetization of new & enhanced video products for business & consumers. We’ve assembled the best & brightest industry minds to provide attendees the knowledge to boost their video IQ. Register now.
| > Research: LTE: a real disruptive technology and business opportunity? WiTech's latest Report "LTE: a disruptive technology and business opportunity" presents an in-depth analysis about the promising technology LTE by taking into account not only technology aspects but also business aspects. It points out the key drivers that are continuously changing the Telecom Market. Download this report today! > Whitepaper: Case Study: 4G Operator Maximizes Revenue with Flexibile, and Discovery-driven Audit Capabilities A US 4G operator was perfectly suited to handle the predicted annual doubling of global mobile data traffic. But as the company faced exponential subscriber and network usage growth, they realized they needed to better monitor that usage. Learn how this US 4G operator realized 13x ROI for its retail business in the first six months. Download Today! > EBook: The New Data Center In this FierceTelecom eBook we'll discuss the strategies service providers are taking to build a sustainable and profitable data center business. To read more click here to download. > Whitepaper: Save 30-50% on Telecom Costs ? Free IntelePeer White Paper Shows How If you're serious about cost savings and providing reliable voice services without replacing your existing PBX, transitioning to SIP Trunking can streamline circuits, save money, improve number portability and enable flexible dial tone DR scenarios. Get the facts#mce_temp_url# in this free white paper download. > Webinar: Save 30-50% on Telecom Costs - Free IntelePeer White Paper Shows How If you're serious about cost savings and providing reliable voice services without replacing your existing PBX, transitioning to SIP Trunking can streamline circuits, save money, improve number portability and enable flexible dial tone DR scenarios. Get the facts in this free white paper download. > EBook: Finding New Gold in Copper This eBook from FierceTelecom will explore the ever-changing dynamics of service providers' copper networks and how they are using these new technologies to deliver a wider set of services to consumers and businesses. Download for free today. > Whitepaper: Kabel Deutschland Uses Lavastorm Analytics' Flexibility to Optimize Revenue Assurance and Fraud Management Processes Learn how Kabel Deutschland achieved quantifiable ROI in less than one year, accelerated detection of fraudulent activity by more than 2000 percent, and improved customer satisfaction. Download this case study today. > Whitepaper: Whitepaper: 7 Key Customer Trends Driving Convergent Charging Evolving customer trends have disrupted the traditional rules of revenue, causing service providers to rethink their approach to charging and billing. This whitepaper by Alepo explores how evolving customer trends are driving innovation in convergent charging solutions, and what it means for revenues and the customer experience. Download now! > The Benefits of Moving from Open Source to WebSphere Application Server: Forrester Research Discusses its New Total Economic Im Join us for this complimentary webcast and learn details from a new independent report that shows the total economic impact of migrating from an open source solution to IBM WebSphere Application Server -- including a 44% return on investment (ROI) producing a net value of over $1 million. Register today! > EBook: Dodd-Frank: The Key to Compliance Success Driven by a never-ending appetite for bandwidth from businesses and consumers, service providers are in the process of upgrading their backbone and core networks. This eBook discusses the strategies, emerging standards, and technological advancements beyond 100G. Click here to download today.
| > Public Safety DAS Engineer - Houston, TX - Connectivity Wireless Solutions Connectivity Wireless Solutions delivers best in class consulting, engineering, project management, installation, and staffing services to wireless carrier and enterprise customers. The Public Safety DAS Engineer is tasked with collecting and analyzing RF data typically with tools such as test phones and needs analysis equipment such as ZK Celltest and spectrum analyzers. Learn More! > Project Manager - Washington, D.C. – IT WORKS! IT WORKS! is looking for mid-level, hands on professional with a balanced mix of technology and project management experience to support the development and implementation of a Wi-Fi project within a transportation environment in the Northeast United States. Learn more! > Project Manager Job - Charlotte, NC, USA – Yoh Yoh has a contract opportunity for a Project Manager to join our client in Charlotte, NC 28217. The Senior Project Manager is responsible for planning and managing medium to large sized application development projects. Six (6) years of previous experience with technical applications and/or information systems (or equivalent) required...Learn more. > Wireless Project Manager Job - Cerritos, CA, USA – Yoh Yoh has a one (1) year full time contract opportunity for a Wireless Project Manager to join a large telecom client located in the Los Angeles CA area (Cerritos CA). Responsibilities include managing project completions (LTE, UMTS, NSB, and all other modifications) from issuance of work order to turn up including finance and timeline forecasts. The ideal candidate will have strong organizational and communication skills, be able to work independently and be able to work on scheduling and reporting...Learn more. > Field Technicians (5) Job - Melbourne, FL, USA – Yoh Yoh has five (5) month contract opportunities for five (5) Field Technicians to join our client in Melbourne, FL. This job will involve going out to sea and working on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships 2-3 weeks out of a month. Our client is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Minimum two (2) years' experience with VSAT systems required...Learn more. > Field Technician (CDMA and LTE experience preferred) Job - Plano, TX, USA – Yoh Yoh has a contract opportunity for a Field Technician (CDMA and LTE experience preferred) to join our client in Plano, TX. Responsibilities include developing proficiency in primary skills of customer relations, basic electricity, basic electronics, basic telephony, radio principles for CDMA, LTE and iDEN, and basic principles of digital transmission, fiber communication, data communication, telephony terminology, industry standards, and on-line network control/maintenance systems. Must be able to multi-task and maintain composure in stressful and demanding work environment...Learn more. > Need a job? Need to hire? Visit FierceWirelessJobs | |
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