The
main objective of the telecommunication chapter is to report on how the
underlying technology should be evolved and be used to help the Operator
(actually the Ministry of Telecommunication acting as the sole owner of the
Lebanese network) remain competitive in the face of the increased competition
and deregulation. With the introduction of the new technology, Operator will take
full benefit from the new and advanced network both to offer sophisticated new
services that will increase operator’s revenue and to reduce investment and
operating costs.
A
strategy for evolving smoothly from the existing to the new network structure
is also detailed in order to protect the investment done on the existing
network while taking the full merit of the new generation IP-based packet
transport network for voice and data.
Going
beyond the technological issues, deregulations of the telecommunication sector (Telecom
Act 431) was also considered as part of the liberalization and privatization
economy that would lead to a higher level of qualification, better service
provisioning, operating cost reduction, competition between different carriers
and operators…
The
following paragraphs detail the different projects proposed as part of the next
5-year development plan for the telecom sector considered with high priority
but due to evaluated constraints, different uncertainty levels were applied and
assumed.
Going
towards a new Next Generation Network
(NGN) implies an infrastructure oriented towards packet technology that
integrates a multitude of telecommunication services: voices, data, video, etc.
from fixed access points: xDSL or fiber optic network. In an NGN infrastructure,
the voice calls are controlled by a digital server, called a “softswitch”. This
processor controls all command functions. A new NGN would allow to change the
network hierarchy and the overall design philosophy of the Lebanese network,
which is currently made up of 51 main switches connecting 263 remote switches
so that:
-
The 51 local switches would not be main switches
anymore but will be remote switches to the transit level switches.
-
The 8 transit switches would be replaced by
softswitches thereby having the double function of transit and local switches
-
reduction in Opex and Capex
-
Rapid integration of new services
As
one of the main goals of NGN introduction is to move to a unique, packet-based
infrastructure, voice transport will have to smoothly migrate to packet (mainly
IP) network to offload the voice from their TDM Network. This step toward
packet trunking network migration will guarantee and protect the TDM
investments as it will provide the Operator a full continued access to the
existing TDM network elements, while providing the Operator a full
trunking-over-packet solution. This requires a complete upgrading of the
transmission SDH network that enables the expansion of the transmission
bandwidth as well as the required evolution to the NG-SDH (New Generation
SDH).
With
the completion of the network upgrade to the new generation network, a new
evolving and multi-service billing platform should be provided and installed to
bill for any added value services offered to the fixed network. The
differentiated services that would be offered to the residential or to
corporate users, should be properly dynamically billed according to different
user profiles. (Different value added services are ``actually installed but not
put in service awaiting an adequate billing platform).
Two
separate projects are included under such broadband and internet services:
-
xDSL access network to end users: this will
enable hi-speed internet connection for the residential and for business
customers using the existing copper network and converged with the voice
traffic
-
increase the internet connectivity to the
external global internet network after expected growth of the internet traffic
with the introduction of the DSL services.