Nuage Networks, an ‘internal start up’ established by Alcatel-Lucent, has outlined its software defined networking (SDN) strategy via its Virtualised Services Platform (VSP). The company announced an open software-based solution to address the key datacentre network constraints that limit cloud services adoption.  The VSP will allow healthcare, banking, utilities and other enterprise market segments, as well as webscale companies – large Internet-based companies – and telecom service providers, to scale their cloud offers and provide instant, secure connectivity to multiple customers.

Trials of the Nuage Networks VSP begin in April in Europe and North America. Trial customers include UK cloud service provider Exponential-e, French telco SFR, Canadian telco Telus and leading US healthcare provider, University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre (UPMC). Worldwide commercial availability is planned for mid-2013.

Alcatel-Lucent’s SDN strategy and the Nuage Networks branded portfolio builds on the cloud orchestration the company already provides with its CloudBand Management System.

Consumers and business users are driving demand for cloud computing and storage. Current datacentres are well equipped from an IT perspective as datacentre operators can add or change virtual servers and storage almost instantly to meet customer demands.

However, the network is not keeping up – it has high capacity, but it is not flexible enough to make use of that capacity, according to Nuage Networks. Network provisioning still requires detailed technical planning, manual configuration and complex systems and processes to connect customers to compute and storage resources. SDN helps solve this problem and IDC forecasts the worldwide SDN market will grow from U$360 million in 2013 to US$3.7 billion by 2016.

Wataniya Telecom has appointed Abdulaziz Fakhroo as chief executive, parent company Ooredoo said in a statement today. Fakhroo, who had been deputy CEO prior to his promotion, replaces Bassam Hannoun, who resigned for personal reasons, according to the statement.

Hannoun had only been appointed to the role of Wataniya CEO in July 2012, having previously worked as the CEO of Wataniya Mobile Palestine, where he was responsible for the successful IPO and growth of operations. Previously Hannoun was CEO of Jordan’s leading WiMAX operator, Wi-tribe Jordan, a subsidiary of the Ooredoo. In addition to over twenty years industry experience in Europe and the Middle East, Hannoun has a PhD in telecommunications engineering and holds a Masters of Business Administration with a focus on strategic marketing.

Telkom has announced the appointment of Sipho Maseko as group CEO and executive director of Telkom Group with effect from April 1, 2013.

Telkom also announced that it is appointing MD of Telkom Business, Brian Armstrong, as group COO.

These appointments enable the departure of the incumbent group CEO, Nombulelo Moholi, at the end of March 2013, following her resignation in November 2012.

Ericsson ConsumerLab was formed in 1995 and has been studying people’s behaviours and values, including the way they act and think about ICT products and services ever since. Cecilia Atterwall, head of ConsumerLab talks to Comm. about the trends leading the modern-day mobile telecom industry

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Saudi Arabia’s telecom regulator, CITC, has threatened to block voice-over-IP apps such as Skype, WhatsApp and Viber over security concerns, according to Al Arabiya.

CITC is pushing the country’s mobile operators to work with the app providers so that messaging can be monitored.

The operators have been given until the end of this week by the regulator to respond, the report said. If they do not come up with a means to enable surveillance then the regulator will consider blocking the apps altogether.