Applications
Alcatel-Lucent launches converged IP Optical backbone solution
MUMBAI: Alcatel-Lucent has introduced a converged IP/Optical backbone network solution. The solution is designed to relieve the strain on service providers‘ core networks caused by the explosive growth of video and other bandwidth-intensive applications. The Converged Backbone Transformation solution is a key component of Alcatel-Lucent‘s High Leverage Network strategy, key elements of which have already been selected by service providers. |
Internet video traffic is increasing dramatically. At the same time, demand is also increasing for IP-based services such as business data applications, tele-medicine, video surveillance, collaborative business applications (including telepresence), cloud computing, remote storage and backup and data center protection and more, all of which have very high quality of service (QoS) requirements. Backbone networks – also referred to as ‘core‘ networks – must be able to handle both types of traffic appropriately, which is increasing the strain on core routers – through which nearly all traffic passes. Continually adding core router capacity is expensive, and as a result the network backbone is becoming a significant cost center, providing poor return on investment. Qwest CTO Pieter Poll says, “Core traffic continues to increase significantly and we don‘t see that changing. We need to ensure our capacity matches the needs of our customers and fulfils their expectations for growth. “We‘ve been exploring new approaches to address traffic growth and customer demand and recently announced that Qwest is working with Alcatel-Lucent to evolve our nationwide backbone network to reach industry-leading 100 Gigabits per second speeds by implementing Alcatel-Lucent‘s LambdaXtreme and 7750 Service Routers.” The company adds that its new converged backbone transformation solution more tightly integrates IP and optical transport resources, enabling service providers to optimise and leverage their transport networks to deal with the rapid growth in traffic, while substantially cutting operational and maintenance costs. Alcatel-Lucent‘s new approach can reduce the number of required network elements, improve efficiencies in power and rack space, simplify network provisioning and fault management, minimise latency, and enhance reliability. For the service provider, this will result in higher efficiency, greater resiliency, and lower complexity – culminating in CapEx cost savings of at least 30 per cent, in addition to savings in power, space and operational complexity claims the company. Infonetics Research principal analyst Michael Howard says, “Internet, voice, data, and especially video traffic continue to increase, pressuring service providers to find ways to cut the cost of reliably transporting the traffic while simultaneously delivering new services. “In a recent Infonetics survey, two-thirds of the service providers responded that they expect to combine their data and transport operations by 2010. Alcatel-Lucent‘s approach fits service provider goals of efficiently scaling many traffic types in a converged IP and optical architecture, while offloading the core routers, to help streamline their core networks.” The Converged Backbone Transformation solution is a key element of the Alcatel-Lucent High Leverage Network – a fully converged, scalable, next generation, all-IP multiservice infrastructure that enables operators to deliver traffic more reliably, efficiently and at the lowest cost, while also leveraging the network to generate revenue from sophisticated managed services and applications. To enable its customers to fully benefit from this strategy, Alcatel-Lucent is providing professional services supporting multi-vendor environment – e.g. business case analysis, network design and implementation as well as managed services. |
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
