Letter from the Editor By Shawn Flemming

As with everything in life, there is growth; a cycle of perpetual and sometimes painful advances for the better. Technology is a prime example of this natural evolution, what once appeared to be a stagnant beast waiting for our commands, has now become a seemingly living breathing entity that understands its capabilities better than we do. Technology continues to evolve each day, as Next Generation turns into Legacy. In fact, the race for integration has become key to the Service Providers' profitability. On one hand, you have the evolution of the network and services and on the other, you have the desire to consolidate systems and automate process to maintain profits.

It's somehow natural that this simple fact may be overlooked in the race to create the next buzz. But as you jump on the bandwagon, taunting convergence, the IP revolution, or its triple-play counterpart, at the end of the day the very platforms responsible for delivering the end product still need to talk to one another. The OSS environment has set the stage for this consolidation, and we look at the evolution of the network in this month's issue.

If you walked the exhibition floor at SUPERCOMM 2005, some of the top OSS companies brought their expertise and wares to demonstrate that it's no longer about separate network entities, but about interoperability. In fact, many attendees not only received an eye full of IP-TV but also a strong sense that regardless of the access network, the service can and must stay the same.

In this issue of Pipeline we take a closer look at the Evolving Network and what the experts in the space have to say in regards to the growing pains associated with implementing the networks necessary to support the tidal wave of emerging, converged communication services. We focus this month on different approaches to network evolution to keep you at the head of the race.

Speaking of growth, we hope you enjoy the new face of Pipeline. As we move into the second volume, you'll notice a fresh look and added resources in the coming months.

Enjoy, and as always I welcome comments about your issue of Pipeline.

Shawn T. Flemming
Editor-in-Chief
Pipeline Publishing, L.L.C.

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