By: Jesse Cryderman

Pipeline’s Innovation Awards Program

Following a very successful 2012 awards program, Pipeline is pleased to announce that nomination are now open for the 2013 Innovation Awards program. The program has kicked off in high gear, and many early nominees have already thrown their hats in the ring, including AT&T, JDSU, Orga, MetraTech, Comptel, CHR, Tekelec, Tribold, Microsoft, Acme Packet and many others. This year there are more categories and more ways to win, and the exclusive awards ceremony on May 13 in Nice, France, promises to be a night to remember. Judges last year included analysts and service providers like AT&T, BT and Sprint. Nominations are coming in every day, so cruise on over to our information and registration page for your chance to catch a COMET!

Mobile World Congress 2013

The weather outside was frightful, but the venue was so delightful. Click here for our full event coverage.

Oracle scoops up Acme Packet

Acme Packet made headlines last month when it announced it had entered into an agreement to be acquired by Oracle for $1.7 billion. The deal is a vote of confidence for the emerging all-IP network, as the merger of the two companies is expected to accelerate migration to the flattened architecture that enables secure and reliable communications from any device across any network.

“The proposed acquisition of Acme Packet is another important piece in Oracle’s overall strategy to deliver integrated best-in-class products that address critical customer requirements in key industries,” said Oracle president Mark Hurd. “The addition of Acme Packet to Oracle’s leading communications portfolio will enable service providers and enterprises to deliver innovative solutions that will change the way we interact, conduct commerce, deliver healthcare, secure our homes, and much more.”

Sprinting to prepaid LTE

Last year the words “prepaid” and “LTE” were never uttered in the same sentence, but, to quote Bob Dylan, “the times they are a-changin’,” because today even customers on low-cost prepaid plans can enjoy the latest and greatest network technologies: MetroPCS, Cricket and now Sprint offer LTE to prepaid customers.

At the end of February Sprint introduced three models of LTE phones for prepaid brands Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. Sara Kaufman, telco strategy analyst at Ovum, commented on the carrier’s latest announcement.

“Sprint is not the first operator to offer prepaid LTE in the US, as MetroPCS has had LTE available on a no-contract basis since November 2010,” she said. “However, unlike MetroPCS and other operators, which still regard LTE as a premium service, Sprint’s approach reinforces the idea that the LTE proposition is about cost savings rather than revenue generation. Sprint is attempting to leverage this idea as a differentiator for its prepaid customers by offering LTE tariffs for $35 per month, which is $15 lower than MetroPCS’s comparable LTE offering.”

Will prepaid LTE be a differentiator for Sprint? Only time will tell, but coupled with unlimited data and a head start on any similar service from T-Mobile, its move could have a disruptive effect on the marketplace.