English PDF - LS telcom

Cash-machine for the Regulator
LS telcom AG
Im Gewerbegebiet 31-33
D-77839 Lichtenau
Translation of Interview for major russian business periodical magazine in ICT industry –
Standard, August Edition 2012
What’s new on the LS telcom market? Which new service do the customers want?
The founder and CEO of LS telcom Manfred Lebherz: In the world as a whole we see big
requirement of regulators and communication administrations for industrial solutions for
specturm management, united with IT systems such as, CRM, Finance, Radio Monitoring etc.
Our biggest customers from different countries are not just requiring special software for
calculation and sprectrum management. They require highly automated solutions of spectrum
management, integrated with a complete assortment of subsystems. Regulators in developed
and developing countries want to know precisely what really happens in a radio spectrum as
they realize the value of this resource more and more. We also note that recently the need of
regulators for spectrum management systems considerably increased in Asia and Africa.
Particularly it correlates with the implementation of digital TV.
The integration of IT systems is a known general trend. What new tendencies arose in the
market of frequency regulation and planning?
Manfred Lebherz: Two years ago the topic in radio industry which is now called “white spaces“
did not exist. Due to more and more broadband applications and a strong expectation for
tremendous more bandwidth requirement in future (e.g. Internet of Things) the need for effective
use of spectrum and its control considerably increases. In this context, Regulators are faced
with constantly challenges to distribute the limited frequency resources in order to
accommodate the steadily increasing data flows on air.
COO of LS telcom Roland Götz: The new request for frequency management arises from
professional users: services of public safety, military, other departments which are actively
using spectrum, entities of municipal economy and those from oil-and-gas sector. First of all it
occurs in communication by their migration from analog to digital PMR-systems, such as
TETRA and DMR. Professionals not only use more frequency bands, but also prefer their
communication systems to be empowered by new modern services, as well as integrated with
other IT systems, for example, with SCADA.
With this in mind, does the number of private customers in the LS telcom list grow?
Roland Götz: It depends on tasks of the customer and, respectively, from offered products and
implementable projects. Spectrum Management systems are ordered generally by
governmental structures, software for network planning – by telecom operators, project- and
engineering enterprises.
Manfred Lebherz: Generally, nowadays the percentage of our state and private customers is 50
% to 50 %. For example, we help a communication administration to prepare a tender for
frequency bands for a new digital network and in a year or two an operator requests solutions
for its construction or optimization. It’s an excellent mix for LS telcom.
How does the LS telcom business grow?
Manfred Lebherz: We see the main potential of our business development in an intergrated
approach to monitoring and spectrum management for spectrum regulators, which need to
distribute resources carefully, with benefits for government and business, and to find and open
new possibilities of thier use. This is where the largest projects with use of LS telcom solutions
are implemented worldwide today. On the other hand we see huge requirement and fast
dynamics for integration on PMR base of new professional services. We see new possibilities
and high potential of growth of LS telcom business in frequency planning of the most different
networks of data transmission.
+49 (0) 7227 9535 600
+49 (0) 7227 9535 605
Info@LStelcom.com
www.LStelcom.com

Roland Götz: Just 10 years ago our customers were mostly telecom operators. Now among the
customers LS telcom we see for example oil industry and police. New industry requirements for
the integration of radio services appear today in many sectors of the economy.
Was there anything new in the business of LS telcom with the advent of LTE?
Manfred Lebherz: It is impossible to plan and develop networks of 2G, 3G and 4G, without
coordination. Our products work with all radio technologies available on the market. LS telcom
engineers work with all international centers of competence, and when a new technology arises,
its support immediately enters our standard product package. With specific regard to LTE, LS
telcom office in China recently released a special product that allows planning and optimizing
LTE-networks. It's a local product , which comprises indoor network planning features.
Roland Götz: With the advent of 3G and 4G mobile communications technology there is a big
load for the greater portion of the spectrum, the need for empowering of networks and for the
new network design. LS telcom helps customers with this. For example, we offer software tools
and solutions for planning, optimization and development, in particlualr, for the core radio
networks of operators.
Please tell us about the prospects of working with spectrum «white spaces».
Manfred Lebherz: The new challenge of the market - that the use of spectrum becomes more
dense. A huge number of smart phones, computers, tablets, wireless microphones - new
transmitters and receivers - work on the air at the same time, occupying broader and broader
radio bands. The regulator and the market together come to the need to distribute them not only
based on the band and on the location, but also over time. Therefore two devices on one
licensed frequency, such as broadcast and Internet access, can operate alternately during
certain hours of day and night. This is a new dynamic approach to spectrum allocation, which
requires a new inventory of the spectrum, you must first understand exactly - what is going on
everywhere in the air around the clock. You are asked for, as it is said now, the high-speed
spectrum access systems and, accordingly, for the system of monitoring and planning of radio
coverage over time. The most active usage of that today is in the National Administration of
Communications USA - FCC, which first commenced to assign database administrators
(among them LS telcom, Google and Microsoft) with the task to manage new white space
devices to exploit the so-far un-used frequency spectrum potential of “white spaces”. Work with
“white spaces” now starts everywhere in the world. Highly dynamic and intelligent decisions
perhaps are the main topic in our work. LS telcom already has monitoring products, allowing to
start work with the frequency “white space".
In Russia and some CIS countries TETRA-projects are now under development,
digitalization of broadcasting is progressing, there are 4G networks appearing. What are
the plans for LS telcom in Russia and CIS markets?
Manfred Lebherz: We already know that regulators and operators in these countries need
various projects to be implemented, including highly complex ones. We are proud that we
already have experience and success in Russia. We hope to further develop cooperation with
State RF Center, RTR, and other organizations in your country. In particular, we are talking
about the implementation of special LS telcom solutions for e.g. Olympic Games or similar large
scale events. As a part of such special events, massive radio usage is expected. We have
experience in working on frequency allocation and scheduling of sporting events, such as in the
UK.
LS telcom AG
Im Gewerbegebiet 31-33
D-77839 Lichtenau
+49 (0) 7227 9535 600
+49 (0) 7227 9535 605
Info@LStelcom.com
www.LStelcom.com

Are there any plans of opening an office in Russia?
Manfred Lebherz: We do not always enter new markets quickly, but having great opportunities
in Russia, already started to systematically move towards this direction, discussing the various
options. LS telcom localized to Russian our basic products, though they work in English even in
Germany. This confirms seriousness of our intentions.
Can you imagine a time when the entire spectrum will be allocated and optimized?
Manfred Lebherz: 20 years ago when we started the business LS telcom, we applied for a loan
to a bank. We explained to the bank clerk what is the idea - to produce software for planning
radio coverage. But it did not cause his enthusiasm. "There is no business, - he said. - All have
long been laid out and works." And since then we have grown from a two-person firm with a
hundred of DMs in the pocket to the company with a staff of almost 200 employees and annual
sales of 20 million euros. So I am happy to answer the question this way: "Excuse me!" It’s only
already used spectrum which is distributed and delimited. New sites are using more and more
new services, the spectrum is re-used, those who had not previously worked on the air begin to
use the spectrum. New technologies bring new opportunities, new operators occupy the band,
introduce new radio services, forcing us to develop new solutions. ITU every four years adjusts
the international frequency rules and recommendations. Our business is extremely dynamic and
diverse. It constantly creates new market opportunities and challenges, providing us with new
worries and earnings each day.
For more information, please contact:
Mr Heiko Ross
Sales & Marketing
Tel.: + 49 7227 9535 600
E-mail: HRoss@LStelcom.com
LS telcom AG
Im Gewerbegebiet 31-33
D-77839 Lichtenau
+49 (0) 7227 9535 600
+49 (0) 7227 9535 605
Info@LStelcom.com
www.LStelcom.com