VoiceRamp Raises $7.8 Million for Broadband Software

VoiceRamp Technologies, a start-up based in Richardson, Texas, raised $7.8 million in series A funding for its development of software solutions for broadband access and existing switching networks. The company said its architecture would support circuit switched networks as they transition to converged packet based technologies while leveraging the value of the installed base of network elements and operational support systems. The investment was co-led by CenterPoint and Star Ventures, with STARTech Early Ventures also participating. http://www.voiceramp.comVoiceRamp...

Read More

BRECIS Secures $20 Million for its Multiservice Processor

BRECIS Communications, a start-up based in San Jose, California, raised an additional $20 million in funding for its line of multiservice processors. The BRECIS network processors will leverage distributed intelligent processing "engines" on the same chip to rapidly and simultaneously perform prioritized data transactions with an extremely efficient peer to peer communications mechanism. Each of these engines could be dynamically managed, prioritized, or even reprogrammed to suit both the immediate needs of the data being processed and the particular...

Read More

Quintum Offers Portal for Passing VoIP Traffic Through Firewalls

Quintum Technologies, a start-up based in Eatontown, New Jersey, introduced a VoIP platform designed to eliminate repeated compression and decompression of traffic due to firewalls at the network edge. Quintum's Tenor Call Relay allows service providers and enterprises to route VoIP calls to external IP networks from behind network address translation firewalls. The new product supports up to 720 simultaneous VoIP calls. Quintum offers a smaller version supporting up to 32 simultaneous voice calls. http://www.quintum....

Read More

Mitel Networks Introduces Teleworker IP Phone System for Broadband

Mitel Networks introduced an enterprise teleworker solution that enables an IP phone with a broadband connection (DSL or cable modem) to become a secure extension off the corporate network. Mitel Networks' 6010 Teleworker solution uses secure Real-Time Protocol (RTP) encryption for voice privacy. Remote data connections are supported off an easily configured Ethernet port on the IP phone. http://www.mitel....

Read More

Sonus Networks Adds Voice VPN Capabilities

Sonus Networks released a major software upgrade that adds Voice VPN capabilities, a new set of international signaling variants, and network optimization tools to its packet voice platform. The Voice VPN features in the latest Release 5.0 of the Sonus Open Services Architecture enable service providers to offer a packet-based voice VPN to enterprise customers. With the carrier-hosted SMARRT Voice VPN service, enterprises gain the ability to connect multiple, geographically distributed sites and remote users in a single virtual network. The...

Read More

Multiservice Switching Forum Plans Testing Round in 2004

The Multiservice Switching Forum (MSF) plans to conduct a second Global Multiservice Interoperability (GMI) event in 2004 to demonstrate a deployable and operationally ready IP telephony network with network management, enhanced QoS and security features. The group conducted its first such GMI 2002 over the course of ten days in November. Fifteen participants, including carriers, system suppliers and test equipment manufacturers, demonstrated the MSF Release 1 Architecture utilizing MEGACO/H.248, Bearer Independent Call Control (BICC) and SIP...

Read More

Juniper Networks Release Performance Data from BTexact Testing

Juniper Networks announced the results of performance tests carried out on its T640 Routing Node by BTexact Technologies, BT's advanced research and technology business. BTexact measured the total aggregate throughput of a T640 configured with 32 OC-192c/STM64 SONET/SDH interfaces. Using 32 Agilent Router Tester modules, BTexact demonstrated that a fully loaded single chassis T640 Routing Node was capable of a forwarding rate in excess of 780 million packets per second, with traffic consisting of 40 byte IP packets on every port and 500,000 active...

Read More

Etisalat Deploys Juniper Networks M160 Routers

Etisalat, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Telecommunications Corporation, has deployed Juniper Networks' M160 routing platforms in POPs throughout the country. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.juniper....

Read More

Marconi to Supply its Access Hub to Telecom Italia

Telecom Italia awarded a two-year contract valued at EUR 80 million to Marconi for upgrades to its access network. Marconi will supply its Access Hub platform and work alongside Italtel, which will supply switching technology and professional services, to build the new network infrastructure. Marconi's Access Hub technology will enable the distribution of a variety of services to end users such as xDSL, traditional telephony and ISDN, interacting both with traditional telephone exchanges and IP systems. http://www.marconi....

Read More

RAD Data Communications Carries E1 Leased Line over MPLS

RAD Data Communications will demonstrate its IPmux TDM over IP (TDMoIP) gateway carrying an emulated end-to-end E1 leased line over an MPLS backbone. The multi-vendor interoperability event, organized by the MPLS Forum and the European Advanced Network Testing Center (EANTC), in cooperation with the ETSI Interoperability Services and hosted by Upper Side, is showcasing MPLS equipment interoperability, and, in particular, network scalability and fast rerouting (under 50 ms). More than a dozen equipment manufacturers are participating. The event...

Read More

The MPLS Forum and EANTC Complete MPLS Scalability Test

The MPLS Forum and the European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC) completed a multi-vendor MPLS scalability and resiliency interoperability test event that involved 13 vendors. The one-week interoperability program tested MPLS VPN scalability and also verified MPLS Fast Reroute techniques. One of the services tested was TDM over IP over MPLS, which requires SONET/SDH-grade carrier class recovery characteristics. Participating vendors were Agilent Technologies, Alcatel, Avici Systems, Cisco Systems, Data Connection, IXIA, NetPlane, Nortel...

Read More

Sprint Reports Stabilized LD Pricing, 20% Revenue Gains for FR/ATM, 9% for IP

Sprint reported Q4 revenues of $6.53 billion, compared to $6.52 billion last year. Full-year 2002 consolidated revenues were $26.63 billion, up 4% from $25.52 billion in 2001. Net income for Q4 was $39 million, compared to a fourth quarter loss of $1.23 billion in 2001. Some highlights of the report:operations produced more than $665 million of positive free cash flow in Q4. the pricing environment for long-distance services continues to stabilize, even with recent RBOC entry into the long-distance business. data services revenues in Q4 increased...

Read More

BellSouth Offers Wholesale, Inter-LATA GigE Service

BellSouth is rolling out interstate, native mode LAN interconnection (NMLI) Gigabit Ethernet Service for wholesale customers. The service is also available at 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps. BellSouth said NMLI is the first service of this type to be deployed as part of its High Speed Transport Service portfolio. http://www.interconnection.bellsouth....

Read More

ATM Forum Advances Standards for Interworking with IP, MPLS

The ATM Forum reported progress on several fronts at its quarterly meeting last week in Santa Clara, California. Key developments focus on IP addressing, a new MPLS interworking mode, and new support for transporting voice and video traffic. Highlights of the meeting include: a new specification for IP addressing on native ATM switches advanced to straw ballot. The new standard, which would allow direct mapping of IP addressing onto an ATM switch would especially help network administrators who are upgrading their router connections from PVCs...

Read More