Mahi Networks Hires Qwest, SBC Executives

Mahi Networks, a start-up developing metro core aggregation platforms, named Pieter Poll as vice president of corporate strategy. Poll most recently was vice president of emerging technologies for Qwest Communications. Previously, he served as general manager and director of US WEST's network evolution initiatives, where he was responsible for the planning and network integration of next-generation transport, switching and broadband equipment.

Mahi Networks also announced the appointment of Al Porta as vice president of ILEC market development. Porta most recently was vice president of network planning for SBC Communications. Porta, a 34-year SBC veteran, previously was the company's Vice President of Technology and Product Development.
http://www.mahinetworks.com

• Mahi is developing a packet-aware optical transport switch for aggregating, switching and grooming large SONET interoffice facilities.
• 
  In December 2002, Mahi Networks named Rick LaDuca as vice president of worldwide sales. LaDuca formerly served as vice president and general manager of North American sales for Tellabs.
• 
  In June 2002, Mahi Networks closed $75 million in new funding.

Read More

Softbank Sells Some Shares in Yahoo! Japan to Fund Broadband Business

Softbank announced the sale of 40,000 shares in Yahoo! Japan. Proceeds from the sale will be allocated for the continued rollout of broadband services. Softbank retains 197,608 shares of Yahoo! JAPAN following the sale, representing approximately 42% ownership of the company.
http://www.softbank.co.jp

Read More

EchoStar Adds 400,000 Net Subscribers in Q4

EchoStar Communications' DISH Network added approximately 400,000 net new subscribers during Q4 2002 giving it a total customer base of 8.18 million subscribers as of 31-Dec-2002, an increase of 1,350,000 subscribers over a year earlier. For Q4, EchoStar reported total revenue of $1.32 billion, a 15 percent increase compared to $1.15 billion for the corresponding period in 2001. EBITDA totaled $193 million, an improvement of $22 million compared to $171 million for the corresponding period in 2001. EchoStar's net loss totaled $716 million for the quarter, including charges of $690 million relating to the termination of the merger with Hughes Electronics.
http://www.echostar.com

Read More

Luxury Cruise Center Adopts Avaya IP Office for Call Center

Avaya has supplied its IP Office solution to Luxury Cruise Center, which is using the platform for its call center and outbound telemarketing operations. The companies claim the pre-configured system was up and running within two hours of its arrival.
http://www.avaya.com

Read More

Furukawa Selects IDT's Search Engines for Gigabit Edge Routers

Fukawa Electric Co. selected IDT's (Integrated Device Technology's) network search engine (NSE) silicon for its next generation Gigabit metro edge router. The IDT 256Kx36 and 128Kx36 NSEs enable full-wire speed Layer 2-4 packet processing, while support QoS and CoS functions such as policed priority queuing and dynamic multicast QoS routing.
http://www.idt.com

Read More

Wayport Signs Wi-Fi Deal with CNN Airport Network

Wayport signed an agreement with CNN to offer Wi-Fi service in the 38 airports across the U.S. with access to CNN Airport Network. Wayport will use the existing CNN Airport Network infrastructure, which includes satellite connections to each airport. Neutral-host configuration will allow users of all wireless services to roam onto the network, including Wayport's current roaming partners such as AT&T Wireless, Boingo, GRIC and iPass.
http://www.wayport.com

Read More

Covad Offers New Hosting and Access Services

Covad Communications is offering new web hosting and email service options for its broadband access service aimed at small businesses. Covad's new hosting services include email, Webmail, a simple-to-use Web site builder, Web reports, anti-virus and SPAM protection. Hosting prices start at $20.
http://www.covad.com

Read More

PacketLight Networks Introduces Metro Access Platform

PacketLight Networks, a start-up based in Kfar Saba, Israel, is adding an integrated Metro access platform (the PL-1000) to its metro transport platform (the PL-16000). In addition, PacketLight is introducing a new Metro DWDM product for small numbers of wavelengths and an STM-16/OC48 Any-Service (TDM, Storage, Ethernet) Metro Service Multiplexer.
http://www.PacketLight.com

Read More

Equipe Shows Multi-Vendor ATM/MPLS Interworking with Juniper, Cisco, Lucent

Equipe Communications demonstrated ATM to MPLS Network Interworking Function (IWF) for its flagship product, the Equipe 3200 (E3200). The capability could be used for non-disruptive migration of existing Frame Relay and ATM traffic onto a packet-based MPLS network in a mixed vendor environment. Equipe's IWF demonstration included a Juniper Networks M-Series Router, Cisco GSR and Lucent CBX 500 switches. The demo network showed that the E3200 allows Frame Relay and ATM circuits, which originate and terminate on Lucent equipment, to transit an MPLS core network based on equipment from either Juniper Networks or Cisco, while fully preserving the existing operations and provisioning tools based on Lucent's Navis management platform. Equipe described the demonstration as the first such industry event.
http://www.equipecom.com

• Equipe's E3200 platform is positioned for transitioning large-scale service providers from ATM to MPLS while leveraging emerging optical technologies. The platform provides 200 Gbps of scalable capacity for today's ATM-based network infrastructures, at speeds from OC-3/STM-1 to OC-192/STM-64.

Read More

Telerobotics Assisted Surgery Runs over Bell Canada's MPLS VPN

On February 28, 2003, Dr. Mehran Anvari performed first hospital-to-hospital telerobotics assisted operation from St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario to a patient in North Bay, Ontario. Using a specially designed robot, Dr. Anvari assisted Dr. Craig McKinley, a North Bay-based surgeon, in performing a laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (acid-reflux) surgery over a distance of approximately 250 miles. The two hospitals were connected via a VPN running over Bell Canada's MPLS backbone. The Bell Canada MPLS network uses Cisco Systems' routers.
http://www.bell.cahttp://www.cisco.com

Read More

Sprint Inks Multimillion-Dollar Contract with Oracle

Sprint was awarded a contract valued at $9 million per year to integrate Oracle's U.S. network into a consolidated backbone and enable Oracle's employees access to software and business applications online utilizing Sprint's network. As part of the agreement, Sprint will implement Frame Relay, ATM and dedicated IP between Oracle's corporate headquarters in Redwood Shores, California, and offsite locations, including Oracle field offices and applications development centers. The agreement also includes private line data and voice, as well as enhanced toll-free services.
http://www.sprint.com

Read More

SBC Awarded Contract Covering Federal Agencies Nationwide

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) awarded a contract to SBC Communications under which it can provide voice, data and networking services to federal government agencies across the nation. The contract, part of the GSA's Federal Technology Service's Connections program, will allow SBC, through its DataComm unit, to compete with a select group of other providers to offer telecommunications products and services to federal agencies, authorized federal contractors, agency-sponsored universities and laboratories, and as authorized by law or regulation state, local and tribal governments and other organizations. SBC said the federal government's multiyear Connections program has an estimated value of $35 billion, covering telecommunications equipment, services, and solutions. A total of 17 companies have been awarded contracts, and SBC is one of six companies to be awarded contracts in each of the three categories (telecom equipment, services, and solutions).
http://www.sbc.com

Read More

Korea Thrunet Files for Bankruptcy

Korea Thrunet, the country's third largest broadband service provider with 1,300,118 paying end-users, filed a bankruptcy petition with the Seoul District Court. The bankruptcy court, at its sole discretion, decides whether or not to issue a stay order within 14 days from the filing of such petition, and whether or not to issue an order of commencement within 30 days from the filing. The court will also appoint an administrator while the company puts together a reorganization plan. Korea Thrunet said its financial position has gradually improved as its overall liabilities have declined by 50% since the end of 2001.
http://www.thrunet.com

• In mid-January 2003, Hanaro Telecom, the second largest fixed-line carrier in Korea, abruptly and unilaterally terminated an agreement to acquire Korea Thrunet's outstanding common shares from Trigem Computer, Naray and their 6 affiliates. At the time, Thrunet said it regretted the sudden termination, but viewed it as the loss of just one option among several that the company had for its ongoing corporate restructuring. Hanaro's total broadband subscriber base at the end of Q4 was 2,877,526, an increase of 0.86% from 2,852,976 at the end of Q3.

Read More

iDial Launches SIP VoIP Network

iDial Networks, a provider of VoIP services, launched its next generation SIP architecture. The end-to-end SIP network leverages soft switch capabilities and includes iDial proprietary back office operations such as real-time billing and multi-tiered sales reporting for agents and resellers. iDial said its SIP architecture allows international VoIP calls from an originating gateway in any country to go directly to a terminating gateway in another country while being routed, monitored, billed and managed for network and voice quality, without having to pass through a larger central office or hub facility. iDial originates and terminates voice and fax traffic with SIP using Cisco AS5000 Universal Gateways.
http://www.idialnetworks.com

Read More

Microsoft's Xbox Live Tops 350,000-Subscriber Mark After 3 Months

Microsoft has more than 350,000 subscribers for its Xbox Live online game service. In a customer survey, Microsoft found that its gamers consider downloadable content to be the most desired feature of the service. During the first week of availability of new content for the "MechAssault" game, players made more than 172,000 downloads. Globally, Xbox Live is playing host to more than 3 million game sessions per week, with the growing Xbox Live community -- which includes players from the United States, Canada and Japan -- logging more than 15.7 million hours of online play during the first three months of availability. Fourteen Xbox Live-enabled games are currently available, with 10 more scheduled to come online in the next two months. On March 14, Xbox Live will expand to Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
http://www.xbox.com

Read More

Infineon's QAM-VDSL Chip-Set Exceeds 70 Mbps Downstream

Infineon Technologies introduced its fifth-generation QAM-based VDSL chipset capable of total aggregate data rates in excess of 100 Mbps. Infineon said the new VDSL5100 chipset provides asymmetric data-rates of 70 Mbps downstream/40 Mbps upstream and symmetric data-rates of 50/50 Mbps over single-pair copper wires at distances up to 1,700 feet (500 meters). At longer ranges, the VDSL5100 delivers symmetric 10 Mbps over 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) and up to 4 Mbps at 12,000 feet (4 Km) using Band 0. Actual performance depends on regional band plans, cable types and deployment environment. The chipset design provides the functions needed for a single-port, 4-Band VDSL circuit design supporting either Ethernet or ATM over VDSL applications. The chipset could be used in universal line card designs for switches and DSLAMs, as well as customer premise equipment. Sampling is expected in May.
http://www.infineon.com

Read More

UTStarcom to Acquire CommWorks for $100 Million

UTStarcom agreed to acquire 3Com's CommWorks division for $100 million in cash. CommWorks supplies CDMA 2000 Packet Data Serving Nodes (PDSN), softswitches, media gateways, SIP proxy servers, SS7 signaling gateways, remote access servers (RAS) and unified messaging carrier applications. Its customer list includes 17 of the world's top 20 service providers, including AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. UTStarcom said the acquisition would add to its base of tier-one customers and accelerate its geographic diversification outside of China. UTStarcom, which supplies softswitches and broadband access equipment, claims to be the largest vendor to China Telecom. Its major customers also include China Netcom, Yahoo! BB in Japan, and Cable & Wireless. 3Com said the sale completes its transition into a dedicated enterprise networking company. A majority of the existing CommWorks employee base will receive comparable offers of employment from UTStarcom. UTStarcom will lease 3Com's Rolling Meadows facility in Illinois. The deal is expected to close in Q2 pending regulatory approval.
http://www.utstar.com
http://www.commworks.com

• Last month, CommWorks noted a milestone for its installed base of IP telephony systems worldwide -- 15 billion minutes of cumulative voice traffic. CommWorks said the milestone was reached less than three years after the first commercial deployment of its IP telephony equipment in April 2000. CommWorks IP telephony equipment is now carrying an estimated 985 million minutes of voice traffic each month for service providers worldwide.
• 
  UTStarcom recently noted that its IP-based PAS platform was supporting more than seven and a half million Chinese customers. The platform is marketed as a low-cost investment option for wireless local telephone service that replaces antiquated fixed line systems. It also features a network architecture that can be integrated with 3G and DSL.
• 
  In January, UTStarcom announced new contracts valued at more than $100 million to supply its AN-2000 IP-DSLAM in support of Yahoo! BB ADSL service. To date, Yahoo! BB has already deployed more than $130 million worth of UTStarcom IP-DSLAM equipment to support its 12 Mbps ADSL service.

Read More