Yahoo! BB Reaches 2.4 Million Broadband VoIP Lines

Yahoo! BB, the Japanese broadband service provided by Softbank and Yahoo! Japan, issued its latest monthly progress report.

	Yahoo! BB Subscribers
	May-03	Apr-03	Mar-03	Feb-03	Jan-03	Dec-02	Nov-02	Oct-02
Yahoo! BB lines installed	2,680k	2,547k	2,363k	2,181k	1,972k	1,691k	1,461k	1,208k
Yahoo! BB phone users	2,353k	2,162k	1,974k	1,806k	1,585k	1,294k	1,028k	773k
Central offices	2148	2,146	2,144	2,135	2,098	2,045	1,822	1,549

http://www.softbank.co.jp/en/newsrelese/2003release/e030610.htm

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ABC News Signs Exclusive Content Deal with RealNetworks

RealNetworks will be the only premium content subscription service to offer ABC News Live, ABC News' 24-hour live news service, under a new contract announced by the companies. In addition to providing ABC News content to RealOne SuperPass subscribers and supporting premium video news content for ABC News On Demand, ABC News will also collaborate with RealNetworks on new mobile content services.
http://www.realnetworks.com

• RealNetworks has over 1 million subscribers to its RealOne subscription services.
• 
  
  The broadband edition of ABC News Live offers a "virtual control room" feature with a quad screen format, providing four live simultaneous video feeds.

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Motorola Extends Its Relationship With Broadcom for Set-tops

Broadcom announced a contract extension that makes it a primary supplier of chips for Motorola's standard definition and high definition video set-tops through 2004. Motorola has shipped more than 26 million digital set-tops and over 2,000 digital headends to date.
http://www.broadcom.com

• In December 2002, Motorola extended a supply agreement that makes Broadcom the primary supplier of chips for Motorola's DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0-based SURFboard cable modems through 2003.

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Vendor Support Builds for WiMAX

WiMAX, an industry group dedicated to IEEE 802.16 and ETSI HiperMAN wireless broadband standards for last-mile access, announced 18 new member companies and the completion of initial system profiles for the interoperability of products operating in the 2 to 11 GHz bands.


WiMAX is focusing its initial efforts on conformance and interoperability test procedures for equipment that supports the 256 OFDM physical layer and operates in 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz licensed bands and the 5.8 GHz unlicensed band. By the end of 2003, the group expects to have developed conformance test plans and selected certification labs. The first interoperability events for equipment vendors are targeted for 2004.


New WiMAX members include: Andrew Corporation, Atheros, China Motion Technologies, Compliance Certification Services, LCC International, News IQ, Powerwave Technologies, Redline Communications, RF Integration, RF Magic, SiWave, SiWorks, SR Telecom, Stratex Networks, TowerStream, TurboConcept, Wavesat Wireless and Winova Wireless.


Existing members include: Airspan Networks, Alvarion, Aperto Networks, Ensemble Communications, Fujitsu, Intel, OFDM Forum, Nokia, Proxim and Wi-LAN.
http://www.wimaxforum.org

• The new 802.16a technology, which is being dubbed “WiMAX�?, provides up to 50 km (31 miles) of linear service area range and allows users to get broadband connectivity without needing a direct line of sight to the base station. It provides shared data rates up to 70 Mbps, which is enough bandwidth to simultaneously support more than 60 businesses with T1-type connectivity and hundreds of homes with DSL-type connectivity using a single sector of a base station. A typical base station has up to six sectors.
• 
  
  The IEEE 802.16 Air Interface Standard is a point-to-multipoint broadband wireless access standard for systems in the frequency range 10-66 GHz. The standard covers both the Media Access Control (MAC) and the physical (PHY) layers. Work is underway on an amendment to extend the specification to cover both the licensed and unlicensed bands in the 2-11 GHz range. More information on 802.16 is available from the IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access Standards. http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/16/
  

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Equant To Deploy ECtel's QoS Solution for Global VoIP

ECtel announced a contract to supply an end-to-end NGN Quality of Service (QoS) solution for Equant's global IP VPN network. The order is for a passive real-time monitoring and measurement system for key locations. Ectel's NGN QoS system will proactively monitor the quality of "on-net" to "off-net" traffic (transmissions delivered across gateways to/from the networks of partner service carriers), and, via real-time alerts and detailed data analysis, to proactively manage total network quality. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.ectel.com/

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SMC Offers 802.11b Adapter for any Ethernet-connected Peripheral

SMC Networks introduced a 2.4GHz 11 Mbps Wireless Ethernet Adapter for connecting gaming consoles (Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation 2), set-top boxes, PVRs, stereos and other peripherals to a home Wi-Fi network. The adapter could also be used as a wireless range extender for SMC's cable/DSL routers or as a wireless access point. It has an MSRP of $99.
http://www.smc.com

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Tekelec Completes Merger with Santera Systems

Tekelec completed its transaction with Santera Systems to form a majority owned next-generation switching subsidiary. Santera Systems, which will remain based in Plano, Texas, offers an integrated voice and data switching platform for delivering Class 4/5 services, PRI offload, packet/cell switching and voice over broadband services. The SanterOne platform features both TDM and packet switching fabrics. The combined company's product portfolio will also include media gateways, media gateway controllers, signaling gateways and element management systems for migrating from circuit to packet networks.
http://www.tekelec.com

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Sprint to Exit Hosting Business

Sprint announced plans to wind down its Web hosting businesses and transition current hosting customers to preferred third-party providers. Sprint will no longer pursue direct sales of hosting, including managed hosting and collocation services, to enterprises. However, Sprint will continue to focus on IP-related products and services that are critical to hosting, such as managed services and network transport on its Tier 1 IP backbone. The decision will involve phasing out eight Sprint E|Solutions Centers located in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Sacramento and Santa Clara. Two other Sprint E|Solutions Centers in the Kansas City area and in Reston, Virginia will be converted into corporate data centers supporting other Sprint network capabilities. About 500 employees are affected by the decision. Sprint expects to report a charge of approximately $0.20 per-share against its FON Group earnings for winding down the hosting business.


Separately, Sprint will take pre-tax charges of approximately $36 million in connection with separation agreements agreed to by Sprint and William T. Esrey, former chairman and CEO; Ronald T. LeMay, former president and COO; and J. Richard Devlin, former executive vice president - general counsel, external affairs and corporate secretary. The charges include $15 million of non-cash expense associated with accounting for modifications to certain terms of stock options granted in prior periods. Over the next four quarters, Sprint will also take pre-tax charges of $6 million related to the consulting and non-compete components of the separation agreements.
http://www.sprint.com

• In March 2003, Gary D. Forsee was named CEO of Sprint, replacing Bill Esrey. Forsee previously served as vice chairman of BellSouth Corporation where he had responsibility for the company's domestic operations. Before that, Forsee spent 10 years with Sprint, holding leadership positions in the company's long-distance and PCS operations, and one year with Global One, a joint venture of Sprint, Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom, where he served as president and CEO.

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IdleAire Launches Wi-Fi at US Truck Stops

IdleAire Technologies announced plans to deploy Wi-Fi hotspots at major truck stops along the US interstate highway system. The first deployment phase will include 200 truck stops. The company is partnering with Cisco Systems for the deployment. IdleAire Technologies is building plug-in heating and air conditioning vents for parked trucks. The IdleAire system allows drivers to turn off their truck engines while they rest or wait to load and unload, eliminating diesel idling emissions, saving fuel and improving driver comfort. The vent, which attaches to the truck window, includes a touch screen LCD panel through which IdleAire also provides satellite TV, distance education and other services. Long haul truck drivers are required by law to rest for eight hours for each ten hour shift behind the wheel.
http://www.idleaire.com/

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3Com Intervenes in Cisco-Huawei Lawsuit

3Com filed a motion with the U.S. Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Marshall, Texas to intervene in the litigation between Cisco Systems and Huawei Technologies. 3Com is seeking a declaratory ruling regarding the validity and originality of the intellectual property behind new products that it intends to ship through its soon-to-be launched joint venture with Huawei. 3Com said it was taking legal action to make clear to the court, as well as customers, that it intends to follow through with the launch of the 3Com-Huawei joint venture. 3Com asserts that the new products it will ship in partnership with Huawei will be substantially different from those in the dispute between Cisco and Huawei. Also today, Huawei has filed an amended counterclaim for declaratory relief that the new products do not infringe Cisco's intellectual property.
http://www.3com.com
http://www.huawei.com

• Late last week, a U.S. District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction against Huawei Technologies.
• 
  
  In March 2003, 3Com and Huawei Technologies said that they would form a joint venture based in Hong Kong with principal operations in Hangzhou, China. Huawei's contribution to the JV will include enterprise networking business assets, including LAN switches, routers, engineering, sales/marketing resources and personnel, and licenses to its related intellectual property. 3Com's contribution to the JV will include $160 million in cash, assets related to its operations in China and Japan, and licenses to its related intellectual property. The name of the joint venture will be 3Com-Huawei in English and Huawei-3Com in Chinese. 3Com said the JV would provide it with modular layer 2 and 3, 10/100/1000 MB switches. The JV and Huawei will also provide 3Com with a full line of enterprise routers.
• 
  
  In January 2003, Cisco Systems filed a lawsuit against Huawei Technologies and its subsidiaries Huawei America and FutureWei Technologies alleging unlawful copying of Cisco's intellectual property. In particular, the suit alleges that Huawei unlawfully copied and misappropriated Cisco's IOS software, including source code, copied Cisco documentation and other copyrighted materials, and infringed numerous Cisco patents. Cisco claims that Huawei's operating system contains a number of text strings, file names, and even bugs that are identical to those found in Cisco's IOS source code.

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SnowShore Supplies Media Servers to Japanese Carrier

SnowShore Networks announced that its N20 and A1 media servers were selected for deployment in a leading Japanese carrier network (name not disclosed). BellNet, a systems integrator for several of the world's largest incumbent network service providers, will use the SnowShore media servers to power a portfolio of SIP services, including IP centrex, enhanced IP conferencing and messaging. BellNet's CASP operation provides basic and enhanced SIP-based telephony service, number resolution, and advanced billing and subscriber administration through a hosted network model. SnowShore equipment is already deployed as part of a live carrier trial at a major Japanese service provider. The deployment is estimated to generate more than $2 million of sales for SnowShore over the next 18 months.
http://www.SnowShore.com
http://www.bnc.co.jp

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UTStarcom Announces Another PAS Contract With China Netcom

UTStarcom won a new contract valued at approximately $27.7 million with China Netcom for new and expansion deployments of its IP-based PAS (Personal Access System) (iPAS) equipment in suburban cities neighboring Tian Jin in northern China. UTStarcom said its PAS technology has gained more than 10 million Chinese customers as of April 2003. The PAS platform is marketed as a low-cost option for wireless local telephone service.
http://www.utstar.com
http://www.cnc.net.cn

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FCC Counts 19.9 Million High-Speed Lines in the US

High-speed lines (>200 Kbps bi-directional) in the U.S. increased by 23% in the second half of 2002 from 16.2 million to 19.9 million, according to the latest statistics released by the FCC. Highlights of the newly published "High-Speed Services for Internet Access" report include:

• as of 31-Dec-02, there were 6.5 million ADSL connections in the US, up 27% during the second half of 2002
• 
  
  as of 31-Dec-02, there were 11.4 million cable modem connections in the US, up by 24% during the second half of 2002
• 
  
  as of 31-Dec-02, 548,471 high-speed lines were served over fiber, up from 520,884 six months earlier
• 
  
  as of 31-Dec-02, 276,067 high-speed lines were served by satellite or fixed wireless connections, up from 220,588 six months earlier
• 
  
  high-speed services were available in 88% of the nation's zip codes and 71% of zip codes had more than one broadband provider
• 
  
  the greatest number of broadband lines were located in California (3,035,756), New York (1,997,195), Florida (1,405,976), Texas (1,349,628), Illinois (734,171), Ohio (710,355) and Pennsylvania (631,717)
• 
  
  The full statistical report is available online.

http://www.fcc.gov/wcb/iatd/recent.html

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Motorola Launches 802.11g Cable Modem Gateway

Motorola introduced a new home gateway that integrates an 802.11g wireless access point, a DOCSIS 2.0 modem, 10/100base-T Ethernet and USB ports and an advanced firewall with content filtering, parental controls and wireless security. The Motorola SBG900 also offers features that are configurable by the network operator through SNMP -- or by the user through a Web-browser interface.
http://www.motorola.com

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NCTA is Bullish on Cable's Future

As of 31-March-2003, cable operators were serving more than 20 million digital cable, 12 million high-speed Internet, and 2.5 million cable telephone customers, said Robert Sachs, President & CEO, National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), speaking at the opening of this week's "National" cable show in Chicago. HDTV is another leading indicator of the cable market, with some level of HDTV programming now available in 78 of the top 100 Designated Market Areas (DMAs) in the US. About 5% of US households currently own a television set capable of displaying signals in high definition. In the wake of the FCC's recent action to loosen media ownership rules, Sachs noted that regulatory issues continue to be a primary concern for cable operators. In particular, he questioned mandatory carriage requirements that would force cable operators to carry as many as six digital channels for each of the local broadcast stations in markets they serve.
http://www.ncta.com

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RosettaNet Telecom Industry Council Aims to Standardize E-Business Processes

BT, Cisco System, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia and Siemens are among the founding members of a new RosettaNet Telecommunications Industry Council aimed at standardizing key e-business processes used to exchange information throughout global telecom networks. The telecom council (TC) will operate as part of RosettaNet, a non-profit consortium dedicated to the collaborative development and rapid deployment of open internet-based business standards. The companies are hoping to streamline communications linkages between suppliers and customers, including real-time data exchanges in the areas of design, product information, forecast, order and inventory management and logistics. The RosettaNet Telecommunications Industry Council effort is headed by Stefan Langkamp of Siemens Information and Communication Networks (ICN).
http://www.rosettanet.org

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AT&T Expands Managed Security Services Portfolio

AT&T announced three new managed security services aimed at businesses and government agencies:

• AT&T Network-Based Firewall Service, which allows customers to globally leverage their existing WAN by providing a common, secured gateway to the Internet. Customers can apply a common set of security policies across many locations, such as dynamic URL filtering, and SMTP email traffic scanning. The service also establishes enterprise Permanent Virtual Circuits (ePVCs), secure private connections between their company WAN and that of their customers or vendors.
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  AT&T Enhanced Managed Intrusion Detection Service, which augments the company's existing IDS in several key areas by using a proprietary AT&T Labs-developed capability. Anomalies are correlated and analyzed by profiling and baselining a customer's activity occurring at each intrusion sensor. It offers both network- based and host-based service, with coverage in over 100 countries worldwide.
• 
  
  AT&T Application Firewall Service, which includes hardware/software provisioning, testing, installation, and around-the-clock management

The security services are interoperable and managed using AT&T's Integrated Global Enterprise Management System (iGEMS).
http://www.att.com

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Lucent Supplies Optical Upgrade for Hanaro Telecom's Backbone

Hanaro Telecom, one of South Korea's largest broadband service providers, selected Lucent Technologies to supply its DWDM systems for a nationwide backbone upgrade. Specifically, Lucent will deliver and deploy WaveStar OLS 1.6T systems in the major metropolitan areas including Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon and Gwangju by the end of August. The new equipment will increase Hanaro's long-haul transmission network capacity to 800 Gbps. Lucent's WaveStar OLS 1.6T DWDM system offers up to 160 10-Gbps wavelengths for a total capacity of 1.6 Tbps on one fiber. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.lucent.com
http://www.hanaro.com

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Lucent to Build Optical Network for Beijing Communication Corp.

Beijing Communication Corporation (BCC), a subsidiary of China Netcom, awarded a contract valued at tens of millions of dollars to Lucent Technologies to build an optical network connecting the suburbs of Beijing. Specifically, Lucent will supply its Metropolis ADM MultiService Mux, WaveStar ADM16/1, Navis Optical Dynamic Network Analyzer (DNA), Navis Optical Network Management System, and WaveStar ITM-SC to construct 10G optical rings for BCC. The Lucent Metropolis ADM serves as an Ethernet-over-SDH multiplexer and integrates with BCC's existing infrastructure. The product integrates 2Mbps access and cross-connect functionality for 10 Gbps applications. Lucent said the contract marks the first win for the Metropolis ADM in Beijing.
http://www.lucent.com.cnhttp://www.cnc.net.cn

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Marconi Selects Ikanos' VDSL-DMT Chipsets

Marconi is using Ikanos Communications' VDSL-DMT chipsets to build line cards that extend the capabilities of its Access Hub family of High Density DSLAMs and Multi-Service Access Nodes. Marconi's very-high-bandwidth line cards are aimed at telecom operators targeting triple play services -- voice, video, and data over a single copper pair.
http://www.ikanos.com

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Intel and Sun Microsystems Collaborate on Java Mobile Devices

Intel and Sun Microsystems are collaborating on Java technology-enabled audio, visual and multimedia applications delivered to mobile devices using Intel XScale technology based processors. Specifically, Intel and Sun will optimize Sun's Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) HotSpot Implementation on Intel's XScale technology based family of processors for mobile devices such as cell phones and PDAs. The joint effort will help manufacturers to more easily integrate Java software programs onto their deviceshttp://www.sun.com

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Java Developers Set Sights on Mobile Applications

Motorola, Nokia, Siemens, Sony Ericsson and Sun Microsystems will unify their application testing and certification programs into a single initiative to accelerate the proliferation of Java technology in wireless devices. The initiative will set common certification criteria for content testing that the participants aim to make a symbol of consistent quality in the wireless industry. Sun will provide a Java license for applications that have passed certification testing.
http://www.sun.com

• An estimated 94 million Java devices are already deployed over 53 wireless carrier networks worldwide, according to Sun Microsystems.

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