XO Expresses Disappointment in Global Crossing Court Decision

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court handling the Global Crossing case approved a purchase agreement amendment that extends the exclusivity period under which only Singapore Technologies Telemedia PTE bid is considered for acquiring the company. In a press statement, XO said it remains highly skeptical that Singapore Technologies Telemedia PTE will be able to obtain the needed regulatory approvals to consummate this transaction. Furthermore, XO argues that Global Crossing should not be owned and controlled by an entity owned by a foreign government. It also noted that present cash flow projections indicate that Global Crossing could run out of unrestricted cash in October.
http://www.xo.com

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Tellabs Expands its Next-gen SDH portfolio

Tellabs introduced a new high-density Ethernet-over-SDH switch that uses Layer 2 MPLS to offer true QoS for data transport. The Tellabs 6345 is a 10 Gbps multi-service provisioning platform designed to provide lower-order access, integrated Fast and Gigabit Ethernet ports and full Layer 2 switching in both metropolitan and regional networks. The Tellabs 6345 features a cross-connect capacity of 384 x STM-1 and 8,064 x VC-12, making it the most powerful and compact ADM-64 system on the market, according to Tellabs. First customer shipments are expected in Q4 2003.
http://www.tellabs.com

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ITU Allocates Additional 455 MHz of Spectrum for WLANs

Delegates to the International Telecommunications Union's (ITU) World Radio Conference (WRC) in Geneva, Switzerland agreed to allocate 455 MHz of unlicensed spectrum in the 5-GHz band for global WLAN use. Once the agreement achieves final plenary approval, 100 MHz of spectrum (5.150-5.250 GHz) will be allocated for indoor WLAN use, while an additional 355 MHz will be allocated for mixed indoor/outdoor use (5.250-5.350 GHz and 5.470-5.725 GHz). The international agreement at the WRC effectively opens at least 19 non-interfering 5GHz channels for global WLAN use.


Atheros Communications described the agreement as "a defining moment for the WLAN industry as a whole." Atheros noted that the universal 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g networks that it supports with its chipsets will offer access to nine times as many non-overlapping channels as 802.11b and 802.11g-only networks in the U.S., and seven times as many non-overlapping channels in Europe.
http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/conferences/wrc/wrc-03/index.asphttp://www.atheros.com

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NTT East Selects Efficient's DSL Provisioning Software

NTT-East selected Efficient Networks' Tango broadband access software suite as its standard platform for facilitating DSL self-installation and access. The software suite, which includes Tango installer and Tango manager, provides a simple, efficient and cost effective way to quickly provide DSL service to the carrier's growing broadband customer base. NTT-East has purchased 1.2 million licenses of Tango installer and Tango manager through Japanese network solution integrator Terilogy. Efficient Networks is a subsidiary of Siemens AG.
http://www.efficient.com

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Netopia Debuts Integrated ADSL Wireless Gateway

Netopia introduced a new Cayman 3347W ADSL Wireless Gateway based on chipsets from TI and Conexant Systems. Netopia's gateway incorporates dual antennas specifically tuned to enhance Wi-Fi coverage inside the home. It also provides a 4-port 10/100 Ethernet switch.
http://www.netopia.com

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Korea's DACOM Chooses Cisco 12000 Series Routers

DACOM, a communications service provider in Korea, is deploying Cisco 12406, 12410 and 12416 series routers to expand its BORANet backbone. The network supports Internet leased-line service for corporate customers, including small office-home office (SOHO) environments, and Internet PC cafes. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.cisco.com

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Sanera Raises $35 Million for its SAN Switch

Sanera Systems, a start-up based in Sunnyvale, California, received $35 million in third round financing to support the development of its terabit, protocol transparent SAN switch. Sanera's DS10000 datacenter-class director, introduced in April 2003, scales to as many as 256 non-blocking 2 Gbps ports or up to 64 10 Gbps ports per chassis. The platform can be used for SAN consolidation, large fabric deployment and in-network storage services integration. It features a unique dynamic partitioning feature that allows enterprises to consolidate SANs into a single system while maintaining the administrative autonomy and security of independent SAN islands. It includes native multiprotocol support for Fibre Channel, Ethernet/ iSCSI, and FICON. The new funding round was led by Sanera's current investors, including ArrowPath, CMEA Ventures, Enterprise Partners Venture Capital, Goldman Sachs, Greylock and Storm Ventures. Sanera has raised a total of $101 million in financing to date.
http://www.sanera.net

• Sanera Systems is headed by Larry Sanders, who previously was the president and CEO of Crossroads Systems, a maker of storage routers. Prior to Crossroads, he served as President and CEO of Fujitsu Computer Products of America.

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Internet2 Releases Privacy-Preserving Web Authorization Software

The Internet2 initiative announced the first production version of open-source software designed for active privacy management. The Shibboleth 1.0 software provides an authentication and authorization architecture that enables inter-institutional sharing of Web resources subject to access controls. Shibboleth also aims to provide a policy framework that will allow inter-operation within the higher education community. A key concept within Shibboleth is "federated Administration," in which the origin campus (home to the browser user) provides attribute assertions about that user to the target site. A trust fabric exists between campuses, allowing each site to identify the other speaker, and assign a trust level. A number of leading universities are participating in the project. The Shibboleth software was developed under the auspices of the National Science Foundation's Middleware Initiative (NMI). Enterprise software companies are also expected to incorporate Shibboleth into their products are services.http://shibboleth.internet2.eduhttp://www.internet2.edu

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Marconi Demonstrates 10 Gbps Packet Encryption on its BXR-48000

Marconi has demonstrated the encryption of IP and ATM data at 10 Gbps rates for safeguarding the mission-critical, real-time applications and services required for secure government communications across the world. The demonstration used Marconi's BXR-48000 multiservice switch router, its 10 Gbps ATM interface card, and the 10 Gbps General Dynamics UltraFastlane KG-75A encryptor. Marconi supported encryption of 10 Gbps IP traffic over ATM, 10 Gbps of pure ATM traffic, and the simultaneous encrypted transport of 5 Gbps of IP and 5 Gbps of ATM. Marconi said that at present only ATM will support the encryption of IP packet and TDM traffic at 10 Gbps rates, while IP traffic over Ethernet is limited to encryption rates of 100 Mbps. The company noted that the demands on a global communications grid require secure, multi-gigabit streams of data with low latency and QoS. Examples include secure, high-speed transport of encrypted surveillance data, real-time control and harvest of data from networked military and intelligence assets such as the Global Hawk and Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), transport of high-definition video steams, distributed supercomputing, and the integration of large storage files with real-time, desktop video telephony, including multi-person and multi-site conferencing for collaborative decision-making.
http://www.marconi.com

• In May 2003, Marconi announced support for the Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES) for Simple Network Management Protocol, version 3, as a means to encrypt and secure the messages that manage its multiservice switch-routers. SNMP is a commonly used protocol for managing devices in a network. SNMPv3 improves security over previous versions by helping to ensure that each management message comes from an authenticated, verifiable source and has not been altered by unauthorized users. Marconi's 3DES for SNMPv3 is enabled with Marconi's management software and interoperates with the management software provided by other vendors. The combination of 3DES and SNMPv3 aims to ensure that unauthorized users cannot disrupt critical communications between network devices in commercial or government networks.
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  In January 2003, Marconi confirmed that the U.S. Department of Defense had become the first customer for its new 10 Gbps (OC-192c/STM-64) ATM port card, which interfaces to its flagship BXR-48000 multiservice switch- router. The Department of Defense will use the 10 Gbps ATM interface for classified applications in multiservice, broadband network expansion projects.

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Marconi Teams with Ethernet Port Extension over SDH

Marconi will incorporate MRV's Ethernet Port Extension (EPE) technology into its own PacketSpan solution for data over SDH. The MRV EPE technology extends Ethernet-over-SDH services to smaller and more geographically remote enterprises by taking PacketSpan Ethernet interfaces out of the operator's exchange or central office and placing them in customer premises. It uses electrical or optical Ethernet interfaces to connect to end customers' LAN infrastructures. Traffic is relayed over optical fiber, up to several kilometers long, terminating at a PacketSpan tributary card in the operator's network. PacketSpan then maps the end-customer's Ethernet traffic onto SDH. The service provider manages the PacketSpan CPE remotely, as if it were part of a network tributary card. The new Ethernet Port Extension solution is managed by Marconi's ServiceOn Optical network-management system. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Marconi's PacketSpan, which is part of Marconi's next-generation SDH portfolio, supports new mapping techniques such as GFP (Generic Framing Procedure), LCAS (Link Capacity Adjustment Scheme) and Virtual Concatenation.
http://www.marconi.com
http://www.mrv.com

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NEC America Adds Resiliency for Enterprise VoIP

NEC America introduced several new enterprise voice products:

• a new NEAX 2000 IPS-DMR communications platform, which is a new remote component for NEC's NEAX 2000 IPS and NEAX IPS-DM mid-range VoIP systems. It offers a unique remote survivability function that automatically connects to the public network should the IP network connection with the central site be interrupted. The DMR essentially converts a remote office to a standalone system until the IP network is restored.
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  a new "Dterm" IP phone featuring a failover adapter that provides immediate connectivity to the public network if the corporate IP network is down or should a power failure occur. A manual control is also available to switch between the central office trunk and IP network control if desired.

New software expected later this summer for NEC's large enterprise NEAX 2400 IPX platform will add automatic and transparent failover for Dterm IP phones to an alternate controller in the WAN or LAN, restoring essential services and features.
http://www.cng.nec.com

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Santera Qualifies its Switch for Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Financing

Santera's SanteraOne switching platform is now eligible for low-interest financing from the Rural Utilities Service program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program provides independent and rural utilities and telecommunications service providers with low-interest financing to assist them in the purchase of new equipment. The approval for RUS financing follows on-site equipment trial of the SanteraOne platform by the Kerman Telephone Co. of Kerman, California.


In addition, Santera introduced two new switching products: SanteraOne RS (available Q4), a next-generation switch with a smaller media gateway for independent and rural carriers; and SanteraOne ESA, an emergency backup softswitch that gives carriers with remote systems the ability to continue carrying traffic in cases of a fiber cut between the host and the remote systems. The SanteraOne RS provides the same features as the larger SanteraOne Class 5 switches, including AMA billing, local number portability (LNP), E911 and CALEA. Additional features include services such as call waiting, call blocking and last-number redial. Santera is a Tekelec company.
http://www.santera.com

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Verizon to take $3 Billion Charges for Accounting Changes

Verizon Communications will take approximately $3.0 billion in charges in Q2 primarily driven by an accounting change in its directory business and by the effect of its recent decision to sell its consolidated interest in Grupo Iusacell in Mexico. Regarding the directories business, Verizon said it has changed its method for recognizing revenues and expenses, resulting in an after-tax, non-cash charge to earnings of approximately $1.6 billion, or $0.59 in fully diluted EPS, retroactive to 02-Jan-2003. As a result of Verizon's recent decision to sell its consolidated interest in Grupo Iusacell, the company expects to record a Q2 after-tax charge to earnings of $0.9 billion, or $0.33 per diluted share. Verizon also anticipates recording second-quarter after-tax charges to earnings of approximately $0.4 billion to $0.5 billion, or $0.14 to $0.19 per diluted share, related to severance, the early redemption of debt, and impairments of long-lived assets primarily due to consolidation and integration of facilities.
http://www.verizon.com

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