WS-Federation Publishes Web Services Specification

BEA Systems, IBM, Microsoft, RSA Security and VeriSign published a set of Web services specifications that provide developers with a standard way of adding security capabilities to the Web services they build. The WS-Federation specification defines mechanisms to allow developers to manage and establish trust relationships across companies and domains that are using different types of security solutions, including the support for federated identities. Federated identities involve the exchange of identity information between systems, such as the security clearance level or name of the user or Web service.


Microsoft and IBM also published a new whitepaper which describes the challenges associated with federated identity management.http://msdn.microsoft.com/ws-federation/

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Alloptic Awarded U.S. Patent for TDM over PON

Alloptic was awarded a key patent for transporting legacy TDM services over Ethernet-based passive optical networks (EPON). The patent would enable service providers to seamlessly connect Ethernet-based optical access systems to their existing core telephony networks. The technology synchronizes both ends of the system for reliable TDM voice transmission with minimal latency and jitter. Alloptic said the development would break new ground for Ethernet-based PONs. It cited Central Texas Technologies, a service provider in Austin, Texas, as a customer current using the technology to deliver TDM-based voice over a Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) network.
http://www.alloptic.com

• In April 2003, Alloptic, a start-up based in Livermore, California, secured $35 million in new financing for its Gigabit Ethernet Optical Access solutions. Alloptic access network equipment delivers bundled data, video, and voice services over Ethernet PONs to businesses and residences. Existing investors GMG - Partners and Athenian Venture Partners are leading the fourth round of funding.

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Wayport Enters Wi-Fi Partnership with McDonalds

Wayport has begun providing Wi-Fi access at approximately 75 McDonalds locations in the San Francisco Bay area. McDonalds is also preparing to launch pilot Wi-Fi networks in Chicago and across Canada. Some locations are also live in New York City. The cost for a two-hour wireless Internet connection at these locations is $4.95, with other options available.


Separately, MCI announced a roaming partnership with Wayport that gives its customers access corporate networks, VPNs and the Internet via wireless connections at more than 600 U.S. locations including hotels, airports and the select San Francisco - San Jose area McDonalds.
http://www.wayport.com
http://www.mcdwireless.com

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Telenor Selects Tellabs for Next Gen SDH

Telenor selected Tellabs to supply its next generation SDH platforms for supporting its launch of multipoint, Layer 2 Ethernet services using MPLS and EoSDH technology. The deployment will include the Tellabs 6310 and 6320 edge nodes and the Tellabs 6340, 6345 and 6350 switch nodes. Telenor already has a large installed base of Tellabs equipment. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.tellabs.com

• the Tellabs 6310 and 6320 edge nodes are small ADMs for access or customer premise deployments



• the Tellabs 6340 switch node is a high-density platform that can be used in regional and metro networks as a cross-connect for grooming and consolidation of voice and high-speed data traffic.



• the Tellabs 6345 switch node is a calable high density Multi-Service Provisioning Platform (MSPP)



• the high-density Tellabs 6350 switch node is a digital cross-connect that handles voice, leased line and value-added data services.

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Siemens Outlines New Circuit to Packet Migration Path

Siemens Information and Communication Networks (IC Networks) introduced a new platform within its SURPASS portfolio designed to offer all the features of its EWSD central office TDM switch, along with new IP services. With the new Surpass hiE platform, Siemens is pursuing an evolutionary approach to carrier packet voice networks. The Surpass hiE, which combines the EWSD technology and the company's Surpass hiQ 9200 softswitch technology, could be deployed as a pure TDM system, as a pure IP system, or as a combination of both. It offers full-backward feature compatibility with the EWSD, plus interfaces to both intelligent network applications and next generation applications. More specifically, Surpass hiE will support all the all call feature server and call control functions for standardized protocols, including SS7, SS7oIP, INAP, H.248, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), SIP-T and H.323. It supports up to 600,000 subscribers, 240,000 TDM or VoIP trunk ports, and 1,500 SS7 links. It also fulfills regulatory requirements such as number portability and multiple carrier accounting. Siemens said that because the SURPASS hiE is technically evolved from EWSD, previous and current EWSD investments are fully protected when carriers migrate to its Next Generation Network solution.
http://www.siemens.com/surpass

• Over 80 carriers worldwide have deployed Siemens' Surpass solutions.

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Wi-Fi Alliance Announces First 802.11g Certifications

The Wi-Fi Alliance completed the first round of certification testing for the IEEE 802.11g standard. Initial testing included eight products from six companies -- four access points and four PC cards. These products are based on chipsets from four different silicon suppliers: Atheros, Broadcom, Intersil and TI.
http://www.wi-fi.org

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Con Edison Offers Integrated Voice, Data Services in NYC

Con Edison Communications (CEC), a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison (an investor owned utility), introduced PowerCall Plus, an integrated voice and data service for small businesses (eight to 20 employees) in New York City. Voice and data are combined over a T1 connection, enabling customers to order up to 24 voice lines while maintaining the ability to burst up to a full 1.5 Mbps of data capacity. CEC also offers co-location, SONET, wavelength and Ethernet LAN services in NYC.
http://www.electricfiber.com

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Intel Acquires West Bay Semiconductor for its SONET/SDH Chips

Intel has acquired West Bay Semiconductor, a privately-held developer of SONET/SDH silicon for metro core, edge and access optical networks, in a cash-for-assets transaction. Financial terms were not disclosed. West Bay's product line includes transport framers and data mappers that enable next-generation SONET/SDH and Ethernet over SONET/SDH (EoS) applications running at speeds of up to 2.5 Gbps. The company is also developing next-generation deeply channelized bandwidth management technologies that enable simultaneous, real-time processing of thousands of voice and data streams. Intel plans to combine West Bay's silicon architecture with its own 90-nanometer silicon manufacturing process. West Bay Semiconductor is based in Vancouver, Canada. Most of its employees will join the Intel Optical Products Group (OPG).


Intel's portfolio of 2.5 Gbps and lower networking chips already included network processors and physical layer devices. Intel said the acquisition of West Bay enables it to offer system vendors a single architecture and software platform to use in designing and building telecom equipment.
http://www.Intel.com/pressroom

• West Bay's announced product line includes a 48-channel, multi-protocol OC-48/STM-16 and OC-12/STM-4 virtual concatenation data framer. Through 48 separate logical channels, the device offers simultaneous, multi-protocol processing and mapping for TDM (voice and leased lines) and data transmission protocols (ATM, POS, GFP and LAPS). Key applications include Ethernet over SONET/SDH systems, multi-service provisioning platforms (MSPPs), routers, switches, access concentrators, add/drop multiplexers and DWDM systems. The device includes a 4 x 622 Mbps redundant serial telecom bus interface, enabling the device to be connected to redundant switch fabrics. It also provides SONET/SDH framing, full overhead processing, alarm detection, performance monitoring, line and path bit error rate monitoring (BERM) and STS-1/VC-3 timeslot interchange for traffic grooming and automatic protection switching.
• 
  
  West Bay Semiconductor is headed by Tino Varelas, one of the founders of PMC, which later became PMC-Sierra.
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  A list of Intel's previous network-related acquisitions: http://www.convergedigest.com/Mergers/mergersIntel.htm
  

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ADC Adds Hitless Upgrade Capability to its Cuda 12000 CMTS

ADC announced a series of enhancements that enable its Cuda 12000 Next-Generation CMTS to add or change modules and perform software upgrades without the need for system downtime. The hitless software upgrade capability is expected to be especially important to MSOs that need to compete with traditional telephone companies to win new voice customers. In addition, the Cuda 12000 now supports up to 3,000 cable modems per HFC interface module.
http://www.adc.com

• ADC said more than 800 units of its Cuda 12000 are now deployed worldwide.

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BellSouth Offers DSL Lite

BellSouth began promoting FastAccess DSL Lite, a new retail DSL Internet access service that delivers download speeds of up to 256 kbps and upload speeds of up to 128 kbps for $35 per month. The company's regular FastAccess DSL service provides maximum download speeds of up to 1.5 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 256 kbps for $45 per month.
http://www.bellsouth.com

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T-Mobile Invests in Flarion for its Flash-OFDM Wireless

The T-Mobile Venture Fund is making a investment in Flarion Technologies, a start-up offering an "IP-friendly" flash-OFDM wireless broadband system. Financial terms were not disclosed. Flarion said its technology lets mobile operators seamlessly connect corporate LANs with a wireless Wide Area Network with the speed and low packet latency that exceed corporate network requirements.
http://www.flarion.com

• In November 2002, SK Telecom, a major Korean wireless service provider, made a strategic investment in Flarion Technologies. At the time, SK Telecom was conducting a field trial of Flarion's mobile broadband system using Flarion's RadioRouter base stations, deployed at SK Telecom's existing towers and utilizing SK Telecom's existing backhaul infrastructure. Flarion's PC 1000 Wireless PC Cards were installed in field trial users' laptops and PDAs.
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  Flarion's flash-OFDM mobile broadband system is a packet-switched radio access network with QoS capabilities that overlays onto a mobile operator's existing cell sites and spectrum. Flarion's platform provides a seamless routing interface to the operator's existing IP network. The company claims its RadioRouter offers an average sustainable throughput of 1.5 Mbps per sector in only 1.25 MHz of paired radio spectrum and burst rates as high as 3 Mbps.

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Sprint, Cisco and Hitachi Extend Fibre Channel over IP to 5700 km

Sprint, in partnership with Cisco Systems and Hitachi Data Systems, successfully tested asynchronous data replication over an IP network using Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) technology at a distance of more than 3,600 miles (5,700 km). The demonstration was conducted using an FCIP connection originating from a Sprint lab located in Overland Park, Kansas. Optical cross-connect devices at Sprint's Burlingame, California lab created a continuous loop back to the Overland Park lab, simulating a point-to-point FCIP connection. The test used private Sprint circuits, Cisco MDS 9000 SAN switches with the Cisco MDS 9000 IP Storage Services modules and Hitachi Freedom Storage Lightning 9900 V Series systems, running Hitachi TrueCopy data replication software.
http://www.sprint.com

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Equant Offers Managed Intrusion Detection Service

Equant began offering a managed intrusion detection service to its multinational corporate customers. Equant Intrusion Detection, available worldwide, monitors all network segment traffic flows, enabling the customer to capture and react to intrusions by external hackers and those from inside corporate networks. It detects in near real-time malicious activity that is targeted at customer networks, devices, appliances, servers and operating systems. In addition, it filters false alarms that could divert valuable corporate resources. The service is provided in partnership with Ubizen, which specializes in network security event monitoring and operates state-of-the-art Security Operations Centers. Equant and Ubizen are using Cisco Systems' intrusion detection sensors deployed at strategic points throughout the network. Equant estimates that corporations can significantly reduce their total cost of ownership for network security by outsourcing intrusion detection to a 24x7x365 secure operations center. Equant already offers a secure Internet gateway service and a secure authentication service.
http://www.equant.com

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SMC Launches Home 802.11a/g Multimedia Receiver / Server

SMC Networks launched its new EZ-Stream Universal Wireless Multimedia Receiver, a high-end networked entertainment server that streams, plays and shares audio (including Internet radio), pictures and video inside a home using 802.11a/g. The appliance delivers media content to entertainment devices, such as televisions and stereo receivers, via standard A/V connectors. The product will be available in retail stores beginning this month. Pricing was not disclosed.
http://www.smc.com

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David Reed Joins HP Labs

David Reed, an early contributor to the development of TCP/IP, has joined HP Labs, where he will concentrate on network adaptivity and scalability as well as continue work on wireless network architectures. Reed will also continue as adjunct professor in the Viral Communications group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, where HP is a major corporate sponsor. Reed also will co-direct the MIT Communications Futures Program.
http://www.hp.com

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GlobalStreams Releases Vibe Phone for Broadband Users

GlobalStreams released a new Vibe Phone application that lets broadband users combine video conferencing, instant messaging and picture sharing features. The application uses it own compression algorithms to improve the video conferencing clarity and synchronization compared to existing instant messaging applications. GlobalStreams will offer three monthly calling plans: $4.95 for 100 minutes; $9.95 for 250 minutes; or $19.95 for 650 minutes.
http://www.vibephone.com

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Average Monthly Cable Bill Increases to $40.11 in the U.S.

The average monthly rate for cable programming services and equipment in the U.S. increased by 8.2% from $37.06 to $40.11 between July 2001 and July 2002, according to a new report on the cable industry released by the FCC. Over the same period, the average number of channels served increased from 59.0 to 62.7 channels, while the nation's consumer price index rose by 1.5%. Some key findings of the report:

• Operators facing effective competition charged on average,$37.84 per month, while operators not facing competition were charging $40.26. Both groups increased their pricing by 8.2% over the 12-month period.
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  Operators attributed over 60% of their rate increases to higher programming costs.
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  Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) penetration now exceeds 20% of all television households in some 30 states and over 30% in five states.
• 
  
  FCC Commissioners Copps and Adelstein issued statements criticizing the report for lacking deeper analysis of the data it presents on cable rates.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/

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