Cablevision's Rainbow DBS Introduces its VOOM HDTV Service

Cablevision's Rainbow DBS division launched its "VOOM" service featuring extensive HDTV programming to customers throughout the continental United States. During an initial preview period, as the number of available channels continues to expand, charter customers pay no monthly programming fees through January 2004. VOOM initially features a package of 21 commercial-free, 1080i HDTV channels. VOOM customers will also such cable networks as the Disney Channel, A&E, FX, and AMC, as well as over-the-air digital local broadcast channels delivered in standard definition (SD) and in HD where available. By February 2004, VOOM anticipates having 39 HD channels and 88 standard-definition channels. After the trial period, VOOM service starts at $39.90 per month for the basic tier of channels.
http://www.voom.com

• VOOM involves an initial one-time cost of $749.99, for which customers receive a satellite dish, remote control, digital off-air antenna, and a set-top receiver.


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  VOOM is using the Rainbow 1 satellite and MPEG-4-capable set-top receivers developed with Motorola. When a planned upgrade to MPEG-4 is carried out next year, VOOM will be able to double the available satellite capacity.

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FAA Selects Marconi to Power Critical Communications Systems

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded a five-year, $6.7 million contract to Marconi to deliver equipment and services to provide primary and backup power for air-to-ground communications systems used by the agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Marconi's agreement with the FAA covers deployment of its Vortex power platform, a DC power platform built for voice, data and video applications in wireline and wireless networks.
http://www.marconi.com

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Force10 Gear Used for Transcontinental 10 GE Network

Force10 Networks' E-Series switch/routers have been deployed for a transcontinental 10 GE wide area network. The project consists of a SURFnet OC-192 lambda between Geneva and the StarLight facility in Chicago via Amsterdam and another OC-192 lambda between this same facility in Chicago and Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada provided by CANARIE and ORANO. The Force10 switch/routers connected directly to the SONET equipment using two 10 Gbps WAN PHY interfaces. Ixia's 400T traffic generator and analyzer routers were used to validate performance between the Geneva/Chicago link and the Chicago/Ottawa link. Network expertise and third party validation was also provided by Cortex Networkshttp://www.force10networks.com
http://www.ixiacom.com

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RCN Launches 5 Mbps Cable Modem and Home Net Service in SF

RCN began offering a 5 Mbps cable modem service in San Francisco, which is up to three times faster than the competing DSL service. The company is also offering a Home Networking package that provides a firewall and access to basic parental controls. RCN can also provide PC cards and new in-home wiring if needed.
http://www.rcn.com

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Juniper Networks Outlines Infranet Initiative

Juniper Networks outlined its vision for a public network that combines the ubiquitous connectivity of the Internet with the assured performance and security of a private network. Juniper envisions an "Infranet" -- a new network designed to unlock multimedia person-to-person communication, facilitate the trend towards machine-to-machine applications such as grid computing, enable businesses and governments to reap the full benefits of Web-enabled operations, and provide the level of performance and security vital to the future growth of the online economy.


An "Infranet" is neither a public Internet nor a private network. It is a series of infranets that will be built individually by service providers to form a global 'meta-network.'


Scott Kriens, chairman and CEO of Juniper Networks, described the Infranet as "a superset of the original Internet" that is able to give each user his own unique slice of a secure public infrastructure. A key attribute would be the ability for each users to select and be billed for the network experience appropriate for their application.

Juniper Networks is issuing a "call to action" asking for industry-wide participation in developing the necessary specifications for such an Infranet. Specifically, inter-carrier connections must be able to provide:

• the ability for premise equipment and applications to communicate quality, security and bandwidth requirements to the network


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  the ability for networks to communicate applications-appropriate levels of service and security when handing off traffic and to implement those service levels when receiving traffic


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  accounting mechanisms that enable carriers to bill each other for traffic handed off between their networks


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  appropriate interfaces that meet regulatory requirements by allowing regulated networks to signal and communicate fairly and consistently with unregulated networks.

Lucent Technologies endorsed the Infranet Initiative.
http://www.juniper.net

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Samsung Demos 1xEV-DV System - Downloads in 300 to 500 Kbps Range

Samsung demonstrated a CDMA2000 1xEV-DV system capable of delivering peak download speed of 3.1 Mbps and average data speeds targeted for the 300 to 500 Kbps range. Samsung anticipates commercial deployment of 1xEV-DV starting in the 2006 timeframe, saying it will be a more effective solution that supports both voice and data services.
http://www.samsung.com

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Nortel Networks CEO Sets Out Vision of Network Transformation

Service providers need to make sustained investments in their networks or their growth opportunities will be limited, said Frank Dunn, president and CEO of Nortel Networks, in a keynote address at ITU Telecom World 2003 in Geneva. Dunn said global communications has reached an important inflection point whereby changes in the design of communications network infrastructure have created new sources of revenue and greater efficiency for service providers. Key elements of the new network, according to Dunn, include broadband and optical technologies, voice over packet, wireless data, multimedia services and applications, and security, all underpinned by a packet network core. He also said that enriching global communications and creating new sources of revenue will also require a regulatory environment that encourages investment in research and development, innovation and network transformation.
http://www.nortelnetworks.com

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Portugal's RadioMovel Deploys Motorola SoftSwitch for CDMA Access

RadioMovel, a Portuguese mobile operator, will deploy the Motorola SoftSwitch for Code Division Multiple Access (MSS-C) in its network. Motorola described the project as its first such deployment in Europe. The MSS-C platform supports a range of radio standards including CDMA Public Access Mobile Radio (PAMR). The softswitch is five times smaller and uses three times less power than typical legacy circuit switch alternatives. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.motorola.com

• Tata Teleservices Ltd., one of the leading private telecom operators in India, has deployed Motorola's SoftSwitch for CDMA (MSS-C) on a CDMA2000 1X network. The companies said traditional circuit switches cannot continue to scale and evolve cost effectively to meet the requirements of the wireless local loop (WiLL) market in India. Tata Teleservices launched its mobile service network in early July.


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  In May 2003, Motorola completed its acquisition Winphoria Networks, a start-up providing packet based mobile switching centers for wireless networks. Motorola said adding Winphoria's soft-switch would address a long-standing need in its network infrastructure portfolio.

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net.com Wins NATO Deployment Contract, Reports Financials

net.com reported quartelry revenue of $31.9 million, compared to $28.1 million for the same period last year, an increase of 13.8%, and $34.1 million in revenue in the preceding quarter, a decrease of 6.3%.
Total product revenue for the quarter was $27.8 million, compared to $23.1 million for the same period last year, an increase of 20.3%, and $29.3 million in the preceding quarter. net.com reported net income of $0.4 million, or $0.02 per share.


The company said that its new products -- the SCREAM broadband services platform and SHOUTIP for VoIP services -- represented more than 15% of product revenue, and nearly 14% of overall revenue.


Separately, net.com announced a contract to supply Bandwidth Management Equipment (BME) for NATO's communications network, across the NATO member states. NATO will use the SCREAM broadband and Promina multiservice access platforms to provide ISDN voice, routing, and data transport capabilities over a variety of transport protocols including Frame Relay, ATM and IP. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.


net.com also announced the third amendment to its licensing agreement with Cisco Systems, substantiating its rights to use Cisco IOS in net.com's platforms, and establishing new pricing for multiple versions of IOS software.
http://www.net.com

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SBC Wins FCC Approval for Long Distance in Four States

The FCC has granted SBC Communications the right to offer long distance service in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin. With today's ruling, SBC can now offer a full bundle of telecommunications services to customers in all 13 states in which it operates.
http://www.sbc.com

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Sun and Lucent Offer Converged Voice and Data Solution

Sun Microsystems and Lucent Technologies announced a suite of products and services to converge voice and data offerings and enable users to manage wireline or mobile calls more easily. The iForce Solution for Enhanced Communications can be configured and managed by service providers as a hosted solution or installed and run by enterprises at their own business locations. The system provides a Unified Communications Portal for access and management of calls, messages, conference calls, contact lists and calendars, including the use of voice-controlled applications such as Speech Dialing, Speech Messaging, voice portal and speech enabled web services. The platform supports existing and next-generation switch technology in both hosted and customer premise-based call control environments and both legacy and IP handsets.http://sun.com
http://www.lucent.com

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Sonus Expands Sales Organization in Europe

Sonus Networks has expanded its sales operations in Europe, adding Jean-Michel Laguzzi as Sonus' regional sales director for southern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Paul Hancock as regional sales director for the U.K. Sonus' new regional sales operations complement its EMEA headquarters operations, which have been located in Swindon, UK since March 2000.
http://www.sonusnet.com

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Acterna Emerges from Chapter 11

Acterna emerged from chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and added five new members to its Board of Directors. Under the terms of Acterna's Plan of Reorganization, senior secured debt holders now hold 100% of the company's equity through a debt-for-equity swap. Acterna emerges as a privately held company with long-term debt of approximately $190 million. Unsecured creditors received a cash distribution of approximately 10% of their claims.
http://www.acterna.com

• Acterna filed for bankruptcy five months ago, and its Plan of Reorganization was confirmed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on September 25.

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Tellabs Revenues Increase to $245 million for Q3

Tellabs reported Q3 2003 revenues of $245 million, up 5% from the preceding quarter but down 15% from the same period last year. The company had a net loss of $65 million, which included restructuring and other charges of $48 million. Tellabs noted that 41% of revenues came from its international business. Tellabs revenue breakdown for the quarter was:

• Optical networking products - $105 million


• Next-Gen SDH and Managed Access Services - $70 million


• Services - $39 million


• Other voice and data products - $31 million

http://www.tellabs.com

• Tellabs recently announced plans to outsource its North American manufacturing and close its main facility in Bolingbrook, Illinois, as well as to close its development center in St. Laurent, Quebec, Canada, by mid-2004.

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ITXC and Russia's Comstar to Exchange IP Voice Traffic

ITXC and Comstar Telecommunications will exchange international voice traffic to and from Russia over ITXC.net. Comstar will use the service for both its IP phone and traditional international long distance voice network needs. Comstar is an alternative fixed-line operator in Moscow offering local and long distance voice services, VoIP international, Internet access, ISDN, video conferencing, and ADSL. The company's core network consists of a 2,500 km optical fiber network throughout Moscow and a recently completed multi- service, multi-protocol packet switching network offering metro Ethernet connectivity. Traffic generated by Comstar's corporate customers with IP PBXs can be passed in IP format all the way from the customer premise to the terminating city.
http://www.itxc.com
http://www.comstar.ru/eng/index.shtml

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Cox Expands Deployment of Concurrent's VOD Technology

Cox Communications will deploy Concurrent Computer Corporation's video-on-demand (VOD) applications in a fifth market. Concurrent's technology supports centralized, hybrid and distributed architectures, while its MediaMatrix configuration enables the separation of storage and streams for a flexible and scalable VOD system. The company's MediaHawk On-Demand Platform delivers several types of on-demand services, including MOD, SVOD, Free-On-Demand (FOD), LFA, NDVR and high-definition VOD (HDVOD).
http://www.ccur.com
http://www.cox.com

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Cox Selects SeaChange for Video-On-Demand

Cox Communications will install SeaChange's video-on-demand (VOD) Systems and VODlink technology in certain markets starting early next year. SeaChange's VODlink software will support Cox's Entertainment on Demand user interface on all current Motorola set-tops. Entertainment on Demand is a form of iTV (interactive television) that gives customers instant access to more than 250 hours of movies and allows the customer to control the content using full VCR-like functionality. VODlink's suite of tools enable operators to customize GUIs that make it easier for viewers to navigate and view libraries of on-demand content, including complete DVDs, via on-demand streams.
http://www.schange.com
http://www.cox.com

• SeaChange VOD Systems provide more than 630,000 on-demand streams in over 100 deployments for North America's largest cable operators including Adelphia, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, Insight, Mediacom, RCN and Rogers.

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BellSouth Accelerates Dial-up Speed, Drops Price to $4.95/mon for Bundles

BellSouth added accelerator technology to its dial-up Internet service and is offering unlimited access for as low as $4.95 per month when purchased as part of qualifying BellSouth bundles and calling plans. Pricing steps up to $9.95 and $14.95 for customers with limited or no additional calling features.
http://www.bellsouth.com

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USTA Telecom 03: The Regulatory View of the Triple Play

Regulation and the entire regulatory paradigm is in flux, said David Irwin, Managing Partner, Irwin, Campbell & Tannenwald, who spoke at this week's USTA Telecom conference in Las Vegas. He described regulators as "somewhat out of touch and not willing to admit it." The big problem facing telecom regulation, he said, is that technology advancements now make it extremely difficult to classify and delineate networks and services, which has been the traditional approach to regulation.


The 1996 telecom act, "which was probably obsolete before the ink dried," defined telecom in several ways that are problematic. The concept of "Information Services" was defined here. The hope was that this definition would help clarify and simplify the regulatory process, but this has not turned out to be the case. Irwin believes that the industry is now moving away from this framework.


Irwin also sees inherent legal flaws in the act. He described the act's legislative process as driven by an intense lobbying process that filled it with confusing and conflicting language, resulting in a very problematic law. Supreme Court Justice Scalia has described the act as the worst piece of legislative drafting he has ever seen.


The FCC's most recent Triennial Review "is chaos," according to Irwin. He expects the latest regulatory paradigm - "old wires" and "new wires" - to be overruled by the courts. Irwin said that the Congress will have to take action to resolve the confusion. Irwin advises telcos to move toward offering new services and creating new revenue rather than investing their energy and money in regulatory battles and waiting for answers to be handed down.


With regard to the Universal Service Fund (USF), Irwin warns that its future is dubious except for "true" hardships, making this the top regulatory issue for rural LECs, many of whom receive substantial revenues from USF subsidies. Since non-voice services such as wireless, Internet, and video have successfully developed in rural markets without the support of a subsidy, many people will try to argue that USF funding should be reduced. Irwin said it may be necessary for the industry to wean itself off of USF. He counsels rural telcos to reinvent themselves as broadband providers, and feels that triple play services offer them the best opportunity for the future.
http://www.convergedigest.com

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