Entone Secures $16 Million for its Video Servers

Entone Technologies, a start-up based in San Mateo, California, secured $16 million in second round funding for its video on demand (VOD) infrastructure solutions. Entone provides software for video servers and home entertainment gateways used in VOD and PVR applications. The funding round was co-led by Menlo Ventures, Palomar Ventures, and BA Venture Partners.Entone said one of its strategic advantages is that it partners with leading server vendors, such as IBM and HP, allowing it to ride the innovation and price curves of off-the-shelf components....

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SEI, NEC and NTT-BB Test Forward Error Correction for Video Delivery

Sumitomo Electric Industries, SEI Networks, NEC and NTT-BB will launch a field trial to measure the effectiveness of forward error correction (FEC) in improving the delivery of video content over residential connections. Currently, broadband content providers use packet re-transmission techniques to recover from packet loss.The FEC technology used for this trial was developed by SEI Networks based on the "Raptor" technology of Digital Fountain, a start-up located in San Francisco. Forward error correction provides a means for receivers to repair...

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Equinix Takes Over Sprint Data Center in Santa Clara

Equinix agreed to sublease Sprint's E|Solutions Internet Center in Santa Clara, California and acquire certain related assets. The 160,000 square foot data center, where Sprint currently hosts the web operations of some of the top names in the Internet, will become Equinix's 15th Internet Business Exchange.In addition to operating two IBX centers in the Silicon Valley area, Equinix also operates centers in the New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong and Tokyo areas. Its facilities will now...

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MobileAccess Networks Secures $10M for Converged Wireless Networking

MobileAccess Networks, a start-up based in Vienna, Virginia, raised $10 million in venture funding for its work in converged wireless enterprise networking. The company's products leverage patented techniques for the transmission of Radio Frequency (RF) signals over optical fibers. The MobileAccess product line includes a modular, chassis-based solution that supports multiple wireless data and voice services within the same building or campus on a single broadband infrastructure. The MobileAccess infrastructure simultaneously supports multiple...

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First Avenue Networks Enters Market for 39 GHz Spectrum Leasing

First Avenue Networks, which holds extensive 39 GHz spectrum licenses across the U.S., introduced a new flexible, spectrum leasing service aimed at telecommunication operators and enterprise customers. First Avenue Networks said it aims to provide a very low-cost and capital-efficient way for telecommunication providers to obtain and utilize spectrum. Operators can lease 39 GHz spectrum for as little as $500 per link, per year. First Avenue Networks holds over 750 FCC-issued licenses for the 39 GHz spectrum band, covering approximately 950 million...

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Tellabs Demos IP-Optical Integration

Tellabs has demonstrated the dynamic delivery of IP services over an optical core using a GMPLS control plane with routing. The test, which was conducted at the Isocore Internetworking Lab, used the new Tellabs 8820 multi-service switch router, the Tellabs 5500 NGX-S transport switch and the Tellabs MetroWatch element manager's GMPLS software. During the Isocore testing, the Tellabs 8820 multi-service switch router combined the functionality of an edge router, ATM multi-service switch, Frame Relay switch and Ethernet edge switch into one platform....

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Level 3 to Provide AOL with 10 Gbps Wavelengths, Collocation

America Online will expand its use of Level 3's colocation services in the U.S. and Europe. Under new agreements, Level 3 is now providing America Online with 10 Gbps wavelength circuits in the U.S. and Europe, which will be integrated into AOL's IP network, which is named ATDN. In addition, America Online purchased metropolitan dark fiber in the U.S. earlier this year.Level 3 said the new contracts are incremental to the managed modem and other America Online customer agreements previously disclosed by Level 3, and the America Online contracts...

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CommScope to Acquire Avaya's Structured Cabling Business

Avaya agreed to sell its Connectivity Solutions business to CommScope for approximately $263 million. Avaya's Connectivity Solutions group provides structured cabling for businesses and telecommunications service providers. Its products include SYSTIMAX structured cabling solutions for enterprises, ExchangeMAX structured cable and apparatus for telecommunications service providers and integrated cabinet solutions. Structured cabling connects voice, data and video equipment in office buildings and in telephone central offices. Integrated cabinets...

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NTT, Motorola Team on Multicast MPLS for Broadcast Applications

NTT Network Service Systems Laboratory and Motorola Computer Group have collaborated on the development of Multicast Multiprotocol Label Switching (M-MPLS) technology designed to serve as a broadband transport mechanism for access networks. The draft specification enables the simultaneous distribution of large volumes of data, such as streaming video, and real-time interactive multimedia communication for millions of users. The two companies are developing a number of new service applications, the first of which are video distribution over DSL...

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Motorola Offers Volume Pricing of $310/Unit for Canopy Broadband Wireless

Motorola announced new volume pricing plans for its 5.7GHz Canopy wireless broadband customer premise equipment (CPE). The 5.2 gigahertz (GHz) subscriber module currently lists for $515 per unit. Purchased in a 100-pack, the new price lists for $380 per unit. A 500-pack lists for $340 per unit. For larger service providers, there is a new 2,500-pack plan listing for $310 per unit. The lower pricing enables wireless service providers to more effectively compete with DSL and cable modem services. http://www.motorola....

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Netgear Offers 802.11g Gateway for ADSL 2 and ADSL 2+

Netgear introduced a 802.11g wireless gateway supporting ADSL 2 and ADSL 2+ standards, which support downstream speeds up to 12 Mbps and 24 Mbps respectively. The device combines five functions in a single box -- ADSL modem, router, switch, firewall, and 802.11g wireless access point. It has a North American list price of $155. Netgear is also launching a companion wired gateway and firewall router supporting ADSL 2 and ADSL 2+http://www.netgear....

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TAZZ Networks Raises $10.5 Million for Subscriber Systems

TAZZ Networks, a start-up based in Providence, Rhode Island, closed a $10.5 million investment round for its subscriber and service enablement solutions. The new funding round was led by BlueStream Ventures, and included first round investors, Lazard Technology Partners, Pilot House Ventures Group, Zero Stage Capital and Point Judith Capital. http://www.tazznetworks....

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Visual Networks Tunes its Visual UpTime Management Suite

Visual Networks introduced a modular version of its performance management platform enabling companies to purchase UpTime Select capabilities all at once, or one module at a time. Visual UpTime Select includes new core capabilities, the unbundling of proven UpTime functionality into modular software components, and flexible purchasing options, including "Pay Per View" pricing. New core capabilities include a Service Summary application, Web-based management capabilities, active troubleshooting views, auto discovery of protocols, an enhanced reporting...

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Time Warner Telecom Supplies Metro Ethernet for Denver Hospitals

Time Warner Telecom was awarded a five-year contract to deliver local metro Ethernet data services to HCA/HealthONE in Denver. The service will enable HealthONE to establish a virtual private network between six of its hospitals in the Denver metro area for data communications and dedicated Internet access. The health care provider's Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) uses large image files of up to 100 MB in size, such as a magnetic resonance L-Spine image. The new network increases capacity by 10-fold. Financial terms were...

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Ucentric Develops Whole House Software App

Ucentric Systems, a start-up based in Maynard, Massachusetts, is developing a "Whole Home Music" software application for integration into set-top boxes and consumer electronic devices. The music application automatically discovers and aggregates all the digital music files stored on networked appliances like media centers, set-top boxes and/or PCs. http://www.ucentric....

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Microsoft Promotes Portable Media Center Devices

Microsoft is seeking to establish a new category of mobile devices that allow people to take all their digital media content from their Windows XP computers, including digital videos, home movies, digital music, television shows, and digital photos, and play them on a variety of output devices. Portable Media Centers, which are expected to be commercially available in the second half of 2004, will support Windows Media 9 Series audio and video formats, as well as MP3. Users will be able to sync Windows XP-based digital media content to the device...

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Lucent is chosen as one of Verizon's Next Gen SONET Suppliers

Verizon has chosen Lucent Technologies as one of several providers of next generation SONET equipment. Under the three-year agreement, Verizon will deploy the Lucent Metropolis DMX portfolio of metro optical networking products, and the LambdaUnite MultiService Switch (MSS), a high-capacity, multi-service switch which will manage traffic from many metro access networks. Financial terms were not disclosed.Lucent's Metropolis product family includes the DMX Access Multiplexer for central office and large enterprise applications, the DMXpress for...

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AirMagnet Releases New Version of its WLAN Sniffer

AirMagnet, a start-up based in Sunnyvale, California, introduced the third generation of its laptop and handheld-based WLAN security products. The new release adds 22 features, including support for 802.11g, service level monitoring and assurance for Wi-Fi and VoIP, new denial-of-service protection and expanded signal quality and QoS assessment. The company also introduced "AirMagnet Reporter," a product that aggregates data captured by the mobile products in a variety of formats. The AirMagnet products perform WLAN troubleshooting, intrusion...

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Saudi Telecom Expands Use of CSG's Customer Care and Billing

Saudi Telecom will expand its use of CSG Systems' customer care and billing solutions. Saudi Telecom currently uses CSG's ICMS platform to support its existing prepaid and post paid mobile, wireline and Internet businesses, which currently serve more than 8 million subscribers across Saudi Arabia and neighboring nations. The expansion agreement was solidified with the support of CSG's partner, IBM Middle East and Saudi Business Machines Ltd (General Marketing and Services Representative for IBM WTC). Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.csgsystems.comIn...

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Broadsoft Introduces Multimedia Conferencing Server With Hosted Voice Platform

Broadsoft introduced an integrated communications platform for hosted PBX, Voice VPN, unified messaging and conferencing functions. The new BroadWorks Conferencing Server software, which operates on standard hardware, provides business subscribers with an always-available meet-me conferencing account. Using a web interface subscribers can send out meeting notices in advance, and conference in as many as 96 attendees on the fly. Conference participants can also share Microsoft Office documents.Separately, Broadsoft announced that eight new service...

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Entropic Raises $29 Million for Multimedia Distribution via Home Coax

Entropic Communications, a start-up based in San Diego, raised $29 million in series B funding for its communications chips for enabling broadband multimedia distribution in the home. Entropic's initial products will allow the existing cable coaxial cable inside a home to be used for HDTV, high speed data, Internet, voice, and multi-room gaming. Entropic's core technology, which is called c.LINK (CableLink), enables communications backwards through cable splitters. The company was incorporated in January 2001 and expects to ship its first products...

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AOL for Broadband Launches Daily Sports Show

America Online will begin offering its broadband users a new twice-daily program called AOL Sports: 180. The show is hosted by CNN Headline News sports anchors and features up to 180 seconds of the highlights from sporting events that day. http://www.aol.comIn October 2003, America Online announced plans to expand its usage of RealNetworks' media technologies in the latest release of its broadband service. In addition, AOL has begun to deploy RealNetworks' Helix Universal Servers as part of its streaming infrastructure. AOL said its members are...

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XM Satellite Radio Tops One Million Subscribers

XM Satellite Radio recently surpassed 1 million subscribers, reaching this major milestone in less than two years since its national debut in November 2001. The company noted that it took 12 years for satellite television to reach the one million customers mark. http://www.xmradio....

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Force10 Networks and IBM Sign Worldwide Partnership Deal

IBM will resell the Force10 Networks' E-Series E1200/600 high density Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet product family under a worldwide partnership agreement announced by the firms. In addition, IBM Global Services will provide end-to-end support for the E-Series switch/routers -- including consulting, implementation, and technical assistance center (TAC) support -- for enterprise customers worldwide. Force10 Networks and IBM also entered a manufacturing partnership whereby IBM builds the EtherScale ASICs used within the E-Series platform. In...

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National Center for Supercomputing Selects Force10

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois has selected Force10 Networks' E-Series E1200 high-density Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switch/routers. The equipment is being used in Phase II of NCSA's portion of the TeraGrid project. Force10's E-Series switch/routers have already been deployed in Phase I of the project at NCSA, as well as at the three other original TeraGrid sites: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), the Center for Advanced Computing Research (CACR) at the California Institute...

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iBasis Deploys NexTone's Multiprotocol Session Controllers

iBasis is deploying NexTone's Multiprotocol Session Controller in its global VoIP network to address interoperability and security issues in peering with its large number of carrier customers. The NexTone MSC provides iBasis with call admission control, route enforcement and the regulation of bandwidth consumption to manage multimedia flows across IP interconnects for both carrier and enterprise boundaries. Additionally the NexTone MSC provides stateful protocol interworking between SIP and H.323, different implementations of T.38 fax, as well...

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