MCI Launches IP VPN Broadband Service

MCI announced the immediate availability of its new IP VPN Broadband service for linking remote locations, such as retail outlets, to a company's corporate resources via a broadband connection. MCI is offering IP VPN access through its own DSL network in 55 major markets, or a company could also use its own DSL or cable broadband service from another provider. MCI will manage the VPN equipment. http://www.mci....

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New Edge Networks Helps SAVVIS Expand IP Network

New Edge Networks will provide SAVVIS Communications with DSL reach from more than 1,600 central office locations throughout the U.S. New Edge Networks will provide the expanded reach through its national multi-services platform backbone network and existing inter-carrier agreements with other broadband providers. http://www.newedgenetworks....

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IEEE 802.17 RPR Draft Moves to Sponsor Approval

The IEEE 802.17 RPR Working Group has forwarded the RPR draft standard for Sponsor Ballot, the penultimate step in the standardization process. The fully ratified IEEE 802.17 RPR Standard is expected to be published in mid-2004."The Working Group has worked diligently for more than two years to create an RPR standard that meets the needs of today's metro networks," said John Hawkins, chair of the RPR Alliance and senior marketing manager of Optical Ethernet for Nortel Networks. "As the telecom industry continues its recovery, carriers are increasingly...

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Aruba Debuts Mid-range, Centralized Wi-Fi Switch

Aruba Wireless Networks introduced a mid-range, centralized Wi-Fi switch for dense building environments. The Aruba 2400, which extends the company's existing family of centralized Wi-Fi switching systems, provides Wi-Fi switching, Wi-Fi security appliance and Wi-Fi IDS functions simultaneously. The Aruba 2400 switches and processes both native Ethernet (802.3) and Wi-Fi (802.11) packets. The Aruba 2400 is also optimized for supporting voice communications over wireless. To ensure no degradation in service quality, low latency (sub-10 millisecond)...

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Qwest Commits to Lucent's Accelerate Technology

Lucent Technologies announced a three-year agreement to supply its Accelerate portfolio of next-generation products, services and software to Qwest Communications. Specifically, Qwest will use Lucent's new 5E-XC switch technology - a key component of the Accelerate portfolio of products - to replace older technology, consolidate end-offices and lay the groundwork for migration of its network to VoIP. Lucent Worldwide Services will provide integration, engineering and installation. Qwest will also use Lucent's new intelligent media gateway to...

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Lucent Unveils its "Accelerate" VoIP Initiative

Lucent Technologies introduced its "Accelerate VoIP Solutions," a re-working of its product portfolio to support the convergence of traditional voice services with multimedia services, including Web-based features. The Accelerate initiative is aimed at helping wireline and mobile operators gain the efficiencies and cost-savings of IP networks. It is also aimed at consumers and enterprises new voice and data applications such as unified communications, multimedia messaging, location-based services, IP Centrex, and voice and data VPNs.Major elements...

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AT&T Supplies FR/ATM Network for Georgia Pacific

AT&T was awarded a multi-million dollar integrated networking contract to connect 300 locations across the country for Georgia-Pacific. The network is based on Frame Relay to ATM Interworking, which supports applications running on Georgia-Pacific's corporate intranet, from email to manufacturing, inventory control and warehousing. The three-year agreement significantly expands AT&T's existing relationship with Georgia-Pacific. http://www.att....

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Intelsat Turns to Level 3 Team for New Video Delivery Network

Intelsat and Level 3 Communications will launch a new video delivery network to serve North American broadcast customers. The new Intelsat-operated network, scheduled for launch in the beginning of 2004, will be deployed using Level 3's fiber network and collocation facilities. It will initially consist of PoPs located in many of the largest U.S. media centers, such as New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Denver and San Francisco, with fiber interconnects into additional North American locations. TANDBERG TV is supplying its 3rd Generation...

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Agilent Adds WLAN to Network Analyzer

Agilent Technologies announced a centralized monitoring and analysis application for 802.11a/b/g networks. The new capabilities enable Agilent's Network Analyzer to be used for troubleshooting layer 1-7 of LANs, WANs, and WLANs from a central location. http://www.agilent.com/comms/W...

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MCI Wins $250 million Contract from Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia selected MCI to provide advanced voice, data and Internet communications for its statewide COVANET, which connects state agencies, local and county governments, public universities and schools. The four-year contract, with six one-year renewal options, is valued at up to $250 million. The state expects to save 12% on its annual communications costs. http://www.mci.comIn April 2003, MCI/WorldCom relocated its headquarters from Clinton, Mississippi to Ashburn, Virgin...

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Marvell Reports Quarterly Revenues of $215 M, up 12% Sequentially

Marvell reported record quarterly sales of $215.3 million, an increase of 58% over net revenue of $135.9 million for the same period last year and up 12% compared to the previous quarter. Net income under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) was $12.0 million, or $0.08 per share. The company said the growth was fueled by market share gains in the data storage market and by its Gigabit Ethernet solutions. http://www.marvell....

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KT Responds as Fast Subscriber Growth Ends

Korea's overall telecom market (wireless + wireline) has grown at double digit rates for the past 5 years, said Jeong-Soo Suh, CFO of KT, speaking at the UBS conference in New York. But the fast growth is now over and the market is only expanding at a low, single-digit pace.Korea's telecom regulatory environment has been changing over the past years, including new requirements for local loop unbundling and local number portability, but so far these have had minimal effect. Suh said KT is too big and too dominant to avoid the impact of regulations....

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China Telecom Sees Favorable Conditions for Growth

The fundamentals of telecom growth in China are very good, said Chang Xiaobing, President of China Telecom. Whereas annual GDP growth in China has been running at over 7.5%, telecom growth has been much faster -- running at annual growth rate of over 15.7% for the past five years. Chang predicts that the central government's commitment to aggressive overall economic growth will be especially favorable for telecommunications.China Telecom is the dominant service provider in the country's most developed areas, where average incomes are double the...

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Intel Predicts PC Economics will Revolutionize Telecom

The telecom market has reached an inflection point where equipment designs based on proprietary silicon and software will soon be overtaken by systems built using standardized silicon, software and modules, said Howard Bubb, Vice President and General Manager of Intel's Communications Infrastructure Group, speaking at the UBS conference in New York.Intel is pursing 2 basic strategies in this regard. 1. Bring communications into computing. Bubb observed that the deepest level of industry convergence is happening at the silicon level, where microprocessors,...

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Verizon to Compete for Federal Contracts Valued Up to $330 Million

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has authorized Verizon to compete to offer local voice and data communications services to federal agencies in twelve key mid-Atlantic markets. The two contracts have a combined potential value of over $330 million. http://www.verizon....

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BT Sets its Sights on OPEX Improvements to Improve Returns

BT's corporate strategy is based on four pillars, said Ben Verwaayen, CEO of BT, speaking at the UBS conference in New York. These are: defending its traditional business (which will eventually disappear), building its new business (broadband and mobility), eliminating the costs of complexity and failures, and cementing its relationship with customers by getting revenue streams under contract.While most carriers are looking for CAPEX savings, Verwaayen said he is much more focused on OPEX because the cost of complexity in telecommunications is...

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Sprint Focuses on Improving Network Efficiency

Sprint has made "dramatic improvements in its financial strength and flexibility" during 2003, said Robert J. Dellinger - Executive Vice President & CFO at Sprint, speaking at the UBS conference in New York. Sprint is using its free cash flow to pay off its debt, which is down by $3.9 billion so far this year. Short term loans have been paid off and the company's credit rating has improved.Dellinger shared an optimistic view of 2004, noting that operations at the company's FON and PCS divisions are improving and that both groups will be introducing...

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Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom Selects Nortel Networks for VoIP

Chunghwa Telecom, the incumbent service provider in Taiwan, has selected next generation network VoIP and multimedia solutions from Nortel Networks. Specifically, Nortel Networks was awarded a contract to upgrade the network under Chunghwa Telecom's Class 5 Packet Telephony Service System tender. Full network deployment is expected to be completed by September 2004.Chunghwa Telecom's NGN network will be based on Nortel Networks Succession Communication Server (CS) 2000-Compact superclass softswitch and Nortel Networks Multimedia Communication Server...

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Qwest Posts 5.4% Revenue Decline in Q3, Will Launch First VoIP Next Month

Qwest Communications reported Q3 revenue of $3.6 billion, a 5.4% decrease from Q3 2002, which the company attributed to competitive pressures in local voice and wireless services. These declines were partially offset by growth in data and long-distance services within the local service territory. Net income was $1.8 billion, which includes a gain of $2.5 billion following the completion of the second phase of the QwestDex sale."While the industry environment is still challenging, we are seeing signs of stabilization in our business," said Oren...

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Agere Provides Traffic Management DSLAM Solution to Huawei

Huawei Technologies is using Agere's DSLAM traffic management solutions. Huawei ranks second worldwide in sales of DSL equipment and has installed 5.2 million ports of DSLAM in more than 25 countries, according to industry sources. http://www.agere....

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