Microsoft Builds RFID Platform

Microsoft is forming a new Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Council to bring together industry partners. Microsoft is providing a platform on which partners can create RFID solutions using technologies such as Microsoft Windows CE, SQL Server and BizTalk Server for collection, management and integration of RFID data. Microsoft already has several partners, including Accenture, GlobeRanger Corp., HighJump Software, Intermec Technologies Corp., Manhattan Associates Inc. and Provia Software. http://www.microsoft.com

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Conexant Combines 802.11a/g with USB 2.0

Conexant Systems released its newly designed PRISM GT (802.11g) and PRISM WorldRadio (802.11a/g) chipsets featuring an integrated universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 interface. The company said that by integrating the baseband processor, medium access controller and USB 2.0 interface into a single chip, its design significantly lowers the bill of material costs. http://www.conexant.com/

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SBC and Sage Telecom, a CLEC, Agree on UNE-p Terms

SBC Communications and Sage Telecom, the third largest CLEC in SBC territory, reached an historic seven-year commercial agreement for SBC to provide wholesale local phone services to Sage covering all 13 states comprising SBC's local phone territory. The deal is the first to be announced since the FCC's call last week for the industry enter into negotiations to end local access disputes.



The seven-year pact will replace the regulatory mandated UNE-P with a private commercial agreement. Given the proprietary nature of the agreement, most terms were not released, but the average monthly price over the life of the contract is expected to be below $25.00 per line.



SBC said has offered to negotiate comparable terms and conditions with any similarly-situated competitor. http://www.sbc.comhttp://www.sagetelecom.com/main.asp

• In early March, a three-judge panel in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the FCC's Triennial Review Order with regard to network unbundling rules.



• Last week, all five of the FCC Commissioners signed a letter urging the nation's telecommunications carriers and trade associations to begin a period of "good faith" commercial negotiations on UNE-p resale rates.

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Copel Selects Juniper for New IP/MPLS Network in Brazil

Copel, one of the largest electrical power companies in Brazil, has selected Juniper Networks' E-and M-series routing platforms for deployment in its new IP/MPLS/Gigabit Ethernet network. The network, which will be installed and supported by Damovo, will provide high-speed connections and new services in support of the Paraná State government's digital inclusion initiatives. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.juniper.net

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SingTel and SIPphone form Strategic Partnership

Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) has formed an exclusive, strategic business partnership with SIPphone, a San Diego-based provider of VoIP services. The companies will jointly offer SIP VoIP services in targeted Asian markets directly and in conjunction with regional carriers and broadband providers. SIPphone will leverage SingTel's extensive international infrastructure for wholesale voice delivery and competitive wholesale termination rates. In addition, SingTel will benefit from SIPphone's experience in the development and delivery of SIP VoIP services and have access to hardware manufacturers who are supporting SIPphone's Plug-N-Dial automatic configuration standard. http://www.singtel.comhttp://www.sipphone.com

• In October 2003, SIPphone, a start-up based in San Diego, California, introduced a SIPadapter device that enables SIP calls over any phone, even a cordless unit common in many households. A SIPadapter comes with a unique phone number beginning with (747). It also includes an account on my.SIPphone.com, where a user can customize their phone, manage their numbers and view their call history. An online address book and popular features such as call-waiting, caller ID, and the logging of missed calls are all available as part of the free service.



• SIPphone is headed by Michael Robertson who is the founder and former CEO of MP3.com (digital music) and the founder and current CEO of Lindows.com (digital delivery of software).

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SEC Commences Investigation of Nortel Networks

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched a investigation into Nortel Networks' restatement of its financial results as announced in October 2003, and the company's announcements in March 2004 regarding the likely need to further revise certain previously announced results and restate previously filed financial results for one or more earlier periods. Nortel Network said it is cooperating with the SEC. http://www.nortelnetworks.com

• Last month, Nortel Networks placed Douglas Beatty, its incumbent Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Michael Gollogly, its incumbent Controller, on paid leave of absence pending completion of an independent review being undertaken by the Nortel Networks Audit Committee.



• Earlier in March, the company delayed the filing of annual financial reports for 2003. Nortel Networks said it is likely that it will need to revise its previously announced unaudited results for 2003 and for certain quarterly reports in 2003. The company also expects to restate its previously filed financial results for one or more earlier periods. An independent financial review is underway.

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NetScreen Delivers Dedicated SSL-Based Appliances

NetScreen Technologies introduced dedicated Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)-based appliances designed for online meetings and application sharing sessions. The new dedicated NetScreen Secure Meeting appliances feature client-side security certificates, two-factor authentication and LDAP integration.



NetScreen said traditional Web conferencing service providers and peer-to-peer (P2P) applications can circumvent corporate security policies, leading to unauthorized disclosures and file transfers, or the possible spread of P2P-based worms. It new SSL-based appliances follow an infrastructure approach to user-to-user sessions, enabling network administrators to take greater control over authentication, authorization and auditing (AAA). http://www.netscreen.com

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Intellon Raises $23.5 million for Powerline Chips

Intellon, a start-up based in Ocala, Florida raised $23.5 million in new equity financing for its integrated circuits for high-speed powerline networking. Intellon designs and develops chipsets for networking over existing powerlines within a home or office. Intellon's technology was selected by the HomePlug Powerline Alliance as the basis of the HomePlug 1.0 standard. The company is currently shipping chipsets that enable powerline communications at speeds of up to 14 Mbps. The investment was led by Comcast Interactive Capital, EnerTech Capital and Liberty Associated Partners, LP. Intellon's largest investor, Fidelity Ventures, was also a major participant in the financing. Other investors in the round included Duchossois TECnology Partners, Hydro-Quebec CapiTech, Philips Venture Capital Fund, TL Ventures and UMC Capital Corporation. http://www.intellon.com

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UTStarcom Signs $75 Million Contract with China Netcom

UTStarcom announced a new contract with China Netcom Corporation (CNC) valued at approximately $75 million to expand deployments of its IP-based PAS (Personal Access System) in China's Hebei province.



China Netcom is using UTStarcom's next generation IP switching infrastructure (mSwitch) to expand its iPAS capacity in 11 cities and is also extending the network to another 30 counties within the province.



There are now nearly two million iPAS subscribers in Hebei. http://www.utstar.com

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Aruba Unveils Secure Voice WLAN Solution

Aruba Wireless Networks introduced a software module that enables secure voice over Wi-Fi (VoFi) using its line of WLAN switches. Supporting VoFi requires an architecture that supports fast handoffs as users move across multiple access points (APs) in the network. Handoffs must take under 50 milliseconds in order to not impact voice quality. Aruba said its centralized architecture borrows from the best practices of cellular networks and eliminates the need for APs to talk to each other in order to maintain user state information.



Aruba said its architecture enables inter-AP handoff times well under 10 milliseconds. To maintain QoS, the design uses stateful voice flow classification (VFC) technology to allow mixed voice and data traffic coming from a single device, such as a laptop or PDA, to be automatically identified and prioritized without having to alter the infrastructure in any way. The Aruba APs and WLAN switches support multiple queues that can used to prioritize traffic and have built-in support for the emerging IEEE 802.11e / WME (eight hardware queues in each AP) quality of service specification.



A dynamic Radio Resource Management (RRM) capability can be used to tune the RF environment for optimal user experience. For instance, when a voice call is being initiated, Aruba's VFC automatically reserves the required amount of bandwidth in the air, can deny the call due to congestion or redirect the call to another AP better able to support it. Aruba's system is capable of triangulating an 802.11 signal to within five meters and visually depict the location of the RF source on a floor plan.



Aruba said its system can support over 5000 simultaneous voice calls on a single Aruba 5000 WLAN switching system with up to 256 APs. Aruba's thin APs have also been tested to support greater than 20 voice calls per 802.11b radio.



Aruba also announced that it is working with VoFi equipment suppliers, including SpectraLink, TeleSym and Vocera to deliver integrated and fully-interoperable voice over wireless solutions that include VoFi phones, PC- and PDA-based soft phones and voice communications badges. http://www.arubanetworks.com/

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Cox Implements VeriSign for VoIP CALEA Compliance

Cox Communications has implemented VeriSign's NetDiscovery Service to help ensure compliance of its VoIP-based cable telephony services with the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). CALEA requires carriers to assist Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in lawfully authorized surveillance. To comply, carriers often have to purchase dedicated hardware, have trained operation staff and are called upon to maintain connectivity with a variety of LEAs.



To implement its outsourced service, VeriSign worked with the VoIP network infrastructure vendors supplying to Cox and integrated the end-to-end NetDiscovery solution. VeriSign said its service offers a secure and streamlined administration, along with a multitude of connectivity options that fulfill lawful interception mandates and take the burden and expense of compliance out of a service provider's hands.



In addition to the VoIP service in Roanoke, Cox also provides circuit-switched based cable telephony in 11 other U.S. markets, all of which have been CALEA-compliant since service began in 1997. http://www.verisign.com/telecom/products/network/netDiscovery.html

• In December 2003, Cox Communications launched its first VoIP-based cable telephony service in Roanoke, Virginia. The VoIP architecture provides lifeline service, including Enhanced 911 and features such as call waiting, caller ID and voice mail. Cox's self-managed VoIP architecture also supports number portability, thereby enabling customers to switch their existing phone number over to Cox Digital Telephone service.

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David J. Farber Named Chief Scientist for National LambdaRail

National LambdaRail, Inc. (NLR), a consortium of leading U.S. research universities and private sector technology companies, named Professor David J. Farber as Chief Scientist for the project. Farber is Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science and Public Policy in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University with secondary appointments in the Heinz School of Public Policy and the Engineering Public Policy Group. He retired as the Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Systems at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also was Professor of Business and Public Policy at the Wharton School of Business and Faculty Associate of the Annenberg School of Communications. He is currently a member of the FCC's Technological Advisory Council and serves on the Advisory Council of the CISE Directorate of the National Science Foundation.



National LambdaRail, Inc. (NLR) is a major initiative of U.S. research universities and private sector technology companies to provide a national scale infrastructure for research and experimentation in networking technologies and applicationshttp://www.nationallambdarail.org/

• Cisco Systems is supplying its DWDM multiplexers, Ethernet switches and IP routers for National LambdaRail. Fiber optic cable and supporting services are being provided by Level 3 Communications.

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Spain's Iberdrola Selects Alcatel IP Service Router

Iberdrola, a Spanish electric utility, has selected the Alcatel IP service router to migrate its network to an IP/MPLS backbone, enabled it to continue to deliver existing internal services and rapidly roll out new services -- such as Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS). Specifically, Iberdrola will deploy the Alcatel 7750 Service Router (SR) and the Alcatel 5620 network management portfolio to enhance the bandwidth wholesale business through its telecommunications operator brand Neo-Sky and the recently launched Power Line Communications (PLC) offering, which provides Internet access through the home's electrical wiring. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.alcatel.com

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Brooktrout Trims Q1 Guidance, Completes Snowshore Acquisition

Brooktrout expects to report Q1 revenue of approximately $18.1 million to $18.3 million, compared to prior revenue guidance of $21 million to $22.5 million and Q1 2003 revenue of $15.3 million. Brooktrout expects to breakeven or achieve a small profit as compared to previous guidance of net income of $500,000 to $1.0 million. This compares to a net loss in first quarter of 2003 of ($1.7) million. Separately, the company closed its acquisition of SnowShore Networks, a provider of VoIP communications infrastructure products for the media server and media firewall markets. http://www.brooktrout.com

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