SBC Extends Contract for AFC's AdvancedVoice and UniversalDSL

SBC Communications awarded a five-year contract extension to AFC for supplying its AdvancedVoice and UniversalDSL solutions. The two solutions leverage AFC's AccessMAX integrated multiservice access platforms (IMAPs), outside plant cabinets, and network management systems. AFC has been a supplier of broadband access solutions to SBC since 1997. Financial terms of the new agreement were not disclosed. http://www.afc....

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RAD Introduces Ethernet NTU

RAD Data Communications introduced a customer-located, remotely managed Ethernet Network Termination Unit (E-NTU) for the North American market. The new ETX-102 provides a demarcation point between customer premises equipment and the operator's network, permitting end-to-end control of Ethernet services in the fiber-based Ethernet First Mile. RAD said its Ethernet NTU is designed to meet the IEEE's 802.3ah standard, enabling service providers to offer QoS and traffic management solutions for small and medium-sized organizations. The unit supports...

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Sprint Carries Live Traffic over 40 Gbps IP Trunk

Sprint began carrying live Internet traffic over a 40 Gbps link between its facilities in San Jose and Stockton, California. The elevated speed was achieved in a technology trial using the new Cisco Carrier Routing System, StrataLight OC-768c optical transport and Ciena DWDM equipment. http://www.sprint.comLast month, MCI demonstrated a similar 40 Gbps IP trunk at an event hosted at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California by Cisco Systems as part of the product launch for its new core route...

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France Telecom R&D Deploys Aperto BWA Pilot

France Telecom R&D has launched a pilot broadband wireless access network in France using Aperto Networks' 802.16-class 3.5 GHz licensed frequency PacketWave systems. PacketWave is currently used for Wi-Fi backhaul, for high-speed Internet access, and direct broadband access to customers. It will then expand to provide broadband access for schools, local government, small and medium enterprises in this western region of France. http://www.apertonet....

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WiMAX Forum Seeks Global Regulatory Harmony

The WiMAX Forum has established a Regulatory Working Group (RWG) with the aim of ensuring the availability and global harmonization of "WiMAX friendly" spectrum worldwide. The group will lobby for the uniform adoption of specific frequency bands for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA). Additionally, the RWG will work with regulators to develop flexible and technology neutral regulatory frameworks, allowing usage models to evolve as the BWA market matures and enabling service providers to deploy the most appropriate solutions for their markets. Initially,...

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Nationwide Builds Core Optical Network with Cisco ONS 15454

Nationwide, a provider of diversified insurance and financial services to customers across the U.S.. has built a core optical network at its Columbus, OH. headquarters based on Cisco ONS 15454 Multiservice Transport Platforms (MSTPs). The company estimates that it has reduced costs associated with adding certain new network connections up to 75% from previous methods, and has reduced the time required from an average of 90 days down to just 14. Nationwide selected SBC, the service provider for Nationwide's Columbus campus, to design, deploy, and...

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Vendors to Demo VoIP over MPLS

The MPLS & Frame Relay Alliance and its member companies will begin interoperability testing next week at the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL). The results of the hot-stage event will be showcased as part of the Alliance's SUPERDemo at SUPERCOMM in Chicago, June 22-24. The event marks the first time that the MPLS & FR Alliance joins forces with the Multiservice Switching Forum (MSF) to publicly demonstrate how guaranteed voice quality can be offered over a resilient and verifiable MPLS network. The event...

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Fujitsu Enhances FLASHWAVE 4500 MSPP with VCAT, GFP

Fujitsu Network Communications is enhancing its FLASHWAVE 4500 Multiservice Provisioning Platform (MSPP) with new capabilities for transporting Ethernet services efficiently across a SONET-based infrastructure. These new service transport capabilities include support for Virtual Concatenation (VCAT) and Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) to enable efficient transport of 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps and Gigabit Ethernet services. Support for Four Fiber - Bidirectional Line Switched Ring (4F-BLSR) applications at an OC-192 rate provides additional capacity and...

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New Edge Networks Hires Former AT&T Exec

New Edge Networks announced the appointment of Ray Solnik to the newly created position of chief development officer, reporting to Dan Moffat, president and CEO of the company. Before joining New Edge Networks, Solnik was vice president for consumer strategic marketing for AT&T in Morristown, NJ. He also was vice president of market development for AT&T's consumer integrated service group, and president of AT&T Worldnet Internet Service. Prior to AT&T, Solnik held senior executive positions in business development and strategy...

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Voiceglow Offers Linux-Based Virtual VoIP PBX

Voiceglo, a VoIP communications company, introduced its Voiceglo Internet PBX that converts wireless routers into virtual PBXs. Voiceglo said its Internet PBX integrates with any Wi-Fi router and can be used with cordless phone systems, analog phone systems, digital phone systems and Wi-Fi- capable PC's. The solution, which ties into Voiceglo's VoIP service, provides the ability to manage 2 - 10 lines in small homes and businesses and up to 254 lines (per Wi-Fi router) in larger scale PBX deployments. The system also features virtual call management,...

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First Avenue and WindChannel Pursue Licensed/Unlicensed Model

First Avenue Networks, which holds an extensive licensed spectrum across the U.S., and WindChannel Communications, a Raleigh-based provider of high-speed wireless Internet connectivity, announced plans for a hybrid network combining licensed and unlicensed access.WindChannel Communications is leasing spectrum from First Avenue Networks to build out its hybrid networks in six markets throughout North Carolina and South Carolina. WindChannel is using the licensed spectrum for multiple applications, such as aggregating pops and providing building-to-...

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Broadcom Introduces Integrated Wi-Fi Router Chip

Broadcom announced an integrated Wi-Fi router solution that combines high-performance 54g wireless LAN routing, Fast Ethernet switching, accelerated VPN security, and a MIPS instruction set processor into a single system-on-a-chip (SoC). Routers and gateways based on the new processor could include a variety of security features to ensure strong data protection over wired or wireless connections. The new Broadcom chip provides built-in support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), and upgradeability to support the forthcoming WPA2 and IEEE 802.11i...

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Time Warner Telecom Asks FCC for VoIP Certainty

Time Warner Telecom is asking the FCC to ensure that incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) are not able to exploit their market power in the business market to limit the ability of competitors to provide more efficient and innovative IP network connections and IP services to businesses across the country. At issue is Time Warner Telecom's objection to the petition filed by SBC that these services should not be subject to tariff because they are available at low entry barriers and face fierce competition the Internet offers. Time Warner Telecom...

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Verizon Boosts DSL Upstream Speed

Verizon is tripling the upstream connection speed of its DSL service to 384 kbps from 128 Kbps. The maximum download connection speed of the service is up to 1.5 Mbps. The price remains unchanged -- $29.95 a month when purchased as part of a package of local and long-distance calling services or $34.95 a month for stand-alone DSL service. http://www.verizon....

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New Global Telecom Deploys Kagoor's Session Border Controller

New Global Telecom (NGT), a U.S. based provider of outsourced switching and network operations services, has deployed Kagoor Networks' VoiceFlow 1000 Session Border Controller. NGT is using the platform's NAT (Network Address Translator) application to provide Hosted NAT Traversal, which is helping to expedite the delivery of VoIP to residential end-users through NGT's service provider customers. Hosted NAT traversal permits VoIP calls to securely travel across the Internet and through the NAT device on the customer site. Financial terms were...

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