Apple Unveils AirPort Express Mobile Base Station

Apple unveiled "AirPort Express", an 802.11g mobile base station that can be plugged directly into the wall for wireless Internet connections and USB printing wherever there are broadband connections. It also features analog and digital audio outputs that can be connected to a stereo and AirTunes music networking software, which works with Apple's iTunes to wirelessly stream music on a Mac or PC to any room in the house. The AirTunes music networking technology automatically detects remote speakers and creates encodes streams to protect it from...

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Alcatel Extends MPLS with Metro Ethernet Switch

Alcatel introduced an MPLS-based Metro Ethernet switch designed for SLA-enabled Ethernet VPN services. Alcatel said its goal in developing this new platform was to deliver the same capabilities that Service Routers provide at the IP/MPLS provider edge, but optimized for Ethernet. These capabilities include per-service QoS, per-service OA&M, and per-service accounting. The Alcatel 7450 Ethernet Service Switch uses the same hardware architecture and IP/MPLS control plane as the Alcatel 7750 Service Router. MPLS capabilities are offered on...

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Force10 Raises $75 Million for 10 Gigabit Ethernet

Force10 Networks, a start-up based in Milpitas, California, closed a $74.9 million mezzanine round of funding for its 10 Gigabit Ethernet switching and routing products. Force10 has recently announced a series of high-profile customers, including the European Centre for Mid-Range Weather Forecasts, NTT-ME, NASA, the Department of Homeland Security, MCI, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Hanaro Telecom, Petroleum Geo-Services and Veritas DGC. Crosslink Capital joined co-leads Meritech Capital Partners and Morgenthaler Ventures as new investors in...

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SBC FreedomLink Wi-Fi Service

SBC Communications entered into a roaming agreement with Wayport that will enable its "FreedomLink" customers to access Wi-Fi service in up to 6,000 McDonald's restaurants by the end of next summer. The agreement will significantly expand the SBC FreedomLink Wi-Fi network.SBC Internet Services ("SBC") companies will also provide DSL Internet access to Wayport for backhaul transport at McDonald's Wi-Fi restaurants located in the 13-state SBC territory. McDonald's Wi-Fi restaurants in the SBC service territory will have co-branded, in-store signage...

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Cox Selects Nuera for Nationwide VoIP Deployment

Cox Communications awarded a multiyear contract to Nuera Communications Inc. to provide media gateways for its nationwide VoIP deployments. The companies are planning a major VoIP deployment in 2004. Significantly, Cox is choosing Nuera as part of multivendor, PacketCable architecture rather than a single-vendor implementation. "The mulitvendor, distributed and security characteristics of the PacketCable architecture will enable us to easily deliver our Cox Digital Telephone service offering in our markets," said Jay Rolls, Cox's vice president...

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PRIMUS Launches 'Lingo' High-Speed Internet Phone Service

Primus Telecommunications unveiled its new "Lingo" VOIP service, offering U.S. customers unlimited calling to Western Europe over their broadband connection. The Lingo service is available free for a three-month period to consumers, and includes unlimited local and long-distance calling in the U.S., unlimited international calling to Canada and Western Europe, and over 25 calling features. The company is offering a free Analog Telephone Adapter. After the 3 month trial is over, the Lingo service will cost $19.95 per month. http://www.Lingo....

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Laurel Networks Expands its Service Edge Router Family

Laurel Networks introduced a smaller, lower-cost version of its Service Edge Router. Like its flagship ST200, the ST50 combines Internet routing, Layer 2 switching, broadband subscriber management, high availability and integrated service management, while adding ST50 MiniPHY (physical interface) cards with enhanced levels of interface granularity. Key features of the ST50 include:initial support for 1-port Gigabit Ethernet MiniPHYs (up to 16 per system with support for 802.1 Q VLANs, 802.1p prioritization and PPPoE) and 1 port OC-3c/STM-1 MiniPHYs...

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Nortel Offers SIP Software Upgrade Program

Nortel Networks introduced a Preferred Software Membership program that will give its customers access to future software releases to enable SIP-based applications. The company said the program that in addition to helping participating members 'future proof' their networks, the program could also help enterprises develop more accurate budget projections while realizing the full benefit of SIP-based technologies and business processes. http://www.nortelnetworks....

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Juniper Enhances its J-Voice VoIP Portfolio

Juniper Network has enhanced its J-Voice VoIP which new features, including fast IP link detection and recovery, call admission control, enhanced IP routing for voice traffic and the extension of Application Level Gateway (ALG) support for the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). The J-Voice portfolio, which leverages Juniper Networks' routing functionality and modular JUNOS software, is designed to help carriers migrate voice traffic onto their packet networks by addressing key issues associated with highly available VoIP services. This includes...

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Freescale to Scale Ultra-Wideband to Gigabit Range

Freescale Semiconductor unveiled a technology roadmap to push Ultra-Wideband (UWB) into the gigabit range. Over the next year, Freescale plans to deliver three advanced UWB product families, including the industry's first 1 Gbps UWB solution. The company's existing XtremeSpectrum UWB chipset achieves over 110 Mbps. Freescale revealed that its planned UWB product families will be engineered to deliver 220 Mbps, 480 Mbps and 1 Gbps data transfer rates. Consistent with its current UWB offerings, the planned UWB families will be engineered to support...

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Freescale Offers ZigBee Wireless Solution

Freescale Semiconductor announced a single source ZigBee-Ready platform for enabling wireless products for a variety of monitoring, automation, and control applications in the home, industrial, and health related environments. The ZigBee-ready platform includes a 2.4 GHz RF data modem, IEEE 802.15.4 compliant media access control (MAC) software, and a low voltage, low power MCU. http://www.motorola.com/zig...

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Zoran to Acquire Emblaze for Mobile Processors

Zoran Corporation agreed to acquire Emblaze Semiconductor, a developer of silicon solutions for mobile multimedia applications, for $54.2 million in cash. Emblaze, which is based in Ra'anana, Israel, offers high performance, low-power application processors for mobile phones. Zoran, based in Sunnyvale, California, is a provider of digital solutions-on-a-chip for applications in the digital entertainment and digital imaging markets. With the acquisition of Emblaze Semiconductor, Zoran said it will be well positioned to address the mid to high-end...

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Agere Announces New Mapper and Framer Chips

Agere Systems announced two system-on-a-chip (SoC) product families -- "Datamapper" and "MARS T-PHY" -- for building transport systems aimed at fast-growing markets such as the online gaming and VoIP . Mangrove Systems has selected Agere's Datamapper and MARS T-PHY for its new MetroMPLS access and metro equipment platforms. The Datamapper chip is described as the world's first Ethernet-over-Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) mapper chip with integrated traffic management. The chip combines the following major functions: a layer two processing...

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Verizon Wireless Signs its 40 Million Customer

Verizon Wireless has activated its 40 millionth mobile customer in the U.S. Since November 24, 2003, when local number portability (LNP) went into effect in the top 100 markets, significantly more customers have switched to Verizon Wireless than have ported away to other service providers. The company has the lowest churn rate -- the percent of customers who leave for another service provider. http://www.verizonwireless....

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Vonage Completes One Billion Minutes Across Its SIP Network

Vonage completed one billion minutes of calling over its Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) network. Vonage is the first residential broadband VoIP service provider to complete one billion minutes across its network. http://www.vonage....

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Fujitsu Targets Advanced Packet Networking Market

Fujitsu Network Communications launched an all-out, major assault on the advanced packet network market that builds on its established base of optical transport solutions for incumbents, CLECs, wireless carriers and MSOs in North America. Fujitsu is partnering with Atrica, CoSine Communications and others to define and deliver a Flexible Architecture for Subscriber Service Termination (FASST) aimed at integrating SONET, Optical Ethernet, ATM, Frame Relay, IP, MPLS and Operational Support System (OSS) products. Fujitsu said it developed FASST...

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MCI Expands DSL Coverage through New Edge Networks

MCI and New Edge Networks have extended their strategic DSL relationship to include coverage in more than 300 metropolitan areas across the United States. Under the agreement, New Edge Networks will enable MCI to triple its current DSL footprint to reach more than 7,800 switching locations across the U.S. This provides coverage to about 75% of the homes where DSL is currently available. MCI said it plans to launch a suite of new Internet Solo ADSL offerings this Fall aimed at small and medium-size businesses and teleworkers. http://www.newed...

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