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 theft while streaming across the network. Multiple AirPort Express base stations can be bridged together to send music to extended areas. AirPort Express features a single piece ultra-compact design and will be available to Mac and PC users starting in July for $129. http://www.apple.com

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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 every port at any speed from 10 Mbps to 10 GigE. Per service hierarchical QoS is supported with 200 ms ingress and egress buffering. Ethernet services that could be supported include Virtual Leased Lines (VLL), Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS), and Service Aware Ethernet Aggregation (such as DSL aggregation). It also provides sub-50ms fast re-route capability.



Two configurations of the Alcatel 7450 are initially offered: a 7-slot chassis (2 switch fabrics and 5 I/O cards) with a 100 or 200 Gbps switch capacity; or a 1-slot integrated system (1x I/O) with a 20 Gbps switch capacity.



Telia Sonera will use the Alcatel 7450 Ethernet Service Switch to build its next generation metro network. The service provider will deploy the 7450 ESS to expand its MPLS network into the metro from the Service Edge. This Alcatel solution allows TeliaSonera to deliver scalable, reliable and predictable Ethernet services with guaranteed Service Level Agreements (SLAs), including VPLS and VLL. The network will also be used to provide Ethernet/MPLS aggregation for DSL-based consumer services.



The company is also introducing the Alcatel 1662 Packet Ring Switch, which uses Layer 2 MPLS-enabled Resilient Packet Ring (RPR) technology to deliver point-to-point and multipoint Ethernet services with end-to-end QoS across multiple rings or a mesh network. It offers Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet interfaces and could be used for Ethernet aggregation and is also fully compatible with existing SDH transport infrastructure. http://www.alcatel.com

• In April 2004, Alcatel rolled out a number of hardware and software enhancements to its Alcatel 7750 IP/MPLS edge routing platform, including a new hierarchical QoS model, greater scalability and support for VPLS, new traffic engineering capabilities, channelized DS3 and OC-12 interfaces, new CALEA capabilities, a new mid-range chassis, CWDM capabilities, and support for 1000BaseTX SFP.



• The Alcatel 7750 Service Router, which is based on technology acquired from TiMetra Networks a year ago, is carrier-class routing platform currently deployed by over 19 service providers. Recent customer wins include Iberdrola (Spain) and Allstream (formerly AT&T Canada). Alcatel previously offered 3 different models, scaling from a single-slot 20 Gbps box to a 12-slot 400 Gbps chassis. The new model is a 7-slot unit with 200 Gbps of fabric/system capacity.



• Alcatel's new hierarchical QoS model uses 3 levels of child/parent scheduling queues on the line cards, enabling lower priority traffic to burst to higher rates whenever higher priority traffic falls below a committed rate. Alcatel said this ATM-like capability was enabled by the flexibility its network processors, without requiring it to re-spin ASICs.

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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 the company. Existing investors, including U.S. Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Worldview Technology Partners, also participated in the round. http://www.force10networks.com

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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 and materials identifying them as part of the FreedomLink Wi-Fi network.



SBC is charging $19.95 per month for unlimited access to all FreedomLink hot spots, including the McDonald's restaurants. Later this year, FreedomLink will be bundled with SBC Yahoo! DSL and offered at a significant discount to SBC Yahoo! DSL subscribers. http://www.sbc.com/freedomlink

• In March 2004, SBC Communications disclosed plans to install its forthcoming "FreedomLink" Wi-Fi service in thousands of UPS store locations across the U.S.. The SBC Wi-Fi service will also be offered in domestic Mail Boxes Etc. stores, which are part of the UPS retail network. The deal is expected to bring the FreedomLink service to more than 1,500 The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations by year-end, with installations continuing through 2005. SBC said it now plans to deploy more than 20,000 FreedomLink hot spots in 6,000 venues over the next three years.

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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 of Telephone and Data Engineering. "However, we must also deliver the high quality and outstanding performance that the market has come to expect from Cox Digital Telephone."



A significant criteria for selecting Nuera's media gateways was their ability to work with the other vendors in the network, Financial terms were not disclosed.



Cox is currently using the Nuera BTX media gateways in its mulitvendor PacketCable network in Roanoke, Virginia. http://www.nuera.com

• In May 2004, Nortel Networks agreed to integrate, sell and support VoIP gateways from Nuera Communications as part of an integrated PacketCable qualified solution. Both Nortel Networks softswitch and the Nuera media gateway are fully PacketCable qualified. Nuera's Orca BTX-21 and BTX-8 PacketCable qualified gateways complement Nortel Networks VoIP media gateway portfolio, which includes Nortel Networks Passport Packet Voice Gateway (PVG).

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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.com

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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 (up to 16 per system with support for PPPoX for DSL, PPP/POS and ATM). Like the ST200, the ST50 maintains wire-speed performance with all services enabled on every port.



• support for up to 32,000 active sessions with features enabled to deliver the advanced services outlined in the DSL Forum TR-59 architecture. The platform provides integrated ATM switching.



• extensive Internet Routing, including IPv6, BGP-4, IS-IS-TE, OSPF-TE, RIPv1, RIPv2, LDP, RSVP-TE and MPLS IP VPNs, which enables backbone routing, session management and dynamic business or wholesale VPN routing.



• Layer 2 Switching of ATM, Frame Relay and Ethernet, which enables network element consolidation while delivering current and future services. Like the ST200, the ST50 supports ATM virtual paths or virtual circuits, Ethernet switching, PWE3 compliant ATM, Frame Relay or Ethernet and any-to-any service interworking.



• sophisticated-per-Connection/Session QoS, which enables multiple service classes to prioritize mission-critical services over best-effort traffic.



• integrated Service Management with higher-level operational support systems (OSSs) via the Laurel Provisioning System. Policy management supports dynamic self-provisioning of broadband services via web portals.

Laurel is also releasing new system software that adds non-stop sessions, IPv6 and LAC (L2TP Access Concentrator) functionality. http://www.laurelnetworks.com

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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.com

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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 preventing and responding to router failures, as well as dealing with disruptions caused by traffic congestion or failed links.



The new Fast IP Link Failure Detection and Recovery promises restoration within milliseconds, rather than seconds -- fulfilling a major requirement for carrier-grade packet voice networks. The new call admission control feature ensures the network has adequate resources to support additional phone calls and is key to maintaining call volume and quality. Juniper Networks has also implemented newly enhanced IP routing techniques optimized specifically for voice services. These techniques are designed to ensure voice quality and availability are not impacted by failures or congestion in the network. Finally, Juniper Networks has extended Voice Application Level Gateways (ALGs), previously available only for the H323 protocol, to the Session Initiation Protocol. ALGs are key components in ensuring calls are placed securely and reliably by enabling packet voice traffic to pass through firewalls. These new features complement Juniper Networks' existing VoIP offerings including enhanced MPLS traffic engineering, voice compression techniques, including Compressed Real Time Protocol (cRTP), flow monitoring and port mirroring.



The J-Voice solution is already deployed in over 15 carrier networks worldwide. http://www.juniper.net

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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 peer-to-peer as well as ad hoc networking for truly mobile wireless connectivity. To address the demand for a low power, cost-effective UWB solution for handheld applications such as mobile phones, media players, digital cameras and camcorders, Freescale's planned UWB product families will also be designed to integrate sophisticated power management tools to help extend battery life.



The planned product families, which are to be designed to comply with the Federal Communications Commission's current Ultra-Wideband Report & Order, are scheduled to include driver support for multiple operating systems. The mini- PCI and SDIO module form factor are expected to enable integration into the smallest consumer electronics, while providing a variety of interfaces including PCI, mini-PCI, PCI-Express and USB2, and IEEE 1394. The Freescale Media Access Control (MAC) chip is compliant with the IEEE 802.15.3 MAC protocol, while the Freescale PHY, which is based on the 802.15.3a DS-UWB proposal, provides data transfer rates ranging from 110 Mbps to 1Gbps. This support helps CE vendors to ensure interoperability among their product lines.



Freescale said potential UWB applications could include consumer electronics products such as digital displays, DVD players, digital video recorders and set-top boxes, as well as handheld applications such as camcorders and digital cameras. The company is also expecting new, high data rate applications to emerge over the next three years, such as new media players that allow storage of multiple MPEG-4 movies. Such devices could use 1 Gbps UWB solutions to upload/download the entire movie in just a few seconds. Portable hard drives are another emerging application. http://www.Freescale.com

• Freescale Semiconductor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Motorola.

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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/zigbee

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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 feature phone, smart phone, and PDA segments of the mobile phone market.



Over 500 million mobile phone units were shipped in 2003 and industry analysts forecast an increase to around 850 million units in 2006. http://www.zoran.comhttp://www.emblazesemiconductor.com

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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 engine and traffic manager; SONET PHY; framer; mapper; cross connect; data engine; virtual concatenation (VC); generic framing procedure - framed and transparent (GFP-F/T); media access controller (MAC); SPI-3 bus for connectivity to a co-processor; and high-speed SerDes (serializer/deserializer). It provides the intelligence required to manage, organize and schedule different varieties of QoS. Agere said this level of integration allows equipment vendors to slash costs by offering a six-fold reduction in software effort and a 50% reduction in mapping and traffic management silicon costs.



Agere's MARS-T-PHY is described as the world's first framer family to combine a feature- rich, network-hardened 16-channel OC-3/OC-12; four-channel OC-48; and single OC-192 framer with 16 multi-rate, auto detect clock and data recovery (CDR)/mux/demux physical layer interfaces (PHYs). These interfaces meet SONET timing specifications. The chip is a software- compatible successor to Agere's MARS-T-Universal chip. When combined with the auto rate detect feature in the integrated multi-rate CDR, the chip enables the design of a single equipment line card that supports all SONET/SDH rates. http://www.agere.com

• In May 2004, Mangrove Systems, a start-up based in Wallingford, CT, outlined its vision for extending MPLS convergence to the metro and access network infrastructure. Mangrove believes that core networks are fundamentally divided between MPLS and Optical infrastructures. In the metro, a single converged architecture that supports traditional data, Ethernet, private line, VoIP and SAN applications is required. This new converged metro and access network requires new L1 / L2 platforms capable of extending MPLS to a customer premise but without disrupting existing fiber plant, SONET/SDH network elements or operational support systems. Mangrove's MetroMPLS would enable service providers to move service demarcation from the core MPLS network, out to the customer location or access network. Its network architecture leverages recently developed Pseudowire (PWE3) and data over SONET/SDH standards along with network processors and a new generation of multiservice framers. Mangrove will use PWE3 (Martini / Pseudowire) as its service multiplexing layer of choice and GFP is the framing & encapsulation technology of choice. The combination of PWE3 over GFP enables any service to be carried over a common transport. Mangrove said that by blending Generic Framing Procedure (GFP), Virtual Concatenation (VCAT) and MPLS, its MetroMPLS enables existing and planned services to share an efficient, unified access network.

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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.com

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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.com

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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 in direct response to service providers' feedback indicating that they wanted to offer more differentiable managed services but were dissatisfied with the product offerings available from traditional IP vendors. Initial solutions in the FASST portfolio comprise carrier-class Optical Ethernet systems by Atrica, and managed IP service and Advanced Subscriber Management (ASM) platforms by CoSine Communications. Fujitsu has entered into resale agreements with both companies. Fujitsu's services group will provide network design, deployment, training and maintenance services across all FASST solution products. Additional partnerships are expected.



CoSine's IPSX Service Processing Switch with enhanced IPSG+ technology provide carriers with advanced managed IP VPN services (both IPSec and MPLS) and managed firewall services. In addition, the CoSine solution also provides B- RAS capabilities to deliver advanced broadband services and virtualized multicast services.



Atrica is currently shipping three different carrier-class optical Ethernet systems along with an integrated service provisioning and management system. The product line includes the A-8000 Optical Ethernet Core Switch, the A-4100 Optical Ethernet Aggregation Switch, and the A-2000 family of Optical Ethernet Edge Switches. Key features of the Atrica optical Ethernet platform include high port densities in NEBS-compliant chassis, an MPLS architecture capable of supporting large numbers of flows, SLAs, sub-50 millisecond resiliency, integration with circuit switched networks, Ethernet CES for support of TDM traffic, and point and click OAM&P. Atrica's existing A-8000 chassis scales up to 320 Gbps and is designed for core network deployments.



The FASST architecture is currently undergoing trials at North American service providers. http://www.fujitsu.com/us/telecom/http://www.cosinecom.com

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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.newedgenetworks.com

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