Sunday, July 25, 2004

Sandburst Supplies Merchant Silicon for 10GigE Boxes

Sandburst Corporation and Accton Technology Corporation of Taiwan announced a reference design for a 10 Gigabit Ethernet MetroBox switching platform which the companies are positioning as a "category killer" due to its line rate IPv6 switching performance, scalability and low-cost.



The MetroBox, designed by Accton, features Sandburst's HiBeam packet switching chipset. It supports 20 ports of Gigabit Ethernet and two 10-Gigabit uplinks. The 40-gigabit platform delivers packet forwarding capabilities including IPv4 and IPv6 forwarding and Ethernet bridging. The non-blocking architecture supports MPLS, VPLS, stacked VLANs, and VLAN translation.



Sandburst said its HiBeam chipset uses a packet-optimized approach to context resolution that enables it to determine the packet's destination, bandwidth and behavioral rules without succumbing to the software intensive packet analysis and look-up functions that degrade the performance of conventional network processors. This enables wire-speed decisions on different parts of the packet (such as L2 and L3) simultaneously. The MetroBox offers simultaneous IPv6, IPv4 and MPLS support at line rate. It has an integrated fabric capacity of 80 Gbps and supports aggregate forwarding of 60 Mpps with address tables capable of supporting up to 128K MAC addresses, 128K IPv4 prefixes/hosts, or 32K IPv6 prefixes/hosts. Additionally, the HiBeam chipset can scale to support architectures with an aggregate system capacity of nearly 1 billion packets per second, with up to 1.28 Tbps of cross-connect bandwidth.



Accton Technology Corporation of Taiwan will manufacture and supply the MetroBox to network equipment OEMs. http://www.sandburst.comhttp://www.accton.com

ADVA Optical Networking acquires Ethernet Start-up

ADVA Optical Networking agreed to acquire the remaining 70% ownership stake in privately-held Metro Packet Systems that it doesn't already own for EUR 4.1 million in stock and up to EUR 4.5 million in cash if certain 2005 sales targets are met.



ADVA said the acquisition underscores its commitment to building up a second core business around Ethernet access solutions. ADVA initially purchased a thirty percent (30%) stake in Metro Packet Systems in September 2003. Metro Packet Systems has a team of nine engineers focused on systems targeted at metropolitan access networks and customer premise sites. Lars Ramfelt, Chief Executive Officer of Metro Packet Systems, will become a Vice President Technology Strategy at ADVA. http://www.advaoptical.com

Paradyne To Acquire Net to Net for DSLAM Portfolio

Paradyne Networks will acquire Net to Net Technologies' complete product line and intellectual capital portfolio for up to $3 million in cash and 604,839 shares of Paradyne stock, subject to certain purchase price adjustments. In addition, Paradyne will issue to Net to Net a warrant to purchase up to 1,008,065 shares of Paradyne stock at an exercise price of $5.95 per share, which will expire on December 31, 2005. Following closure of the deal, Paradyne plans to offer positions to many of Net to Net's engineering, sales and support personnel in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.



Net to Net is a privately-held supplier of DSL access equipment based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Among its offerings, the company supplies a bonded SHDSL platform and a line of "Network Extenders."



Paradyne said the acquisition supports its strategy to provide the most complete range of broadband access products to support service providers worldwide that are migrating voice and data to packet-based networks. http://www.paradyne.comhttp://www.nettonet.com

Verizon Wireless Awards 3-Year Contract to Motorola

Verizon Wireless awarded a three-year general purchasing agreement to deploy Motorola's CDMA2000 1X radio base stations, Internet Protocol (IP) call processing platforms, and advanced messaging solutions in major markets, including Denver, Minneapolis, Sacramento, and the Carolinas. The upgrades will increase Verizon Wireless' network capacity and coverage. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.motorola.com/

HP's iPAQ Handhelds Bundles T-Mobile Connectivity

HP announced new suite of HP iPAQ handheld devices and an alliance with T-Mobile USA aimed at the growing converged data/voice market. HP is partnering with T-Mobile USA to offer customers an enhanced mobile experience by seamlessly linking its iPAQ handhelds to T-Mobile's national GSM/GPRS wireless voice and high-speed data network, as well as the T-Mobile HotSpot Wi-Fi Internet service. The handheld devices will automatically connect to the fastest available network and automatically switch to an alternate network if the initial connection is lost. The iPAQ can also be matched to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, enabling e-mail, attachments and calendar updates to be automatically sent and synched over a Wi-Fi or T-Mobile's GPRS network.



The first device with these capabilities, the HP iPAQ h6315, carries estimated U.S pricing of $499.99 with T-Mobile activation. http://www.hp.comhttp://www.t-mobile.com

Nayna Offers Gigabit Class EFM Access Switches

Nayna Networks, a start-up based in San Jose, California, three new gigabit class intelligent EFM access switches. The new products build on Nayna's intelligent multi-network, multi-service ExpressSTREAM platform to allow triple play service to campus and high-density residential and business buildings. The products work over point-to-point or point-to-multipoint (multi-network) topologies. Key features include QoS capabilities such as individual upstream and downstream per port rate control, and hot swappable SFP Ethernet transceivers for long reach fiber interfaces. Nayna's EFM access product set includes the ExpressSTREAM XE-1100 (1.2 Gbps throughput), the ExpressSTREAM XE-1200 Fiber Switch and the ExpressSTREAM XE-1400 Multi-port 3.2 Gbps Switches. Standard and CWDM SFP transceivers are sold separately. http://www.nayna.com

Provo, Utah Deploys World Wide Packets for FTTP

The city of Provo, Utah has begun widescale deployments of World Wide Packets' LightningEdge suite for one of the nation's largest municipal fiber-optic service delivery networks.



World Wide Packet's solution is based on Active Ethernet, which supports a fully symmetrical, dedicated 100 Mbps connection per user. The company estimates the cost-per-subscriber for its access equipment and the fiber infrastructure is under $1,500 per home, compared to other FTTP deployments which can cost upwards of $3000 per subscriber and deliver significantly less bandwidth.



The City of Provo has employed a phased approach. The first phase created the City's metro backbone, connecting traffic signals, government buildings, schools, and power stations. The second phase was designed as a pilot program to validate construction techniques, total cost of deployment, and gauge customer demand for the phone, Internet and cable television services that were available over the fiber network. The success of the first two phases far exceeded expectations. The third phase of the program extends the broadband fiber-optic service delivery network to all the residences and businesses of Provo.



"We view the fiber network to be a critical part of the City's infrastructure, as important as sewer, water, electricity and roads," said Lewis Billings, Mayor of the City of Provo. "The fiber network and the services it enables will ensure continued economic growth and vitality for Provo and we want these benefits to be extended to every business and resident in the city."http://www.worldwidepackets.comhttp://www.iprovo.net

Taral Networks Acquires Schlumberger Messaging Solutions

Taral Networks, a start-up focused on messaging infrastructure to mobile operators and content aggregators, has acquired Schlumberger Messaging Solutions (MSG), a UK-based supplier of messaging infrastructure. The two companies will be combined into a new entity called airwide solutions.



Taral Networks provides carrier grade platforms that enable wireless operators to set-up, maintain and grow a dynamic and highly profitable content messaging business. Specifically, Taral Networks focuses on multimedia messaging (MMS) and enabling the delivery of content from any application server to any MMS enabled device over any operator network.



Schlumberger Messaging Solutions developed the SMSC infrastructure that sent the first SMS message in 1992 and has since provided messaging solutions to 69 customers around the world.



The deal was supported by a US$10 million Series C round of equity financing led by Key Venture Partners, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based venture capital firm. New investor Axiom Venture Partners and existing investor Kodiak Venture Partners also participated in the financing.



airwide solutions will be based in Reading, U.K. and have 200 employees worldwide. Simon Everitt, General Manager of Schlumberger Messaging Solutions has taken on the role of airwide CEO while Vinit Nijhawan, Taral Networks' CEO, has assumed the position of Executive Director. http://www.taralnetworks.com/

BellSouth Reports Flat Revenue, Continued Line Losses

BellSouth reported Q2 revenue of $5.1 billion, equal to revenue for the same quarter of the previous year. Overall income from continuing operations was $939 million compared to $908 million in the same quarter a year ago. Earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations was 51 cents, a 4.1% increase over the same period last year -- exceeding market estimates. However, overall access line losses outpaced gains in DSL.

Some highlights from the quarter:

  • Operating free cash flow from continuing operations was $1.3 billion.


  • Capital expenditures for continuing operations were $731 million compared to $677 million in the same period in 2003.


  • Long distance and DSL contributed to the slight increase in Communications Group revenue for the quarter.


  • BellSouth added 535,000 mass-market long distance customers during Q2, giving it a total of 5.1 million LD customers -- about a 40% penetration of its mass-market base.


  • Data revenue was $1.1 billion, up 4.8% compared to the same quarter of 2003, driven by DSL and wholesale improvements.


  • BellSouth added 120,000 net DSL customers during Q2, giving it a total of 1.7 million DSL customers


  • Total access lines of 21.8 million at June 30 declined 3.7 percent compared to a year earlier. Residence and business access lines served by BellSouth competitors under UNE-P increased by 216,000 in Q2.


  • Cingular Wireless added 428,000 net cellular/PCS customers, giving it a nationwide customer base of 25 million.
http://www.bellsouth.com

Toshiba Selects Avaya IP Telephony Solutions to Connect 12,000 Employees

Toshiba Corporation will deploy Avaya's SIP-enable IP telephony solutions at their headquarters building in Tokyo, Japan. When completed in early 2005, Toshiba will host one of the largest SIP-enabled IP telephony implementations, connecting 12,000 employees. The installation will include the Avaya Communication Manager, Avaya Media Servers and Avaya Converged Communications Servers. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.avaya.com

Fujitsu Access and Metalink Announce 100 Mbps VDSL Plus

Fujitsu Access Limited announced the commercial availability of a VDSL platform capable of delivering 100 Mbps access speeds; The Fujitsu Access platform incorporates Metalink's VDSLPlus chipset, which leverages a 5 band VDSL implementation to enable speeds exceeding 100 Mbps downstream and 50 Mbps upstream. Metalink said its VDSLPlus chipset also offers a migration path to 6-band VDSL, which targets 100 Mbps symmetric communication over copper.



Testing of the Fujitsu Access VDSL-163G system is underway in Japan by major carriers. http://www.access.fujitsu.com/http://www.metalinkbb.com/

Aruba Wireless Networks Raises $42 Million

Aruba Wireless Networks, a start-up based has secured an additional $27 million in equity financing and a $15 million, fully-committed debt and working capital facility, for its enterprise-class wireless LAN security systems . This brings the total equity investment in the company, since its inception In April 2002, to $59 million.



Aruba said it is now generating predictable quarterly revenue and has shipped over 700 WLAN switching systems to more than 300 customers around the world since it announced general availability of its Wi-Fi switching system in June of 2003. The customer list includes major corporations and campuses, such as Ariba, BEA Systems, Dartmouth College, eBay, Leeds University, Legal Services of New York, Microsoft, Sharp HealthCare, Spring Independent School District, University of Virginia Medical Center and Yahoo.



The new round of financing was led by WK Technology Fund and included existing investors Sequoia Capital, Matrix Partners and Trinity Ventures. Aruba will use the new capital to fuel its growth in the enterprise wireless security market by augmenting and accelerating engineering, sales and marketing efforts. http://www.arubanetworks.com


Marconi and France Telecom Target RF Optimization Software

Marconi's Wireless Business Unit and France Telecom announced an R&D pact focused in RF mobile technologies. Specifically, the companies will develop and integrate France Telecom Research and Development RF design and optimization technologies into Marconi's Planet EV software portfolio. The new tools will complement Marconi's existing portfolio and will be specifically targeted to maximizing the performance, quality and profitability of existing mobile networks. http://www.rd.francetelecom.fr/fr/medias/medias.phphttp://www.marconi.com/
  • In recent weeks, France Telecom has announced several strategic partnerships with leading systems companies, including with Alcatel for the joint definition and implementation of a Next Generation Network Architecture (NGN/IMS) towards a converged fixed/Internet/mobile network.; with Ericsson, in order to jointly develop IP Multimedia Services for the consumer market; with Motorola, for Seamless Mobility Solutions; and with Siemens, to jointly develop a New Generation Network Architecture for mobile/fixed networks.

Sprint Expands Business "Complete Access" Competitive Service

Sprint announced the availability in 35 major markets of a customizable telecommunications services bundle and new local-access alternative aimed at mid-size businesses as well as larger enterprise customers.



Sprint Complete Access, which provides a competitive alternative to incumbent local phone service, consists of a suite of modular local, long-distance and data services on a single bill. Three primary service offers are available:

  • Local Exchange Services (business lines, digital PBX trunks, ISDN PRI) for local loop access to the network for voice services, voice mail and custom calling features


  • Voice Bundle(local and long-distance). Add Sprint Voice Solutions to local exchange, with flexible terms, annual commitment options and competitive pricing, all on one bill


  • Voice/Data Bundle (local, long-distance and data). Sprint integrated T1 for customers seeking voice, Internet, intranet and extranet access; frame-relay or dedicated-IP transfer; voicemail and business applications at cost savings over traditional trunks and separate lines; and billed on one invoice.


Sprint has been providing these services to business customers in St. Louis; Dallas; Houston; Kansas City; Columbus, Ohio; and Orlando, Fla., and is now offering them in an additional 29 markets. http://www.sprint.com