OIF Addresses Long Reach and 40 Gbps Enhancements

The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) has initiated technical work on Electronic Dispersion Compensation (EDC) aimed at long reach (LR)(80 km) and very long reach (VR)(120 km) 10 Gbps optical transceivers and transponders. The OIF's Physical & Link Layer Working Group is reviewing the current state of 10 Gbps EDC technology and evaluating the modeled and measured performance of the components. This effort will facilitate the maturation of EDC technology appropriate for 10 Gbps LR and VR fiber optic links. The OIF's intent is to recommend the parameters and specification methodology necessary for industry interoperability and standardization.



Another new project within the Physical & Link Layer Working Group will extend the OIF Serdes Framer Interface (SFI-5) Implementation Agreement. The goal is to change the OC-768 interface from the current 16-lane to a new four-lane interface based on the 11 Gigabit Short Reach Common Electrical Interface (CEI). The project will define the data path between 40 Gbps optical modules, SONET/SDH framers and Forward Error Correction (FEC) components. Next generation equipment platforms will need higher density and a reduced CAPEX for optical modules for OC-768 ports. This project will further the integration, density and expense reduction of 40 Gbps line cards.



At its July quarterly meeting, the OIF announced that Jim Jones of Alcatel was elected as the Forum's new Technical Committee chair, Trey Malpass of Mindspeed was elected as the new Technical Committee vice-chair and Rama Ati of Cisco Systems was elected as Market Awareness & Education (MA&E) Committee co-chair. The election results are effective October 1, 2004. Prior to the last quarterly meeting, Karl Gass of Sandia National Laboratories was elected to serve as the Physical Layer User Group chair. http://www.oiforum.com

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MERA Releases Cisco IOS Security Update for Session Controller

MERA Systems announced a major security enhancement for its MVTS session controller. The update addresses a security threat to VoIP networks discovered in Cisco IOS.



MERA Systems said recent Cisco IOS releases contain modifications to the call originator parameter that now displays the IP address of the endpoint from which the call was made. This information so easily available, it can be used to uncover the structure of a carrier's network and access other sensitive information, including customer-related details.



MERA is updating its MVTS session controller with a special network protection algorithm. The algorithm denies output of the originator IP address and thus keeps the carrier's network safe and secure. Along with the network protection, the updated MVTS Session Controller ensures interworking of IOS-based gateways with other VoIP equipment. The updated version of the MVTS is immediately available for all MVTS users. http://www.mera-voip.com/news/release_32.php

• The key functionality of MERA's MVTS session controller includes smart routing, session control, detailed call statistics and CDRs, and SIP/H.323 interworking. Based on a set of pre-defined rules and policies, the routing engine automatically switches between the available route paths, choosing the best route both in terms of quality and pricing.

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MIT-NASA Develop First Interplanetary Laser Communications

A NASA--MIT Lincoln Laboratory team is undertaking a project to develop and the first deep-space, interplanetary laser communication link by 2010. The Mars Laser Communication Demonstration (MLCD), which will fly on the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter spacecraft, aims to test a laser-based communication link that would operate at a rate nearly ten times higher than any existing interplanetary radio communication. Today, the maximum data rate transmitted to Earth by spacecraft at Mars is about 128,000 bits per second (for NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft). Depending on weather and atmospheric conditions on Earth, and the positions of the planets, the team expects to receive data at a rate of a million bits per second, and possible 30 times higher. The experiment is a partnership among NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and MIT's Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL). http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2004/optical.html

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Korea Telecom Selects Alcatel Metro DWDM

KT has selected the Alcatel 1696 Metro Span DWDM platform to enhance its metro optical network. Alcatel has collaborated with KT on optical networking projects since 2002, including the recent deployment of Alcatel's 1660 SM and 1670 SM, the 2.5G and 10G optical transmission systems. The Alcatel 1696 supports up to 32 wavelengths of 10 Gbps traffic in amplified or un-amplified systems. It can concentrates various types of data signals into a single standardized optical signal to maximize the usage of optical transportation capacity. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.alcatel.com

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Sprint Builds 49-site MPLS VPN for EEOC

Sprint completed the implementation of a 49-site MPLS VPN over its private IP network for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The government-grade "peerless IP" network has no connectivity with the public Internet and will serve as a redundant network to EEOC's existing Frame Relay network. Sprint also supplies similar services to the FBI and the National Guard, among others. Financial terms were not disclosed.http;//www.sprint.com

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Deutsche Telekom Nears 5 million DSL Connections

Citing growth in broadband, mobile and business customers, Deutsche Telekom reported Q2 revenue of EUR 14.4 billion, up 6% over the first three months of the year. The company said it is growing again and "this growth continues to be increasingly profitable." Adjusted EBITDA showed a similar trend with a 4% increase during the second quarter to EUR 9.4 billion.



Some key operating statistics:

• Deutsche Telekom now has almost 5 million DSL connections Group-wide: 4.7 million of those are in Germany, up 750,000 or 17 percent since the end of 2003.



• Revenues from T-DSL connections are climbing even faster, accounting now for 0.4 billion EURs, up 50 percent during the same timeframe.



• The company increased its year-end goal from 5 million to 5.6 million DSL connections.



• Regarding VoIP, CEO Kai-Uwe Ricke noted that the company has been offering business VoIP services for several years. With respect to consumer VoIP services, he said he doubts current VoIP offerings actually provide a value to the customer. Nevertheless, he said Deutsche Telekom is watching the consumer VoIP market



• T-Com's domestic fixed line revenues were flat year-over-year, following a 2% annual decline in Q1 2004



• Calling revenues were down 15% in the first half of 2004 compared to the first half of 2003



• T-Mobile added another 4.5 million customers worldwide for a total of 65.7 million at the end of June, an increase of 16 percent year-to-year.



• Excluding the most popular data service - SMS - spending on such services as t-zones and ringtone downloads has more than doubled year-to-year, with customers spending 300 million EURs during the first six months of the year.



• T-Mobile USA added 1.092 million new net customers, giving it a total customer base of 15.4 million, compared to 11.4 million at mid year 2003, an increase of 4 million for the 12 months.



• T-Mobile USA's ARPU was US$55, up from US$54 in the first quarter of 2004 and US$53 in the second quarter of 2003.



• T-Mobile currently has 1,450 Wi-Fi hotspots in operation in Europe and has contracts to add 660 more. The company has 4,750 hotspots in the U.S.

http://www.telekom.de

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CinemaNow Signs Marketing Partnership with MSN

MSN will offer a customized version of CinemaNow's video-on-demand Web service, providing its users one-click access to CinemaNow's extensive library of content. CinemaNow's content providers include 20th Century Fox, Disney, Lions Gate, MGM, Miramax and Warner Bros. http://www.cinemanow.com

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Mexico's Alestra Selects Lucent's Metropolis ADMs

Alestra has selected Lucent Technologies' Metropolis ADM MultiService Mux to expand its network across Mexico. The equipment will be used for Ethernet private lines, LANs, as well as other data services for Alestra's Transport Backbone Network. Lucent said the contract marks the first deployment of its advanced Metropolis ADM (universal shelf) in Latin America.



Alestra has also chosen Lucent to expand its embedded base of high-capacity WaveStar OLS 80Gs to interconnect all Alestra Backbone Rings across the country. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.lucent.com

• Alestra offers Mexico broadband, IP and value added services in Mexico with the backing of the AT&T brand.

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BT Standardizes on Motive

BT has chosen to standardize on Motive software to build self-management capabilities into its existing and next-generation consumer and business data services. BT first deployed Motive software more than two years ago. The new agreement expands the companies' existing relationship to include Motive's entire set of broadband management products: Broadband Manager, Customer Service Manager, Usage Policy Manager, and Business Class Manager. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.motive.com

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Qwest and Bell Canada Extend Voice Interconnection Pact

Qwest Communications and Bell Canada reached a new multi-year interconnection agreement that provides both companies -- and their customers -- with voice termination and toll-free services between Canada and the U.S.



International voice traffic between Canada and the U.S. represents the largest volume of international long-distance traffic in the world. Telephone traffic between the two countries is estimated to be over 12 billion minutes of use per year. http://www.qwest.com

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D-Link Offers Wireless Pocket Router/AP

D-Link is introducing a Wireless Pocket Router/AP aimed at business travelers wanting to access and share hotel Internet connections. The device is smaller than the average PDA and can be powered over the USB cable if power outlets are not available. A small switch on the back of the unit allows users to select one of the three wireless modes: Router/Firewall, Access Point and Wireless Client modes. The device has an MSPP of $99.99. http://www.dlink.com

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ECI Telecom Returns to Profitability Following 3 1/2 Years of Losses

ECI Telecom earned a $5 million operating profit in the second quarter of 2004, following more than three and a half years of losses. Revenues reached $121 million, a 32% increase from Q2 2003 and 13% increase from Q1 2004.



ECI's Broadband Access Division recorded revenues of $51 million in the quarter, a 14% increase from a year ago and a 7% rise from last quarter. Operating income for the Division reached $5.3 million, compared to $3.3 million in the first quarter of 2004 and $4.2 million in the second quarter of 2003. During the quarter, the Company announced that it had been selected as the sole supplier to BT for its FTTP trial, scheduled to commence in October 2004, as part of its flagship 21st Century Network initiative.



In June ECI announced its first significant order for broadband access equipment to come out of its strategic partnership, to a customer in Europe, several months after the initiation of this strategic relationship.



ECI's Optical Networks Division saw revenues rise 54% from a year ago to reach $61 million for the quarter, compared to $40 million in Q2 2003 and $52 million in the first quarter. For the first time in almost four years, the Division reported an operating profit of $1.1 million, following losses of $15.5 million during the second quarter of 2003 and $3.0 million in the previous quarter. The Division is experiencing strong demand from emerging markets, particularly in India, Russia, the Ukraine and the Philippines. During the quarter, ECI announced a new $16 million order for its XDM products from Ukrtel, which followed the supply of a $7 million order late in 2003.



Sales to Veraz Networks totaled $8.3 million in the second quarter of 2004 compared to $7.0 million in the first quarter of 2004. ECI manufactures and sells products to Veraz for resale to their customer base, and holds 43% of privately held Veraz Networks. http://www.ecitele.com

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Teleglobe Reports Q2 Results, Following ITXC Acquisition

Teleglobe reported Q2 revenue of $230.7 million versus $214.5 million in Q1 2004 and $200.8 million in Q2 2003. Net loss for Q2 2004 was $5.1 million versus net income of $2.5 million in the Q1 2004 and a loss of $0.8 million in Q2 2003. The results include only one month of ITXC Corp., as the merger and related transactions were consummated on May 31, 2004.



"Second quarter 2004 results were as expected overall, with volumes posting solid increases from prior periods in our value added services and data transport businesses. Higher margin value added services sales in particular were strong in the quarter. Our voice business was affected in the quarter by the disruption from the ITXC purchase and sales and traffic management integration. However, current trends in our voice business are strengthening now that the fully integrated sales force and traffic management group are operational," said Liam Strong, president and CEO of Teleglobe. http://www.teleglobe.com

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Sonus Networks is Delisted from Nasdaq

The Nasdaq Stock Market will delist Sonus Networks' stock effective as of the opening of the market on Friday, August 13, 2004. Nasdaq denied the company's request for additional time to file its Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2004. Sonus Networks has sought additional time to complete its recent detailed financial review and restate its historical financial result. The company expects that its stock will be quoted on the National Quotation Service Bureau (the "Pink Sheets") for trading once it has filed its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2004. http://www.sonusnet.com

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CTC Selects NewCross' Softswitch

CTC Communications, a CLEC serving medium to larger business customers from Virginia to Maine, selected NewCross Technologies to supply additional softswitch technology for its next generation broadband network. CTC Communications currently operates the NewCross Packet Softswitch system supporting Class 5 services. The new contract covers Class 4 and additional VoIP switching features. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.newxt.comhttp://www.ctcnet.com

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WWiSE Consortium Proposes 100 Mbps 802.11n Spec

A consortium of companies collaborating under the moniker "WWiSE" will submit a joint proposal to the IEEE 802.11 Task Group N (TGn), which is chartered with developing a next-generation Wi-Fi standard capable of sustaining data throughput in excess of 100Mbps. Backers of the proposal, which include Airgo Networks, Bermai, Broadcom, Conexant Systems, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments, said 802.11n is an especially important standard in the WLAN market because it will build upon and extend the capabilities of Wi-Fi. The contributing member companies of WWiSE have jointly agreed to specific IP licensing terms for their proposal. If the WWiSE proposal is selected as the 802.11n standard, these companies have agreed that reciprocal RAND-Z (Reasonable and Non-Discriminator licensing under Zero royalty) licenses to their essential IP will be available to any party upon request.



Technical highlights of the WWiSE proposal include:

• 1. Mandatory use of the approved, pre-existing, worldwide 20MHz Wi-Fi channel width, assuring immediate applicability and deployment in all regulatory jurisdictions.



• 2. Enhanced MIMO-OFDM technology is key to achieving a maximum data rate of 135 Mbps in the minimum mandatory 2x2 configuration and a single 20MHz channel to keep implementation costs low, while greatly improving upon simple antenna additions or channel bonding schemes.



• 3. Rates up to 540 Mbps, accomplished with a 4x4 MIMO structure and 40MHz channel width (where permissible by regulatory bodies), provide a roadmap for future devices and applications.



• 4. Mandatory modes affording backwards compatibility and interoperability with existing Wi-Fi devices in the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands to ensure strong support of legacy deployments.



• 5. Advanced forward-error-correction coding option to facilitate maximum coverage and range, applicable in all MIMO configurations and channel bandwidths.

http://www.wwise.org

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Datameg Names CEO, Targets Voice Delivery Assurance

Datameg, a start-up targeting voice delivery assurance for VoIP, PSTN, and converged VoIP/PSTN networks, named Kanti Purohit as its new CEO. Datameg is offering an active end-to-end voice quality and service delivery assurance system, through its wholly-owned subsidiary North Electric Company, that enable voice network operators and service providers to continually determine if their network is meeting its quality and service level expectations.



He has previously served as president of Viewlogic Europe; as chief operating officer and board member of Blackstone Computing, a VC-funded P2P distributed computing company; and as CEO of @fax, Inc., a fax-over-IP company. http://www.datameg.comDatameg is headquartered in Boston.

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NGT Enhances its Wholesale VoIP Suite

New Global Telecom, a provider of outsourced switching and network operations based in Golden, Colorado, announced general availability of release 3.0 of its 6DegreesIP managed wholesale VoIP product suite. 6DegreesIP release 3.0 adds substantial new capabilities, including: a Premium Residential/SOHO TelPack feature package; Retail OSS functionality which supports online ordering, billing and customer management; substantial footprint offered by VoiceConnect and VoiceSelect origination and termination services; On-Demand Conferencing, encompassing both audio and Web conferencing services, available worldwide. http://www.ngt.com

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