Intel Sets Sights on WiMAX, Digital Home Initiatives

Intel's corporate strategy will increasingly focus on the convergence of computing, communications, and content technologies, said Paul S. Otellini, company president and COO, speaking at the Intel Developer's Forum in San Francisco. We will soon be approaching two new inflection points for the industry, predicted Otellini: pervasive broadband through WiMAX and pervasive parallelism at the processor level. Both of these trends ride onto top of Moore's Law, which continues to move the industry forward. By next year, Intel expects that greater than...

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1394 Trade Association Takes Steps to Wireless Firewire

The 1394 Trade Association today announced that it has approved the WiMedia Alliance's MAC Convergence Architecture (WiMCA) as a platform for a high-speed wireless 1394 protocol adaptation layer (PAL) development. The PAL permits IEEE 1394 devices and protocols to be used in a wireless environment at speeds up to 480 Mbps, while allowing compatibility with existing wired 1394 devices. The 1394 TA also said it will collaborate with the WiMedia Alliance to develop interoperability test specifications and certification programs for wireless 1394....

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Tellabs and AFC Amend Merger Terms

Tellabs and AFC have amended the terms of their pending merger, which was first announced on May 20, 2004. Under the terms of the amended agreement, which was approved today by both companies' boards of directors, AFC stockholders will receive 0.504 shares of Tellabs common stock and $12.00 in cash for each AFC share. The original exchange ratio was 1.55 Tellabs shares and $7.00 in cash for each AFC share. Based on today's closing price for Tellabs' stock, the revised exchange ratio represents $16.60 in value per AFC share, or a total value of...

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SkyStream Collaborates with Alcatel on IPTV

SkyStream Networks will collaborate with Alcatel on IPTV and contribute to its integrated solution for delivery of broadcast video over DSL. SkyStream also announced that it has signed a reseller agreement with Alcatel, in which Alcatel will be offering SkyStream Networks' Mediaplex-20 video headend platform as part of its IPTV Open Media Suite of solutions to telecom operators worldwide. SkyStream's Mediaplex-20 is a single chassis, all-in-one video delivery system. It receives video content via satellite and analog channels for advanced MPEG-2...

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Intel Develops WiMAX Silicon for CPE

Intel has begun sampling its "Rosedale" wireless broadband chip for WiMAX customer premise (CPE) products. The new "Rosedale" chip supports the newly ratified IEEE 802.16-2004 (previously known as IEEE 802.16REVd). Rosedale will include the 802.16-2004 MAC and OFDM PHY, an integrated 10/100 MAC, inline security processing and a TDM controller interface which enables applications such as broadband Internet streaming data and voice. http://www.intel.com/pressr...

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LightPointe Names Jim Cady as New CEO

LightPointe, a supplier of optical wireless products based on free-space optics (FSO), named Jim Cady as its new president and CEO. Previously, Cady was president and chief executive officer of WatchGuard Technologies, a leading provider of Internet security products and services. Prior to WatchGuard, he was president of Rio Digital Audio, a leading provider of digital audio products and services. LightPointe is based in San Diego, California. http://www.lightpointe....

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China Unicom Awards $98M CDMA Expansion Project to Lucent

Guangdong Unicom awarded a US$98.5 million contract to Lucent Technologies for the phase III expansion of its CDMA network. Under the contract, Lucent will supply its CDMA2000 solutions and will provide services support. The new network is expected to improve the capacity and coverage in eight cities in Guangdong Province. http://www.lucent.com...

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Lucent to provide Ultra Dense MEMS to DARPA

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) selected Lucent Technologies to develop an advanced microsystem that will make the design, engineering and fabrication of next-generation advanced silicon integrated circuits faster, more economical and with increased security for military applications such as transformational communications and homeland security. Under the project, Lucent will design, develop and demonstrate micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS)-based Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) that will enable maskless optical lithography....

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Sun to Offer AdvancedTCA-Telecom Products

Sun Microsystems announced its intention to launch an Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (AdvancedTCA)-compliant product family supporting both the Solaris operating system (OS) and Carrier-Grade Linux operating systems. Sun's Netra AdvancedTCA systems will include UltraSPARC and AMD Opteron-based processor designs for telecom applications, such as 3G. Sun also unveiled an AC version of its UltraSPARC processor and Solaris OS-based Netra 440 system for telecom, defense and OEM customers. http://www.sun....

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ECI Telecom Offers IP-based Packet Access Solution

ECI Telecom introduced an IP version of its Hi-FOCuS access platform designed to help carriers migrate to IP-based broadband networks. The Hi-FOCuS access platform covers multi-service requirements, such as fiber, xDSL and Voice, and concurrently supports a multitude of service interfaces including VDSL, ADSL2+, Broadband PON (BPON), Gigabit PON (GPON) and POTS. In addition, a non-blocking backplane enables migration to multiple GBE and 10GBE network interfaces. ECI said its Hi-FOCuS) IP offers true packet optimization for the delivery of video,...

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Portugal Telecom Reaches 529,000 Broadband Users

As of the end of June 2004, Portugal Telecom was serving 529,000 broadband (cable modem and DSL) customers, including 293,000 wholesale ADSL accounts. Portugal Telecom's operating revenue for Q2 increased 5.8% to EUR 1.494 billion (excluding the depreciation of the Brazilian currency this figure would have been 8.0%). Net income totaled EUR 161 million. CAPEX increased 12.4% to y-o-y to EUR 247 million. http://www.telecom...

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Telecom Italia Tops 3 Million ADSL Subscribers

As of 30-June-2004, Telecom Italia was serving 3,273,000 ADSL subscribers, including 2,975,000 in its domestic Italian market (750,000 wholesale) and 298,000 in Germany, France and Holland. The carrier was serving 26 million lines. This figure does not include the 710,000 "silent" lines in order to provide greater consistency between the number of lines managed and business development. Revenues rose to EUR 8,684 million, up 1.3% compared with the first half of 2003. Overall, the TIM Group reported revenues or EUR 6,152 million, up by 11.2%...

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France's Neuf Telecom Deploys Next-Gen Redback Platform

The Neuf Telecom Group (formerly LDCOM), one of the largest carriers in France, has selected and deployed Redback Networks next-generation SmartEdge platform for the expansion of its broadband network associated with strong growth in new subscribers. Neuf Telecom has been adding about 150,000 new subscribers each quarter. The shift to the SmartEdge platform represents an evolution from its existing Redback SMS 10000SL broadband subscriber management systems. The new platform adds greater performance, scalability and the ability to provide advanced...

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Sweden's B2 Selects Ericsson's Ethernet DSL

B2 Bredband AB, Sweden's second largest broadband service provider with a subscriber base of 275,000, has selected Ericsson's Ethernet DSL Access solution for their on-going nationwide roll-out of ADSL2plus based services in an Ethernet based network environment. Financial terms were not disclosed. B2's services include fast broadband access (LAN and DSL), IP-telephony, Video-on-Demand and TV. http://www.ericsson.com/pr...

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Thomson Extends Satellite Set-Top Box Agreement With DIRECTV Latin America

DIRECTV Latin America has extended its agreement under which Thomson supplies digital set-top boxes for all of DIRECTV Latin America's service territories. The agreement follows the global strategic supplier agreement signed between Thomson and News Corp in November 2003. For the past year, Thomson has been targeting growth within the News Corp family of operators as a key corporate priority and recently announced satellite set-top box agreements with DIRECTV, Sky Brasil and Sky Mexico. Thomson will leverage its MPEG 2 product design and the expertise...

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iBasis and Hanaro Telecom Interconnect VoIP Traffic

Hanaro Telecom, Korea's second-largest fixed-line and Internet broadband operator, has established a direct IP interconnection with the iBasis Network for exchanging international voice traffic. iBasis operates a Cisco-powered network and Hanaro Telecom is using a softswitch manufactured by Xener Systems, a Korean manufacturer. iBasis said it now has relationships with more than 250 carriers worldwide . http://www.ibasis.comhttp://www.xener....

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WebEx Selects Convedia Media Servers

WebEx Communications has deployed Convedia's CMS-6000 and CMS-1000 Media Servers in the WebEx MediaTone Network. Convedia Media Servers deliver IP media processing power for an integrated VoIP conferencing capability, allowing WebEx to deliver a seamless multimedia conferencing experience over a common, economical IP-based services infrastructu...

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SureWest Deploys General Bandwidth's VoIP Media Gateway

SureWest Communications (SURW) will utilize General Bandwidth's G6 VoIP Media Gateway to deliver enhanced voice over IP services to residential and business broadband customers in the Sacramento/Roseville corridor. The G6 VoIP Media Gateway provides the capability to simultaneously support VoIP services from multiple softswitches, SIP-based feature servers as well as legacy class 5 switches. Financial terms were not disclosed. SureWest is already serving more than 13,000 "triple play" customers over their DSL and fiber networks. http://www....

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Verizon Adds 3 Mbps/768 Kbps DSL Option in 12 States

Verizon Online began offering a new 3 Mbps/768 Kbps DSL service tier in 12 New England and mid-Atlantic states and in the District of Columbia. The company plans to offer 3Mbps DSL service later this year in the remaining 11 states where it now offers up to 1.5 Mbps DSL service. Pricing begins at $39.95 a month when purchased as part of a package of Verizon calling services. Verizon will continue to offer the 1.5 Mbps/384 Kbps to consumers in 23 states and the District of Columbia, for as low as $29.95 a month. http://www.verizon.com/n...

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