Alcatel Launches IP DSLAM for Telco Triple Play

Alcatel launched a new IP DSLAM designed for telco triple play services, including high-speed Internet access, voice, video on demand, HDTV and broadcast TV services.



The Alcatel 7302 Intelligent Services Access Manager (ISAM) supports a range of broadband access technologies: multi-ADSL (RE-ADSL2 and ADSL2plus), VDSL2, PON, remote node aggregation, integrated POTS and ADSL combo technology. It features a non-blocking internal architecture with a 24 Gbps switching fabric for wire-speed service delivery to all users. Gigabit connectivity is provided to each slot for allow for high uptake of bandwidth consuming services (such as VoD and business access). The platform's design provides wire-speed, packet processing on the line card. This network processor based intelligence enables distributed BRAS functionality with RADIUS support. The IP DSLAM also provides flexible service hubbing, with multiple uplink and subtending capabilities (up to seven uplinks for 100 Mbps to 7 Gbps, electrical or optical).



China Telecom is the first operator deploying the new 7302 Intelligent Services Access Manager. http://www.alcatel.com

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Covad and Verizon Reach Interim Line Sharing Deal

Covad Communications and Verizon entered into an interim agreement which extends the availability of line sharing for new subscribers until 01-February-2005. The agreement resolves a dispute between Covad and Verizon with respect to Verizon's obligation to continue to provide access to line sharing after October 2, 2004. http://www.covad.comhttp://www.verizon.com

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Ericsson Delivers 6,000 Access Points for The Cloud

Ericsson has supplied over 6,000 Wi-Fi access points for The Cloud, Europe's largest and fastest growing public access Wi-Fi network. The access points are deployed in public locations around UK. The Cloud operates a multi service-provider Wi-Fi platform, which allows providers such as ISPs, mobile operators and cable companies to offer a fully branded wireless LAN experience to their customers. Site owners can maximize their revenue potential by supporting all major service providers.



The Cloud currently has 4,300 hotspot locations and is adding about 100 new hotspots per week. http://www.ericsson.com/press

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Alcatel Crosses 50 Million DSL Lines Milestone

Alcatel has crossed a new milestone: 50 million digital subscriber lines (DSL) shipped, more than four times its nearest competitor, according to the company. The 50 million lines shipped encompass the full range of DSL solutions to residential and professional subscribers, supported by the most widely deployed Alcatel 7300/7301 Advanced Services Access Manager (ASAM) and remote DSL solutions, combined with DSL ports on the Alcatel Litespan Next Generation Digital Loop Carrier. http://www.alcatel.com

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Amedia Hires Lucent Executive

Amedia Networks appointed Gary Feldman as Vice President of Marketing and Business Strategy. Feldman previously was the Vice President of Strategy in Lucent Technologies' Optical Networking Group. http://www.amedianetworks.com

• In June 2004, Amedia Networks, formerly TTR Technologies, unveiled an active Ethernet-based Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) access solution. The company's Ethernet Switched Optical Network (ESON) technology, which was licensed from and jointly developed with Lucent Bell Labs, provides QoS mechanisms for delivering triple play services at up to 100 Mbps bandwidth per subscriber.

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Westell Awarded Multi-Year Verizon Contract for Wireless Gateway

Westell Technologies was awarded a multi-year contract to supply its VersaLink Wireless Gateway along with Wireless Adapters for Verizon's broadband DSL consumers, SOHO and small businesses. Westell has been a broadband product supplier to Verizon for several years, providing DSL modems and routers for basic Internet access. Financial terms were not disclosed.



Westell's VersaLink is a gateway device that integrates a DSL modem with a manageable, Quality-of-Service aware multi-port router providing 802.11g functionality. Westell's adapters, also included in the contract, consist of USB and Cardbus 802.11g devices. http://www.westell.com

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AT&T Forms 'VoIP Innovation and Interoperability Program'

AT&T announced a VoIP Innovation and Interoperability Program based on its own proprietary specifications.



AT&T has invited a number of application developers, equipment and device manufacturers, and silicon manufacturers to incorporate the specifications in order to deliver new capabilities compatible with its VoIP portfolio of services. AT&T Labs has licensed AT&T intellectual property to these companies to achieve interoperability and compatibility of end user devices.



Charter Members of the AT&T VoIP Innovation and Interoperability Program include leading silicon providers Broadcom, Centillium Communications, Intel and Texas Instruments; customer premises equipment manufacturers D-Link, Linksys, and NETGEAR; IP PBX vendors Alcatel, Avaya, Cisco, Nortel Networks, Siemens, and carrier-grade softswitch and gateway provider Sonus Networks. http://www.att.com

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Comcast: Size and Content Build Value

"Size really does matter", said John R. Alchin, Executive Vice President, speaking at the Banc of America Investment Conference in San Francisco. Comcast's 21.5 million subscribers has enabled it to cut better deals with content providers, such as MGM and the National Football League, while increasing its advertising power. Some highlights of the presentation:

• Comcast's video on demand service currently has a content library that includes 7,000 movies and over 30,000 TV episodes



• HDTV is now available across 90% of the plant and 600,000 HDTV boxes have already been deployed



• Comcast has the capacity for all local HDTV channels in all markets



• Comcast is working with Gemstar and Microsoft on advanced On-Screen Guides



• Comcast is still "setting the stage" for a major VoIP rollout in 2005. The company aid 50% of its plant will be VoIP-ready by year end 2004, and 95% of the plant will be VoIP-ready by year end 2005



• VoIP features will include E911 capabilities, battery back-up and one bill integration with other Comcast services.



• Comcast currently has 1.2 million circuit-switched telephony subscribers



• For 2004, Comcast will have generated $2 billion in free cash flow

http://www.comcast.com

• Comcast Cable ended Q2 2004 with more than 6.0 million subscribers, a 36.8% increase from the same quarter last year. During quarter, Comcast Cable added 327,000 high-speed Internet subscribers resulting in a penetration rate of 16.1% of available homes. Comcast Cable added more than 1.1 million homes to its cable modem footprint in quarter, and this service is now available to 37.3 million, or 92.6%, of homes passed. Average monthly revenue per high-speed Internet subscriber was $43.52 in Q2, in line with Q2 2003 and a $1.07 increase from the $42.45 reported.

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Verizon Debuts "iobi" -- Linking Web and PSTN

Verizon announced the market launch of "iobi Home" (pronounced eye-OH'-bee), a new control panel service that lets residential customers manage their home PSTN line, call lists, directories, calendars, email, and voice mail using web tools.



Iobi can be accessed in any one of three ways - by software downloaded on a personal computer; by logging on to the iobi Web site; or by telephone using a voice-recognition portal.



The computer-based software provides the most robust functionality, including on-screen caller ID, online call direction and tracking of calls and voice messages. Using their mouse, consumers can answer, forward or send a call to voice mail in real time; find out where the caller is on a pop-up map; store the number in an address book; play a voice message; and forward voice messages as sound files via e-mail.



Broadband service is not required; iobi Home works with dial-up access on regular phone lines.



Iobi Home is now available in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine to Verizon residential telephone customers. Iobi Home will be offered in additional areas next month and across the country soon. Pricing is set at $7.95 per month. Verizon Home Voice Mail is recommended for full product functionality.



Later this year, an enhanced version of the Internet-based service - iobi Professional - will be available to businesses; and Verizon will also launch iobi Enterprise, with additional features designed to support the needs of the largest businesses. http://www.verizon.com

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Acterna and Telcordia Announced DSL Test Partnership

Acterna and Telcordia Technologies announced a joint solution to speed worldwide deployment of DSL. The companies have developed an open, standards-based, test solution for DSL and other elements of the "triple play" package of services, including voice and video. The offer encompasses a Web and XML-based, intelligent test platform designed to support multi-vendor and multi-protocol networks, including automated provisioning validation and automated fault isolation. Specifically, the solution matches Telcordia's Integrated Testing & Analysis System (INTAS) with Acterna's DSL Test Head (QT-200) technology and Quality Test Management System (QMS Test OS). http://www.telcordia.comhttp://www.acterna.com

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Alcatel to Sell and Support Motive's Self-Management Software

Alcatel has agreed to sell, customize, deploy and support Motive's core broadband self-management software on a global basis as part of the Alcatel DSL Subscriber Care solution. Motive's broadband management software fully automates key management tasks for both providers and end-users, including product and service set-up, configuration and problem resolution. Alcatel said Motive's software complements its existing DSL service assurance and provisioning solutions. http://www.alcatel.comhttp://www.motive.com

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Boeing Develops Directional Network Waveform (DNW) for Fast Links

Boeing is testing Directional Network Waveform (DNW) technology as a means to build a secure, mobile IP network "a thousand times faster" than operational tactical military communications systems in use today. Keys to the communications advance are Boeing's development of a broadband space-time division multiplexed access communication protocol integrated with electronically steered phased array antennas.



Boeing recently tested DNW links between a Humvee vehicle equipped with a DNW terminal and a fixed DNW tower mounted terminal. During testing, the network demonstrated ground-to-ground IP mobile directional networking with standard applications performed simultaneously, including multiple bidirectional video streams, text chat, web browsing, VoIP and other IP applications. Boeing said the he field test also proved network effectiveness in areas with potential communication blockages caused by trees and other vegetation. Its next step in the testing will involve a DNW terminal on a mountain top, which will simulate an airborne DNW node.



The DNW technology is being developed by Boeing Phantom Works. http://www.boeing.com

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T-Com to Use Motive for Self-Managing Broadband Services

T-Com will use Motive's software to provide customer self-management of its next-generation small business and residential services. Specifically, T-Com has licensed Motive's broadband and enterprise management products to automate a variety of configuration and problem resolution processes to improve customer service. Current T-Com residential and small business services that will benefit from Motive technology include the following: consumer DSL, small business DSL, security applications, VoIP, and wired or wireless networking. For residential and small business DSL customers, Motive software will provide automated activation, ongoing support and management for a variety of services and applications. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.motive.com

• As of August 2004, Deutsche Telekom's was serving almost 5 million DSL connections Group-wide: 4.7 million of those are in Germany, up 750,000 or 17% since the end of 2003.

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Nokia Adds Voice Capabilities to IP DSLAM

Nokia announced new voice capabilities for its D500 IP DSLAM allowing operators to migrate to a VoIP solution by supporting both Voice over Broadband connections, and basic analog 2 wire POTS connections from the same platform.



The Nokia D500 also supports SIP and provides QoS features for connectivity with WLAN enabled terminals and PCs. http://www.nokia.com

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Spirent Automates VoIP Service Testing

Spirent Communications introduced a new VoIP diagnostic software module that automates analysis of VoIP service problems such as dropped packets, jitter, latency and other issues that impede performance. The software module is part of Spirent's centralized VoIP diagnostic solution, which is designed to help wireline, wireless, and cable companies better detect and resolve problems with commercially deployed IP and Ethernet services. http://www.spirentcom.com

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8x8 Offers Prepaid VoIP Option

8x8 announced a prepaid service platform designed to provide independent organizations with the ability to deliver inbound and outbound VoIP broadband telephone services. The Packet8 Prepaid service enables wholesalers, service providers, and resellers to offer their customers outbound prepaid telephone calling, including U.S. telephone numbers for use outside the U.S. for inbound calls. Packet8 Prepaid also includes features such as voicemail, caller ID, and complete voice account management. http://www.8x8.com

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Ford Plans IP Telephony Migration with SBC, Cisco

SBC was awarded a major contract by the Ford Motor Co. to design, implement and manage an IP telephony system for headquarters and other facilities in southeast Michigan. The network will include approximately 50,000 Cisco IP telephones, rolled out to users in 110 Ford facilities in southeast Michigan over three years. SBC PremierSERV Managed Care engineers will work on-site at Ford's data center in Dearborn to manage the service on an ongoing basis through the course of the contract. The companies described the project as one of the nation's largest deployments to date of IP telephony.



SBC companies have provided Centrex voice services to Ford since 1986, and Ford today uses SBC GigaMAN Service, a point-to-point Ethernet solution, for high-bandwidth connectivity between its southeast Michigan locations. http://www.sbc.com

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