QUALCOMM Announces WCDMA Testing with NTT DoCoMo

QUALCOMM will work with NTT DoCoMo to promote the global deployment of WCDMA. The companies began interoperability testing in June 2004 using QUALCOMM's TM6250 test mobile solution. Field trials are now slated to begin on DoCoMo's live FOMA. Several handset manufacturers are currently in discussion with QUALCOMM to develop FOMA i-mode handsets using the company's MSM6250 single-chip solution and its BREW client software. http://www.qualcomm.comhttp://www.nttdocomo.com

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Siemens to Integrate Flarion's FLASH-OFDM

Siemens Communications has agreed to integrate Flarion Technologies' FLASH-OFDM technology into its portfolio of mobile broadband solutions. The companies have also signed a memorandum of understanding under which Flarion will develop basic 450 MHz-band equipment according to Siemens specifications.



The companies noted that the 450 MHz frequency band in many countries had been occupied by analog mobile telephony, and is now available due to the migration to digital mobile networks. In particular, mobile operators in Eastern Europe who do not hold UMTS licenses are looking for an affordable mobile broadband solution for the 450 MHz band.



Flarion's FLASH-OFDM systems provide mobile access at average downlink speeds of 1 to 1.5 Mbps and uplink speeds of 300 - 500 kbps, bursting to 900 kbps. http://www.siemens.com/communicationshttp://www.flarion.com

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8x8 Signs Nine Resellers for its Virtual Office PBX

8x8 announced nine more master distributors for its Packet8 Virtual Office service aimed at small businesses. The list of resellers includes VARs in markets across the U.S.: Unwired Technology, Chicago, IL; Smart-Com, Eastern ID; Straight Shooting Computing, Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM; Peninsula Communications, South San Francisco Bay Area, CA; Envisions Communications, Wenatchee, WA; CWS, West TX; DB Communications - Austin and San Antonio, TX; Zial Networks, Boise & Spokane, WA; and Smedia, Madison and Milwaukee, WI. http://www.packet8.net

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AT&T Restructuring Continues

Citing sustained pricing pressure, regulatory changes and its decision to stop marketing traditional residential services, AT&T announced a series of restructuring actions. These include:

• further job cuts that significantly exceed its previously estimated workforce-reduction target of 8% in 2004. The company now expects to reduce total headcount by more than 20% in 2004. Approximately three quarters of the employees affected in 2004 have already been notified or departed earlier this year. As a result of ongoing workforce reductions, the company will record a restructuring charge in the third quarter of approximately $1.1 billion.



• a non-cash charge of approximately $11.4 billion in the third quarter of 2004 to recognize the asset impairment. This action will reduce AT&T's depreciation expense by approximately $1.0 billion in the second half of 2004.

"In response to recent regulatory developments and a highly competitive market, we have made some tough decisions to reduce our workforce and cut costs," said AT&T Chairman and CEO Dave Dorman. "Ongoing investments in our network and systems around the world have allowed us to significantly improve customer-service metrics while driving industry-leading productivity."



Despite the restructuring, AT&T still expects to generate free cash flow in line with its previously established targets for 2004. The company said it is on course to finish the year with net debt of under $7.0 billion, a reduction of almost 50% over the past two years. http://www.att.com

• In July 2004, citing changes in regulatory policy , AT&T announced its historic decision to shift its focus away from traditional consumer wireline telephony.

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Orca Interactive Announces IPO

Orca Interactive, a middleware software provider for the IPTV market, will list its shares on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange (AIM). The company also announced that it has raised GBP 14 million ($25 million) a private placement with UK institutions.



Orca Interactive is a subsidiary of Emblaze Ltd.. Emblaze has not sold any shares and retains approximately 60% of Orca.



Orca said it has strong relationships with a number of large incumbent telcos and IPTV prime contractors. In addition, unlike many of its competitors, Orca is not exclusively aligned with any access provider. The company has alliances with access provider partners, for example, Huawei,
ZTE, Samsung, Corecess, Nortel, ECI Telecom and Nokia, in many of the key markets for IPTV.



To date, the Orca's middleware is integrated with, or used in, six different STBs, four different video servers, five different DSLAMs and five different encoders. http://www.orcainteractive.com

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Cramer's OSS Selected for BT's 21CN

Cramer was awarded a multi-million pound contract to supply its OSS for BT's groundbreaking 21st Century Network (21CN) initiative, which will transform BT's entire circuit-switched infrastructure into a single "converged" IP core network. Cramer will provide its full suite of telecom operations and network management software. The agreement affirms Cramer as one of BT's strategic enterprise application OSS partners alongside Amdocs/Clarify, Siebel, BEA, Oracle and Geneva.



Cramer software will support both BT's domestic and global network operations, across all its major operating divisions including BT Wholesale, BT Retail, and BT Global Services.



Cramer said the landmark contract is the largest in its history. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.cramer.com

• In June 2004, BT outlined a five-year timetable for migrating its circuit-based voice services to IP. The mass migration of customers from PSTN to IP will begin in 2006 and, by 2008, BT expects a majority of the transformation will be completed. BT's 21CN initiative aims to migrate the company's existing multiple, service specific networks to a single converged multi-service IP based network. It includes work towards increasing the bandwidth of services provided over the copper access network as well as the trials of FTTP.

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HP Develops AdvancedTCA Platforms for Telecom

HP outlined its plans for an Advanced Open Telecom Platform (AOTP) that leverages modular, standards-based technologies for commercial and carrier-grade platforms (rack-mount, blade and custom) for the heart of voice, data and media networks. HP AOTP is a comprehensive framework that incorporates a portfolio of operating systems including carrier-grade Linux, telecom network software such as HP OpenCall and OpenView, and SAF-compliant management software. It also includes platform testing and validation, consulting and integration services, global sales and customer support, and a large network of tightly linked solution partners.



As part of AOTP, HP also plans to bring to market a new telecom-specific blade server that is based on the emerging Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (AdvancedTCA) an on Intel processors. The new AdvancedTCA blade server is specifically designed to meet the needs of network and service providers. HP, as the first Premier member of the Intel Communications Alliance, is working closely with Intel to drive AdvancedTCA as the standard for telecom blade computing. The new AdvancedTCA blade offering will include an ATCA chassis, server blades based on Intel 32-bit and 64-bit Itanium processors, plus a collection of accessory blades for storage, input/output and networking. Linux will be the preferred operating system. HP will continue to support servers based on the current PICMG standard during development of the AdvancedTCA products.



HP said it is in a unique position to leverage commercial off-the-shelf technology. Modular, standards-based technologies are the foundation of HP's Adaptive Enterprise strategy to synchronize business with IT -- and now of AOTP as well.



"HP is the only major IT company that is at the crossroads of telecom and commercial information technology, and that's why telecom equipment providers continue to rely on HP as a single point of accountability for their complex needs," said Sebastiano Tevarotto, vice president and general manager, Network and Service Provider Business Unit, HP. http://www.hp.com/go/nsp

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AboveNet Opens Access to Its Optical Network

AboveNet announced an "Open Optics Initiative" to provide telecom carriers with access to its optical infrastructure and thereby bypass the local loop. These links will be available for Fast Ethernet, DS3 and OC-n interfaces. AboveNet said its open network approach provides carriers with access to key markets through on-network buildings. http://www.above.net

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TELUS Selects Atreus for Hosted Telephony Services

TELUS has selected Atreus Systems; xAuthority to enable IP Centrex and Messaging as part of the TELUS IP-One hosted telephony business service. xAuthority is a service fulfillment OSS solution. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.atreus-systems.com

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QUALCOMM Licenses RADVISION SIP Toolkit

QUALCOMM has licensed RADVISION's SIP developers toolkit for use in its Qvideophone videoconferencing solution, which is integrated into select QUALCOMM Mobile Station Modem (MSM) chipsets and will initially target the CDMA2000 1x-EV-DO-based mobile market.



The RADVISION SIP Developer Platform is a service creation platform that provides developers with an open, object-oriented architecture (coded in ANSI C) for building SIP-based communications products for the wireline, wireless, and mobile worlds. The platform features RADVISION's standards-based SIP stack as well as multiple layers of APIs, from high-level APIs that hide the complexity of the protocol and enable rapid development of applications to mid and low level APIs that expose the intricacies of the protocol and allow for more detailed customization tuned to the specific requirements of the application or product. http://www.radvision.com

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SUPERCOMM to Become GLOBALCOMM in 2006

The Telecommunications Industry Association, which has been a co-sponsor of the annual SUPERCOMM tradeshow along with the USTA, will host an expanded GLOBALCOMM event on June 5-8, 2006, at Chicago's McCormick Place.



TIA will continue to sponsor SUPERCOMM 2005 with its co-owner, the United States Telecom Association, whose contractual relationship with TIA ends following the 2005 show in Chicago.



TIA reports that already 88% of the exhibitor space for SUPERCOMM 2005 has been filled. http://www.tiaonline.org

• Earlier this week, USTA, which jointly owns SUPERCOMM with the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), announced that it would not host the joint event in 2006. Instead, USTA will host an expanded TELECOM '06 to be held October 7- 11, 2006 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

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Qwest and DIRECTV Announce Partnership

Qwest Communications and DIRECTV formed a strategic marketing alliance that will allow Qwest to offer DIRECTV digital satellite television services to residential customers across the western U.S.



Beginning in Q1 2005, Qwest will market and provide front-line customer support for the DIRECTV service and incorporate it as part of its full suite of bundled services. Customers will have one point of contact for service and a single bill for all telecommunications and television services.



The companies said they are also developing a plan to market Qwest's DSL services to existing DIRECTV customers. Qwest and DIRECTV also have a separate agreement in which Qwest provides DIRECTV service to apartments and other multiple dwelling units. http://www.qwest.comhttp;//www.directv.com

• In September, EchoStar Communications (DISH) announced that it has elected not to pursue expansion of its marketing relationship with Qwest. Instead, EchoStar will seek to expand relationships with current and future telecommunication partners that focus on meeting customer demand for single-bill, bundled services. The company said that it would continue to honor its current, year-old relationship with Qwest, in which Qwest has agreed to sell DISH Network satellite TV service to Qwest's customers through the end of the multi-year contract.



• In July 2003, Qwest Communications announced strategic marketing agreements with Echostar and DIRECTV.

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