FCC to Improve Data Collection on Broadband Rollout

The FCC voted to collect additional data about the nationwide availability of broadband and local telephone competition. All facilities-based carriers will now be required to report, regardless of their size. Broadband providers will be required to provide more detailed information on the speed and nature of their service. The rules also establish broadband-over-power line as a separate category in order to track deployment more closely. To better assess broadband availability, incumbent telephone and cable companies will be asked to report the...

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FCC Adapts 4.9 GHz Specs for Public Safety Usage

The FCC revised technical specifications in the 4.9 GHz band to allow manufacturers to adapt, for that band, technologies that are being used in adjacent spectrum bands, such as the 5.4 GHz Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) unlicensed band and the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) band. Specifically, the FCC adopted two emission masks limiting interference potential for the band, one for low-power and one for high-power operations. These changes will allow public safety licensees to leverage commercial off-the-shelf...

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DISH Network Adds 350,000 Net New Subscribers in Q3

EchoStar Communications' DISH Network satellite television service added approximately 350,000 net new subscribers during Q3, giving the company a total of 10.475 million subscribers. For Q3, EchoStar reported total revenue of $1.86 billion, a 28 percent increase compared to Q3 last year. Net income totaled $102 million and basic earnings per share were $0.22 for the quarter. http://www.echostar....

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Cablevision's Revenues Increase to $1.2 billion, VoIP Reaches 189,000 Users

Cablevision's Q3 revenues increased 20% to $1.2 billion compared to the prior year period, based on continued strong growth at both Telecommunications Services and Rainbow Media's Core Networks. Consolidated operating income totaled $70.1 million compared to $20.0 million in the prior year period. Some highlights for the quarter:5,747,393 Revenue Generating Units, up 325,827 or 6% from June 2004 and up 1,033,088 or 22% from September 2003 iO: Interactive Optimum digital video customers up 171,382 from June 2004 to 1,337,091 Optimum Online HSD...

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ECI Telecom and Redback Enter Triple Play Partnership

ECI Telecom and Redback Networks announced a partnership to deliver enhanced triple play solutions for service providers. Under the agreement, the companies will offer a comprehensive IP solution that includes ECI's Multi Service Access Gateway (MSAG) solutions together with Redback's multi service edge and broadband portfolio. ECI and Redback will initially target joint customers. http://www.redback.comhttp://www.ecitele....

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Agilent Offers Tools for WiMAX Signal Generation and Analysis

Agilent Technologies introduced a set of design tools enabling RF and baseband engineers working at the physical (PHY) layer to create, analyze and troubleshoot orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signals specified in the IEEE 802.16-2004 standard (WiMax). The tools provide the ability to generate, detect, demodulate and troubleshoot PHY layer signals for component test applications. http://www.agilent....

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Lucent Reaches Tentative National Agreement with Unions

Lucent Technologies reached a tentative national agreement with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) on a seven-year, seven-month contract that offers a 16.28% increase in wages compounded over the life of the agreement and a solution to the challenges surrounding the funding of healthcare benefits for formerly represented retirees. Lucent said the deal "creates opportunities for the company to compete more effectively for installation work in the United States and provides job...

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Nortel Supplies Optical Gear to SURFnet, Internet2

Nortel Networks has supplied optical networking gear to SURFnet and Internet2 to provide optical interconnect capabilities. As part of the Dutch GigaPort Next Generation Network project, SURFnet is building a hybrid optical and packet switching infrastructure . SURFnet has deployed a Nortel Optical Multiservice Edge 6500 and a high-density Nortel Optical Cross Connect HDXc in its NetherLight advanced optical switching facility in Amsterdam. Nortel will also provide SURFnet with a Nortel Common Photonic Layer (CPL) for deployment in the SURFnet6...

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AT&T Wins $4 million Liberty Travel contract

AT&T was awarded a $4 million contract to provide an MPLS-based VPN for Liberty Travel, which is one of the largest travel companies in the U.S. with 205 locations. Liberty Travel is upgrading from an existing Frame Relay network. The enhancement also allows Liberty to roll out a major enterprise resource planning (ERP) deployment that integrates wholesale and retail agencies with key enterprise resources. http://www.att....

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Conexant Names Dwight Decker as CEO, to Reduce Expenses

Conexant Systems named Dwight W. Decker as its new CEO, replacing Armando Geday, who resigned for personal reasons. Conexant also said that it plans to reduce pro forma operating expenses from the current quarterly level of $95 million to $80 million exiting its September-ending fiscal year. Plans to reduce operating expenses include an increasing shift of product development resources to lower-cost regions, and a continued merger-related SG&A...

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Marconi Reports Sales of £305 Million

Marconi reported quarterly sales of £305 million, a 4% increase compared to the previous year. The company reported increased demand for broadband and fixed wireless access networks, and an improvement in its book-to-bill ratio across all its businesses. Gross margin for the quarter was 33.1%. Marconi also reaffirmed its FY05 outlook, saying it expects low single digit sales growth at constant currency. Adjusted quarterly operating profit was £2 million and there was a group operating loss of £29 million. "The results confirm the progress...

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BT Offers Free UK VoIP Calls for a Year to New DSL Customers

BT is offering a whole year of free UK calls on its VoIP service to new customs signing up for any of its consumer broadband packages. The free calls will use the new BT Communicator with Yahoo messenger! application. Customers can also make free PC to PC calls using BT Communicator's with Yahoo! Messenger's VoIP technology to anywhere in the world. Once the offer expires, users can still make calls to a landline or mobile from their computer but for the same cost as a phone call on their BT Together fixed line phone package. BT said it intends...

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Chelsio Launches First Copper 10 GigE Adapter for $2,500

Chelsio Communications announced the industry's first 10Gb Ethernet server adapter using 10GBASE-CX4, enabling the deployment of lower-cost and lower-latency copper alternatives to fiber-based 10Gb Ethernet in data center and high performance computing cluster applications. Chelsio has demonstrated the card in conjunction with Fujitsu's CX4 switch. The companies said their joint solution has been independently verified by Veritest, Inc to deliver the world's lowest latency -- less than 10 microseconds -- using Ethernet technology. The Chelsio...

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Cisco Reports Sales of $6.0 Billion, Increases Stock Repurchase

Cisco Systems reported quarterly revenue of $6.0 billion, a 17.1% increase year over year and a 0.8% increase quarter over quarter. Net income (GAAP) was $1.4 billion or $0.21 per share. The period marked the company's sixth consecutive quarter of sequential revenue growth. Cisco also announced up to $10 billion in additional repurchases of its common stock. Cisco's board had previously authorized up to $25 billion in stock repurchases. There is no fixed termination date for the repurchase program. The remaining authorized amount for stock repurchases...

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Juniper Appoints General Manager, Infrastructure Products Group

Juniper Networks announced the appointment of Carol Mills to the position of General Manager, Infrastructure Products Group (IPG). Mills previously served as principal consultant for Barrymore and Baldwin, a strategy consulting firm. Before that Mills spent four years as chief executive officer of a private enterprise software company, Acta Technology, until it was acquired by Business Objects in 2002. Mills moved to Acta Technology from Hewlett Packard. http://www.juniper....

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FCC Rules Vonage is Not Subject to State Jurisdiction

The FCC ruled that Vonage's broadband telephony service is not subject to traditional state public utility regulation and asserted its federal authority over VoIP. The ruling found that the VoIP service cannot practically be separated into intrastate and interstate components, precluding dual state and federal regulatory regimes. The FCC reasoned that efforts by the Minnesota public utilities commission, or other such state agencies, could impede the rollout of VoIP. However, one requirement that Minnesota was seeking to impose was that Vonage...

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XO Reports Q3 Revenue of $391 Million, Following Allegiance Acquisition

XO Communications reported Q3 revenue of $391.9 million -- reflecting a full quarter of revenues from the acquired assets of Allegiance Telecom -- compared with $278.2 million in Q2 2004 and $279.4 million in Q3 2003. Revenue from voice services -- consisting of local, long distance and other voice services -- was $214.7 million in the third quarter of 2004 compared with $140.4 million for the corresponding period in 2003. Revenue from data services -- consisting of Internet access, network access and web hosting services -- was $110.0 million...

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Freescale's Spin Off Date Set for Dec 2

Motorola plans to distribute its equity interest in Freescale Semiconductor to shareholders on 02-December-2004. Motorola expects to distribute to its shareholders approximately .11 of a share of Freescale Semiconductor Class B common stock for each outstanding share of Motorola common stock they own on the record date of November 26, 2004. The actual distribution ratio will be set on the record date. With the separation, Motorola has created two distinct companies with clearly defined business strategies and investment characteristics. Freescale...

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Panama's Cable Onda Deploys Nortel's VoIP

Cable Onda, a leading cable service provider in Panama, has selected Nortel Networks' cable VoIP solution to deliver integrated voice and video communications and IP telephony to both residential and enterprise customers beginning in January 2005. Cable Onda's new VoIP infrastructure will be based on the Nortel Communication Server 2000 - Compact, which is PacketCable- qualified. Also included in this deployment will be Nortel Packet Voice Gateway (PVG). Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.nortel....

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First Avenue Networks to Acquire Teligent Assets

First Avenue Networks agreed to acquire substantially all of Teligent's assets and fixed broadband wireless operations in a stock swap deal valued at approximately $133 million. The terms and conditions of the acquisition agreement are subject to FCC approval. The acquisition is expected to close in Q4 2004.. http://www.firstavenet.c...

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MCI Introduces Trio Of New Internet DSL Services Nationwide

MCI is rolling out a trio of business DSL Internet services from 8,800 switching centers across the U.S. The DSL access can be used to extend MCI IP VPN Service to remote locations. The three tiers of service are Internet DSL Solo 768 Kbps, Internet DSL Solo 1.5 M and Internet DSL Solo Resale, which is aimed at businesses like retailers, service companies and other organizations with multiple locations. http://www.mci.comIn June 2004, MCI and New Edge Networks, a national provider of multi-site broadband networks for business and carrier customers,...

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