Alcatel Opens R&D Centre in Genoa, Italy

Alcatel is opening an R&D center in Genoa, Italy focused on broadband networks systems. Initially, in new facility will have 50 engineers and specialized technicians. who are going to be even doubled in the next three years. http://www.alcatel.com

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SingNet Appoints New CEO

SingNet, the wholly-owned Internet subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), announced the appointment of Mr. Hui Weng Cheong as CEO, replacing Ms Ooi Lay Yong, who will focus on consumer sales and SingTel's retail business. He continues in his role as SingTel's Vice President (Consumer Products) and oversees the development of new services for mobile, Internet, broadband and telephone businesses. http://www.singtel.com

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Cegetel Launches Ethernet WAN Services with Alcatel

Cegetel, an alternative national fixed telecommunications operator in France, launched IXTRANS -- a new, high speed and secure data service for large and medium enterprises. IXTRANS is a secure data service based on PDH, SDH and Ethernet interfaces. Aimed at applications such as interconnection of local area networks, videoconferencing and storage networking, the service supports Ethernet connections at varied bandwidth ranging from 2 Mbps to 10 Gbps. IXTRANS is commercially available across France.



Cegetel is using Alcatel's Optical Multi-Service Node (OMSN) systems equipped with data functionality. The deployed systems are managed by the Alcatel 1350 management suitehttp://www.alcatel.com/http://www.cegetel.com

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Citrix Acquires Net6 for SSL VPN Appliances

Citrix agreed to acquire privately-held Net6, a developer of secure access gateways, for approximately $50 million in cash.



Net6, which is based in San Jose, California, offers an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Access Gateway and an Application Gateway with a Voice Office Suite. The Application Gateway delivers applications to users of IP telephones from leading IP PBX vendors including Avaya, Cisco, Mitel, NEC, Nortel Networks and Siemens. The Net6 Voice Office Application Suite enables enterprises to further leverage their IP telephony investment and increase workforce productivity by delivering converged applications to the screens and speakers of IP telephones.



Citrix said these products are complementary to its existing access infrastructure portfolio. http://www.citrix.comhttp://www.net6.com/

• Net6 has approximately 30 employees and more than 150 customers.

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Level 3 Launches Channel Partner Program in Europe

Level 3 Communications has launched a channel partner program in Europe to encourage resellers to offer its VoIP and other services to their small and medium-size business customers. The program will debut in the UK and will expand into other European markets over the course of 2005.
Commencing early 2005, Level 3 will initially focus its partner-recruitment and sales efforts around (3)Tone Business, its hosted VoIP offering for small and medium-sized enterprises. http://www.Level3.com/partner

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Zarlink Gains Compliance for Circuit Emulation Processors

Zarlink Semiconductor announced that its line of Circuit Emulation Services (CES)-over-Packet processors fully comply with the latest recommendations for TDM circuit transmission over MPLS and Metro Ethernet networks. The MPLS & Frame Relay Alliance (MFA) recently released implementation agreement MFA 8.0.0, which addresses the encapsulation formats and setup and teardown of connections for carrying TDM circuits across MPLS networks. The MFA's new agreement simplifies TDM transport over MPLS, allowing network operators to move towards a single, converged network delivering voice, video and data services.



The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) also ratified new technical specifications for carrier-class Ethernet. Specification MEF 8 defines the implementation for emulating PDH (Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy) circuits over Metro Ethernet networks, and outlines requirements for employing CES over Metro Ethernet networks as defined in the earlier MEF 3 technical specification. MEF 8, along with new specifications addressing test procedures and network management for Ethernet services, will guide the rollout of Metro Ethernet as a carrier-class service delivery technology.



Zarlink's three-device ZL50111 high-density and three-device ZL50120 low-density families of CES-over-Packet processors seamlessly "tunnel" from one to 32 streams of TDM voice, video and data traffic, with associated timing and signaling, across MPLS, Ethernet and IP networks. All six devices are in full production. http://www.zarlink.com

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Polycom and Edgewater Team on Enterprise Video Firewalls

Edgewater Networks and Polycom are expanding their co-development and marketing partnership beyond VoIP solutions to those that now simplify the deployment and management of audio and video communication systems connecting across organizations and firewalls for enterprises and service providers. The two companies also announced the availability of open, H.323 standards-based solutions for Network Address Translation (NAT)/Firewall traversal for IP-based video communications, as well as solutions validated as interoperable with other proprietary firewalls and session border controllers popular in the market. The H.323-based Edgewater solutions are available for all Polycom systems. http://www.edgewaternetworks.comhttp://www.polycom.com

• Edgewater Networks offers a line of EdgeProtect session border controllers providing specialized security, NAT/Firewall traversal services and passive call quality monitoring for service providers; and a line of EdgeMarc VoIP CPE appliances.

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