MCI Offers Enhanced Smart Backup Service

MCI introduced a new fully managed data protection service to help companies strengthen their business continuity efforts. The new Enhanced Smart Backup service enables companies hosting with MCI to more easily and rapidly restore data in the event of anything from simple data loss to major disasters. The disk-to-disk backup service, which uses technology from Avamar, provides an alternative to traditional tape-based backup solutions. http://www.mci.com/

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Alcatel Selected for Telecom Network in Bhutan

Alcatel was awarded a turnkey contract for implementing a rural telecommunications network in Bhutan. The project, to be implemented before the end of 2006, will use microwave links and an Alcatel NGN softswitch to connect remote areas of the country, with some locations situated at elevation of up to 4,700 meters in the Himalayas. Some of the sites are situated 3-4 days walking distance from the nearest road. Each subscriber will be equipped with a solar cell, a telephone set and a small antenna able to receive data from a central radio base station in the village. Most of the sites will be powered by solar power.



The project is funded by DANIDA, the Danish development aid agency. The contract is valued at EUR 16 million. http://www.alcatel.com

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UPC and Cisco Test Cable Speeds of up to 30 Mbps

UPC Nederland has launched a field trial of cable Internet services with download speeds of 30 Mbps and uploads of 1 Mbps. The trial involves 300 subscribers in the town of Almere. Next year UPC aims to run a trial in Amsterdam with speeds as high as 50 Mbps. UPC is using Cisco Systems' CMTS equipped with Broadband Processing Engine (BPE). The platform is EUR-DOCSIS 2.0 compliant and PacketCable 1.1 qualified. http://www.cisco.com

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Cingular Forecasts Better Synergy from AT&T Wireless Acquisition

Cingular Wireless increased its financial guidance in the wake of closing the acquisition of AT&T Wireless. Key integration activities have been completed ahead of schedule. Cingular now expects to realize substantially increased operating synergies and reduced accounting impacts compared with the outlook it provided when the acquisition agreement was announced in February.



As a result, SBC, which owns 60% of Cingular, expects the AT&T Wireless acquisition to have significantly improved impacts on 2005-2007 earnings than earlier forecast. SBC also expects that excluding accounting costs, the acquisition will be earnings positive starting in 2006 - one year earlier than forecast in February. http://www.cingular.com

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PowerDsine One-Port Power over Ethernet Midspan

PowerDsine introduced a one-port Power over Ethernet (PoE) hub designed for remote powering of wireless LAN access points and other low-port density deployments. The PoE midspan eliminates the need for an external power supply and provides remote powering to 802.3af-compliant end-devices, as well as to pre-standard devices. The list price is $59. http://www.powerdsine.com

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Telatinos Raises $20 Million for Latin America VoIP

Telatinos announced $20 million in private equity financing for its launch of VoIP services in Latin America. Miami-based Telatinos recently launched a joint venture in Colombia with local ISPs InterplaNet Medellin, GeoNet Ltda., and Colomsat SA. http://www.telatinos.com

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Italtel and Cisco Renew Alliance and Focus on NGNs

Italtel, a leading supplier of voice/data/video solutions, and Cisco Systems announced a strengthening of their four year technological and commercial strategic alliance to focus on next generation IP networks. The companies will work together to expand the EMEA market, through joint solutions based on Italtel iMSS (Italtel Multi-Service Solutions) and on Cisco IP Communications platforms. The Italtel Multi-Service Solution, based around the Italtel Softswitch, can deliver IP voice services for the business market, and the migration of service providers' traditional TDM networks to next generation networks with IP technology.



Cable & Wireless has recently chosen Italtel and Cisco's Next Generation Communications solutions. http://www.italtel.comhttp://www.cisco.com

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JDS Uniphase Reaches Optical Networking Milestones

JDS Uniphase has shipped over 1,000 wavelength management modules to date. The devices are used by optical communication system manufacturers in next generation designs that can be reconfigured remotely or even automatically. JDS Uniphase wavelength management modules include wavelength blockers, multi-port wavelength switches and reconfigurable optical add/drop modules (ROADMs).



JDS Uniphase also reached the milestone of over 20,000 optical communications circuit packs and subsystems shipped to date. Until recently, system manufacturers purchased discrete optical components and modules, performing the design and manufacture themselves.



Separately, the company introduced a new EDFA (erbium doped fiber amplifier) Subsystem the functions as a fully managed, full-featured amplifier for DWDM systems in metro, regional and long haul applications. The company also launched a Wavelength Blocker Subsystem that can be used to enable ROADMs (reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers). It is available in 50 GHz, 128 channels for C-band. http://www.jdsu.com/

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Vodafone Australia Selects Lucent/Juniper for 3G Core

Vodafone Lucent Worldwide Services and Juniper Networks to integrate an IP/MPLS solution for 3G core network in Australia. The network will use Juniper Networks' M320 Multiservice Edge Platform to create an IP/MPLS core that will carry Vodafone's 2G, 2.5G and 3G traffic between Brisbane and Melbourne via Sydney. Much of this traffic has traditionally been carried over lower speed ATM. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.lucent.comhttp://www.juniper.net/

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Global Crossing Launches Intelligent Front Office Initiative

Global Crossing launched an "Intelligent Front Office" (IFO) initiative that uses a transparent, seamless information distribution model to add e-bonding capabilities for its customers. The initiative leverages standard API technologies to allow customers to interface their billing or network management systems directly with Global Crossing's back office systems. This provides an interface for order management, service availability, price quotations and other network management tasks.



Global Crossing said the IFO would provide its enterprise and Fast-Track customers with the ability to manage their networks down to the application level. Global Crossing is using the Microsoft .NET Framework.



"We're implementing convergence beyond the delivery of voice, video and data over a single connection and into systems," said Dan Wagner, Global Crossing's chief information officer and executive vice president, business infrastructure. http://www.globalcrossing.com

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Infonet Selects FiberNet for Optical Wavelength Services

Infonet Services Corporation has selected FiberNet Telecom Group to provide 2.5 Gbps optical wavelength services for connecting its points-of-presence within major carrier hotels in New York City and New Jersey. FiberNet will also distribute and exchange Infonet's traffic with other carriers within key carrier hotels. Additionally, Infonet will utilize FiberNet's network construction services to build fiber lateral entrance facilities into its New Jersey network node. http://www.ftgx.com

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Boingo and Tropos Partner on Metro Scale Wi-Fi

Boingo Wireless and Tropos Networks announced a partnership to provide roaming over metro-scale broadband networks. The partnership would enable operators of Tropos-powered metro-scale Wi-Fi networks to allow Boingo Roaming System users to access their networks. The announcement focuses on Tropos' MetroZone Pilot Pack, a turnkey Wi-Fi solution for localized areas of up to one-half square mile. The MetroZone Pilot Pack contains one Pronto Hotzone Gateway with a Pronto OSS software license for up to 100 concurrent users and five Tropos 5110 outdoor Wi-Fi cells, and includes one year of technical support. If the network is a paid-access network, subscribers of the Boingo service and subscribers to services offered by Boingo Platform Services partners (currently MCI, EarthLink, Fiberlink, Infonet and Telecom Italia) can use it as part of their regular monthly service fee, while non-Boingo users can pay a daily connect fee to go online. http://www.tropos.comhttp://www.boingo.com

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Telstra Ousts CEO

Telstra will terminate the contract of its CEO, Dr. Ziggy Switkowski, effective 01-July-05 -- three years prior to the end of his employment agreement. Market analysts speculated that the ouster of Switkowski would clear the way for the privatization of the national telecom giant. http://www.telstra.com

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