Monday, February 28, 2005

China Telecom Deploys VPLS with Alcatel

Zhejiang Telecom, the second largest provincial subsidiary of China Telecom, is using Alcatel's 7750 Service Router to offer a Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) solution to deliver high-quality Ethernet services for enterprises. Alcatel believes this is the largest VPLS network in China, with more than 200 customers from the medical, transportation, and retail markets. The project was won through and implemented by Alcatel Shanghai Bell. Zhejiang Telecom is using the Alcatel 7750 Service Router (SR) and Alcatel 5620 Service Aware Manager (SAM)...

NTT's 2006 Plan Sees Shift from ADSL to Optical Access

Noting the effect of wireless substitution, the rapid rise of VoIP, and increased competition in both residential and business markets from fixed line competitors, NTT East said it would accelerate efforts to offer optical IP phone services. The company will devote itself "to efficiently building optical access networks as an infrastructure for broadband services...

Agilent Shows 10 Gbps XENPAK Over 300m of MM Fiber

Agilent Technologies will demonstrate a 10 Gbps XENPAK fiber optic transceiver transmitting network traffic over 300 meters of multimode fiber at next week's OFC/NFOEC 2005. The demonstration will show Agilent's XENPAK fiber optic transceiver module, featuring EDC, transmitting a 10 Gbps data stream error-free over a distance of 300 meters using legacy multimode FDDI grade 62.5/125 micron fiber. The fiber optic cable will be flexed to vary optical signal polarization and stress the EDC's ability to accommodate a variety of incoming signal characteristics....

Intel Outlines I/O Acceleration Technology

Intel outlined a set of silicon technologies that speed the interaction between network data and server applications by up to 30%. Intel also announced an agreement with Microsoft to support the technology in forthcoming operating systems. The Intel I/O Acceleration Technology (I/OAC) takes a platform approach to address the application performance issues -- such as Web commerce, messaging, storage and server clustering, which are beginning to overwhelm servers' responsiveness.Intel said that while server CPU performance and network bandwidth...

Microsoft Hires AT&T Wireless Executive to Lead Windows Team

Microsoft named former AT&T Wireless and E*TRADE executive Michael Sievert as corporate vice president for Windows product management. Sievert will be responsible for marketing, product management and product planning for the Windows Client, including the next version of Microsoft Windows, code-named "Longhorn," slated for release in 2006. Sievert comes to Microsoft via AT&T Wireless Services Inc., where he had served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer since 2002. In that post, Sievert was responsible for product management...

TiVo Granted Eight New Domestic and Foreign Patents

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently issued new patents to TiVo covering important aspects of DVR software and hardware design. TiVo also announced that it has obtained an exclusive license to an early DVR-related patent and has been granted Japanese and Chinese patents. Today's announcement brings TiVo's patent portfolio to 70 granted patents (domestic and foreign). In addition, TiVo has 106 domestic and foreign patent applications pending. Some of these include:U.S. patent number 6,850,691, entitled Automatic Playback...

Broadcom Introduces New PCI Express GigE Controller

Broadcom announced the latest chip offering in its NetXtreme II family of Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) converged network interface controllers (C-NICs). The new NetXtreme II C-NIC is the first to support the PCI Express bus architecture and its supports a TCP/IP offload engine (TOE), iSCSI, and Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) on a single-chip platform. Broadcom's C-NIC technology enables network protocol processing to be offloaded from the host to the C-NIC, thereby saving the server's CPU and memory I/O resources to perform their primary tasks. The...

Tekelec Notes Sales of Class 5 Switch to Two IOCs

Tekelec announced two new customers for its Tekelec 7000 Class 5 Packet Switch: Bloomingdale Telephone Company and Noxapater Telephone Company. Noxapater Telephony Company, an independent operating company (IOC) in northern Mississippi, is deploying the Tekelec 7000 by the end of this year to provide a seamless migration to next-generation architecture while increasing capacity and satisfying local number portability requirements.Bloomingdale Telephone has served the Bloomingdale, Mich., area since 1904 and today provides a diverse suite of services,...

General Bandwidth Raises $18 Million in New Funding

General Bandwidth raised $18 million in new financing for its VoIP equipment. General Bandwidth supplies its G6 Universal Media Gateway platform, which is a carrier class VoIP services platform with the capability to simultaneously support multiple service architectures including legacy Class 5 switches, SIP-based feature servers, and next generation softswitches. The platform is currently being used by more than 40 customers.Oak Investment Partners led the new round with participation from Sevin Rosen, Venrock Associates, Invesco, Thomas Weisel...

Cox Selects Nortel for Circuit Switch to VoIP Migration

Cox Communications and Nortel outlined plans for evolving Cox's existing circuit-switched telephony networks to a hybrid TDM/VoIP model. Key points of the plan, which builds on a relationship first announced in 2003, include:Cox currently serves 1.2 million residential and 100,000 business telephony lines in 17 markets across the U.S. It first launched local phone service in Orange County, California in 1997.Cox is currently using two dozen circuit switches to provide these primary line services.Cox is already using VoIP to carry long distance...

Allied Telesyn Offers Integrated ADSL Router / VPN Appliance

Allied Telesyn introduced a one-box solution that combines the functionality of a security appliance with the advanced QoS and routing protocol support of a business-class ADSL router. The new AR440S Router, which is designed for businesses seeking multiple redundant WAN paths, features built-in ADSL, one Async/Console, five 10/100 LAN ports and an optional PIC slot (T1/EI PRI, ISDN, Sync, Async, Ethernet and VoIP interfaces).The IPv6 ready AR440S offers integrated hardware encryption, IPsec VPN support, Stateful Inspection Firewall, options for...

Calix Ships FTTP OLT Line Cards

Calix announced the availability of standards-based broadband passive optical network (BPON) optical line terminal (OLT) line cards for its Calix C7 multiservice platform. Service providers are able to integrate support for FTTP BPON in the same Calix C7 platform that delivers ADSL2+. A fully loaded Calix C7 supports twenty dual-port, G.983-compliant cards for a total of 40 BPON OLT ports driving 1,280 ONTs in an 8-RU form factor. As many as five compact, high capacity C7s can be housed in a single seven-foot equipment rack, yielding 200 OLT ports...

Advanced Switching Interconnect Spec Targets Next Gen Backplanes

The Advanced Switching Interconnect Special Interest Group (ASI SIG) released a version 1.1 specification for the Advanced Switching Interconnect (ASI). ASI technology, based on PCI Express, enables the standardization of proprietary backplane architectures. Common physical-link and data-link layers with the PCI Express standard enable the ASI technology to exploit a vast ecosystem of products currently available in the market. The new specification release incorporates a variety of new technical features and benefits such as a generic encapsulation...

Malaysian Service Provider Selects Juniper for VPLS

TIME dotCom Berhad, a Malaysian communications solutions provider, has deployed Juniper Networks M-series multi-service edge routing platforms to support its new value-added Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS). TIME dotCom has deployed the M-series in its Metro Back Bone Network (MBBN) project, creating Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) based on Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). It is the first Internet service provider in Malaysia to offer a complete range of MPLS-based VPN services, including layer 2 VPN, layer 3 VPN and VPLS (multipoint-to-multipoint)...

Corning Chosen for Australian FTTH Network

Corning has been selected as the exclusive passive equipment supplier for a greenfield fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment in western Australia. Broadcast Engineering Services (BES) will deploy Corning's Evolant Solution for Access Networks with NexCor optical fiber. BES has signed agreements with real estate developers to install greenfield FTTH networks throughout this region. Currently, three developments - Somerly, Brighton and Vale are slated for deployment, with a total of 2,000 homes to be passed by early 2006. Corning said this marks the...

SBC Offers $19.95 DSL Promotion

SBC Communications announced a DSL promotion of $19.95 per month for 12 months for new customers that sign up online. The price -- lower than any other similar offers by leading U.S. providers -- requires a one-year term commitment and SBC local phone service. Customers who do not order over the Web can receive SBC Yahoo! DSL Express for $19.95 a month when they commit to a one-year term and subscribe to the popular SBC unlimited local and long distance calling plan, All Distance, for $48.95 a month. http://www.sbc.comSBC currently has more...

Sunday, February 27, 2005

Netopia Uses VLANs to Map Services in DSL Gateways

Netopia introduced a Virtual Gateway (VGx) technology designed for mapping Triple Play services in DSL networks to specific QoS priority levels. The VGx technology, which is implemented in Netopia's 3300 series broadband gateways, allows service providers to separately deliver and manage up to eight individual service channels. The technology maps multiple VLANs to one or more specific permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) for DSL, or to other wide area VLANs in the case of fiber networks. Traffic prioritization is based on 802.1p. http://www....

Amedia Adds VDSL Option for its FTTP/N Solution

Amedia Networks announced a VDSL-based copper interface for its AS5000 Aggregator Switch and PG1000 Premises Gateway. The option complements the Fiber-To-The-Premises (FTTP) access solution that the company announced last year by enabling a Fiber-To-The-Node (FTTN) capability for copper based networks. Service providers, including those that currently deploy DSL services, would be able to install DMT-coded VDSL line cards in the AS5000 in order...

Vodafone Offers 500,000 Music Tracks over 3G

Vodafone is launching a catalogue of 500,000 full music tracks on over its Vodafone live! with 3G. The enhanced service will be rolled in eight countries, beginning in Germany, with Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK following in the next few months.Vodafone also announced that, since it first launched full track music downloads across an extensive range of new 3G handsets in November 2004, over one million tracks have been downloaded. Vodafone has signed distribution deals with Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner...

Harmonic Acquires UK-Based Broadcast Technology Ltd

Harmonic has acquired UK-based Broadcast Technology Ltd (BTL), a provider of professional video/audio receivers and decoders, for GBP 4.0 million. BTL's products will be integrated into Harmonic's Convergent Systems Division, enabling it to expand the scope of solutions it provides for existing and emerging cable, satellite, terrestrial broadcast and telecom applications. http://www.harmonicinc....

Solarflare Raises $48 Million for 10GigE Silicon

Solarflare Communications, a start-up based in Irvine, California, raised $48 million in its latest funding round for its development of high-performance semiconductor products for physical-layer connectivity. Solarflare is one of many companies who are collaborating on final 10GBASE-T technology specifications, including chipmakers Broadcom Corp., Marvell and Intel; equipment manufacturers Cisco Systems and Sun Microsystems; and cabling companies Belden CDT and CommScope. The technology would deliver 10 Gbps Ethernet over standard twisted-pair...

Cisco Releases IP/MPLS Interprovider Capabilities

Cisco Systems announced IP/MPLS interprovider capabilities that allow service providers to work with each other and combine the capabilities of their individual networks, as a way to offer new services to their business customers. Cisco said service providers that take full advantage of the new IP/MPLS interprovider solutions would be able to deliver increased resiliency, multicast-based services such as streaming video, and extended virtual-private-network (VPN) technologies to their enterprise business customers. The new Cisco IP/MPLS enhanced...

UNH-IOL Expands Wireless LAN Testing Services

The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) has expanded its wireless testing capabilities with the addition of a walk-in wireless testing radio frequency (RF) isolation chamber. The chamber allows the UNH-IOL, which provides testing services to companies on an annual-fee basis, to isolate wireless devices undergoing testing from all RF radiation and interference. The UNH-IOL Wireless LAN Consortium can provide testing and debugging for 802.11a,b,e,g,i,j and 802.15 (Zigbee) products in an independent, vendor-neutral ...

AOL Opens Instant Messenger to Web Sites

America Online is working with leading websites and services to weave its AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) service directly into their offerings. Partners include Intellisync Corporation, CareerBuilder, Ruckus Network, and Thomson Financial. Intellisync launched a public beta test of a free service that lets AIM users who also use Microsoft Outlook 2002 or 2003 bring instant messaging and presence-awareness into their Outlook application. This lets them see when their Outlook contacts are online and available to chat. Also announced today, CareerBuilder.com,...

Paradyne Offers Integrated DSL Test Capabilities

Paradyne has integrated single-ended loop test (SELT) and dual-ended loop test (DELT) features into its Broadband Loop Carriers (BLCs), DSLAMs, and ADSL2+ modems. Paradyne said its SELT and DELT are emerging as the standards for loop qualification and diagnostics, aiding in the elimination of costly external test equipment. Paradyne's SELT implementation includes a loop pre-qualification test integrated into the BLC or DSLAM to determine the strength of the DSL line. With Paradyne's ADSL2+ modems, DELT provides bidirectional testing on lines, isolating...

Capella Photonics Appoints New CEO

Capella Photonics, a start-up offering wavelength selective switch (WSS) modules for use in reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) and optical cross connect (OXC) applications, named Larry Schwerin as President and CEO. He replaces co-founder and current CEO Dr. Joseph Davis, who announced his plan last September to retire as CEO at the end of 2004. The handoff of responsibilities was timed to coincide with Capella's transition from development to commercialization of the WavePath products. Schwerin previously served as General Partner...

i2Telecom Deploys Kagoor's Session Controllers

i2Telecom International, a low-cost VoIP service provider with operations in Atlanta, Redwood City (California) and Beijing, has deployed Kagoor's VoiceFlow 1000 series session border controller in a high-availability, redundant configuration to deliver global VoIP service over its SIP-based network. i2Telecom offers a unique "VoiceStick" portable Internet phone device that converts any Internet connected computer into a local phone. Once the VoiceStick is installed, a dial pad display enables the user to call any telephone in the world directly...

Group Studies MPEG-4 Over IEEE 1394

The 1394 Trade Association has formed a study group to investigate the need and demand for a new specification to transport MPEG-4 video over IEEE 1394. The group will identify which parts of the MPEG-4 standard are applicable, and review strategies for possible implementation. It will operate under the auspices of the 1394 Trade Association's Architecture Work Group, which is chaired by Peter Johansson. Don Harwood of Oxford Semiconductor, a leading member of the 1394 Trade Association, will direct the MPEG-4 over IEEE 1394 project. The 1394...

FCC Appoints Media Bureau Acting Chief

Deborah E. Klein was appointed to be the FCC's Media Bureau's Acting Chief, following the departure of outgoing Bureau Chief Kenneth Ferree. Klein has served as the Media Bureau's Chief of Staff since 2002 where she worked to implement the Commission's policies relating to electronic media, including broadcast and cable television, radio, and post- licensing satellite issues. http://www.fcc....

ADC Reports Stronger Q1 on Fiber Sales

ADC reported $243 million in quarterly revenue and $0.02 GAAP earnings per share from continuing operations, including special items. The company said it benefited from better than expected sales driven from KRONE sales of $93 million and strong sales for its OmniReach Fiber-to-the-X solutions and professional services.ADC's operating expenses were reduced 11% from 4Q04 to $76 million, excluding restructuring and impairment charges."We are pleased with our sales growth and operating expense reduction in the first quarter," said Robert E. Switz,...

Verizon Speaks Out Against Qwest+MCI Deal

Verizon Communications issued a public statement arguing that the possible combination of Qwest and MCI is not in the public interest.Tom Tauke, Executive Vice President of Verizon, said a Qwest acquisition of MCI "could result in less investment in MCI's networks and Internet backbone, and harm national security-related customers and the long-term interests of large businesses, government agencies, consumers and shareholders." Tauke noted that Verizon has estimated it will invest approximately $3 billion, primarily in MCI's Internet backbone,...

Caspian and ETRI to Develop Flow State Routing for Korea's BcN

Caspian Networks has been selected by South Korea's Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) to co-develop advanced IP flow state solutions for the nation's Broadband convergence Network (BcN). The project will combine Caspian's flow state technology with ETRI's technical expertise in network control and simplified multi-protocol labeling switching (sMPLS). The BcN project is targeting a goal to build an integrated network in...

Packeteer Releases New WAN Bandwidth Appliance

Packeteer announced a new low-cost appliance for managing WAN application traffic at remote and branch offices. Available immediately, the 1200 Series is a four-in-one product with Layer 7 classification, control, compression and enterprise-wide central management and reporting. It is designed for controlling WAN performance and application QoS in enterprises with 10 or more remote sites and branch offices. The appliance provides network monitoring, application-level control, and compression at link speeds up to 2 Mbps. Manufacturer's suggested...

PCCW and China Netcom Target Broadband TV Opportunity

China Netcom and PCCW, the incumbent carrier in Hong Kong, provided an investor update on their partnership deal announced last month. The companies are looking to capitalize on telecom growth in China, especially in broadband TV services. China Netcom currently has 110 million fixed line customers and 8 million broadband customers, the majority of which are in the ten northern Chinese provinces where it is the incumbent operator. China Netcom's strategy is to defend its territory in the north, while looking for new expansion in the south. Since...

Saturday, February 26, 2005

France Telecom Names New CEO

Didier Lombard was named Chairman and CEO of France Telecom following the resignation of Thierry Breton, who has served in the position since October 2002 and is credited with financial restructuring of the company.Didier Lombard has previously served as Senior Executive President of France Telecom in charge of mission technologies, partnerships and new services. A graduate of Ecole Polytechnique and of Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Telecommunications, Didier Lombard began his career in R&D with France Telecom in 1967, working on the development...

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Hungarian Research Net Upgrades Backbone with Cisco

MATAV has inaugurated a new 10 Gbps national backbone network in Hungary that provides high-speed Internet access for the Budapest headquarters of the Hungarian National Research Education Network (Hungarian NREN). It will also support seven universities, which operate as regional network centres, and several other research and educational institutions. The new network will help ensure reliable access to the GEANT2 computer network (the pan-European research network supported by the European Union) for nearly 600,000 users of the Hungarian NREN...

European Researchers Select DS2's 200 Mbps Powerline Technology

The Open PLC European Research Alliance, which brings together electric utilities, telecom companies, equipment suppliers and university research groups under an EU-sponsored program, has selected 200 Mbps power line communications technology developed by chip supplier Design of Systems on Silicon (DS2). This technology has been selected as the baseline to develop and complete the OPERA Power Line Communications (PLC) solution within Work Package 3 of the Project with major contributions from WP partners, notably, ASCOM, ADD, Dimat, Elsys, Mainnet,...

MCI's Q4 Revenue Declines 2% Sequentially, 10% YoY

MCI reported Q4 2004 revenue of $5.0 billion, a decline of 2 percent sequentially and 10 percent year-over-year. Enterprise Markets revenue increased 1 percent sequentially, Commercial Markets revenue was flat sequentially and Mass Markets revenue was down 9 percent sequentially.For the full year 2004, revenues totaled $20.7 billion, down 15 percent from 2003 revenues of $24.3 billion. Operating loss was $3.2 billion. Operating income before $1.9 billion of depreciation and amortization, a $1 million gain on property dispositions and $3.5 billion...

Asia Netcom and Japanese Partners Deliver HD Video over IP

Asia Netcom Japan, together with Miyagi Networks and Frontiers, completed a large scale test HDTV over a shared Internet backbone. The trial was conducted using HDTV content (MPEG-2) from Miyagi Networks -- a CATV and broadband service provider in the Sendai Miyagi prefecture; Asia Netcom Japan's Internet backbone; and equipment from Frontiers, a manufacturer of HDTV transmission hardware (HDx1000), which combines "Hi-vision," an MPEG-2 encoder and a Video-over-IP gateway. The trial transmitted HDTV content between the Sendai area and Miyagi's...

BT Completes Acquisition of Infonet

BT completed its acquisition of Infonet, one of the world's leading providers of global managed voice and data network services for corporate customers. Infonet, which will be renamed BT Infonet, becomes part of BT Global Services. Andy Green, CEO BT Global Services, said: "The combination of BT Global Services and Infonet will create a clear leader in the networked IT services market, and will enhance our position as the supplier of choice for multi-site organisations around the world."http://www.btplc.comIn November 2004, BT agreed to acquire...

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

SBC Selects Tekelec for Signaling Network Solution

SBC Communications will deploy Tekelec's EAGLE 5 Signaling Application System as a part of its signaling network. Financial terms of the five year contract were not disclosed. During the next three to five years, approximately 20 EAGLE SAS systems will be activated in the SBC network to handle rapidly increasing local number portability (LNP) traffic. Tekelec Professional Services will also assist in the deployment of the equipment. The Tekelec EAGLE 5 SAS is a multi-protocol advanced signaling system. It hosts a variety of applications from a...

ADC and Corning Sign Technology Transfer Agreement

ADC and Corning Cable Systems announced a technology transfer agreement for one of Corning Cable Systems' hardened connector products. Corning's OptiTap Connector and Adapter target FTTX networks. The products provide a solution for factory-terminated, environmentally sealed and hardened connectors for use in drop cable deployments in optical access networks. ADC said that prior to manufacturing the product, it elected to pursue a formal technology transfer agreement to ensure full compatibility between the two companies' products. http://www.adc.com...

France Telecom Launches DSL Licensing Program

France Telecom is launching a new licensing program for DSL transmission technologies using Discrete Multi-Tone (DMT) modulation. The program follows France Telecom's policy of actively promoting its major patents and software, marketing them directly or through patent pools (groups of patents from different companies handled by the same agent). DMT modulation is a technique for increasing the efficiency of data transmission over pairs of copper wires. This is an area in which France Telecom and broadcaster Télédiffusion de France (TDF) have patented...

net.com Enhances SHOUT VoIP Platform

net.com released a new version of its SHOUT platform for helping enterprises interconnect multi-vendor PBX and call center environments with next generation VoIP applications across IP data networks. SHOUT provides multi-vendor, multi-protocol support (including SIP). Enhancements to the platform in this release further equip SHOUT as a voice migration appliance for large global enterprises:IP over Serial -- aggregates multiple remote nodes on a router connected to SHOUT, offering point to point serial connection to the central router. The serial...

Sprint Offers Global Quad-band Phone

Sprint introduced a digital quad-band phone, the Sprint PCS International Phone IP-A790 by Samsung, aimed at multinational business customers. When used in conjunction with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, the Sprint PCS International Phone IP-A790 by Samsung allows customers to make voice calls on both CDMA and GSM networks in more than 130 countries where Sprint has roaming agreements in place. The phone also functions as a multimedia device on the Sprint Nationwide PCS Network so customers can view on-demand streaming video and audio...

India's BSNL Selects UTStarcom's IP DSLAM

UTStarcom announced an expansion contract for the deployment of 75,000 ports of its AN-2000 B820 and AN-2000 B100 IP DSLAMs and related equipment for the second phase of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.'s (BSNL) National Internet Backbone project. The equipment will support broadband Triple Play services. The new contract extends the initial $9.2 million contract signed with BSNL in August 2004. BSNL's National Internet Backbone currently comprises around 400 nodes distributed across India and supports over one million subscribers with PSTN and ISDN Internet...

Qwest Submits New Bid for MCI

Qwest Communications submitted a revised bid to acquire MCI for approximately $8 billion. The sweetened proposal adds collars to protect MCI shareholders should the price of Qwest's shares decline. Qwest argues this revised proposal is superior to Verizon's bid because it delivers greater value in cash and stock per MCI share. Qwest estimates an "synergy value" of approximately $18 per MCI share in a combined Qwest/MCI company. Qwest also believes its proposal would face less regulatory scrutiny because of the significantly smaller footprint...

Marvell Posts Record Revenue of $340.3 million

Marvell Technology Group record quarterly revenue of $340.3 million, an increase of 40% over net revenue of $243.3 million for the same period a year earlier and a 7% sequential increase from net revenue of $317.6 million for the preceding quarter. Net income (GAAP) was $54.9 million, or $0.18 per share (diluted). Net revenue for the year ended January 29, 2005 was $1,224.6 million, an increase of 49% over net revenue of $819.8 million for the year ended January 31, 2004. "We are pleased to announce the results of another outstanding year and fourth...

BT Selected by The Volvo Group for Global Net

BT was awarded a three-year, multi-million EUR contract for the supply of international data communication services to the Volvo Group and its subsidiaries. The will cover approximately 80 locations worldwide. BT said it will supply an improved ATM-based infrastructure as well as services such as network monitoring and internet access. The technology refresh included in the contract carries an option for the network to be migrated to an MPLS platform within two years. Delivery has already started. http://www.btplc....

InTechnology to Resell Nortel Gear in Europe

InTechnology and its wholly owned subsidiary, Allasso, have established a new Network Solutions division to develop and sell secure networking solutions to resellers across Europe. Nortel will be the first vendor for the new division, supplying its data networking, Ethernet switches and security products. For the last three years, InTechnology has managed its own multigigabit national Ethernet network, LANnet, to deliver a portfolio of managed services in the UK. http://www.nortel.com http://www.intechnology.co...

Neterion Launches PCI Express 10 GigE Adapter

Neterion (formerly S2io), a start-up based in Cupertino, California and Ottawa, Canada, introduced a 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapter based on the PCI Express bus architecture. Neterion now offers its Xframe adapter in all three major bus architectures: PCI-X 1.0, PCI-X 2.0 and PCI Express. Neterion said its new 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapter requires no rewrites to the end users' operating system software and they are able to keep their host-based TCP/IP stacks intact for reliability and security purposes. PCI Express is serial, rather than parallel,...

Nuvio Launches E911 Services Across U.S.

Nuvio launched Enhanced 911 (E911) services for its NuvioCentrex hosted IP Voice solution, which is offered to broadband providers, cable operators, CLECs and VARs through a private-label partner program. The company currently offers E911 in over 1,500 rate centers servicing over 2,700 cities nationwide and will deploy this feature in additional markets as demand warrants. Nuvio's E911 calls are routed as emergency traffic and provide computer-based caller information to emergency personnel at local Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). Through...

Samsung Demonstrates Push-To-All Application

Samsung Electronics demonstrated a Push-to-All (PTA) solution that extends the existing PTT (Push-to-Talk) one to multi-user voice application with the one to multi-user video conferencing (Push-to-View or PTV) and multimedia file sharing (Push-to-Data or PTD). The core benefit of PTA handsets is their synchronous video conferencing ability. Similar to a walkie-talkie with video capabilities, the speaker's image appears instantly on the handset screen of the user or multiple users on the call. It is a convenient and time-saving function that allows...

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Ciena Reports 16% Sequential Revenue Growth

Ciena reported first quarter revenue of $94.7 million, representing a 16% sequential increase, and an increase of 43% over the same period a year ago. On a GAAP basis, Ciena's reported net loss for the fiscal first quarter was $57.0 million, or a net loss of $0.10 per share. This loss compares to a GAAP net loss of $76.7 million, or a net loss of $0.16 per share, in the same period a year ago. Ciena recognized revenue from two customers that each contributed more than 10% of the fiscal first quarter's total revenue. Combined, the two ten percent...

Rogers Cable Selects Nortel Cable Telephony Solution

Rogers Cable, Canada's largest cable television company, has selected Nortel as its primary softswitch vendor to support digital phone service, which it plans to begin launching Digital Phone service in mid-2005. Rogers passes 3.3 million homes in Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and has 69% basic cable penetration of its homes passed. Financial terms were not disclosed. Rogers Digital Phone service will leverage the company's DOCSIS broadband cable network combined with Nortel's Communication Server (CS) 2000 - Compact -- a softswitch that...

Telecom Italia Integrates Avici into Testbed

Telecom Italia Lab has integrated Avici Systems' SSR carrier class routing platform in its hybrid IP/optical network test bed that leverages open standards signaling across the optical and IP domains. Telecom Italia Lab is building an advanced multi-layer network based on IP/MPLS and optical technologies to evaluate the advantages of an intelligent architecture utilizing standards-based interworking between the optical transport network and client devices (IP routers). Leveraging the unified IP/Optical control plane, this IP/optical test bed will...

FCC Rules Against AT&T on Prepaid Calling Card USF Fees

The FCC ruled that AT&T unlawfully avoided paying millions of dollars of universal service contributions and other fees related to pre-paid long-distance calling card services. The FCC ordered AT&T to file revised universal service contributions forms for the entire period that AT&T has provided its calling card service. In its November 2004 filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, AT&T reported that it had avoided $160 million in universal service contributions on the card since 1999.The Commission rejected an assertion...

Iridium Cites Favorable Trends for Mobile Satellite Service

Iridium Satellite announced that it had more than 114,000 subscribers as of December 31, 2004, a 22.5% increase over its total number of subscribers at the end of 2003. The company's revenue for the full-year 2004 increased by 23.2% over total revenue for the prior year. In the general aviation market, the company surpassed a milestone in October of 2,500 aircraft using Iridium-based equipment -- roughly double the number equipped in 2003. In the maritime industry, Iridium announced four significant agreements in 2004 resulting in more than 300...

Time Warner Telecom Launches VoIP Over Metro Ethernet

Time Warner Telecom is launching its business-class VoIP solution suite in 21 initial markets across the U.S.. The first phase of VoIP-based products offered under TW Telecom ONE SOLUTION, provides solutions for PBX customers. These products include: TW Telecom ONE CONNECT, a VoIP trunking solution; TW Telecom ONE REACH, an IP FX virtual numbering service; and TW Telecom ONE FORUM, a conferencing solution. In concert with this VoIP-based business strategy launch, Time Warner Telecom is offering free VoIP VPN service to all its site-to-site customers...

Space Systems/Loral Completes DIRECTV 8 Satellite

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) completed all assembly, integration and tests of the DIRECTV 8 satellite, more than two months ahead of the contracted schedule.The DIRECTV 8 satellite will provide selectable medium and high power Ku- band broadcast services to the U.S. on up to 32 transponders. The service is optimized to support the current and next generation higher coding rate services that DIRECTV provides. The Ka-band payload will use the full 1,000 MHz of Ka-band communications bandwidth available to link DIRECTV facilities as part of DIRECTV's...

Peleton Offers Multi-wavelength Laser Source

Peleton, a start-up based in Ottawa, Canada, unveiled its flagship multi-wavelength laser source. Peleton also announced an optical channel controller, a companion module to the multi-wavelength laser source. The products are designed for use in the test and measurement of advanced optical networking equipment. The laser source generates 40 wavelengths simultaneously on a single output fiber. All of the wavelengths produced by the device are internally locked to the IUT-T grid at a variety of channel spacings. The Peleton multi-wavelength technology...

DIRECTV Expands Networking Contract with AT&T

DIRECTV awarded a new three-year networking contract valued at more than $69 million to AT&T. The deal will provide DIRECTV with the ability to roll out new IP-based technologies, like VoIP, in its call center support networks and enterprise networks. DIRECTV provides digital multichannel television service to more than 13.9 million customers nationwide.http://www.att....

Brooktrout and BayPackets Announce Prepaid Offering

Brooktrout Technology and BayPackets have jointly developed an IP-based network prepaid calling card solution for service providers with circuit-switched, hybrid or packet-based networks. The IP-based prepaid application runs on BayPackets' Agility Network Services Platform (NSP), which has been designed to scale to support millions of subscribers. Brooktrout's SnowShore Media Server, an open carrier- class IP media server, provides media processing for the BayPackets platform. The Agility Prepaid application includes real-time call rating, support...

China Netcom Builds GPON with Flexlight

China Netcom (CNC), China's second largest service provider, completed the first stage of its GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network: ITU-T G.984.x) deployment linking 15 cities in the north of the country. The deployment uses FlexLight Networks' modular Optimate suite of products. CNC's GPON will be expanded to a further six cities in the coming months.Michael Camp, President and CEO of FlexLight Networks, Inc., explains, "The successful completion of the first stage of CNC's deployment is a huge endorsement of the technology as a reliable and...

Marconi and Operax Team on QoS Systems

Marconi signed an agreement with Operax, an independent Swedish software vendor, to jointly develop a carrier-class bandwidth management solution. This bandwidth management solution will guarantee QoS across the core and access network. The new solution, which has open interfaces, brings together Marconi's network and service provider expertise and Operax's bandwidth management knowledge and skills. It is based on Operax's established Bandwidth Manager, a network resource control system for IP networks that enables guaranteed end-to-end QoS and...

Cisco Delivers 1 Gbps over HFC with Wideband DOCSIS

Cisco Systems announced "Wideband Protocol for DOCSIS", a new technology able to deliver up to 1 Gbps broadband speeds over existing hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks. The protocol augments HFC network bandwidth by adding one of more additional downstream to the standard broadband DOCSIS system. This new set of downstream channels is grouped into one larger channel, and is known as a Wideband channel. Cisco said its Wideband Protocol for DOCSIS is compatible with existing DOCSIS 1.x and 2.0 specifications.Himawari Network, a Japanese cable operator...

Monday, February 21, 2005

ISN Telcom Selects Kagoor's Session Border Controllers

ISN Telcom, the Miami based CLEC, has deployed Kagoor's VoiceFlow 1000 session border controllers for its ipFONE VoIP service, which offer unlimited calls to Latin America in addition to the United States, and Canada for a single monthly fee. Kagoor's session border controllers provide network protection and security for ISN's VoIP network. Kagoor's network protection applications include topology hiding, intrusion prevention, call admission control,...

SBC & AT&T Argue that Merger in Public Interest

SBC and AT&T filed papers with the FCC kicking off the formal federal review process aimed at determining that the merger is in the public interest. The companies noted that so far, more than 260 consumer, business and civic organizations, as well as state and federal elected officials, have announced their support for the merger. In the joint filing, the companies argue that the merger is a response to rapid technological changes, extraordinary competition in the marketplace and financial pressures - including the loss of hundreds of thousands...

Alcatel and Microsoft to Collaborate on IPTV

Alcatel and Microsoft announced a global collaboration agreement aimed at accelerating the rollout of IPTV services for broadband operators worldwide. The companies will offer an integrated IPTV delivery solution. The partners expect their precedent-setting agreement will help expand the quickly-growing ecosystem of IPTV industry partners and enable telecommunication providers to take advantage of global economies of scale fueled by large-scale IPTV deployments planned across the globe. As part of the agreement, the two companies plan to pursue...