G-Connect Selects Data Connection for IP/MPLS

G-Connect, a supplier of IP access and service creation equipment, has licensed Data Connection's integrated control plane technology which includes DC-BGP, DC-OSPF, DC-ISIS, and DC-MPLS protocol stacks for use in its family of IP Service Gateways. G-Connect, which is an affiliate of ADC Telecommunications, is based in Israel. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.dataconnection.com
http://www.g-connect.com/

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Verizon Wireless to Offer Samsung VCAST-Enabled Phone

Verizon Wireless will begin offering a VCAST-enabled phone from Samsung. Verizon Wireless' newly launched VCAST service delivers 300 daily updated video clips from leading content providers for $15.00 monthly access in addition to their regular Verizon Wireless calling plan. Verizon Wireless VCAST customers also receive unlimited browsing of Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web 2.0 news and information service. Samsung's SCH-a890 also includes an integrated 1.3-mega pixel camera, picture caller ID and a personal organizer.
http://www.verizonwireless.com
http://www.samsung.com/wireless

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NexTone Adds 27 Carrier Customers in Q4

Citing explosive demand for VoIP services, NexTone Communications reported that Q4 sales of its IP session management platforms increased more than 260% over the same period in 2003. The company said it added 27 new carrier customers during Q4, giving it a total of more than 200 carrier deployments in production and generating revenue. During the quarter, Nextone also added new sales offices in Moscow and Sydney.


NexTone is a privately-held company based in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
http://www.nextone.com

• In December 2004, NexTone Communications introduced a new session management solution that combines both transport and application QoS to deliver deterministic performance for real-time services over converged IP networks. The new platform includes a NEBS3-compliant, chassis-based Real-time Session Manager (RSM), which acts as a centralized policy manager and enforcement point to manage network resources and optimize call distribution, and the Multiprotocol Session Controller (MSC), enhanced with microflow management capabilities to work with MPLS routers to enforce QoS policies across the network edge.

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Copper Mountain Lays Off Most Employees

Copper Mountain Networks, a supplier of broadband access equipment, initiated actions to lay off most of its remaining employees by March 22, 2005, retaining a limited team of employees to provide customer support and handle matters related to the ongoing exploration of strategic alternatives. The company is still pursuing the potential sale of its intellectual property.


Copper Mountain's Management and the Board of Directors concluded that maintaining the company's existing employee headcount was "not necessary for any of the strategic alternatives currently under consideration, and the ongoing employee-related expenditures could potentially decrease total stockholder value."http://www.coppermountain.com

• Copper Mountain's VantEdge provides high-density interfaces for aggregation from T1/E1 for remote DSLAMs and access points, to OC-12/STM-4 and Gigabit Ethernet for video delivery to DSLAMs and PON OLT (Passive Optical Network Optical Line Termination) devices.



• In August 2004, Copper Mountain retained Raymond James & Associates to explore strategic options, including a possible sale of the company. At the time, Copper Mountain said the recent cancellation of a large carrier broadband upgrade project and potential delays in decisions from several other large carriers made it necessary to explore these options.

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AMCC Settles Shareholder Class-Action Litigation

Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC) reached an agreement to settle the securities class-action litigation currently pending against the company and certain current and former officers and directors. While denying any wrongdoing, AMCC agreed to pay $60 million, of which the company expects its insurers to pay approximately $31 million.
http://www.amcc.com

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Parkervision Unveils Digital Power Amplifier Architecture

ParkerVision introduced a digital power amplifier architecture that enables the manufacture of high performance low cost RF power amplifiers in common silicon semiconductors. Additionally, the company announced that its unique architecture enables models of power amplifiers that inherently perform the function of traditional RF transmitters and totally eliminate the need for traditional transmitter hardware.


ParkerVision said its power amplifiers will benefit from extraordinary yield because they are monolithic (single chip) implementations that can be produced using less expensive, high volume silicon semiconductor processes. The initial ParkerVision digital power amplifier product lineup includes models for:

• CDMA2000 1x 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, and 1xEV-DV


• GSM/GPRS/EDGE


• IMT-2000 W-CDMA for UMTS


• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n gear


• Bluetooth enabled devices


• cordless and VoIP Phones


• multi-mode/multi-band products that combine the standards listed above.

ParkerVision is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.
http://www.parkervision.com/

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AT&T Promotes Two Top Executives

AT&T announced the promotion of two of its top executives. AT&T President William J. Hannigan has been given the additional designation of Chief Operating Officer for AT&T. Hannigan joined AT&T in December 2003 and has led a restructuring of the company while overseeing its business division. AT&T Chief Financial Officer Thomas W. Horton was named Vice Chairman and retains his CFO title. Horton joined the company in June 2002.
http://www.att.com

• Prior to joining AT&T, Hannigan was Chairman and CEO of Sabre Holdings. Previously, Hannigan held senior executive positions at SBC Communications, including president of SBC Global Markets and president of Southwestern Bell's $4.5 billion Business Communications Services unit. Prior to joining Pacific Bell in 1996, Hannigan spent nearly 12 years at Sprint and its predecessor companies.

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China Netcom Acquires 20% Stake in Hong Kong's PCCW

China Netcom agreed to pay approximately US$1 billion for a 20% stake in PCCW, Hong Kong's incumbent telecom operator.


China Netcom is one of two dominant fixed-line telecom operators in China. Its northern service region in China consists of Beijing Municipality, Tianjin Municipality, Hebei Province, Henan Province, Shandong Province and Liaoning Province. Its southern service region in China consists of Shanghai Municipality and Guangdong Province. China Netcom primarily targets business and residential customers in selected high-density areas in its southern service region in China. China Netcom also operates an extensive network in the Asia-Pacific region. http://www.pccw.com

• In February 2004, China Netcom acquired full control of Asia Netcom, a company founded in March 2003 by a consortium lead by CNC which included Newbridge Capital and Softbank Asia Infrastructure Fund.

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Motive Offers Hosted Service for Subscriber Activation

Motive announced an on-demand, hosted service for broadband management. The offering, called Motive OnDemand for Broadband, is a subscription-based service that allows service providers to build intelligent automation into subscriber activation and support services. The hosted service eliminates up-front IT investments for automating the subscriber activation processes. The company said the hosted model is particularly well-suited for providers rolling out broadband services based on emerging technologies such as wireless and powerline broadband, and for providers serving emerging geographies.


Motive's portfolio of on-demand solutions package key components of the company's products as a la carte, high-availability Internet services. They are hosted in a state-of-the-art data center featuring dedicated full-time staff, Tier 1 technology infrastructure, system availability, proactive monitoring, reporting and migration services. Motive said it currently hosts solutions for more than 25 of its customers, representing approximately 30 million daily server transactions.
http://www.motive.com

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FCC Chairman to Leave in March

Michael K. Powell announced his decision to step down as FCC chairman and commissioner in March. In a statement, Powell said he intends to take some time off and then pursue other interests.



Powell was appointed FCC commissioner in 1997 by President Bill Clinton. He was designated chairman by President George W. Bush on January 22, 2001.
http://www.fcc.gov

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