WebEx Deploys Sonus Networks

WebEx Communications is deploying Sonus Networks' Open Services Architecture (OSA), including its GSX9000 Open Services Switch and the Insignus Softswitch, in its data centers to deliver new IP-based conferencing services to its customers. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.sonusnet....

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Actelis Raises $23 Million for Copper-Pair Bonding

Actelis Networks, a start-up based in Fremont, California with R&D in Israel, raised $23 million in Series D funding for its access technology that bonds copper pairs for delivering fiber-quality service over existing copper lines. Actelis' systems allow carriers to deploy ultra fast broadband at distances up to 18Kft (5.5km) and beyond from Central offices or Remote Terminals. Actelis said recent standard specifications put forth by IEEE and ITU-T are critical milestones in the global market development of ultra high-speed broadband over...

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Jasomi and RADVISION Partner on Conferencing

RADVISION and Jasomi Networks announced an alliance aimed at increasing the penetration of integrated video, voice, instant messaging (IM), and data conferencing services across corporate networks. The companies are working on joint solutions to deliver Microsoft-powered voice, video, and data conferencing, while overcoming firewall and NAT (Network Address Translation) traversal issues. RADVISION's iVIEW Communications Manager and viaIP multimedia conferencing unit integrate with Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005, Windows Messenger,...

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RIM Provides SIP Integration for BlackBerry Enterprise

Research In Motion (RIM) is working with Nortel to enable full-featured, SIP-enabled business communications over wireless local area networks (LAN). The companies are focusing on providing interoperability and integration between RIM's BlackBerry enterprise platform and Nortel's Multimedia Communications Server (MCS) 5100. Enterprise customers would be able to use RIM's new BlackBerry 7270 to securely access IP telephony, corporate e-mail and other business applications via the wireless LAN. The BlackBerry 7270 works in conjunction with BlackBerry...

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Philips Releases Mobile Multimedia Processor

Royal Philips Electronics released its new "Nexperia" Mobile Multimedia Processor for smartphones. The device, which provides video, graphics, imaging, audio and security functions for feature-rich mobile handsets, is based on an ARM9 processor. Sony Ericsson, who already deployed previous Nexperia generations in its smartphone family using Symbian OS and UIQ user interface, has selected new Philips processor for future Symbian OS phone products. http://www.semiconductors.philips....

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Freescale Acquires Assets of PrairieComm

Freescale Semiconductor the assets of PrairieComm, a privately-held developer of 3G baseband technology. Financial terms were not disclosed. PrairieComm, which is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, offers software, system-on-chip designs and platform designs for cellular communications, including CDMA, TDMA, GSM and UMTS. About 120 employees are joining Freescale as part of this transaction -- 60 in India and 60 in the United States. http://www.freescale....

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Nextel Accepts FCC Spectrum Swap

Nextel Communications formally accepted the FCC's plan to exchange spectrum that potentially interferes with public safety communication systems. The multibillion dollar deal is expected to end years of legal wrangling. http://www.nextel.comIn December 2004, Sprint and Nextel Communications announced their plans to merge into a larger wireless and integrated communications service provider. The two companies currently serve more than 35 million wireless subscribers and 5 million additional subscribers through affiliates and partne...

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FCC Requests 2006 Budget of $304 Million, up 8%

The Federal Communications Commission is requesting $304,057,000 for its fiscal year 2006 funding. This compares to $281 million appropriated for FY 2005, an increase of 8.2%. The FCC said the requested FY 2006 funding level will cover mandatory increases for salaries and benefits and inflationary increases for office space rental, supplies, printing, postage and contractual services. The budget level also includes funds to allow the FCC to consolidate and upgrade commission-owned facilities at Columbia, Maryland; to provide for critical enhancements...

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Vodafone Shuffles Senior Management

Vodafone announced several senior management changes. Bill Morrow, currently Chief Executive of Vodafone UK, was appointed President of Vodafone K.K. Shiro Tsuda will become Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Vodafone K.K. and with Bill Morrow, will lead the next phase of the development of the company. Tim Miles, at present Managing Director of Vodafone New Zealand, will become Chief Executive of the UK business. Shiro Tsuda joined Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Public Corporation (now NTT) in 1970, becoming General Manager of the...

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NetCentrex to Add Support for IMS

NetCentrex plans to enhance its softswitching platform with IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) compliant interfaces by the summer of 2005. NetCentrex already supports a range of full IP-based multimedia services for mobile service providers, including Mobile-Fixed Converged VPNs and Interactive Multimedia Servers for Video & Voice, Video & Voicemail and a Video Service Broker for broadband and UMTS networks. The enhanced IMS support positions NetCentrex to serve the UMTS service provider market throughout the transition from first generation...

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Nokia Venture Partners Changes Name to Bluerun Ventures

Nokia Venture Partners has changed its name to BlueRun Ventures announced the first close of a third venture fund focused on early stage companies in the IT, mobile, and consumer electronics markets. The group will continue its close relationship with Nokia Corp., which continues as limited partner (LP) backing the new fund and is joined by other institutional investors. A second closing is anticipated in the first half of 2005. Targeted to reach $350 million by mid-year 2005, the new fund brings the total amount under BlueRun Ventures management...

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Mobilitec Raises $12.1 Million for Mobile Content Delivery

Mobilitec, a start-up based in San Mateo, California, raised $12.1 million in Series C financing for its software for mobile content deliver. Mobilitec's mPower includes components for media downloading, digital rights management and streaming. Mobilitec said it now has 20 wireless carrier customers, including Vodafone. The new funding was led by Canaan Partners and included new investor Duchossois Technology Ventures, as well as existing investors AIG Orion and Lucent Venture Partners. http://www.mobilitec.comMobilitec is headed by Margaret...

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Vendors Form VoIP Security Alliance

A new industry group called the VoIP Security Alliance has been formed to help organizations discover, understand and mitigate VoIP security risks. The group plans to host discussion lists, offer white papers, and sponsor VoIP security research. Some of the charter members include 3Com, Alcatel, Avaya, Codenomicon, Columbia University, Ernst & Young's Guiliani Advanced Security Center, Insightix, NetCentrex, Qualys, SecureLogix, Siemens, Sourcefire, Southern Methodist University, Spirent, Symantec, the SANS Institute and Tenable Network Security....

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Straitshot Secures $5 Million for Layer 2 Services

Straitshot Communications, a start-up WAN provider based in Seattle, closed $5 million dollars in a private placement for a connectivity service that is promoted as an economical replacement for Frame Relay and MPLS. The Straitshot network uses a Layer 2 architecture that aggregates the access networks of leading national and regional providers. The network delivers private WAN connectivity with QoS. Straitshot physically aggregates these access networks at regional co-located facilities (POPs). It connects all of its regional aggregation POPs...

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Cbeyond Deploys BroadSoft for SIPconnect Trunking Service

Cbeyond Communications is among the first business VoIP service providers to deploy BroadSoft's SIP-based BroadWorks Business Trunking application to offer network-based enhanced hosted VoIP services to IP PBX users. The application enable enterprises to complement IP PBX features with network-based VoIP and multimedia features hosted by service providers such as Cbeyond. These advanced features can include voice VPN, auto-attendant, attendant console, call center functions, unified messaging, voice mail, click-to-dial, conferencing and video...

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NEC Unified Solutions Launches UNIVERGE IP for Mid-Market

NEC Unified Solutions introduced a Linux-based IP voice communications platform for small and medium-sized businesses. The NEC UNIVERGE SV7000 MPS is a full-featured SIP-enabled telephony server that provides call-control for up to 750 IP stations. Customers can deploy any of NEC's enterprise communications applications including unified messaging and the company's OpenWorX) Communications Portal and UNIVERGE MA4000 management suite. The platform can also be used as a high density media controller or gateway for off- premise analog station and...

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Bellster Changes Name to fwdOUT

Pulver.com has changed the name of its recently-launched, non-commercial Bellster directory service to fwdOUT following complaints from BellSouth. fwdOUT enables phone line sharing between users of Asterisk, the open-source PBX. Parties using fwdOUT can route calls over the Internet to a shared phone line located near the call recipient, regardless of distance, and in return these parties share their own phone line with any other fwdOUT users wanting to place calls in their locality. "The BellSouth request really helped us in thinking through...

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Mitel Unveils Desktop Communications Navigator

Mitel introduced a telephony endpoint supporting both SIP and its own MiNet protocol. The Mitel Navigator features an embedded full-duplex microphone and speakers for hands-free or conference calling. Mitel Navigator can also be integrally linked to the "Mitel Your Assistant", which is a suite of tools delivering presence, collaboration, video and instant messaging with knowledge, call and directory management. It can also be used with Microsoft's...

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ICANN Considers New Registrars for .net Domain

ICANN has engaged Telcordia Technologies to review and assess the applications submitted in response to the .NET Request for Proposals. ICANN will complement the Telecordia team's capabilities with an international panel of DNS experts to contribute to the assessment effort. ICANN said it would conduct an open and transparent procedure for designating a "successor" registry operator for the .net domain. The current registry agreement between ICANN and VeriSign will expire on 30 June 2005. http://www.icann.org/In August 2004, The U.S. District...

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Consumer Groups Submit USF "Fair Share Plan" to the FCC

A group of consumer organizations called the "Keep USF Fair Coalition" has filed a "Fair Share Plan" for Universal Service Fund (USF) collection with the FCC. The FCC is considering changes to the way it collects money for the USF. Currently consumers pay a percentage of their long distance service bill each month. The FCC is considering switching to a monthly flat fee based on telephone numbers. The coalition argues that under the current revenue system, high volume long distance users pay the most, while those who use less pay less. It believes...

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Mahi and Mintera Announce 40 Gbps ROADM Solution

Mahi Networks, a supplier of multi-service metro transport and switching solutions, and Mintera, a supplier of 40 Gbps transport technology, announced the completion of interoperability testing that paves the way for increased DWDM capacity and performance in the metro-regional market. The companies have completed verification of the Mahi Vx7 Multi-service Core Transport System (MCTS) to support a capacity of 1.28 Tbps by leveraging 40 Gbps wavelenghts. The companies are also announcing an alliance, integrating Mintera's 40 Gbps transponder technology...

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Chelsio's 2nd Gen 10GbE Adaptor Drives Prices to $1,295

Chelsio Communications announced its second generation family of 10GbE and iSCSI adapters at prices as low as $1,295 in volume -- a new industry price point that is expected to speed the adoption rate for 10Gb Ethernet in enterprise applications.Chelsio's T210 Protocol Engine and N210 Server Adapter are software-compatible upgrades from the first generation T110 and N110 cards, respectively, which has been shipping since early 2004. Additionally, Chelsio is debuting its T204 Protocol Engine, a 4-port Gigabit Ethernet Protocol Engine targeted for...

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