Agere Launches Converged Access Network Processors

Agere Systems unveiled a set of "TrueAdvantage" processor chips with advanced traffic management features aimed at next generation access equipment. The new Advanced PayloadPlus 300 (APP300) network processor chip and Link Layer Processor (LLP) chip are new devices that are the first of the family of TrueAdvantage solution elements from Agere aimed at supporting services such as higher quality standard and high-definition IPTV, mission-critical high-speed data, VoIP and multimedia mobile services.


The APP300 series targets a diverse range of access applications, enabling uplink rates that range from a few hundred Mbps up to 2 Gbps, whereas the company's APP500 series chips are widely used in 2.5 Gbps to 5 Gbps edge applications. Both use the same portable software, enabling equipment manufacturers to port code from existing edge equipment onto line-cards for new types of access equipment, including IP DSLAMs and multi-service access nodes (MSANs), wireless Node B/Base Transceiver Station (BTS) systems, wireless radio network controllers (RNCs), media gateways and access routers.


Agere's LLP terminates and aggregates packet and ATM protocols in a single device. The LLP consolidates five different functions into one chip: HDLC; ML-MC/PPP (multi-link, multi-class, point-to-point protocol); ATM TC/IMA (ATM transmission convergence and inverse multiplexing for ATM); AAL1 (ATM Adaptation Layer 1) and
T1/E1 Line Framing. Existing solutions require at least three separate chips to perform all five functions at the channel densities that LLP supports. Agere said its level of integration lowers system line card costs for manufacturers by approximately 40% and power consumption by 50%, down to as low as 2.8 watts. The device processes ATM cells and IP packets at speeds ranging from 8 Mbps to 155 Mbps. Applications include wireless 3G Node B/BTS base stations, wireless radio network controllers (RNCs), base station controllers (BSCs), media gateways, multi-service access nodes and access/edge routers.


Agere's APP300 and LLP families include multiple product versions and are scheduled to sample in Q2.
http://www.agere.com

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Verizon Issues Letter to MCI, Noting Market Forces

Verizon published a letter to MCI's Board of Directors urging them not be influenced by the interests of short-term investors but by the company's long-term strength and viability. The letter lays out reasons why Verizon believes its offer represents the most sensible course for MCI and its stakeholders, including the challenging industry environment it sees confronting MCI and the industry as a whole. This industry assessment includes:

• continuing overcapacity, particularly in MCI's core long-distance segment;



• declining unit prices for all communications services accompanied by soaring demand for broadband and wireless capacity and applications;



• ongoing technological displacement as IP-based broadband and wireless products and services continue to undermine the industry's traditional wireline business model;



• shift to a business model built upon the mass customization of bundles of services configured to suit each customer's needs in which voice is just one among many applications delivered by the vendor;



• greater competitive pressure as AT&T completes the merger with SBC;



• inter-modal competition most directly from cable and wireless services providers but also, in the near future, from potent new entrants such as power companies; and



• growing skepticism in the capital markets as the demand for returns and rising interest rates intersect with the inherent realities of network economics' scope and scale.

Verizon argues that its financial position would protect the new company from the inevitable operational and financial challenges as new business models emerge, and would also allow Verizon/MCI to invest the substantial sums required to pursue exciting new opportunities in IP and wireless products and services. It also argues that the numbers in the Qwest proposal mask a myriad of financial and operational risks.



http://www.verizon.com

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Peribit Introduces Application Acceleration Technology

Peribit Networks introduced an Application Flow Acceleration (AppFlow) technology that integrates compression and caching, acceleration, application control, and visibility technologies to improve the performance of applications over the WAN. The technology transparently speeds performance of Microsoft Exchange, file services, and web-based applications over point-to-point links.


Peribit said its new AppFlow technology provides the acceleration needed for applications that cannot benefit from TCP acceleration until their own protocol limitations are removed. Microsoft Exchange and Common Internet File System (CIFS) file services applications were initially designed for local area network (LAN) environments, so their performance drops dramatically when used across a WAN link that has even modest latency. Similarly, web pages for in-house and packaged applications build very slowly across the WAN because they depend on sequential delivery of tens to hundreds of objects.


Peribit's AppFlow technology accelerates the performance of applications based on three specific protocols: the Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) used by Exchange; Microsoft CIFS; and HTTP. The AppFlow technology improves response times for remote Outlook/Exchange users by requesting portions of the message in advance of the client's request, pipelining what had been a serial and inefficient bulk transfer. As a result, the entire e-mail and any attachments are local to the client by the time the client requests the message. Peribit Networks' ability to accelerate Exchange benefits even fairly low-latency links of 30 ms or more. Similar performance gains are seen for the CIFS protocol. To speed web-based application performance across the WAN, Peribit devices learn the objects associated with a URL and pipeline them across the link so that they are available locally when the page is requested a second time.


Peribit also announced two new additions to its Sequence Mirror product family, which uses sequence caching technology to record patterns across packets, sessions, and flows and store them on hard disk so that, if repeated later, they can be identified and removed from data streams even when they are separated by hundreds of gigabytes of data sent days or weeks apart, and even when the transmitted files have been modified. http://www.peribit.com

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MoCA Demonstrates 100 Mbps over In-Home Coaxial Cables

Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) has successfully completed a large-scale field trial of the core technology for providing networking of digital home entertainment throughout a home using existing coax cabling. The large-scale trial, conducted by MoCA's founders in multiple locations, validated the capabilities of the MoCA technology to deliver 100 Mbps of usable throughput under real world conditions throughout the home -- enough for transporting multiple streams of HDTV.


MoCA founding members performed multiple tests in over 200 homes and multi-unit dwellings to validate the MoCA technology will meet the requirements set in the Market Requirements Document approved by the MoCA Board of Directors. Entropic Communications' c.LINK technology, the core technology behind the emerging MoCA standard, was used in the field trials.


With the completion of the field trial, MoCA will now focus on finalizing technical specifications and a certification process for MoCA products.


http://www.mocalliance.org

• MoCA was founded in 2004 by Cisco Systems, Comcast, EchoStar, Entropic Communications, Motorola, Panasonic, Radio Shack and Toshiba.

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Harmonic Offers 1-Gbps CWDM to Boost Cable-based Services

Harmonic introduced a 1 Gbps system Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) solution to enable cable operators to transport bandwidth-intensive multimedia services and support the largest of business, government and education customers via the same infrastructure that carries the residential video, voice and data triple-play. The FLXLink 1 Gbps CWDM solution has been designed to coexist with Harmonic's current 100 Mbps system. It also uses Harmonic's existing CWDM passive network technology, minimizing cost of ownership for operators and providing each end user with the security of a dedicated wavelength.
http://www.harmonicinc.com

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SeaChange Powers First OCAP-based Cable Deployment

CJ CableNet, a South Korean cable operator serving 1.2 million subscribers in seven cable systems across the country, has launched the first OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP)-based on-demand television service using equipment from SeaChange International.


The OCAP specification, which was developed under the OpenCable project led by CableLabs, allows retail consumer electronics devices to run any compliant application or service. With OCAP middleware, consumer electronics manufacturers can build digital cable products capable of running interactive program guides and premium services including on-demand television. CableLabs provides certification testing of OpenCable host devices, including host devices implementing the OCAP specification, for delivery and use in the North American cable market.


CJ CableNet's OCAP-based Hello D applications include local weather and news, games and SMS (short message service). Hello D also features commerce applications, including reservations for local golf "tee times" and theater tickets. With video-on-demand, subscribers can select from hundreds of movies, free programs, subscription packages and CJ CableNet's "series-on-demand" option, which provides episodic television programs in a range of package prices and access periods. Through its regional Asia office, SeaChange's software development team created the custom OCAP-based video-on-demand applications and a user interface client to match CJ CableNet's unique requirements. The operator's sister company, CJ Media, the country's leading broadcaster and program producer, is the main content source for Hello D on-demand.
http://www.schange.com/

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Juniper Appoints VP of Cable Products Business

Juniper Networks appointed Andrew J. Audet to the position of vice president, Cable Products Business. Most recently Audet was CEO of Lemur Networks, an OSS provider focused on VoIP in the cable industry. Other executive experience in cable includes the position of president and CEO at Chinook Communications and general manager of Motorola's Cable Data Products Division. http://www.juniper.net

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Hitachi Lays Groundwork for Next Gen Hard Disks -- One Terabyte in 3.5-inch Format

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies demonstrated the industry's highest data density at 230 gigabits per square inch (Gb/in2) on perpendicular recording. Hitachi believes 230 Gb/in2, which represents a doubling of today's highest longitudinal recording densities, will be implemented in commercial hard drive products in 2007. When fully realized over the next 5-7 years, perpendicular recording could enable a 10-fold increase in data densities over longitudinal recording, paving the way for new heights in capacity such as a 60 GB one-inch drive or a one terabyte 3.5-inch hard drive.


Hitachi noted that perpendicular recording is a century-old technology with its roots in the late 19th century work of Danish scientist Valdemar Poulsen, who is generally considered the first person to magnetically record sound using perpendicular recording. The technology gets its name from the vertical alignment of data bits on the plane of the disk, which takes less room in contrast to the horizontal orientation of today's longitudinal recording technology. To be accurately recorded and read, the more closely-packed perpendicular bits also require a closer association between the read/write head and the recording media. Hitachi achieved the 230 Gb/in2 density by manipulating the head and media so that the distance between them is a mere 10 nanometers or 1/10,000th of a human hair.


Professor Shun-ichi Iwasaki, president and chief director of Japan's Tohoku Institute of Technology, is considered to be the father of modern perpendicular recording and is among the early testers of Hitachi's perpendicular recording hard drives.


"We are at the cusp of the most significant hard drive technology transition of the past decade, and it's one that holds so much promise for the hard drive and consumer electronics industries," said Jun Naruse, CEO, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies.
http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_head/pr/index.html

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Airpath Selected for Nationwide, Inter-Campus Wi-Fi Roaming

The Broadband Alliance is working to create The Education First Network -- a coast-to-coast, inter-campus Wi-Fi network linking schools and universities. Students and educators of K-12 and higher education campuses with existing Wi-Fi access would be able to seamlessly log into any other member campus' educational wireless network via the Education First Network.


The Broadband Alliance has chosen Airpath Wireless to enable management and roaming for the network. Airpath's InterRoam is a hosted, transaction based clearing, settlement and rating platform that allows control over Wi-Fi roaming. http://www.airpath.com
http://www.bballiance.net

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Broadbus Announces VOD Server Deployments at Top MSOs

Broadbus Technologies, a start-up based in Boxborough, Massachusetts, announced that it has won more than 25 commercial deployments at 5 top MSOs in North America. The operators include Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter, Adelphia, and Rogers Cable. The company expects to have sold more than 150,000 streams through the end of Q1.


The Broadbus B-1 Video Server Platform is capable of up to 20,000 streams of MPEG-2 video at 3.75Mbps in a single 18U chassis, with full support for H.264 and VC-1. In a clustered configuration, greater than 1 million streams can share a single storage library of more than 1 million hours. Interfaces such as GigE and Fibre-Channel are standard and the system is compatible with back-offices from Tandberg TV (formerly N2BB) and C-COR (formerly nCUBE) as well as several proprietary systems.


Broadbus said it is unique in its ability to leverage commodity elements such as DDR DRAM and SATA Hard Drives, while at the same time, using carrier-class elements in its chassis, power supplies and cooling system. The platform uses a Linux-based architecture and open-standards interfaces such as JAVA, .net, SOAP, XML, and CORBA, while also supporting the cable industry's open interface specifications such as ISA and NGOD. http://www.broadbus.com

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Ixia Adds BGP4+ IP Routing Test

Ixia has added validation for the BGP4+ IP routing protocol to its IxANVL conformance and interoperability test solution. The platform already supports an array of conformance tests for IPv6. The new release also introduces support for the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) for validating the IEEE 802.3ad standard. LACP is increasingly deployed in data center and next generation Metro Ethernet networks as a method for improving network performance and failover protection. http://www.ixiacom.com

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Columbus Communications to Acquire New World Network

Columbus Communications, a Barbados corporation that holds controlling interest in a number of telecommunications providers in the Caribbean, agreed to acquire and New World Network and its 88% share in the Americas Region Caribbean Optical-ring System (ARCOS).


ARCOS is a high-capacity undersea fiber cable network connecting the U.S., Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The remain shares in ARCOS are owned by 28 carriers throughout the region.


In the last three months, Columbus has acquired a controlling stake in Cable Bahamas Ltd., the leading provider of cable television and broadband services in the Bahamas. Cable Bahamas' wholly-owned subsidiary, Caribbean Crossings, operates submarine fiber optic cable systems linking the Bahamas and the United States. In February 2005, Columbus acquired Merit Communications, a leading data provider in Jamaica. Columbus-controlled FibraLink Jamaica Ltd., was recently awarded the exclusive license to build and operate a submarine fiber optic cable network connecting Jamaica to the United States.

http://www.nwncable.com
http://www.cablebahamas.com

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Huawei to Resell Tut's Video Content Processors

Huawei Technologies will resell and Tut Systems' family of Astria Content Processor (CP) products to its worldwide base of customers. The solution is targeted at Digital TV and other video services delivered over IP networks. Huawei is a leading supplier of IP DSLAMs, IP routers and optical networks.

Tut Systems said its AstriaContent Processor products currently enable more than 100 service providers worldwide to deliver broadcast TV services over their broadband networks. The platforms feature patent-pending "ConstantStream" rate control technology that minimizes the bandwidth required for IPTV services delivered over constrained ADSL networks.

Tut Systems' Astria CP family of products, available in a range of chassis sizes (one, two, four and 12 rack-units), processes and delivers high-quality digital video over any broadband access network. The platforms offer multi- protocol support for both existing MPEG-2 and emerging MPEG-4 video processing applications. Key features include:

• MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC video encoding



• De-multiplexing, re-multiplexing and de-jittering of digital streams



• Digital turnaround (transrating) of pre-encoded variable bit rate (VBR) streams into constant bit rate (CBR) streams



• Transcoding of MPEG-2 streams to MPEG-4 AVC streams



• "ConstantStream" rate control ensures CBR video with a variance of less than 1%



• Ability to configure bit rate and quality across the range of 1.5 Mbps to 30 Mbps



• Network interface support for copper, fiber and coax networks



• Multi-protocol support (ATM, IP, IP/ATM and DVB-ASI) from a single
  chassis



• Hot swap and 1-forN redundancy for maximum reliability of service

http://www.tutsys.com/http://www.huawei.com

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Net2Phone Certifies Motorola VT1000 SIP Endpoint

Net2Phone has certified the Motorola VT1000 voice gateway as a preferred endpoint for the Net2Phone VoiceLine broadband telephony solution for cable operators.


Net2Phone and Motorola currently have a joint marketing agreement in place to sell end-to-end PacketCable-based telephony to cable operators. With the expanded relationship, Net2Phone and Motorola now offer a comprehensive SIP-based VoIP platform that supports improved security, QoS and end-to-end reliability for cable operators as they deploy the Net2Phone VoiceLine solution to their customers.


Motorola's VT1000 Voice Gateway is a low-cost device offering 2 voice ports and 2 Ethernet ports -- one for connecting to a cable modem and one for connecting to a PC or a hub. http://www.net2phone.com
http://www.motorola.com

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WilTel Wins Major Government Deal with DoD

WilTel Communications was awarded a contract valued at up to $35 million to provide the Department of Defense with Optical Wave services. WilTel is providing four 2.5 Gbps Optical Waves and one 10 Gbps Optical Wave connecting various military bases within the United States, Hawaii and Japan.
http://www.wiltelgov.com

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NCTA Keynote: "Cable Puts YOU in Control"

National Cable & Telecommunications Association opened its 54th annual convention in San Francisco under the theme: "Cable Puts YOU in Control."


Kyle McSlarrow, the NCTA's President and CEO, asserted that cable's digital broadband technology is the platform for the future. He said the industry must pursue an approach to regulation that encourages competition and investment. In his opening address, McSlarrow outlined the NCTA's core regulatory principles, based on the belief that "like services should be treated alike." Second, these services are most appropriately regulated under uniform national standards. VOIP should have minimum regulations, but the industry should bear the responsibility of providing emergency 9-1-1 service, meeting certain requirements to allow law enforcement to fight crime and terrorism, and participating in the Universal Service Fund. All multichannel video providers should continue to make service available to all residents, regardless of income. They should protect subscriber privacy; offer equal employment opportunities; make channel blocking equipment available; and comply with consumer protection obligations.


Some statistics on the U.S. cable industry:

• 24 million digital cable customers;


• 20 million cable modem subscribers and availability in 90% of markets;


• 3 million cable telephone customers;


• HDTV now available to all 100 of the top markets in the country

http://www.ncta.com

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Juniper Adds PacketCable Multimedia Support to SDX-300

Juniper Networks announced several new product enhancements, features, partnerships and strategic relationships aimed at cable multiple system operators (MSOs). These include:

• PacketCable Multimedia (PCMM) support for the SDX-300 Service Deployment System to enable end-to-end QoS, dynamic bandwidth management and event-based accounting for multimedia applications. Using PCMM, Juniper's SDX can dynamically adjust bandwidth requirements and QoS levels to support premium multimedia applications like online gaming, telephony and video-enabled services such as telephony and instant messaging. The SDX is capable of serving as a PCMM Application Manager, or as both an integrated Application Manager and Policy Server. MSOs can use the SDX to manage services through its embedded policy server, or can use the SDX to manage existing third-party PCMM-compliant Policy Servers. The SDX will also manage services via any PCMM-compliant CMTS.



• Partnerships and interoperability testing, including with Extent, Arris and Motorola



• Full ITU Grid Optical support to reduce expenses, simplify operations and better support bandwidth-intensive services such as video on demand. Also available from Juniper Networks is the new 10 GigE DWDM Physical Interface Card (PIC). Utilizing tunable optical technology, it offers extended reach, colored wavelength support across the full C-band ITU Grid, for up to 45 unique wavelengths in a single device.

http://www.juniper.net

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Fujitsu Enhances its FLASHWAVE 7500 ROADM

Fujitsu Network Communications released several major enhancements to its FLASHWAVE 7500 Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (ROADM), including a Wavelength Selective Switch (WSS) optical switch fabric, full 40-channel C-band tunable narrowband optics, Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) interfaces, multiport and multirate SONET Flexponder interface cards, and an intelligent control plane.


The new WSS-based optical core of the FLASHWAVE 7500 ROADM delivers advanced wavelength routing and topology migration capabilities, enabling the platform to meet rapidly changing service and traffic patterns by allowing any wavelength (and any number of wavelengths) to be added, dropped or optically passed through at any network node. WSS technology allows multiple DWDM rings to be terminated in a single FLASHWAVE 7500 multi-degree hub node and supports traffic grooming across multiple networks.


Fujitsu said optical hubbing of multiple DWDM networks results in substantial cost savings by eliminating unnecessary intermediate transponders; and substantial operational savings at aggregation sites by eliminating manual, per-wavelength fiber interconnections that often result in trouble tickets on other DWDM systems.


WSS technology also exhibits a lower power loss than other optical switch technologies, which enables larger network sizes and support for additional optical nodes per network. Lower optical power loss reduces the need for costly regenerators in longer spans, which can result in a capital savings of up to 50% per network over previous-generation solutions.


By using SFP interfaces and full C-band tunable narrowband optics, a minimal number of multi-function transponder types are needed to support a wide array of SONET, SDH, Ethernet, storage and video services from 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps. Muxponders enable multiple OC-48 or Gigabit Ethernet connections to be multiplexed onto a single wavelength at 10 Gbps. New Fujitsu Flexponder interface cards converge the functionality of a SONET ADM with DWDM, with full support for protection, traffic grooming and Performance Monitoring (PM) features.


The FLASHWAVE 7500 ROADM platform is 40 Gbps-ready. No amplifier or network changes will be required when 40 Gbps interfaces are added in the future.


Remote software provisioning and patented self-tuning amplifiers in the FLASHWAVE 7500 ROADM enable rapid service activation and eliminate manual adjustments at every site for the addition/removal of new lightpaths.


The FLASHWAVE 7500 ROADM leverages standards-based intelligent control plane protocols to perform automatic network topology discovery and end-to-end lightpath circuit tracking and identification, which helps field technicians see and troubleshoot equipment or lightpath issues. The FLASHWAVE 7500 ROADM also functions as a unified operations gateway for the subtending SONET/MSPP network, allowing dozens of SONET, MSPP and ROADM nodes to be managed from a single point.


Fujitsu is also launching a new NETSMART 2000 network planning tool to assist customers with network design and planning with the FLASHWAVE 7500 ROADM. Customers can design a variety of network topologies and predict system performance under different traffic scenarios. Network planners can also share network designs with each other as well as track changes and fine-tune any design, reducing time-to-market in strategic design processes, and increasing equipment usage and network design productivity. http://us.fujitsu.com/telecom

• Fujitsu Network Communications has attained over 75% market share for Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexers (ROADMs), according to figures from RHK.

ROADMs Offer Massive Scalability for VOD Transport Networks

The higher capacity and lower cost of GigE ports, combined with the wide availability of Layer 2 Ethernet switches and Layer 3 routers to perform IP switching and aggregation functions have made IP the leading protocol for VOD networks, which is a major change for most cable networks. The key to the success of any VOD service is cost effective transport of hundreds to thousands of VOD streams over the core network. As the popularity of VOD services grows, the number of VOD output streams could become very large.

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Verizon Boosts Consumer DSL to 3 Mbps

Verizon has doubled the speed of its current basic DSL plan to 3 Mbps at no additional charge. The service costs $29.95 a month for unlimited DSL Internet access with a maximum connection speed of up to 3 Mbps downstream and 768 Kbps upstream when purchased in an annual service plan or as part of a package of calling services from Verizon. Month-to-month service is also available for $37.95 a month.
http://www.verizon.com

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Sprint's Cable Voice Initiative Reaches 250,000 Users

Sprint is now delivering outsourced voice services to more than 250,000 residential customers through its range of relationships with cable companies. Sprint also announced new contracts to deliver local and long-distance voice services with three regional cable companies: Massillon Cable TV, Inc.; Wave Broadband; and Blue Ridge Communications.


Sprint is also exploring, through market trial and discussion with cable providers, adding wireless service to the bundle, creating a "quadruple play." Sprint and Time Warner Cable have stated that they are currently conducting a market trial for wireless services, delivered on a single bill along with wireline voice, video and data, in Kansas Cityhttp://www.sprint.com

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XM Satellite Radio Adds 540,000 Net Subscribers in Q1

XM Satellite Radio added more than 540,000 new net subscribers during Q1, giving it a total of 3.77 million subscribers. This subscriber gain represents a 68% increase in new net subscribers compared to the first quarter of 2004, when XM recorded 321,675 new net subscribers.

http://www.xmradio.com/

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Scientific-Atlanta Adds DVD Burner to Set-top Box

Scientific-Atlanta expanded its Explorer 8300 digital video recorder (DVR) platform with a new MCP- 100 Media Center DVR featuring a built-in DVD burner. The product will combine a multi-tuner DVR, optional high definition DVR, DOCSIS (DSG) and Multi-Room DVR capability, with a built-in DVD player and burner. The product is being designed to respect key content protection flags including "copy freely," "copy once," and "copy never" tags.
http://www.scientificatlanta.com

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BigBand unveils CMTS Supporting Quadruple Downstream Rates

BigBand Networks introduced a modular CMTS architecture for IP services over cable networks. The company said enhancements to the established BigBand Cuda CMTS and BigBand BME (Broadband Multimedia-Service Edge) platforms will enable quadruple downstream capacities in accordance with the developing CableLabs M-CMTS standard.


The modular CMTS approach provides an open upgrade path for currently deployed BigBand Cuda platforms and their utilized components. This architecture decouples the DOCSIS MAC (media access control) processing from the physical QAM modulation. A fully populated Cuda12000 chassis is capable of DOCSIS processing more than 3 Gbps, which is four times greater than the previous capacity. The MAC-processed content from the Cuda can interface to the BME for downstream QAM modulation. BigBand Networks is introducing hardware and software enhancements to its current platforms to achieve the M-CMTS architecture.


The BigBand BME is currently broadly used for QAM modulation of MPEG content required for digital video services such as VOD and switched broadcast. A full gigabit-per-second content can be QAM modulated on the compact BME50 platform of 1.5 rack units. This is achieved at superior economics to legacy approaches of QAM integrated into conventional CMTS platforms. Because of its programmability and versatility across media, the BME can also be upgraded to dynamically assign its resources between multiple types of content including MPEG video and DOCSIS data sharing the same QAM channels.
http://www.bigbandnet.com

• In June 2004, BigBand Networks closed its acquisition of the IP Cable Business Unit of ADC Telecommunications, including the Cuda and FastFlow product lines.

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Digeo Announces Moxi Mini

Digeo unveiled a lower cost "Moxi Mini" set top box (STB) that offers dual-mode functionality both as a stand alone digital receiver and as a client delivering digital video recording (DVR) and media center functionality when a Moxi II Media Center is added to the home. The low cost Moxi Mini provides two deployment options for cable operators:

• As a stand-alone digital receiver capable of running OCAP applications and a light version of the Moxi Menu and guide, including On Demand;



• As a Moxi Mate media center extension, bringing DVR, Moxi Photo, Moxi Jukebox, Moxi Games, Moxi Telephone, and even HD services to multiple rooms in the home.

The Moxi media center is also adding a new PC Link feature that allows cable subscribers to stream music and share photos from multiple PCs to television sets throughout the home. Moxi PC Link enhances the already-popular Moxi Photo and Moxi Jukebox features, which allow media to be stored directly on the Moxi Media Center internal hard drive.
http://www.digeo.com

• In April 2004, Charter Communications began offering the Motorola Broadband Media Center (BMC) with Digeo's Moxi Service in Charter's Rochester, Minnesota market. The Moxi service is also offered in 9 other Charter markets. Adelphia also offers Moxi in many of its markets.



• Paul G. Allen founded Digeo in 1999. In the spring of 2002, Moxi merged with Digeo to provide advanced media center platforms and iTV services.

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Ciena and Broadwing Settle Patent Infringement Litigation

Ciena and Broadwing reached an amicable settlement of their patent infringement litigation.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Ciena and Broadwing have agreed to dismiss all claims. In addition, Broadwing will pay to Ciena $35.0 million in three equal annual installments. $33.0 million of Broadwing's total payment may be used as credits toward the purchase of Ciena equipment and services at market prices over the next three and one-half years, in order to help continue to maintain, build and enhance the Broadwing network. Ciena will recognize revenue on these purchases in accordance with contractually agreed-upon terms. Additional terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

http://www.ciena.com
http://www.broadwing.com

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Motorola Appoints President for Asia-Pacific Region

Motorola has promoted Simon Leung to president for its Asia-Pacific Region. He previously was senior vice-president, Networks Asia-Pacific for Motorola. The company has over 20,000 employees in the Asia Pacific region.
http://www.motorola.com

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ARRIS and Axerra Partner on Cable Solutions

ARRIS and Axerra Networks announced a working solution that gives cable operators and Multiple System Operators (MSOs) the ability to serve the corporate market for voice and data services over hybrid fiber/coax (HFC). In addition, the solution enables MSOs to penetrate the wireless backhaul market by providing an alternative to T1 leased lines in the Radio Access Network.


The solution combines the capabilities of Axerra's family of AXN Pseudo-Wire Gateways and Access Devices with the DOCSIS and EUR-DOCSIS capabilities provided by the ARRIS Cadant family of Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTSs). The combined solution delivers T1 and E1 leased lines, full-featured voice connections to the public-switched telephone network, Frame Relay, a range of Layer 2 VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) including Transparent LAN services
(TLS), and even cell-site backhaul service for mobile/wireless operators.
http://www.arrisi.com
http://www.axerra.com

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Insight Selects Cedar Point for Cable VoIP

Insight Communications, the 9th largest cable operator in the U.S. with approximately 1.3 million customers in the midWest, selected Cedar Point's SAFARI C(Cubed) Media Switching System for primary line VoIP cable telephony services. Insight currently delivers circuit switched telephone services to approximately 60,000 customers in portions of Louisville and Lexington, Ky., Evansville, Ind., and Columbus, Ohio. Financial terms were not disclosed.

http://www.cedarpointcom.com

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ARRIS Shows 1.28 Gbps Wideband Data and Channel Bonding

ARRIS is demonstrating Wideband Data and Channel Bonding capabilities of its Cadant C4 CMTS with speeds up to 1.28 Gbps at this week's NCTA National Show in San Francisco. The C4 will feature live 2x12 Cable Access Modules and demonstrate wideband data speeds of up to 1.28 Gbps, hitless RF sparing and Control Complex fail-over.


ARRIS is also showing IP Video over DOCSIS utilizing its Keystone D5 Digital Multimedia Termination System (DMTS) and a variety of set-top clients. Among other applications, the Keystone D5's RF QAM channel-bonding capabilities will be demonstrated, as well as the D5's ability to simultaneously deliver MPEG-2 transport content in an Edge-QAM mode to an MPEG-2 Transport Set Top Box, while performing CMTS duties on the same content via DOCSIS for IP Video delivery to cable modems and IP set top boxes.


In addition, ARRIS will show both PacketCable and SIP Protocol solutions with a variety of Touchstone voice and data clients.
http://www.arrisi.com

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