Intel, Linksys and Motorola Join HomePlug Alliance Board

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance announced the addition of Intel, Linksys, and Motorola as new sponsor members and the subsequent election of Intel's Matt Theall as president of the Alliance.To accelerate the global proliferation of products based on HomePlug standards, the Alliance has created a new "Implementers' Forum" Board of Directors, consisting of sponsor members of the Alliance. The Implementers' Forum BoD consists of Comcast; Earthlink; Intel; Linksys ; Motorola; RadioShack; Sharp and Sony. These major consumer electronics, personal computer...

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Sonus-Based Networks Carry Over 38 Billion VoIP Minutes in Q2

Sonus Networks announced that its equipment deployed carrier customers worldwide carried an estimated 38.2 billion minutes of VoIP traffic in the second quarter of 2005 -- more than twice the amount of total VoIP traffic carried by any other equipment provider in the industry -- according to a report issued by industry research firm, iLocus. Sonus also held the number one market share position in both national and international long distance traffic with 39.5% and 21.9% of the market respectively.VoIP solutions have moved beyond the "early adopter"...

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Harmonic Adds Motorola's Privacy-Mode Encryption to its VOD Solution

Harmonic announced plans to provide real-time content encryption using Privacy-Mode conditional access technology from Motorola in its Narrowcast Services Gateway (NSG) video-on-demand (VOD) delivery solution. The application of Privacy-Mode and other standards-based encryption technologies enables Harmonic's multifunction IP-enabled edgeQAM devices to seamlessly integrate with more conditional access systems and set-top boxes. The NSG's real-time encryption capability provides greater flexibility than the common practice of pre-encrypting content...

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TIA to Address Standards for Terrestrial Mobile Multimedia Multicasts

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has formed a new TIA engineering committee, "Terrestrial Mobile Multimedia Multicast" (TM3), also known as TR-47, to address wireless triple-play standards.The proposed scope for the new committee is the development and maintenance of terrestrial mobile multimedia multicast interface, component, sub-system, system, network and protocol standards. While the scope of the engineering committee may include protocol and architectural aspects, it is expected to focus primarily on standards for radio...

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Intel to Market "Viiv" Home Media PCs

Intel will begin marketing digital home entertainment systems next year under a new "Viiv" (rhymes with "five") consumer brand. PCs based on Intel Viiv technology will be powered by a suite of Intel technologies, including a dual-core processor, chipset, platform software and wired networking capabilities. Some of the specific characteristics of Intel Viiv PCs will also include: a remote control, the Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition operating system and media software that lets consumers interact with their PC in the same way they operate...

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Huawei and Micromuse Promise Seamless Interoperability

Huawei Technologies has joined the Micromuse Alliance Program and will immediately provide pre-integration between its data communications equipment, fixed network equipment, optical transmission equipment, and network element management systems and Micromuse's Netcool solutions. The companies said their interoperability would provide value to wireline operators who want to leverage their investment in existing IT infrastructure and who are seeking a complete solution for the end-to-end management of their network infrastructure to support new...

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Skype Opens Its Platform to the Web

Skype will open up its platform to anyone who wants to integrate Skype presence and instant messaging services into their website or application. Specifically, Skype is opening up of the SkypeNet and SkypeWeb Application Programming Interface (API) as part of the Skype Developer Program, which already supports a developer's community. By opening up its platform to the web, Skype will make it possible for other applications to connect to its fast growing member base, which has already passed more than 51 million people. Skype said this move would...

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Cable & Wireless Deploys Prepaid Service with Verso, Veraz, IP Unity

Cable and Wireless has deployed an advanced prepaid services solution using equipment and software from Veraz Networks, Verso Technologies and IP Unity. The service, which supports 600,000 pre-paid residential and calling card subscribers in Panama, is based on a fully-integrated turnkey solution provided by Veraz Networks which includes the ControlSwitch softswitch and service delivery platform and I-Gate 4000 PRO media gateway as well as Verso's I-Master Service and Revenue Assurance Platform, IP Unity's Mereon 6000 Media Server, Mereon Applications...

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Mayfield Fund Closes $375 Million Mayfield XII

Mayfield Fund, a leading venture capital firm, announced the closing of its most recent fund, Mayfield XII. Mayfield XII is a $375 million fund, bringing the total capital under management at the firm to $2.3 billion. The majority of the commitments of Fund XII derived from long-standing limited partners. Mayfield said it expects to invest the fund over roughly a three-year period in emerging growth companies in the digital media, consumer Internet, semiconductor, software, open source, and mobile technology markets. http://www.mayfield....

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Verizon's iobi Debuts in Mid-Atlantic States

Verizon launched its iobi service in the mid-Atlantic states. Customers can use the service to manage their communications via the Web, including handling of incoming calls in real time; managing call records, voice messages and calendars; synchronizing multiple electronic address books; and getting a text message notice of an incoming call or new voice message. Iobi is driven by a Verizon-proprietary data platform that integrates the Verizon wireline network with other networks and with the Internet. http://www.verizon....

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Motorola and Intel Develop IMS Communications Server

Motorola announced a joint effort with Intel to create a proof of concept for IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network functions based on Motorola's AdvancedTCA Avantellis communications server. Motorola also announced that it has become a Premier member of the Intel Communications Alliance. The IMS communications server proof of concept will showcase a pre- integrated Open Application-Enabling Platform from Motorola, including AdvancedTCA blades...

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Google Talk Launches

Google launched a client application that allows users to talk and send instant messages over the Internet for free. The VoIP/IM service integrates with Gmail and should work across firewalls.Google Talk uses a custom XMPP-based signaling protocol and peer-to-peer communication mechanism. Google said it plans to fully document this protocol, and, in the near future, to support SIP signaling.Significantly, Google said it plans to partner with other...

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TiVo Reaches Financial Breakeven

As of the end of its second fiscal quarter on 31-July-2005, TiVo's total subscriptions reached nearly 3.6 million, with the addition of 254,000 total net new subscriptions in the quarter. TiVo-Owned gross subscription additions were 77,000 for the quarter, compared to 78,000 in the second quarter of last year. TiVo-Owned net subscription additions were 40,000, compared to 63,000 in the second quarter of last year. The installed base of DIRECTV subscriptions is now approximately 2.3 million with the addition of 214,000 net new subscriptions in the...

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Cablevision to Market TiVo

Cablevision Systems, which serves 3 million households in the New York metro area, will test market TiVo and a wireless router as part of its triple play offerings. Under the agreement, Cablevision will trial a TiVo DVR with wireless router offer, enabling a broadband return without need for a telephone line, to current satellite customers who sign up for the Optimum Triple Play, for the best performance and value in digital television, high speed Internet and voice."For many satellite customers in our service area, there is significant value...

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SBC and Yahoo! Introduce Music Unlimited Service

SBC Communications will offer Yahoo! Music Unlimited service to its DSL customers for $4.99 per month for an annual subscription or $6.99 on a monthly basis. The service allows users to play tunes from a catalog of more than one million songs, transfer tracks to portable devices, as well as enjoy the ability to share and discover music with friends through SBC Yahoo! Messenger. SBC Yahoo! Music Unlimited enables subscribers to build personalized music libraries, purchase discounted downloads, listen to commercial-free Internet radio stations and...

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