WSJ: After Katrina, Communications Still Hobbled

A story in The Wall Street Journal reports that the lengthy breakdown in telephone, cellular and even emergency radio communications systems following Hurricane Katrina raises fresh questions about these networks in times of crisis. Apparently efforts to improve networks after the September 11 disaster have fallen short of goals.Former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt is quoted as saying "After every single calamity we see the exact same thing."http://www.wsj....

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Texas Instruments Targets Video with DSP-based DaVinci Portfolio

Texas Instruments unveiled its DSP-based DaVinci silicon technology aimed at next generations of digital video products.The DaVinci product portfolio, which will include processors, software, tools and partnership solutions, addresses digital video requirements across a range of applications, including video security, IP set-top boxes, video conferencing, automobile infotainment, portable media players and digital cameras.DaVinci processors, some of which are already on the market, consist of combinations of DSP and ARM cores, memory configurations,...

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MCI Unveils Hosted Digital Media Solutions

MCI is launching a hosted digital media solution that combines its global IP network capabilities with the ICF Media Platform. The new service is aimed at media and entertainment companies with digital content production and distribution needs, including digital content aggregation and syndication to IPTV, broadband TV and mobile video platforms; remote rough-editing; content logging; broadcast archiving and digital asset management; as well as digital dailies. Since content is stored centrally and available globally, the ICF Media Platform Hosted...

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Google Hires Vint Cerf to Build its Network Infrastructure

Google hired Vint Cerf, the longtime technologist who is widely known as a "founding father" of the Internet, as Chief Internet Evangelist. His role will be to "help Google build network infrastructure, architectures, systems, and standards for the next generation of Internet applications."Cerf joins Google from MCI, where he led technology advancements since 1982, with a break to return to research at the Corporation for National Research Initiatives...

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News Corp. to Acquire IGN, Expanding its Web Presence

News Corporation will acquire IGN Entertainment, a community-based Internet media and services company for video games and other forms of digital entertainment, for approximately $650 million in cash. IGN will become a part of News Corp.'s new Fox Interactive Media unit.GN's major video game-related properties include IGN.com, GameSpy, GameSpy Arena, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, 3D Gamers, Direct2Drive, GameStats.com and a number of web sites within the Vault and Planet networks. Rupert Murdoch, News Corporation's Chairman and CEO, said: "With the acquisition...

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Nortel Launches SIP-enabled DMS-10 platform

Nortel has launched a SIP-enabled DMS-10 platform for delivering residential VoIP to the rural North American market.Nortel's rural VoIP solution gives DMS-10 subscribers the option to use traditional or VoIP primary phone service and allows users to add cost-effective secondary VoIP lines. Subscribers can also take advantage of VoIP mobility capabilities and the DMS-10 web portal, which allows users to modify call features and call routing. In the initial release, the DMS-10 will support SIP signaling to Terminal adaptors, Ethernet sets, and PC...

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Skype Opens Marketplace for Voice Services

Skype launched a Voice Services Program for third party content providers.Skype is partnering with Tellme Networks, Voxeo and Voxpilot to enable content providers to become a part of Skype's new marketplace for either free or chargeable voice services. Skype callers will pay for chargeable voice services from their Skype Credit account with a percentage of the fee going to the content provider who created the service. Content providers' voice services will be reviewed and the most popular will be deployed and listed on the Skype website. Examples...

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Ericsson Provides Global Crossing with Advanced IP Telephony Solution

Global Crossing selected Ericsson to provide an upgraded IP telephony platform for the company's RailNet network in the UK, which serves some 65,000 users from UK train operator Network Rail and rail infrastructure companies.The upgraded RailNet platform will provide seamless IP-based communications using Ericsson's MC110 systems. . Ericsson will be responsible for technical collaboration, design, project management and the integration of the MD110 Converged Communication Systems.When fully deployed the MD110 systems installed in RailNet will integrate...

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EBay Reportedly Mulls Skype Acquisition

EBay was reported to be in talks to acquire Skype, according to various media sources. Neither company commented on the reports. http://www.ebay.com http://www.skype....

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Avaya to Resell Meru's WLAN Portfolio

Avaya will resell Meru Networks' complete wireless LAN (WLAN) portfolio. The agreement formalizes collaborative marketing and sales initiatives the companies already have in place. Recently, Meru was named a Premier member of the Avaya DeveloperConnection program, which certified the interoperability of Meru's Wireless LAN system with key IP telephony solutions from Avaya. The joint solutions resulting from the agreement include the following Avaya and Meru Networks products and solutions:Avaya Communication Manager IP telephony softwareAvaya...

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JDS Uniphase to Acquire Agility for Tunable Lasers

JDS Uniphase will acquire Agility Communications, a provider of widely tunable laser solutions for optical networks, for an undisclosed sum.Agility Communications supplies a line of widely tunable lasers that can be integrated with other devices such as Electro-Absorption or Mach-Zehnder modulators and a Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA). Agility's design can also enable tunable 2.5 Gbps SFP and 10 Gbps XFP form factors. The company's tunable transmitter and transponder products are sold to top tier customers, including Siemens, Marconi,...

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WiNetworks Offers WiMAX Solution for Satellite Operators

WiNetworks introduced a WiMAX-based solution designed to enable Digital Broadcast Satellite (DBS) operators to launch Triple Play services. The WiNetworks Hybrid WiMAX DVB technology allows DBS operators to leverage their customer premise infrastructure (e.g. dish, existing coax wiring, existing STB, etc.) for the WiMAX connectivity.WiNetworks is using the Intel ProWireless 5116 broadband interface silicon. http://www.winetworks.c...

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French Satellite Provider to Deploy OpenTV Middleware

TPS, a leading French digital television company, has selected OpenTV's middleware for the development and deployment of its advanced set-top box platform on which TPS will launch its high definition television (HDTV)/MPEG4 satellite services. TPS expects to offer the first group of HD capable set-top boxes within a few months.TPS's HDTV/MPEG4 satellite platform will be enabled by the latest generation of OpenTV's leading set-top box middleware, OpenTV Core 2.0. OpenTV's middleware will allow TPS to maintain their platform, to support multiple...

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COLT Selects EMC to Manage IP VPN Portfolio

COLT has selected EMC Smarts as the core analysis and impact assessment solution for its networked infrastructure. The Smarts software is being deployed to manage COLT IP VPN Corporate, a comprehensive portfolio of managed IP VPN services. COLT is deploying Smarts with more than 30,000 network devices, encompassing Internet services, P2P IP VPN, leased line, ATM/Frame Relay and MPLS-based IP VPN. The Smarts software automatically discovers every device on the COLT network and then analyzes the relationships among these devices. The solution is...

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