Meriton and Mahi Merge, Focus on Agile Optical Networking

Meriton Networks is merging with Mahi Networks, combining two start-up companies offering leading edge optical networking systems for carriers. The combined company, which will use the Meriton name, said its mission is to deliver a unified, end-to-end Agile Optical Networking solution under an integrated management system. This will include automated optical layer provisioning, multi-topology (ring and mesh) support as well as Reconfigurable Optical...

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FCC Sees Healthy Competition in U.S. Mobile Market

The FCC adopted its Tenth Annual Report to Congress on the state of competition in the mobile telephone business, concluding that there continues to be effective competition based on several factors: the number of competing carriers providing service in an area, the extent of service deployment, prices, technological and product innovations, subscriber growth, usage patterns, churn, and investment. Although consolidation during the period covered by the report has reduced the number of nationwide mobile telephone carriers, the FCC found that...

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Latest Skype Release Offers Ringtones, Sounds and Pictures

Skype released a new Windows version of its Internet telephony software featuring ringtones, sounds and pictures, better than ever sound quality, as well as more ways of interacting with users in groups by searching Skype's Global Directory, and import personal contacts from Outlook directly into their buddy lists.The new Skype for Windows Version 1.4, which was first available in beta in August, incorporates two new premium services.A new Call Forwarding service will allow callers to forward incoming Skype calls to another Skype Name, or up to...

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NTT DoCoMo Shows Mobile Handset for Terrestrial Digital Broadcasting

NTT DoCoMo unveiled its 3G FOMA P901iTV, its first mobile handset to receive terrestrial digital broadcasting signals, in addition to conventional analog signals. The handset was developed in response to the planned launch of mobile digital broadcasting in April 2006, which Japanese broadcasters formally announced in September.DoCoMo said its new s P901iTV will converge mobile communications and broadcasting, providing access to TV programs and related...

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iGrid 2005 Showcases Super High-definition Video over Gigabit IP

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, NTT Network Innovation Laboratories, and Keio University in Tokyo demonstrated super high-definition (SHD) 4K digital video transmitted over 15,000 kilometers of gigabit IP optical-networks.4K images have roughly 4,000 horizontal pixels -- offering approximately four times the resolution of the most widely-used HD television format, and 24 times that of a standard broadcast TV signal.At 8 megapixels per frame, uncompressed streaming of 4K video requires a data rate greater than 6 Gbps. At...

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FOCUS Announces First Silicon for 880 Mbps UWB Chip

FOCUS Enhancements, a supplier of video production and conversion technology, received first silicon for its new 880 Mbps Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip. The FOCUS Enhancements' analog/rf chip is the first chip of a two-part chipset solution in FOCUS Enhancements' "Talaria" UWB line being designed for wireless video distribution and high speed data transfer for home and office applications. The company expects tape out of the second chip to occur in October 2005 and receipt of silicon of this chip in December 2005. Evaluation kits are anticipated...

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Verizon to Accelerate Availability of FiOS TV Service in Texas

Verizon filed for a state-issued franchise from the Public Utility Commission of Texas to offer its new FiOS TV service to 21 communities in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Verizon now expects that FiOS TV will be available to nearly 400,000 North Texas households with over 1 million potential viewers by the end of 2006. http://www.verizon....

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Cisco to Acquire Nemo Systems

Cisco Systems agreed to acquire Nemo Systems, a start-up based in Los Altos, California, for up to $12.5 million in cash.Nemo Systems has developed technology in the network memory space that will offer enhanced performance on Cisco's core switching platforms and service modules. Cisco said this technology will allow its customers to scale network systems and line card bandwidth while reducing the overall cost of high-performance networking systems.http://www.cisco....

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Nortel Restructures into Two Groups

Nortel announced a corporate reorganization of its product, technology, services, operations and sales structure to better meet the needs of global enterprise and carrier customers in the converged marketplace.The new organization simplifies Nortel's structure into two product groups:Enterprise Solutions and Packet Networks, which will be led by Steve Slattery. Nortel said that in order to better serve global enterprise customers, it is combining core assets such as Ethernet and enterprise telephony, optical, and wireline data into a unified product...

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Liberty Global to Acquire Switzerland's Cablecom

Liberty Global agreed to acquire 100% of Switzerland's largest broadband cable operator, Cablecom Holdings AG from a group of selling shareholders led by Apollo Management, TowerBrook Capital Partners and Goldman Sachs affiliates. Liberty Global will pay CHF2.825 billion (US$2.186 billion) in cash. The purchase price, together with the company's net debt position, represents a multiple of 10.4 times Cablecom's estimate of 2006 operating cash flow before synergies, and is below Cablecom's announced IPO pricing range of CHF2.9 to 3.5 billion (US$2.2...

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Boeing Selects Thales for In-Flight Wireless Entertainment Network

Boeing has selected Thales as the first recommended in-flight entertainment provider for the all-new 787 Dreamliner.The new Thales system, called the TopSeries i-8000, will use a wireless network to deliver DVD-quality video to each seat on the airplane. The Thales product interfaces with the Connexion by Boeing system that provides broadband connectivity for the 787 and allows passengers to access the Internet and e-mail systems.A prototype system will be built and demonstrated to Boeing late 2006. Then, in 2007, a new engineering lab with a 270...

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