BellSouth Adds 205,000 DSL Subscribers in Q3

BellSouth added 205,000 net DSL customers in Q3 2005 and now serves nearly 2.7 million DSL customers. Sequentially, DSL average revenue per user (ARPU) remained steady at nearly $40. For the third quarter, network data revenue, which includes revenue from DSL services, was $1.17 billion.During Q3 2005, 66,000 BelSouth customers added DIRECTV service to their communications packages, reaching a total of more than 460,000.As of Sept. 30, 2005, BellSouth's total access lines were 20.4 million, down 354,000 compared to June 30, 2005. The company estimates...

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Alcatel Supplies SIP for BT

Alcatel is extending the functionality and capacity of the Alcatel 5020 Softswitch and the ACME Packet Session Director (SD) already in commercial operation in BT's network. As the overall SIP session control element and mediation device among multimedia application servers, the Alcatel 5020 Softswitch implements the call & session control function (CSCF). The ACME Packet SD provides a proxy function (P-CSCF) to satisfy critical security and quality assurance requirements for carrier class IP multimedia services. Alcatel said this IMS-compliant...

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Ericsson to Acquire Marconi

Ericsson will acquire most of Marconi for approximately £1.2 billion (US$2 billion). The deal, which continues the trend of consolidation in the industry, gives Ericsson access to a more comprehensiveportfolio of solutions, an expanded R&D capability, and strategically important customer accounts worldwide. The acquisition includes:Marconi's optical networking businessMarconi's broadband and fixed radio access network businessMarconi's softswitch businessMarconi's data networking equipment and services businessesMarconi's relevant telecommunications...

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TELECOM '05: Starz Says New Programming Parading Will Drive IPTV

Each wave of broadcasting technology has been driven by new programming paradigms and IPTV will be no exception, said Robert B. Clasen, President & CEO, Starz Entertainment. The introduction of broadcast TV in the 40s and 50s led to new programming formats and entertainment markedly different from radio or film; the rise of cable coincided with new networks such as CNN, HBO and ESPN; and the emergence of direct satellite providers similarly led to new channels, new networks and new sports programming packages. Clasen argues that IPTV will break...

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TELECOM '05: Hearst-Argyle TV on Why Telcos Need Local Broadcast Partners

Telcos and local broadcast stations are natural allies because of strategic regulatory and technology issues, said David J. Barrett, President & CEO, Hearst-Argyle Television, speaking at TELECOM '05 in Las Vegas. Barrett, who was introduced at the keynote by Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, said telcos and local broadcast stations are both facing regulatory challenges in the video distribution business. Telcos are fighting for a streamlined process of obtaining local franchises across the country. As analog broadcasting is phased out, local...

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TELECOM '05: SBC Says IPTV Will Be Cool

IPTV will become a "must have" consumer service reflecting our busy, digital lifestyles, said Lea Ann Champion, senior executive vice president of IP Operations and Services at SBC Communications, speaking at TELECOM '05 in Las Vegas. SBC's IPTV field trials in San Antonio went "really well," said Champion, and SBC now plans a limited market introduction this winter, followed by a gradual rollout in 2006. By mid-year, she expects the first feature upgrade for the service, which will be promoted under the "U-verse" brand. SBC initially will be...

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TELECOM '05: Cox Says Telcos Have A lot of Catching Up to Do

Telcos have a lot of catching up to do as they enter the market for triple play services, said Jim Robbins, President & CEO, Cox Communications, speaking at TELECOM '05 in Las Vegas. Cox introduced its first bundle of video, high-speed data and voice service back in 1997 in Orange County, California. The cable carriers also know how to integrate and sell advanced video services, including HDTV, DVRs and VOD. On the voice front, Cox recently launched its fourth VoIP market this year, giving it a total of 13 local markets served with voice...

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Riverstone and PacketFront Deliver Active Ethernet

Riverstone Networks and PacketFront are partnering to provide carriers with an integrated, end-to-end Active Ethernet solution primarily targeted at European service providers.The collaboration between the companies leverages the Riverstone 15008 Ethernet Edge Router in the metro edge and core and PacketFront's fully automated broadband solution including its ASR aggregation and access routers and "BECS" system software used for control and provisioning of network elements and triple play services. The companies said the combined solution is intended...

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Juniper Acquires Acorn Packet for Gov't TDM-to-IP Solutions

Juniper Networks has acquired Acorn Packet Solutions, a developer of TDM-to-IP solutions for the Federal government, in a cash transaction valued at up to approximately $8.7 million. Acorn Packet Solutions develops products and technologies that natively connect legacy Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) and other circuit-based applications across IP networks. Acorn's technology includes an advanced clocking 'toolkit' that enables organizations to choose the appropriate method for the end-to-end timing of these critical circuits across an IP network....

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Sprint Nextel Selects Calix/Nortel for Broadband Access

Sprint Nextel has selected Nortel as a supplier of its next generation broadband access solution slated for local market deployments in 18 U.S. states.Under terms of a two-year contract, Nortel's multiservice Ultra Broadband access platform, the Calix C7, has been standardized by Sprint Nextel for deployment in their local markets. The solution has already been deployed in Sprint Nextel's Waterville, Ohio local market. Nortel entered into a strategic alliance to resell the Calix platform in 2004.The Calix C7 will be deployed in the local network,...

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Verizon Labs Re-Certifies Fujitsu FLASHWAVE 4000

Verizon Laboratories has re-certified Fujitsu Network Communications' FLASHWAVE 4100 optical access platform and FLASHWAVE 4500 core transport platform. Both platforms were originally certified by Verizon Laboratories in January 2003 when Fujitsu was named Verizon's first Testing Partner. This latest certification for the FLASHWAVE 4100 and FLASHWAVE 4500 Multiservice Provisioning Platforms (MSPPs) demonstrates that subsequent releases continue to meet Verizon's expectations for well-tested products for deployment in the Verizon network.http:...

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Ciena ONLINE Metro Qualified by IBM

Ciena's Metro Multiservice DWDM Platform has completed interoperability testing and qualification for IBM GDPS eServer zSeries mainframe environments. IBM's GDPS computing environment provides a set of disaster recovery and continuous availability solutions ideal for large multi-site enterprises. The combination of IBM's GDPS technology with Ciena's metro optical DWDM systems connects local storage and server networks that are separated by distances of up to 300 kilometers for high-availability business continuity and disaster recovery applications....

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Tellabs Reports Q3 Revenue of $464 Million, up 15%

Tellabs posted Q3 revenue of $464 million, up 63% from $284 million in the third quarter of 2004. Compared with the combined third-quarter 2004 revenues of Tellabs and AFC, Tellabs' third-quarter 2005 revenue increased 15% year-over-year. Tellabs earned $42 million or 9 cents per share in the third quarter of 2005 on a GAAP basis. Some highlights from the quarter:Transport - Revenue from transport systems totaled $151 million, up 8% from $140 million in the third quarter of 2004.Access - Revenue from access products totaled $166 million, up 38%...

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Versatel Deploys Net Insight for Live Sports Coverage

Versatel, a leading European telecom operator together with NOB, a Dutch broadcasting facilities company,have deployed Net Insight's Nimbra platform to connect all major Dutch football arenas for live sports coverage. The network collects services from a total of 18 football stadiums and carries the feeds to NOB's Master Control Room in Hilversum. http://www.netinsight....

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Toshiba Adds Video to IP PBX Systems

Toshiba America Information Systems has added Video Communications Solution (VCS) for its Strata CIX IP business communication systems. Toshiba's VCS will initially provide point-to-point (P2P) video communications and collaboration (desktop and applications sharing) capabilities. The video capabilities are integrated with Strata CIX systems and pre-installed when shipped with the Media Application Server. USB handsets and cameras are required. http://www.telecom.toshiba....

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Disney CEO to Keynote TELCOMMNEXT in March

Robert Iger, President and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, will be a keynote speaker at the TELCOMMNEXT show in March 2006. Conference organizers said the selection the convergence of content providers with telecommunications.Recently, Disney signed an agreement with Verizon to carry 12 Disney and ESPN networks over Verizon FIOS TV's system. In a separate deal, Disney and ABC Television agreed to sell current and past season episodes of ABC and Disney Channel television shows for download on Apple's iTunes Music Store. TelecomNEXT will be held...

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BellSouth Offers pre-WiMAX in New Orleans

BellSouth launched a pre-WiMAX Wireless Broadband Service to small businesses in New Orleans. The number of subscribers and coverage area is limited, but BellSouth said the rollout would help small businesses rebuild their infrastructure quickly. Small businesses who operate in the service area can sign up for Wireless Broadband Service for $69.95 per month. http://www.bellsouth.comIn August, BellSouth began offering its pre-WiMAX FastAccess Internet Service in Athens, Georg...

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InfiniRoute's VoIP Direct Enables Peering to Emerging Markets

InfiniRoute Networks introduced a "VoIP Direct" managed VoIP peering service that PSTN-quality connections to carriers in emerging global markets, including such high-growth regions as Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Eastern Europe. The service enables "virtual bilateral" interconnections via a VoIP peering network that are equivalent to existing one-to-one bilateral agreements.InfiniRoute VoIP Direct provides transparent VoIP peering via a single aggregated connection that establishes a VoIP peering community and facilitates direct interconnections...

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