Telefónica Bids $31.5 Billion to Acquire O2

Telefónica announced plans to acquire O2 Plc, the largest mobile-phone operator in the UK, for GBP 17.7 billion ($31.5 billion). The bid represented a 22% premium over Friday's closing prices.O2 plc has 100% ownership of mobile network operators in three countries - the UK, Germany and Ireland - as well as a leading mobile Internet portal business.O2 UK has over 15 million mobile subscribers; O2 Germany has 8.38 million mobile subscribers; and O2 Ireland has 1.53 million mobile subscribers.In addition, O2is a founding member of Starmap Mobile...

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Sprint Launches EVDO "Power Vision" Network

Sprint announced the official launch of its EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) "Power Vision" nationwide network, featuring wireless data speeds averaging 400 to 700 Kbps with peak rates up to 2.0 Mbps. Sprint now offers Mobile Broadband in more than 75 markets nationwide. By year-end Sprint will be in over 100 major markets encompassing more than 200 strategic urban and suburban markets--covering over 150 million customers. The service is also available in major airports across the U.S.Sprint is offering a free EV-DO capable Sprint PCS Connection...

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Siemens' IPTV Deployed by 75 U.S. Regional Operators

Siemens Communications provided an update on its SURPASS Home Entertainment portfolio of broadcast server provider solutions, which has now been deployed by more than 75 U.S. regional operators as well as many more worldwide. Siemens claims the most IPTV deployments in the United States to date, with two-thirds of its customers making IP television solutions commercially available to subscribers. Globally, Siemens IPTV contracts now cover more than 38 million broadband lines.Siemens said its initial goal has been to quickly enable service providers...

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SkyStream Report 10 New Telco Customers for its IP Video Delivery

Privately-held SkyStream announced that more than 10 telephone companies in the U.S., Europe and mainland China selected its Mediaplex and iPlex video headend systems for MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC deployments in the third quarter, and existing telco customers purchased additional headend equipment. Shipments of zBand software in July also exceeded the company's expectations--more than 30 customers have now purchased SkyStream's content delivery platform for offering PUSH video on demand services, movies-on-demand, distance learning, distributed storage,...

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Freescale's Communications Processor Shipments Top 200 Million

Freescale Semiconductor has reached the milestone of more than 200 million integrated communications processors shipped to date, a semiconductor device category the company pioneered 16 years ago.In June during the annual Freescale Technology Forum, Freescale marked the 10-year anniversary of the PowerQUICC processor family based on PowerPC cores. Freescale's PowerQUICC processor family has more than 5,000 communications and networking system designs. PowerQUICC processors are used in such applications as voice-enabled VPN routers, residential...

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SBC Trims Introductory Price of its 3.0 Mbps DSL Service

SBC Communications trimmed the price of its SBC Yahoo! DSL Pro (1.5 -3.0 Mbps) service to $21.99 a month for six months (other monthly charges apply) for new residential subscribers. Following the six-month term, the ongoing price will be $34.99 a month for month-to-month service - a 41% decrease from the previous month-to-month pricing for SBC Yahoo! DSL Pro service.The lower speed tier, SBC Yahoo! DSL Express (384 Kbps - 1.5 Mbps), is available for $16.99 a month (other monthly charges apply) with a six-month term for new residential subscribers...

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Taiwan's Seednet Selects Redback SmartEdge Service Gateway

Seednet, Taiwan's second largest Internet service provider, has deployed Redback Networks' SmartEdge Service Gateway platform for its next generation converged broadband service network, which will provide video, voice and advanced data services throughout Taiwan. Financial terms were not disclosed.Seednet will offer IPTV, VoIP, and high speed Internet services for both consumers and businesses. The IPTV service, Digital Family Center (DFC), includes over 200 channels and combines both analog and digital video programming. In addition to traditional...

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Level 3 To Acquire WilTel for $680 Million

Level 3 Communications agreed to acquire WilTel Communications in a cash and stock deal valued at $680 million. Both companies own major fiber routes across the United States. The companies expect to close the deal in Q1 2006, pending state and federal regulatory approvals.WilTel, which is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is currently owned by Leucadia National Corporation. WilTel's fiber network extends coast-to-coast and has direct access in more than 700 locations.The Level 3 network spans 23,000 route miles in the U.S. and Europe.The deal also...

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Lucent Supplies VoIP for KT

Lucent will supply its "Accelerate" VoIP products to KT to support IP-based services for enterprise customers. The contract follows September's announcement of Lucent's VoIP agreement with Hanaro Telecom, the second largest wireline and broadband service provider in Korea.The solution for KT includes the Lucent Feature Server, the platform delivering applications such as Hosted PBX, IP Centrex and Voice VPN. In addition, the call recording server, presence server, proxy server, and location-based server developed by Lucent's local business partners...

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Motorola and Nortel Settle Zafirovski Lawsuit

Motorola and Nortel reached a settlement in the case of Mike Zafirovskim Motorola's former president and chief operating officer, who recently was named Nortel president and CEO. In a lawsuit, Motorola alleged that Zafirovski's move to Nortel threatened an unlawful misappropriation of Motorola trade secrets and a breach of multiple non-compete, confidentiality and no solicitation agreements Zafirovski signed with Motorola. The terms of the settlement reaffirms Zafirovski's obligations to protect Motorola's trade secrets and confidential information...

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FCC Sets Conditions for SBC/AT&T and Verizon/MCI Mergers

The FCC voted to approve the acquisition of AT&T by SBC Communications and of MCI by Verizon Communications, concluding that consumers will benefit and that these mergers will create stable, reliable U.S.-owned companies that will provide improved service to government customers and benefit national defense and homeland security. Significantly, the FCC imposed a set of conditions aimed at alleviating anticompetitive concerns. These include the following:The applicants committed not to seek an increase in state-approved rates for unbundled...

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Apple's iTunes Store Sells One Millionth Video

Apple's iTunes Music Store has sold more than one million videos since the service debuted on October 12. Customers can choose from over 2,000 music videos, Pixar short films and hit TV shows for just $1.99. Top downloads include music videos from Michael Jackson, Fatboy Slim and Kanye West; Pixar's "For the Birds" and "Boundin'"; and episodes of ABC's hit TV shows "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives.""Selling one million videos in less than 20 days strongly suggests there is a market for legal video downloads," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Our...

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