Nortel Outlines End-to-End IPTV Solution

Nortel launched an end-to-end IPTV solution using its own equipment as well as products from ecosystem partners. Nortel's strategy will leverage its packet voice expertise and IMS portfolio to enable broadband network operators to enhance their IPTV service with rich, multimedia capabilities. IPTV subscribers will be able to use their TVs to communicate and interact with their friends and family through a variety of media, such as voice, instant...

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Intel Has WiMAX Project Underway with 24 Carriers Worldwide

Thirteen carriers worldwide are now deploying fixed WiMAX networks based on Intel's WiMAX technologies. Deployments include : Altitude Telecom (France), AXTEL (Mexico), BEC Telecom (Dominican Republic), Dedicado (Uruguay), Globe/Innove (Philippines), Iberbanda (Spain), Irish Broadband (Ireland), SferaNET (Poland), Mikkelin Puhelin Oyj and Savonlinnan Puhelin Oy (Finland), Telgua (Guatemala), Ukrainian High Technologies (Ukraine), and WiMAX Telecom (Austria and Slovakia).Eleven more carriers are preparing to deploy additional Intel-based WiMAX...

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Calix to Acquire Optical Solutions

Calix will acquire Optical Solutions, a supplier of FTTP equipment, for an undisclosed sum. The company has been a leader in gigabit passive optical network (GPON) deployments. Calix said the acquisition of Optical Solutions will enable it to deliver a number of key benefits to service providers. First, it provides a field-proven solution addressing rapidly growing GPON FTTP deployments today. The acquisition also yields a full line of standards-compliant optical network terminals (ONTs) that address residential, business, and multi-tenant applications....

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Cisco Posts Quarterly Revenue of $6.5 billion, up 9.7% YoY

Cisco Systems reported revenue of $6.5 billion for its first quarter of fiscal 2006, up 9.7% year over year. Net income was $1.3 billion or $0.20 per share which includes stock-based compensation expense of $228 million, net of tax, or $0.04 per share, due to the implementation of SFAS 123(R)."Q1 was a solid quarter for Cisco, with balanced execution across most of our geographies, market segments and product categories," said John Chambers, president and CEO, Cisco Systems, Inc. "We are especially pleased with the improving business momentum...

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Hong Kong Broadband Network Selects Nortel for VoIP

Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited (HKBN) selected Nortel for a major upgrade of its VoIP network. To launch its 2b Broadband phone service, HKBN deployed a combination of solutions including Nortel's Multimedia Communication Server (MCS) 5200 and the Nortel Communication Server (CS) 2000-Compact, making it possible for voice, video and multimedia services to be delivered on a single packetized network. HKBN now operates one of the largest Nortel multimedia communications platforms in the world. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.nortel.com...

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Terayon Unveils IPTV Ad Insertion Solution

Terayon Communication Systems announced a "telco-optimized" IPTV ad insertion platform. The new DM 6400-IPTV Network CherryPicker enables telecommunication carriers to seamlessly insert local advertisements into MPEG-4/AVC encoded digital video.In addition to advertising, telco carriers can also use the DM 6400-IPTV for other important digital video applications. These include the aggregation of programming content from multiple sources, grooming customized channel line-ups by 'cherry picking' programs from multiple programming sources, supporting...

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Caspian and Verilink Targets Multimedia Service Assurance Architecture

Caspian and Verilink are developing a joint Multimedia Service Assurance Architecture (MSAA) to help service providers manage service level agreements (SLAs), create new revenue opportunities for tiered services, and improve quality-of-experience (QoE) for service subscribers. Key elements of the MSAA will include new multimedia access gateways from Verilink, which are deployed at customer sites, and Caspian flow-based media controllers deployed at network peering or aggregation points.The companies said their joint architecture will enable service...

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Cavalier Launches Broadband TV in Richmond, Virginia

Cavalier Telephone is preparing to launch broadband video services o residential customers beginning in Richmond, Virginia next month. The service offering, called Cavalier Broadband TV, will allow users to receive 150 digital video and music channels, a full featured interactive program guide, on-screen caller ID, and digital set top boxes. The Broadband TV service offering will be bundled with existing its existing telephone and broadband Internet service.Cavalier is using MPEG4 video over fiber optic or ADSL2+.Cavalier's "Triple Play" will...

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Microsoft and Cisco Support Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) for VoIP

Microsoft and Cisco Systems announced their support for the emerging Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) methodology, which is a means to establish secure media connections across network address translators (NATs). The ICE methodology promises to make it easier to secure VoIP and media-rich communications between enterprises."Finding a way for VoIP to work better across NATs and firewalls is a problem that is faced across the industry," said Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president for the Office Real-Time Collaboration Group at Microsoft....

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EC Rules Against Subsidy for Digital Terrestrial TV (DVB-T)

The European Commission ruled that subsidies worth some EUR 4 million granted to commercial broadcasters for the use of the digital terrestrial television (DVB-T) network in the German's Berlin-Brandenburg region violate EC Treaty state aid rules because they are liable to distort competition.Without notifying the Commission, the media authority of Berlin-Brandenburg gave the subsidy to commercial broadcasters (including RTL and ProSiebenSat.1), to meet part of their transmission costs via the DVB-T network launched in November 2002. In return,...

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MCI Selects Alcatel to Migrate SS7 Signaling to IP

MCI is deploying Alcatel's next-generation signaling server to migrate the carrier's domestic and international SS7 signaling traffic to a packet-based solution. The deployment is described as an important step in MCI's network convergence strategy. Financial terms were not disclosed.The Alcatel 5070 Signaling Server Global (SSG) supports both signaling transfer points (STP) and VoIP, along with advanced routing capability. Along with traditional SS7 features, the compact platform also supports large-capacity services databases. http://www.al...

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Tellabs Extends FTTP ONT for Use in Apartment Buildings

Tellabs announced Multiple Dwelling Unit (MDU) support for its Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) portfolio. Two new versions of the Tellabs 1600 Series Optical Network Terminal (ONT) will be released in Q1 2006. The new Tellabs ONTs are SIP ready, enabling migration to VoIP when the service provider is ready to implement the transition. Video services can be delivered via radio frequency (RF) video overlay or IPTV. Tellabs also provides optional element management systems that remotely manage operational, administrative, maintenance and provisioning...

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Samsung Unveils Wireless Softswitch, Media Gateway; Core Network Solution

Samsung Telecommunications America unveiled a new CDMA core network solution that the company expects to offer commercially to U.S. wireless network operators by the end of Q1 2006. The solution includes a Wireless Softswitch (WSS) for the U.S. and a Media Gateway (MGW).Samsung said its core network solution is a next-generation mobile switching center (MSC) that gives wireless operators a highly flexible, scaleable architecture that supports an open architecture operating system and shares a common server platform for WCDMA (MSC server), CDMA...

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Verizon FiOS TV to Carry Washington National Baseball

Verizon's FiOS TV service will carry Washington Nationals Major League Baseball in 2006. Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), the television home of the Washington Nationals, signed Verizon as its fourth distributor to broadcast the team's games in 2006.Verizon will soon announce the first availability of FiOS TV in the Mid- Atlantic region, where it will offer MASN as part of its popular Expanded Basic lineup. Verizon has franchises to offer its fiber-optic powered FiOS TV in Herndon, Fairfax County and Fairfax City, and is negotiating with additional...

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BellSouth Targets Triple Play MDU Market with Partner

BellSouth signed a non-exclusive, three-year Sales Teaming Agreement with MDU Communications to jointly market and deploy services to the residential multi-dwelling unit ("MDU") market in the BellSouth territory. Joint BellSouth and MDU Communications proposals and coordinated deployment of services will provide multi-family property owners and condominium boards with a full menu of premium residential technology services. Video services will include DIRECTV programming packages. http://www.bellsouth.com/http://www.mduc.c...

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