Meru Debuts Enterprise Wireless Backbone Switch

Meru Networks introduced an enterprise-class "Wireless Backbone System" aimed at eliminating the need for wiring in the distribution and access networks for both voice and data, and delivering un-tethered access to business-critical applications with the same reliability, security and service fidelity they have come to expect from traditional wired, switched networks. The new Meru Wireless Backbone System consists of:

• Meru AP150-WB a new, dual radio access point designed for low-density environments
• Meru Radio Switch RS4000-WB, a new version of Meru's RS-4000 Radio Switch with software that delivers new, enhanced capabilities to enable wireless backbone links
• Meru AP208-WB, a new version of Meru's AP-200 access point with software that delivers new, advanced features to enable wireless backbone links
• Meru Wireless Backbone Software application for the Meru line of MC Controllers

Meru said its network architecture is similar to wired Ethernet networks which use a hierarchical internetworking design model consisting of access layer switches, distribution layer router-switches and a core layer. The Meru Wireless Backbone System, which offers unique "AirChannel" Backbone Links, lets IT organizations build a scalable hierarchical network comprised of an all-wireless access layer and a high performance, all-wireless distribution layer, all connected over a wireless backbone.

Meru estimates that its wireless system reduces the costs associated with building out the enterprise LAN by more than 70%. By un-tethering access points and delivering a wireless access and distribution layer, the Meru Wireless Backbone System reduces the high costs associated with wiring new data and voice ports in offices, or for moves, adds or changes. In addition, the Meru Wireless Backbone System eliminates the need for rewiring if access points themselves are moved or added to provide improved coverage.

http://www.merunetworks.comtable width="350">

Wireless LANs Need to Evolve toward Cellular Wireless Architecture Recent IEEE 802.11 task groups have worked to improve the speed of wireless networking and increase the sophistication of the 802.11 base itself. Unfortunately, 802.11 is still hamstrung by a fundamental problem. Given the ever-increasing need to have real predictability in networks that will soon top out at over 600Mbps and rival the capacity of wired networking, it is clear that 802.11 needs to embrace a cellular wireless networking architecture and associated technologies.

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Juniper Outlines Application Acceleration Strategy

Juniper Networks outlined its strategy to address the evolving application performance issues created by data center consolidation, server centralization and globally distributed users.



Juniper's strategy will be to leverage its core competencies in application acceleration and security, as well as its Enterprise Infranet framework, to address the challenges associated with limited bandwidth, latency, application contention and system-wide management in the distributed and extended enterprise. The strategy builds on the established foundation of the Juniper Networks DX and WX/WXC product lines and will be implemented across a suite of application acceleration platforms.



Today's enterprise typically supports a wide range of users - employees, mobile workers, partners and customers - spread around the world. These enterprises are using a combination of applications and Web services to streamline their businesses processes, improving the productivity of their distributed workforce, while creating true customer value and competitive differentiation.



The Juniper Networks DX and WX/WXC application acceleration platforms improve end-user connectivity by minimizing the performance impact of multiple roundtrips caused by chatty protocols like TCP, HTTP, CIFS and MAPI. The platforms provide acceleration benefits to IP- and Web-based business applications, including SAP, SQL and Microsoft File Services and Exchange.



Also, the strategy addresses the acceleration of SSL-encrypted flows with Web-based applications by aiming to include additional platforms as part of the trust model. This would accelerate encrypted Web applications, rather than allowing them through untouched, as is the case with other WAN optimization solutions.

http://www.juniper.net

• In April 2005, Juniper Networks agreed to acquire Peribit Networks, a developer of WAN optimization technology, for approximately $337 million in cash, stock and assumed stock options. Peribit WAN optimization architecture uses compression, sequence caching, latency reduction, bandwidth management, path optimization, and visibility tools to improve congested enterprise WAN links. Peribit, which was founded in 2000, developed a Molecular Sequence Reduction (MSR) technology that applies DNA pattern matching algorithms recognize repetitive bits of data traversing a point-to-point WAN link.



• Also in April 2005, Juniper Networks agreed to acquire Redline Networks, a start-up offering Application Front End (AFE) technology, for approximately $132 million in cash and assumed stock options. Redline Networks, which was founded in 2000, develops "Application Front Ends" that are deployed within the boundaries of corporate data centers. These enable users to control and customize any web-based environment while reducing infrastructure cost and complexity. Redline's high-throughput, low-latency HTTP proxy can support up to 500,000 simultaneous users while simultaneously performing a range of critical Web tier functionality, including load balancing, I/O offload, compression, SSL, security, logging, etc. at up to wire speed. The platform includes a self-tuning Compression Policy Engine that reduces the size of HTML, SHTML, DHTML, JHTML, PHTML, XML, Javascript, J2EE, JSP, etc.; TCP Connection Management that terminates and persistently maintains segregated client and server connections; a Transaction Brokering capability that buffers response data; and the ability to keep client TCP connection persistently open, even if the server closes connection. This eliminates unnecessary TCP slow-starts for faster delivery.

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HELIO Mobile Service Unveiled, Featuring Content "Gifting and Begging"

HELIO, the new joint venture between Earthlink and SK Telecom, introduced its nationwide mobile service aimed at the U.S. youth market. HELIOis a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) using Sprint's EVDO infrastructure. Key features of HELIO include:

• MySpace on Helio-- a mobile service designed specifically for MySpace users that allows them to post photos directly from their Helio device to their MySpace page as part of a bulletin, message, comment or personal picture collection.



• Helio On Top (H.O.T.) -- provides Helio members click-free access to their favorite content and information using live content feeds from an assortment of sources. Helio On Top content partners include Fandango, Fox Sports, IGN, MTV News, MySpace, POPSUGAR, Surfline, The Onion, Yahoo! and more.



• Messaging -- video, picture and text messaging, along with unique features that enable users to quickly and easily share experiences with multiple friends at one time. Helio members can share extended video messages up to one megabyte, while many other carriers cap messages at 300kb.



• 3D Games + Reviews-Driven Games Portal -- a library of 2D, 3D and multiplayer games



• Gifting and Begging -- Gifting is the ability for a Helio member to purchase a music video, game or piece of personalization content directly from their handset and have it delivered, over the air, to another Helio member's device. Begging is just the opposite. Users can "beg" another Helio member to purchase content for them, and a friend can respond by purchasing and having it delivered directly to the handset of the person that begged for it.



• Mobile Internet + Yahoo! Search
mobile Internet services are offered through a partnership with Yahoo!, giving Helio members services including Yahoo! Search, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Photos, Yahoo! Finance, etc.


• Download or Stream VideoHelio members can choose from hundreds of music videos for download or can stream their favorite clips from brands such as ABC, ABC News, Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Sports, FUEL TV, IGN, MTV Networks' brands including COMEDY CENTRAL, IFILM, Logo, MTV, Spike TV and VH1, Ripe TV, RocketBoom, Speed, StupidVideos.com, and WireImage.com. At launch, all video streaming is included in Helio's All-In Memberships and music videos can be downloaded for $2.49 each.

Helio's launch devices, "Hero" and "Kickflip", are high-end handsets from Korea with design elements and features tailored for the US consumer. Both devices feature 2.2 inch, 262K-color high-resolution QVGA LCD displays, removable memory, and a 2.0 megapixel camera with digital zoom and flash for capturing pictures and video. Hero also offers full duplex stereo speakers and a co-processor chip that delivers high-quality music and video. The Hero is available for $275 and the Kickflip is available for $250.



HELIO's All-In Membership costs are as follows:

• 1,000 anytime minutes: $85/month



• 1,500 anytime minutes: $100/month



• 2,500 anytime minutes: $135/month

http://www.helio.com

• HELIO is a $440 million joint venture between EarthLink and SK Telecom. HELIO plans to leverage R&D from SK Telecom to create a constant pipeline of new, proven service platforms, systems and applications. HELIO will use existing U.S. EVDO networks under its own brand to deliver data-rich content, such as music, video and multi-player gaming. HELIO will also feature cutting-edge mobile devices built for 3G.

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Meru Raises $25 Million for VoWiFi

Meru Networks, a start-up based in Sunnyvale, California, raised $25 million in fourth round of funding for its enterprise wireless LAN solutions. The company said that over the past 12 its business has grown at a rapid pace. Among its prominent milestones, Meru was recently selected by Osaka Gas for a wireless VoIP project described as the world's largest fixed-mobile convergence deployment.



Lehman Brothers Venture Partners led the funding round, which also included Clearstone Venture Partners, NeoCarta Ventures, BlueStream Ventures, JumpStartUp Ventures and Evercore Ventures -- all of whom have invested in previous Meru funding rounds. Nissho Electronics Corporation, a distributor and integrator that has partnered with Meru on a number of pioneering wireless VoIP and Fixed-Mobile Convergence deployments, also participated in this round.



The new funding round brings the total investment in the company to approximately $68 million.


http://www.merunetworks.com

• In January 2006, Meru Networks began shipping its new Radio Switch Family, a gigabit-class, wireless LAN infrastructure switch built for high-density data and wireless VoIP applications in pervasive, enterprise WLANs.
  Meru's Radio Switch family includes the four-radio RS-4000, the eight-radio RS-8000, the twelve-radio RS-12000 and a patent-pending, built-in omni-directional antenna. The system delivers up to 648 Mbps of WLAN bandwidth utilizing 802.11 standard radios, and is capable of scaling up to 1.2 Gbps of bandwidth across its coverage zone.

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Cavium Samples Single- and Dual-Core OCTEON MIPS64 Processors

Cavium Networks began sampling its new OCTEON CN31XX single- and dual-core processors, which are designed for security application acceleration in networking equipment such as routers, Unified Threat Management appliances, Layer4+ content-aware switches, modular chassis switches, Network Access Control equipment, 3G wireless equipment, broadband router and wireless LAN access/aggregation points. The CN31XX single- and dual-core chips are members of Cavium Networks' OCTEON family of Multi-core MIPS64 Processors.
http://www.caviumnetworks.com

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NETGEAR Skype WiFi Phone Priced at $249

NETGEAR announced an MSRP of $249 for its upcoming Skype WiFi phone (model SPH101). The Skype-certified handset lets consumers make free Skype calls over open or secured (password required) wireless networks. Wireless security support includes WEP and WPA-PSK.

http://www.netgear.com

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Pulse~LINK Unveils Gigabit UWB Chip for In-Home Media Networks

Pulse~LINK, a start-up based in Carlsbad, California, introduced its "CWave" UWB chipset designed for whole-home distribution of HDTV content, high quality multi-channel audio and high-speed data across in-home coax and wireless networks. By bridging its wireless and wired communications technologies, CWave enables high data rate transmissions to be distributed throughout the home via coax then wirelessly connects peripheral devices in each room.



Pulse~LINK said its "CWave" chipset will deliver up to a Gigabit of throughput with guaranteed quality of service. Coax, wireless, and even power line communications are all supported simultaneously from the same chipset radio.



The CWave signal traverses existing RF splitters, coexists with legacy CATV, satellite and other signals already carried on the coax, and requires no changes to existing in-home coax cable wiring.



Pulse~LINK said its solution is able to support multiple simultaneous HDTV streams from room to room with "Trick-play" (for pause, fast-forward and fast-rewind capabilities), a capability requiring hundreds of Megabits of throughput.



Pulse~LINK said its solution is able to support multiple simultaneous HDTV streams from room to room with "Trick-play" (for pause, fast-forward and fast-rewind capabilities), a capability requiring hundreds of Megabits of throughput.



The CWave PL3100 chipset comprising all RF, Analog, Baseband and MAC functions. It consists of three microchips, the PL3130 Baseband & MAC in 0.13micron CMOS, the PL3120 RFIC front end in 0.18micron SiGe, and the PL3110 UWB LNA in 0.18micron SiGe. The PL3130 Baseband and MAC features an IEEE 802.15.3 MAC and CWave Gigabit performance Baseband. The PL3120 RFIC front-end comprises the transmitter and receiver functions. The PL3110 LNA is an optional low-noise UWB amplifier that connects to the antenna for extended range and enhanced performance. The 802.15.3 MAC supports both isochronous and asynchronous functionality with a fully deterministic Quality of Service and additional support for multiple overlapping piconets.



"CWave is an extremely powerful and entirely different use of UWB communications technology," states Bruce Watkins, Pulse~LINK President and COO. "While the predominant UWB industry focus has been on short-range wireless USB cable replacements and Bluetooth enhancements, CWave has been optimized from the ground up for the distribution of multimedia content throughout the home using both wireless and wired media. We are pleased to launch the first UWB chipset to enable whole-home connectivity solutions for High Definition, multimedia-centric consumer electronics appliances."http://www.pulselink.net

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Thales and Alcatel Partner on Government Security Solutions

Thales and Alcatel Government Systems entered into a strategic partnership under which AGS will resell the entire Thales Datacryptor product line to the U.S. Department of Defense and civilian government agencies.



The Datacryptor product line of encryption devices enable secure transmissions for wireless and wireline deployments. The Datacryptors can be coupled with Alcatel's microwave, SONET and high-speed IP products.
http://www.thalesesec.comhttp://www.alcatelgov.com

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Verizon Boosts FiOS Internet Speed

Verizon is increasing the bandwidth on its FiOS Internet service for customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut -- with no increase in price.



Verizon now offers consumers three tiers of service at the same prices previously charged for the lower speeds:

• 10 Mbps downstream and 2 Mbps upstream (increased from 5/2 for $34.95 a month with a one-year agreement or $39.95 a month stand-alone.



• 20 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps upstream (increased from 15/2) for $44.95 a month with a one-year agreement or $49.95 a month stand-alone.



• 30 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps upstream for $54.95 a month with a one-year agreement or $59.95 a month stand-alone in NY ($179.95 - $199.95 in NJ and CT).

For small business, the FiOS Internet pricing tiers are as follows:

• 20 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps upstream (increased from 15/2), for the former 15 Mbps prices of $59.95 a month with a dynamic IP address and $99.95 a month with static IP address.



• 30 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps upstream (no speed change), for $349.95 a month with a dynamic IP address and $389.95 a month with static IP address.



• Up to 5 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps upstream synchronous service (no speed change), for $169.95 a month with a dynamic IP address and
  $209.95 with static IP address.

http://www.verizon.com

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Level 3 to Acquire Telcove for $1.2Billion, Gaining Local Access

Level 3 Communications agree to acquire TelCove, Inc., a privately held, facilities-based network operator, for $1.2375 billion in stock and cash.



TelCove's network has over 22,000 local and long haul route miles serving 70 markets across the eastern United States, with approximately 4,000 buildings on net. The company has annual revenues of about $390 million. TelCove also holds over 300 LMDS and 39 GHz licenses covering 90% of the U.S. population.



"The acquisition of TelCove increases our ability to provide end-to-end bandwidth services to our customers," said James Q. Crowe, chief executive officer of Level 3.



After integration, TelCove's metro and regional networks will connect Level 3's national backbone network directly to traffic aggregation points. These aggregation points include other carriers' points of presence, local telecommunications companies' central offices, wireless providers' switch centers, colocation and data centers, cable company head ends, and high-bandwidth enterprise locations.



Before the pending acquisitions of TelCove and ICG Communications and the completed acquisition of Progress Telecom, Level 3 already had extensive metro infrastructure in 36 markets, connecting to approximately 900 traffic aggregation points.



The acquisition of Progress and, after close, of TelCove and ICG Communications will increase Level 3's number of traffic aggregation points to approximately 5,000 in the U.S. and approximately 5,200 globally.

http://www.level3.comhttp://www.telcove.com

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U.S. Bancorp First to Deploy Lucent RPR Metro Optical Card

U.S. Bancorp will deploy Lucent Technologies' Metropolis DMX portfolio of metro optical networking products and VitalSuite Integrated Network Controller software, to create a high-capacity, fully redundant carrier grade backbone network in five cities. The project market the first deployment of Lucent's standards-based Resilient Packet Ring (RPR) card, which enables service providers to double the amount of bandwidth on their network by using both sides of rings for transporting traffic. The RPR card also supports fast restoration of packet traffic in the event of a network failure, offering exceptional reliability.



Lucent Worldwide Services will provide professional services, including engineering, network integration, testing, and program management for the project. Financial terms were not disclosed.

http://www.lucent.com

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Tokyo Electron to Launch Silicon Valley Venture Program

Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL), a supplier of semiconductor and FPD production equipment, had formed a new subsidiary to make strategic seed and early stage investments focusing on promising technological innovations. TEL Venture Capital plans to invest up to $10 million annually and will tap into Silicon Valley venture resources.

http://www.tel.com

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NETGEAR Launches SSL VPN Concentrator

NETGEAR introduced an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) VPN solution for small- and mid-sized businesses under 100 users. The ProSafe SSL312 provides remote access to mobile users, enabling them to connect securely to the corporate network using any computer, from locations such as an authorized partner location, a home, or even a kiosk, using a standard Web browser. The SSL312, which ensures data privacy with SSLv3 and TLSv1.0 with AES-256, supports 25 concurrent SSL VPN sessions, enabling remote users to securely access resources using standard web browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Apple Safari. In addition to integrating with a broad range of user repositories, such as Microsoft Active Directory, LDAP, and RADIUS, for user authentication, the SSL312 interoperates with third party firewalls and works seamlessly with NETGEAR's ProSafe line of VPN Firewall Routers. The unit has a list price of $545. http://www.netgear.com

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Telstra's "BigPond" ADSL Breaks Million Subscriber Milestone

Telstra's "BigPond" ADSL service activated its 1,000,000th customers -- roughly doubling its subscriber base in the past year. The first 500,000 ADSL services took almost six years to achieve.

http://www.telstra.com

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Airport Authority Hong Kong Builds Huge WLAN with Cisco

The Airport Authority Hong Kong has deployed Cisco Systems' Unified Wireless Network equipment to create one of the world's largest airport WLANs in terms of coverage and number of access points.



Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), the world's busiest international cargo and fifth busiest international passenger airport, now provides WLAN coverage in all indoor areas including the passenger terminal and the baggage sortation hall, as well as all aircraft parking bays on the apron. The infrastructure now comprises over 200 Cisco 1000 Series Lightweight Access Points and eight Cisco 4100 Series Wireless LAN Controllers. By the end of this year, there will be 300 Cisco Access Points and 12 Cisco Controllers in operation.

http://www.cisco.com

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Tekelec Sells its IEX Group to NICE Systems for $200 Million

Tekelec agreed to sell its wholly owned subsidiary, IEX Corporation, a global provider of workforce management and optimization technology for contact centers, to NICE Systems for $200 million in cash.



Commenting on the sale, Frank Plastina, President and CEO of Tekelec said, "We are very pleased with this transaction because it converts a non-telecom business unit into cash at an attractive valuation and under favorable terms. IEX has been an important contributor to our financial performance for the last several years, but it was not a component of our long-term telecom systems growth strategy. This deal will significantly strengthen our balance sheet and enhance our ability to consider complementary strategic opportunities in our core business. The price and terms of this transaction confirm IEX's position as a leading solution provider in a rapidly consolidating industry. We believe that NICE Systems is best suited for the IEX acquisition, due to the clear synergies in market leadership, technology innovation, engineering expertise, and management experience."



Tekelec also noted that it has no immediate plans for the proceeds.



Separately, NICE Systems also signed a definitive agreement to acquire Performix, a pioneer of contact center performance management, for $13.2 million in cash.

http://www.tekelec.comhttp://www.nice.com

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Quake Surpasses 300,000th 10 Gigabit PHY Shipment

Quake Technologies has shipped more than 300,000 10 Gigabit Ethernet Physical Layer ICs (PHYs) to date. The company first entered the 10GE PHY market in 2001 with a serial-to-XAUI device. Quake supports all PMDs covered by the IEEE 802.3ae and IEEE 802.3ak standards. Its products are used both within pluggable modules as well as directly on system cards. http://www.quaketech.com

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Deutsche Telekom Selects Cisco IP NGN for IPTV Service

Deutsche Telekom's T-Com and T-Online divisions selected Cisco Systems' IP NGN architecture and its IP set-top boxes for the "T-Home" broadband service. Specifically, T-Com's video delivery network is based on the Cisco IP NGN architecture and incorporates Cisco 12000 Series routers at the provider edge, Cisco 10008 Series routers as Broadband Remote Access Server (BRAS) platforms and Cisco Catalyst 6509 Series switches.



"T-Home" is delivered through a Cisco STB from the KiSS series called the T-Home X 300T Media Receiver which supports Microsoft IPTV Edition. The T-Home X 300T Media Receiver enables high-definition (HD) IPTV and features personal video recorder (PVR) functionality. Its 80-gigabyte hard disk stores up to 70 hours of programming with "time shifting" capabilities that enable users to record preset programs, and even interrupt running programs and continue them later. The T-Home X 300T supports the Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) standard and features a dual DVB-T tuner as well as and can be controlled remotely over the Internet. It is HD-capable via an HDMI interface and offers Ethernet and SCART ports for additional connectivity and functionality.

http://www.cisco.com

• Cisco acquired KiSS Technology in September 2005.



• In April, Juniper Networks announced that T-Com, the fixed network division of Deutsche Telekom AG, is deploying Juniper Networks' E-series Broadband Services Routers and T-series core routing platforms to expand and scale its IP network to support its advanced service offerings over VDSL. The Juniper Networks routing platforms will be added to T-Com's existing installed base of Juniper Networks E-, M- and T-series routing platforms, and will provide the scalability and advanced service management capabilities necessary to deliver IP-based video services to a large number of subscribers. Financial terms were not disclosed.



• T-Com is upgrading its network to VDSL2 (Very Fast Digital Subscriber Line), with the first stage of deployment covering 10 cities throughout Germany.



• In March, Alcatel announced that Deutsche Telekom's T-Com division is deploying its IP/MPLS-based portfolio to support its launch of IPTV and interactive consumer services in 10 major German cities including Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, and Stuttgart. Specifically, Deutsche Telekom will deploy the Alcatel 7750 Service Router to provide DSL/IP aggregation network for the 10 cities.

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Ikanos Makes Management Appointments

Ikanos Communications named Dean Westman as General Manager and Rakinder Grover as Vice President of Business Development. Prior to joining Ikanos, Mr. Westman served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Mathstar, where he was responsible for creating and executing a global product strategy. Previously, Mr. Westman served as Vice President of Marketing at C-Cube Microsystems, where he managed the product roadmap of the Broadband Networks Division.



Prior to joining Ikanos as Vice President of Business Development, Mr. Grover had been a business development consultant at the company and was instrumental in Ikanos' acquisition of the broadband product lines from Analog Devices. Previously Mr. Grover was a General Partner at the venture capital firm of Walden International, where he invested in telecom, semiconductor and IT infrastructure startups. http://www.ikanos.com

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U.S. General Services Administration Buys VoIP

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Technology Service has made VoIP available to federal agencies under the MCI Contract. Federal customers subscribing to the MCI's VoIP service can now place voice calls over their data network using a new or existing MCI provided data circuit.



GSA is the centralized, federal procurement, property management, policy development and information provision agency.

http://www.gsa.gov

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Nortel Files 2005 Financial Statements

Nortel Networks reported Q4 2005 revenues of US$3.0 billion and a net loss of US$2.3 billion, including a US$2.5 billion expense to settle shareholder class action litigation.



2005 revenues were US$10.5 billion and there was a net loss for the year of US$2.6 billion.



The company's financial restatements have also been completed. Revisions to the Company's previously reported 2003 and 2004 financial results reflect negative impacts on revenue of US$261 million and US$312 million and on net earnings/loss of US$141 million and US$156 million, respectively, as well as revisions to the Company's previously reported 2005 nine month results reflecting negative impacts on revenue of US$520 million and on net earnings/loss of US$164 million in the aggregate. With respect to financial results prior to 2003, the revisions reflect negative impacts on revenue of US$384 million and on net earnings/loss of US$70 million in the aggregate. These revenue adjustments resulted in the deferral to later periods of revenue that was previously recognized in prior periods.

http://www.nortel.com

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France Telecom Reaches 8.1 million ADSL customers in Europe

As of 31-March-2006, France Telecom was serving 8.1 million ADSL customers in Europe, representing an increase of 10% since 31-Dec-2005. This includes 4.9 million ADSL customers in France, representing a consumer ADSL market share of 49.8% in France.



The number of ADSL TV subscribers reached 229,000 at quarter's end, up from 102,000 a year earlier.



France Telecom also reached 1.2 million VoIP customers in France, up by 377,000 for the quarter.



The number of LiveBox gateways marketed in Europe surged to 2.4 million (2.1 million in France), up from 489,000 a year earlier.



Revenues for consumer services in France were down 1.0% due to a decline in the price of phone calls primarily to mobile phones.



The total number of France Telecom Group customers reached 147 million, up 16.8% year over year (+8.5% on a comparable basis).



CAPEX in Q1 was EUR 1.390 billion, up 12% from the previous year on a comparable basis.

http://www.francetelecom.com

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Comcast Adds 437,000 Internet and 211,000 VoIP Customers in Q1

Comcast added nearly 1 million revenue generating units (RGUs) in Q1 -- its highest growth rate yet -- driving revenue in its Cable business to $5.6 billion. Some highlights for the quarter:

• Video revenue increased 6% to $3.6 billion in Q1, reflecting a 1.3 million or 14% increase in the number of digital customers from the first quarter of 2005. Comcast Cable ended the quarter with 10.1 million digital cable subscribers, a 47% penetration rate of the Company's 21.5 million basic cable subscribers.



• Growth in video revenue and digital cable subscribers also reflects increasing consumer demand for new digital features including ON DEMAND, digital video recorders (DVR) and HDTV programming. Driven by ON DEMAND movie and event purchases, pay-per-view revenues increased 29% from the first quarter of 2005. Pay-per-view revenue has shown strong growth with the rollout of ON DEMAND, increasing more than 20% on average over the past two years. Further contributing to video revenue growth, 28% of digital customers subscribed to DVR and/or HDTV services as of March 31, 2006 compared to 17% in the prior year.



• Added 437,000 high-speed Internet subscribers during Q1, which high-speed Internet revenues increased 22% to $1.1 billion, reflecting a 1.5 million or 21% increase in subscribers from the prior year and stable average monthly revenue per subscriber of $43.14.



• Comcast ended Q1 with 9.0 million cable modem subscribers or 22% penetration of available homes.



• Voice: 211,000 Comcast Digital Voice (CDV) customers were added during Q1 -- than in all of 2005. The service is now marketed to 19 million homes or 45% of Comcast's footprint. Phone revenue increased 9% to $191 million reflecting a $37 million increase in CDV revenues as a result of the significant increase in CDV subscribers, offset by a $21 million or 12% decline in circuit-switched phone revenues as Comcast transitions to marketing CDV.



• Comcast Cable ended the first quarter of 2006 with 416,000 CDV customers. On a net basis, Comcast Cable reported 141,000 net new phone customer additions in the first quarter of 2006 compared to 4,000 in 2005. By the end of 2006, CDV service will be marketed to 32 million homes or approximately 80% of Comcast's footprint.



• Revenue generating units (RGU) represent the sum of basic and digital video subscribers, high-speed Internet and phone subscribers. Comcast added a record level of 965,000 RGUs in the first quarter of 2006, a 64% increase from the same period in 2005. Comcast ended the first quarter of 2006 with 42 million RGUs, an increase of 3 million units from the prior year.



• Advertising revenue increased 4% to $309 million in the first quarter of 2006 when compared to 2005, reflecting general weakness in the regional and national advertising marketplace.

http://www.comcast.com

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Orb Networks Offers Internet Radio and Podcasts from PCs to Mobile Phones

Orb Networks, a developer of software for providing access to digital content, announced support for playing and recording Internet radio and for enjoying podcasts from any mobile device with a streaming Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, 3GP player, or Macromedia Flash Player on any carrier network and Wi-Fi.



The free Orb software enables the user to play and record Internet radio and enjoy podcasts from the native Web browser and streaming media player of their mobile phones and PDAs. The Orb software on a user's always-connected Windows XP PC acts as the user's personal "mycast" server, serving up content streams in the media format and bitrate appropriate to the user's mobile device.



"The whole point of Orb is to empower our users to instantly 'mycast' all their favorite content to themselves wherever they are," said Ian McCarthy, Vice President of Product Marketing for Orb Networks."http://www.orb.com

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ECI Reports 11% Rise in Q1 Revenue

ECI Telecom reported Q1 revenue of $162 million, an 11% increase from the $145 million recorded in the first quarter of 2005 and compared with $169 million for the fourth quarter of 2005. Net income (GAAP) reached $3.1 million, or $0.03 per share on a fully diluted basis.



Some highlights:

• Revenues for the Optical Networks Division totaled $89 million for the first quarter of 2006, up 17% from the year ago period and up $2 million from the preceding quarter.



• Revenues for the Broadband Access Division totaled $62 million for the first quarter of 2006, down 1% from the year ago period and $6 million less than in the previous quarter. The decline in the division's revenues resulted entirely from the conclusion of deliveries under the contract with Chungwha Telecom in Taiwan.



• Revenues for the Data Networking Division (formerly Laurel Networks) totaled $2.1 million for the first quarter of 2006, up slightly from the previous quarter, while the operating loss was $9.5 million, compared to $8.7 million in the previous quarter, reflecting the still relatively low revenues and continued intensive R&D efforts currently underway in the division.

Rafi Maor, ECI Telecom President and CEO stated, "The demand for ECI products continues to be strong and order intake for the quarter enabled us to record year-over-year revenue growth and further build our backlog. This growth is driven primarily by the continued deployment of advanced triple play networks by our major customers and by continued strong demand for our leading cellular backhaul solutions, especially in emerging markets, where the growth of the cellular industry continues to be strong."http://www.ecitele.com

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mDisney Launches Cross-Carrier, Real-Time Multiplayer Mobile Game

mDisney, a mobile publishing unit of the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG), introduced Pirates of the Caribbean Multiplayer, a cross-carrier, real-time multiplayer game for mobile phones. The game, one of the first action adventure mobile multiplayer games, is slated to launch this summer, in conjunction with the theatrical release of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest worldwide on July 7, 2006.



The game will permit up to 16 players to engage in individual game sessions. Players will be able to chat with other players, make friends and form guilds of hundreds of players on the game's server, which can accommodate tens of thousands of simultaneous players.



mDisney is collaborating with mobile games developer Floodgate Entertainment to create the Pirates of the Caribbean Multiplayer game.

http://www.piratesmobilemultiplayer.comhttp://www.floodg.com

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Network Processing Forum Merges with Optical Internetworking Forum

The Network Processing Forum (NPF) will merge its activities with those of The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF).



The mission of the OIF is to accelerate the deployment of interoperable, cost-effective and robust optical networks and their associated technologies.



The Network Processing Forum's mission to accelerate the adoption of network processing technologies through the development and implementation of network processing standards and benchmarks. By establishing standard interfaces and benchmarks, the NPF helps semiconductor manufacturers, software developers, services companies and system OEM's lower development costs, shorten design cycles, reduce product time-to-market while increasing time-in-market.



The merged group will retain the OIF name.



"A combined group will cast a wider net for participation in the creation and adoption of Implementation Agreements," said Chuck Sannipoli of IP Infusion and chairman of the NPF. "The synergy amongst component and system vendors and network providers will be much stronger as a result."http://www.oiforum.comhttp://www.npforum.org

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Nakina Systems Names Former Nortel Exec as Chairman

Nakina Systems, a start-up developing multi-vendor security and element management solutions for network operators, announced that Marco Pagani, former President of Nortel Networks' Metro Optical and Optical Ethernet divisions, has been appointed Chairman of Nakina's Board of Directors.



Marco Pagani has recently served as Chairman of the Board of Directors at a number of telecom high-tech companies, including Nimcat Networks, where he helped steer the company towards its eventual acquisition by Avaya in 2005. His most recent position at Nortel was President of Optical Ethernet and Storage Solutions. Previously he held various senior positions, including President - Metro Optical Division, President - Core Networks, and General Manager - Carrier Data Networks.



Nakina Systems provides network operators with one platform to discover, manage and secure their multi-vendor networks worldwide. The company is based in Ottawa.

http://www.nakinasystems.com

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Sprint Offers end-to-end MPLS VPN Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Sprint introduced a standard end-to-end MPLS VPN Service Level Agreements (SLAs) on its wholly owned global network. The new performance guarantees, which are provided at no additional charge to customers, extend SLA coverage and reporting beyond the backbone network and now include the local loop, covering service from customer router to customer router. The service level guarantees include an enhanced network availability SLA of up to 100%, standard end-to-end packet loss and jitter SLAs, and a standard end-to-end delay methodology applicable across Sprint's entire global backbone.



Sprint is also simplifying and bundling its Managed Services portfolio to help customers migrate to new technologies. Options range from performance-reporting tools to complete management of the customer's converged network, including managed migration from legacy data services to an MPLS VPN that can support emerging application needs.



As part of its ongoing global MPLS expansion, Sprint said it is working with regional and global service providers to augment its wholly owned capabilities through network-to-network interface (NNI) partnerships. This strategy integrates partner capabilities with Sprint's to provide seamless connectivity and maintain traffic prioritization settings across the entire network.



The first such NNI agreement was struck with Rogers Communications in Canada through its business division, Rogers Business Solutions. Under the agreement, Rogers' MPLS nodes will connect with the Sprint IP/MPLS backbone so customers can experience congestion-free connectivity with security, redundancy and quality of service. Later this year, Sprint will forge similar MPLS NNI partnerships throughout Europe, Asia and South America.



Currently, Sprint provides access to MPLS and IP-based services in 115 countries through a combination of Sprint-owned nodes and partner facilities. Through its MPLS NNI partners strategy, Sprint plans to expand coverage to 163 countries by the end of 2006.

http://www.sprint.com

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aduno Introduces its Web 2.0 Conferencing Service

aduno, a start-up based in Paris, introduced its "Rich Meeting" next generation audioweb conferencing services. The company said its Web 2.0 - programming approach will make online, reservationless conferencing available to a much wider audience.

Key attributes of aduno include:

• Provides personal portals for the organizer and participants, to make the audio and web connections simultaneous, immediate and totally secure; no code or number to dial, the access is instantaneous,



• Offers native integration of audio and web, allowing for piloting, i.e. access to audio and web functionalities in the same PC window, by simply clicking on the participant icons,



• Control screen allows for preparation, programming (invitations and reminders with synchronized Outlook and Notes), follow-up and filing of the conferences, in the same application,



• Sharing applications without plug-in on dedicated server, therefore available with full security from any PC connected to the Internet; no prior downloading, all invited participants can connect



• Allows installation on dedicated servers of documents, conferences, data, etc. of the user company, while respecting its security constraints.

http://www.aduno.fr

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Covad Reports Positive Trends

Covad Communications reported Q1 net revenue of $117.8 million, an increase of 3.6 percent from the $113.7 million reported for the fourth quarter of 2005, and an increase of 9.4 percent from the $107.7 million reported for the first quarter of 2005. Net revenues for the first quarter of 2006 included $1.7 million from a software license agreement.



Net loss for the first quarter of 2006 was $9.3 million, or $0.03 per share, an improvement of $8.6 million, or 48.0 percent, from the $17.9 million net loss, or $0.07 per share, reported for the fourth quarter of 2005.



Some other highlights:

• Broadband and VoIP subscription revenues for the first quarter of 2006 totaled $101.0 million, an increase of 2.8 percent from the $98.3 million reported for the fourth quarter of 2005, and an increase of 10.4 percent from the $91.5 million reported for the first quarter of 2005.



• Broadband lines in service at the end of the first quarter of 2006 were approximately 556,900, a 1.7 percent increase from the first quarter of 2005. While total broadband lines in service decreased by 1.8 percent from the fourth quarter of 2005, business broadband lines in service increased by 2,200 to 234,500. VoIP business customers at the end of the first quarter of 2006 were 1,328, a 15.8 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2005 and a 92.5 percent increase from the first quarter of 2005. VoIP stations at the end of the first quarter of 2006 were approximately 42,800, a 5.4 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2005 and an 82.9 percent increase from the first quarter of 2005.



• Weighted average revenue per user, or ARPU, for broadband lines in service for the first quarter of 2006 was $56 per month, up from $54 for the fourth quarter of 2005, and up from $55 for the first quarter of 2005. VoIP ARPU, excluding resellers, was $1,900 per month for the first quarter of 2006, up from $1,681 for the fourth quarter of 2005, and up from $1,763 for the first quarter of 2005.



• Net customer disconnections, or churn, for broadband lines averaged approximately 2.9 percent in the first quarter of 2006, up from 2.8 percent for the fourth quarter of 2005, and down from 3.1 percent for the first quarter of 2005.



• The first quarter of 2006 also saw Covad close its acquisition of wireless broadband provider NextWeb and a $50.0 million strategic financing agreement with EarthLink to expand line-powered voice access to eight additional cities.

http://www.covad.com

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Alcatel's Q1 Revenue Rises 18% YoY

Alcatel reported Q1 2006 revenue of EUR 3.067 billion, up 17.8% compared with EUR 2.607 billion (up 14.9% at constant EUR/$ exchange rate) in the same period last year.



The gross margin was 34.9%. Operating profit amounted to EUR 198 million, a 6.5% operating margin. Net income (group share) for the quarter was registered at EUR 104 million or a diluted EPS of EUR 0.08 per share (US$ 0.10 per ADS), which included capital gains of EUR 0.02 per share.



Some highlights for the quarter:

• The access business registered a strong performance with 6 million DSL lines delivered, more than a 50% year on year increase (3.9 million in the same quarter last year).



• The IP service router activity also positively impacted first quarter growth, registering a 10-fold year-over-year increase.



• Optical networks grew during the quarter, primarily fueled by the carrier network transformation to video, and by the wireless providers.



• The submarine networks business registered new regional wins in the West Indies. The NGN/IMS solutions business turned in a good level of performance and registered the award of a new IMS project in the UK.



• The TDM voice activity continued to decline during the quarter.



• The mobile radio business again turned in a solid performance with the 2G solution continuing to support a strong subscriber growth in emerging countries, with a growing footprint in Africa and Middle East. Alcatel's 3G product family gained momentum during the quarter with extension phases secured at the installed bases in Western Europe and North Africa and new wins in Southeast Asia.



• In enterprise networking, the migration towards the IP telephony for small and medium businesses continued to be strong across Europe.



• Market outlook remains unchanged. Second quarter revenues are expected to grow in the mid to high single digit range.

Segment Breakdown	First Qtr	First Qtr	Fourth Qtr
In EUR million	2006	2005	2005
Revenues
Fixed Communications	1,273	987	1,720
Mobile Communications	908	789	1,257
Private Communications	905	848	1,161
Other & Eliminations	(19)	(17)	(44)
Total	3,067	2,607	4,094
Income from Operations
Fixed Communications	110	50	288
Mobile Communications	57	66	139
Private Communications	48	34	117
Other & Eliminations	(17)	(43)	(3)
Total	198	107	541

http://www.alcatel.com

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Alcatel Appoints Head of Merger Integration Team

Alcatel appointed Christian Reinaudo to serve as EVP Integration Project Team Leader to manage the integration and transition process associated with the merger with Lucent Technologies. Reinaudo, a member of the Alcatel executive committee, currently serves as EVP, President of Alcatel Asia Pacific.



Alcatel announced two other executive appointments.



Frédéric Rose is appointed EVP, President of Alcatel Asia Pacific. He will be based in Shanghai. Frederic Rose joins the Alcatel Executive Committee. He was formerly President of Alcatel's Integration and Services activities.



Stéphane Terranova is appointed President, Integration and Services activities. He reports to Olivier Houssin, President of Private Communications activities.

http://www.alcatel.com

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Lucent Completes Riverstone Acquisition

Lucent Technologies completed its acquisition of certain net assets of Riverstone Networks, a maker of carrier Ethernet routers for the telecommunications industry. The purchase price under the amended agreement is approximately $207 million, subject to purchase price adjustments.

Lucent said the integration of the Riverstone products would augment its IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution. Substantially all of Riverstone's 400 employees are now employees of Lucent.

http://www.lucent.com

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Brightcove Previews its Internet TV Service

Brightcove, a start-up based in Boston, launched an open, commercial preview of its Internet TV service, which helps video content producers to build broadband TV channels and distribute their video through the Internet. The open commercial preview will offer individuals and organizations the ability to use Brightcove in advance of the full commercial release at no cost.



"Internet TV has tremendous momentum in the marketplace today, and we're seeing a wide range of content owners and creators quickly moving into broadband programming and distribution," said Adam Berrey, vice president of marketing and strategy for Brightcove.



Brightcove plans to launch the full commercial release of their Standard Services in the summer of 2006. At that time the company plans to announce a variety of service plans including options to pay for usage of the service as well as plans that allow broadband programmers to use the Brightcove services at no cost, and generate revenue, by participating in an advertising network or offering videos for sale and rental.



Brightcove said it has several content developers, including Discovery, National Lampoon, and Oxygen, distributing their broadband channels with the Brightcove Premium Services.

http://www.brightcove.com

• In November 2005, Brightcove signed a video content distribution partnership with AOL. Brightcove and AOL will market a co-branded version of the Brightcove service as the self-service platform for publishing video on AOL.com. Through the syndication to AOL, publishers will be able to generate revenue from the advertising and pay media sales of their content on AOL.com and other video gateways on the AOL network of web properties.



• Also in November 2006, Brightcove closed $16.2 million in venture funding led by AOL and included IAC/InterActiveCorp, The Hearst Corporation, and Allen & Company, as well as existing investors Accel Partners and General Catalyst Partners. The investments complete a Series B financing round that will fuel the company's growth and the launch of its products and services.

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Industry Group Proposes Public/Private Safety Network in 700 MHz band

A group of wireless industry and public safety communications veterans led by Morgan O'Brien, a co-founder of Nextel, called for the creation of a nationwide, seamless, next-generation network for improved public safety communications.



The group envisions a self-sustaining business model for public safety communications that takes advantage of the historic opportunity arising from the long-planned clearance of some of the nation's most useful frequencies, which broadcasters will vacate by 2009. Specifically, a 30 MHz block of spectrum in the 700 MHz band - presently allocated for commercial use and scheduled to be auctioned in 2008 - is ideally suited for a nationwide, next-generation public safety network because of its distinctive physical properties. The proposal was submitted to the FCC by Cyren Call Communications Corporation, which is headed by Morgan O'Brien.



"This spectrum represents America's best opportunity to foster state-of-the-art public safety communications. If this spectrum is auctioned to the private sector, the nation forever loses its best shot at fixing this issue once and for all," said O'Brien.



The Cyren Call proposal specifically calls for:

• Establishing a Public Safety Broadband Trust: The FCC would exercise its authority to manage the public airwaves in the public interest by establishing a Public Safety Broadband Trust (PSBT) to hold the license for a 30 MHz block of cleared spectrum in the 700 MHz band and to structure innovative arrangements for its use, placing public safety needs first and making commercial usage secondary.



• Strengthening the Private Sector's Role: The PSBT would negotiate terms for long-term access to this spectrum with private sector entities that would agree to build and maintain a nationwide, next-generation network for public safety. In exchange, the private sector entities would gain the right to share the network and sell excess capacity for commercial purposes.



• Setting Incentives for a Robust, Competitive Network: The PSBT would set appropriate rules and technical standards to ensure backward compatibility to existing public safety systems, maximum interoperability, reliability, redundancy, competition, innovation and choices for public safety customers using this spectrum. The network would include a satellite-based element to ensure continuous operations when ground-based equipment is knocked out. Public safety agencies would have access to sufficient nationwide capacity to meet their current and future needs, and private companies would have the incentive to compete to offer a variety of interoperable hardware choices at the best prices.



• Creating Self-Sustaining Financing: Rather than demand more money from taxpayers to finance this network, the proposal would give private companies incentives to build and maintain the national network to provide services to public safety agencies.

http://www.cyrencall.com

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Sprint Nextel Adds 1.3 Million Mobile Subscribers

Citing strong demand for its communications services, Sprint Nextel reported consolidated revenue of $11.5 billion, an increase of 66 percent compared to the year-ago period. Operating income was $863 million versus $1.04 billion in the first quarter of 2005.



For the quarter, diluted earnings per share were 14 cents, compared to 31 cents per share for the first quarter of 2005. The year-ago results do not include the Nextel operations.



"In the first quarter, we continued to advance on our operating and strategic goals and integrate the affiliates we have acquired," said Gary Forsee, Sprint Nextel president and chief executive officer. "Our performance in the quarter was marked by balanced growth in Wireless and we achieved good velocity on Long Distance IP and Local DSL services. With an expected ramp-up in merger synergies during the balance of 2006, we continue to maintain our financial outlook for full year performance," he said.



Some highlights:

• In the first quarter, Wireless added 1.3 million net subscribers including 563,000 under the Sprint and Nextel post-paid brands, 502,000 under the Boost Mobile brand and 273,000 through wholesale channels and from Sprint PCS affiliates. Approximately 1.6 million subscribers were transferred from affiliates to the direct category as a result of acquisitions completed in the quarter.



• For the quarter, total retail gross additions were 4.1 million, compared to 3.6 million in the first quarter of 2005 and 4.0 million in the fourth quarter.



• Post-paid churn of 2.1 percent in the quarter was consistent with the year-ago period and the fourth quarter. Normalized Boost Mobile churn in the quarter was 5.4 percent.



• Service revenues increased 13 percent, due to a larger customer base, which was partially offset by lower average revenue per user (ARPU).



• Direct post-paid ARPU of a little over $62 in the quarter declined 3 percent, compared to the year-ago period. The decline was 1 percent sequentially.



• Wireless capital expenditures were $1.1 billion. Spending was mainly focused on improving network quality, expanding capacity and expanding the mobile broadband footprint. Capital spending is expected to ramp up over the course of the year.



• In long distance, voice revenues declined 5 percent compared to the year-ago period but were flat sequentially. Compared to the year-ago period, contract renewals pressured business retail voice revenues, which were partially offset by higher wholesale services and a growing contribution from cable partners.



• Sprint Nextel was providing cable telephony wireline services to seven cable companies with a total of more than 1.02 million cable telephony subscribers, a 24 percent gain from the end of 2005.



• Internet revenues were up 17 percent sequentially, due to strong demand for Dedicated IP and MPLS. This was partially offset by reduced ATM and Frame Relay revenues.

http://www.sprint.com

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NEC to Combine its U.S. Operations in IT and Network Solutions

NEC USA, NEC America, and NEC Solutions (America) will combine into one new company dedicated to the IT and network solutions business. Effective July 1, the new company, with more than $1 billion in revenue, will be named NEC Corporation of America and have headquarters in Irving, Texas.



NEC Corporation of America will offer customers access to a rich portfolio of technology and professional services ranging from server and storage solutions, digital presentation and visual display systems to biometric security, optical network, radio communications and IP voice and data solutions.



Tadao Kondo, currently head of the three NEC companies being combined, has been named to lead NEC Corporation of America as president and CEO. http://www.necus.com

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AT&T to Offer Vongo Movie Downloads as Differentiated Service

AT&T reached an agreement with Starz Entertainment Group to offer the "Vongo" Internet movie-delivery service to its DSL customers. The deal marks the first such broadband distribution agreement for Vongo and also serves as an example of a differentiated broadband media service supported by AT&T.



The companies will feature a co-branded AT&T and Vongo Web site and special promotions.



Vongo, unveiled earlier this year, delivers movies and other video content over the Internet for playback on Windows-based PCs, laptops and select portable media devices as well as on a TV. Vongo subscribers have unlimited access to more than 1,500 movie and video selections as well as a live, streaming Starz TV channel for a monthly cost of $9.99. Members may download movies and video selections onto three eligible devices of their choice for each account, allowing for multiple-viewing options. Popular pay-per-view titles are available for $3.99 a movie.



"Vongo's compelling content increases the value proposition for AT&T High Speed Internet customers," said Scott Helbing, chief marketing officer-AT&T Consumer. "With Vongo, we're positioned to deliver quality content, as we build a digital lifestyle platform for our customers."http://www.att.comhttp://www.vongo.com

• Starz is using Windows Media technologies to power the Vongo service.
  


• Starz has also partnered with Sony, which will make Vongo a cornerstone of its new CONNECT Video service, to be launched later this year.



• ChoiceStream, a start-up based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will power the personalized recommendation engine on the new Vongo Internet video on demand service from Starz Entertainment Group.

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Metro Ethernet Forum Announces Service Provider Certifications

The Metro Ethernet Forum awarded certifications to seven service providers complying with its global Carrier Ethernet Service definitions. The companies receiving certification in this first round were: AT&T, Bell South, Cable Vision Lightpath (the first cable operator to apply), Met-Net, ntl:Telewest Business (the first European service provider to apply), Qwest and Verizon.



Iometrix was the company responsible for the conformance testing.



The testing involves three key stages. In the initial negotiation stage the service provider needs to prove to Iometrix that they do have a commercial Carrier Ethernet service offering that is certifiable according to any or all of Ethernet Private Line (EPL), Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL) or ELAN (multipoint networking) definitions from the MEF 9 specification. This leads to the second phase, lab testing, where the service provider is required to construct a facsimile of the production network supporting their Carrier Ethernet service and then Iometrix run some 244 test cases on that system to pave the way for the third, field testing phase.



This is the world's first ever service provider certification program" says Bob Mandeville, "and the really significant fact is the commitment shown by the service providers themselves. The decision to apply for certification was taken at the highest level, and they typically dedicated 6 or 7 member teams embracing every other level - including strategic, operational, architectural and service expertise - to ensure their projects' success. Such dedication marks the service providers' commitment to Carrier Ethernet as the way forward for global networking."http://www.MetroEthernetForum.org

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Equinix Adds 61 New Customers, Raises Guidance

Equinix posted Q1 revenue of $64.9 million, a 5% increase over the previous quarter and a 33% increase over the same quarter last year. The company signed 61 new customers including McGraw-Hill, Trip Advisor and YouTube. The company raised its annual revenue guidance to $280.0 to $286.0 million and EBITDA guidance to $100.0 to $105.0 million.



Some other highlights:

Over 50 percent of Equinix's new bookings in the quarter came from existing customers including Akamai Technologies, Cisco Systems, IBM, Salesforce.com and Sony Computer Entertainment.



Based on a total cabinet capacity of approximately 26,000, the number of cabinets billing at the end of the quarter was approximately 14,750, or 57%, up from approximately 14,100 the previous quarter. On a weighted average basis, the number of cabinets billing was approximately 14,500, representing a utilization rate of 56%.
http://www.equinix.com

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NET Partners with DTECH LABS for Government VoIP Solutions

Network Equipment Technologies and DTECH LABS, a provider of secure, mobile communications products, have expanded their partnership to provide for the deployment of NET's VX Series Universal Voice Exchange on a new hardware platform developed by DTECH LABS.



DTECH's WHISPER400 is a mobile Secure VoIP Interface in a small package targeted at the tactical and first-responder market segments.



The WHISPER400 Secure VoIP Interface was designed to meet the growing demand for mobile STU, STE and SCIP (FNBDT) calling over emerging BGAN and VSAT IP-based satellite networks.



NET's VX Series is based on its Shout product technology. The VX Series software is extremely bandwidth-efficient and offers fault-tolerant capabilities for secure calls -- a critical factor when operating in tactical, high-latency or unpredictable network environments.
http://www.net.comhttp://www.dtechlabs.com

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Redback Reports Revenue of $57.9 Million

Redback Networks reported Q1 revenue of $57.9 million, an increase of 21 percent from the fourth quarter of 2005. Net revenue was up $23.6 million, or 69 percent, over the first quarter of 2005. GAAP net loss for the first quarter of 2006 was $(2.6) million or $(0.05) per share attributable to common stockholders compared to a GAAP net loss of $(7.1) million or $ (0.13) per share in the first quarter of 2005.

http://www.redback.com

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Amdocs Reports 23% Growth in Revenue

Amdocs reported quarterly revenue of $601.1 million, an increase of 23.1% from the same period last year. Excluding acquisition-related costs and equity-based compensation expense, net of related tax effects, of $13.7 million, net income was $95.5 million, or $0.44 per diluted share.



Amdocs said demand for its products and services continues to be driven by service providers' need to address competition, consolidation and convergence. Amdocs' new business included eleven new key wins. In addition to Sprint Nextel, these wins include a large project with a subsidiary of a current wireline customer as it adopts an integrated customer management strategy. In the directory area, Amdocs had several wins with projects involving sales force automation, digital advertising, and business process outsourcing. Amdocs was selected by Vimpelcom and its affiliates in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

http://www.amdocs.com

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Tellabs Q1 Revenue Grows 18% to $515 Million

Tellabs reported Q1 revenue of $515 million, up 18% from $436 million in the first quarter of 2005. On a GAAP basis, Tellabs earned $52 million or 11 cents per share compared with $1 million or less than one cent per share in the first quarter of 2005.

• Broadband - Revenue from the broadband segment totaled $260 million, up 14% from $228 million in the first quarter of 2005. Within the broadband segment, access product revenue totaled $164 million, up 28% from $128 million in the first quarter of 2005; managed access product revenue totaled $74 million, down 22% from $94 million a year ago; and broadband data product revenue more than tripled to $22 million from $7 million a year ago.



• Transport - Revenue from the transport segment totaled $214 million, up 24% from $173 million in the first quarter of 2005, driven by demand from wireless-quality enhancement products.



• Services - Services revenue was $41 million, up 18% from $34 million in the first quarter of 2005.
http://www.tellabs.com

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MRV Reports 25% YoY Growth, Strong Transceiver Sales for Verizon FTTP

MRV Communications reported $77.3 million, an increase of 25% over revenues of $62.0 million for the first quarter of 2005. GAAP net loss for the first quarter of 2006 was $3.7 million, or $0.03 per share, a reduction of 43% when compared to a GAAP net loss of $6.4 million, or $0.06 per share, for the first quarter of 2005.



MRV's optical component business unit, LuminentOIC, posted 43%sequential revenue growth and continued to improve gross margin to 21%. Demand was primarily driven by sales of its ONT Triplexer Transceiver, which is being used in Verizon's FTTP deployment. LuminentOIC announced it had surpassed the half million milestone for shipments of its ONT Triplexer Transceiver.

MRV's core networking business (internally developed) benefited from a strong quarter from sales of advanced networking products used by the US Government, with sales to this segment increasing 26% sequentially.

MRV's systems integration business in Europe enjoyed another strong quarter with a 25% year-over-year increase in revenue. Margins also improved as the networking business posted gross margins of 37.5% overall, a 670 basis point improvement from the preceding quarter.http://ir.mrv.com

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Time Warner Telecom Supports SIP Network Serving 14,000 University Telephones

Time Warner Telecom is supplying a managed voice and data network to Boise State University that encompasses over 14,000 telephone numbers and 4,000 handsets. Time Warner Telecom's 20 Mbps capable SIP trunk service replaces existing T1s.



Time Warner Telecom's metro Ethernet Native LAN uses Cisco equipment and has been designated a Cisco Powered Network service.

http://www.twtelecom.com

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NETGEAR Posts 17% Growth, Notes Component Shortage

NETGEAR reported Q1 revenue of $127.3 million, a 16.8% increase as compared to $109.0 million for the first quarter ended April 3, 2005, and an increase of 4.5% as compared to $121.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2005. Net income (GAAP) was $9.9 million or $0.29 per diluted share. This net income was a 25.3% increase compared to net income of $7.9 million for the first quarter of 2005 or $0.24 per diluted share, and $8.9 million or $0.26 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2005.



Non-GAAP gross margin in the first quarter of 2006 was 35.1%, as compared to 33.0% in the year ago comparable quarter, and 31.3% in the fourth quarter of 2005.

"Demand in the first quarter continued to be strong across all three regions, maintaining the momentum of the fourth quarter. Channel supply experienced continued constraints due to component shortages on our most popular products: RangeMax 240 in the U.S. and DSL2+ gateways in Europe and in Australia. We expect component shortages will last until the middle of the second quarter due to sustained high market demand levels," stated Patrick Lo, Chairman and CEO of NETGEAR.

http://www.netgear.com

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ARRIS Reports Preliminary Results

ARRIS reported preliminary results for Q1, including net revenue of $208.3 million, up 53% as compared to $135.9 million in the first quarter 2005 and up 15% as compared to $181.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2005. Net income per diluted share for the first quarter 2006 was $0.19, up 375% as compared to $0.04 in the first quarter 2005 and down 5% as compared to $0.20 in the fourth quarter of 2005. Gross margins were 27.1%, equal to the first quarter 2005 and down from 31.9% in the fourth quarter 2005 primarily due to changes in product mix coupled with price reductions that took effect at the beginning of 2006.



"Our results this quarter show that we have started 2006 with great momentum," said Bob Stanzione, ARRIS Chairman & CEO. "Accelerating competition within our customers' markets continues to drive demand for more bandwidth, more new services and higher levels of quality. The new, innovative and market leading products that ARRIS is now delivering for data, voice and video transport, help our customers in the growing competition between, cable, telco and satellite. As a result, I am very positive about the outlook for ARRIS in 2006 and beyond."http://www.arrisi.com

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MLB.com Chooses Anystream for Webcasting

MLB.com will use Anystream's Agility software to webcast 2,430 Major League Baseball games to a variety of consumer devices, including mobile phones. Anystream Agility is an automated, mission-critical solution that tightly integrates with MLB.com's other production systems to autonomously extract video and make it playout-ready for virtually any platform and consumer device.

http://www.anystream.com

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Sun Supplies Servers & Storage for Fox, HBO

Fox Television Stations is deploying Sun Microsystems' Solaris 10 operating system (OS), servers, storage, and service to power its new centralized sales, traffic and programming management system. The project, including integration with neighboring systems and the gradual rollout across all Fox Television stations is planned to take less than three years.



Separately, Home Box Office (HBO) has evolved its digital broadcast architecture exclusively using Sun Microsystems's workflow and storage technologies. HBO has standardized on Sun technology to make a transition from standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) video tape-based environments to a server-based storage and play-out system supporting its bi-coastal network of 28 SD and four HD channels as well as on-demand distribution.

http://www.sun.com

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Seagate Releases 750GB Perpendicular HDD

Seagate Technology released the first desktop hard drive to hit the 750GB capacity mark. The monster drive is part of the new Barracuda 7200.10 family built on perpendicular recording technology, which stands data bits vertically onto the disc media, rather than horizontal to the surface as with traditional longitudinal recording.



Barracuda 7200.10 also features cache sizes from 8MB to 16MB and 1.5 Gb/s and 3.0Gb/s Serial ATA (SATA) data transfer rates with Native Command Queuing. NCQ enhances reliability in heavy workloads by reducing head movement and streamlining the delivery of queued commands to the drive.

http://www.seagate.com

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Sweden's Bredbandsbolaget Rolls Out FTTH over Cisco IP NGN

Bredbandsbolaget (B2), a leading broadband communication provider in Sweden with more than 375,000 residential and business subscribers, is delivering "triple-play" services, offering bidirectional broadband access, IPTV and IP telephony services, to new Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) customers over a Cisco IP Next Generation Network (IP NGN) featuring the Cisco ME 3400 Series Ethernet Access Switch.

The Cisco ME 3400 Series is an access switch family optimized for the FTTH market, providing both Ethernet-to-the-home (ETTH) triple-play services and Ethernet-to-the-business (ETTB) VPN services.

http://www.cisco.com

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Boingo Partners with Chunghwa Telecom

Boingo Wireless signed a roaming agreement with Chunghwa Telecom, the incumbent telecom operator in Taiwan. The partnership expands the worldwide Boingo Roaming System by nearly 900 hot spots. Boingo now provides access to over 30,000 locations from more than 130 leading Wi-Fi operators into one worldwide network. http://www.boingo.com

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AT&T Reports Solid Growth, Adds 561,000 DSL Users

AT&T reported strong first-quarter results that reflect advances in wireless, broadband and business services, along with solid progress in merger integration. On a reported basis, AT&T's first-quarter earnings per diluted share were $0.37, up 37.0 percent from $0.27 in the first quarter of 2005. First-quarter earnings were $0.52 per diluted share, up 52.9 percent versus first-quarter 2005 earnings per diluted share of $0.34, before Cingular merger-related costs. AT&T's reported first-quarter 2006 net income was $1.4 billion, versus $885 million in the year-earlier first quarter.



Revenues totaled $15.8 billion, up 54.5 percent from $10.2 billion in the first quarter of 2005. Operating expenses totaled $13.6 billion on a reported basis and $13.1 billion before merger-related costs. Operating expenses in the first quarter of 2005 totaled $8.7 billion.



Some highlights for the quarter:

• In wireline operations, AT&T reported its best growth over the past five quarters in regional small/medium-business revenues, up 7.0 percent, driven by strength in transport and IP-based data services.



• Consumer revenue was up 2.1 percent, driven by strong consumer demand for bundled and broadband services, offsetting declines in retail access lines.



• Total consumer connections in service -- retail lines, DSL lines and video connections -- increased by 224,000 in the quarter. Regional retail consumer lines declined by 267,000 in the first quarter, generally in line with recent quarters.



• There was a smaller decline in enterprise revenues than in the preceding quarter -- 6.9 percent versus a 9.0 percent decline in this category for the fourth quarter of 2005.



• AT&T's data revenues, which include results from several customer categories, totaled $4.4 billion in the first quarter of 2006, up 2.6 percent versus pro forma results for the year-earlier quarter.



• Wireline data growth was led by a 14.0 percent increase in IP data revenues, which include DSL Internet, dedicated Internet access, virtual private networks and hosting services.



• There was a total net gain of 511,000 regional DSL lines during the quarter to reach more than 7.4 million in service.



• More than 50% of new business DSL services are delivered at 1.5 Mbps and higher



• DSL penetration of consumer primary lines reached 27.7% , compared to 19.6% a year earlier.



• Data transport revenues were up 1.6 percent, and revenues from packet-switched data, which includes Frame Relay and ATM services, were down 12.5 percent, in line with industry trends.



• Data services now make 46% of total enterprise revenues.



• AT&T's first-quarter wireline voice revenues totaled $8.7 billion, representing a decline of 8.7 percent versus pro forma results for the first quarter of 2005, primarily driven by declines in the national mass market category.



• SBC/AT&T merger integration is moving forward on plan. Detailed network transition plans are in place, and front-line enterprise sales force consolidation is complete. The company said it is on track to achieve previously announced merger synergies of $600 million to $800 million this year, growing to approximately $2 billion next year.



• The integrated network buildout begin in April. Customer migration begins in June. The company expects to have all legacy SBC mass-market LD traffic migrated by Q4.

http://www.att.com

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Nokia N93 Integrates MPEG-4 Video Capture at 30 fps

Nokia unveiled the "N93" -- a mobile device that features a 3.2 megapixel camera, MPEG-4 VGA video capture at 30 frames per second,
internal memory of up to 50 MB, hot swap capability to miniSD card of up to 2 GB, and designed to work on WLAN, 3G (WCDMA 2100 MHz), EDGE and GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz) networks.



The device is pitched as a multimedia computer with true digital camcorder performance. It can connected directly to a TV or images and video can be uploaded to a wireless network, or connected with other Bluetooth devices.



The Nokia N93 includes a stereo FM radio and a digital music player. The Nokia N93, which is based on S60 3rd Edition software on Symbian OS, is expected to become commercially available in July 2006 with an estimated, unsubsidized sales price of approximately 550 EURs.

http://www.nokia.com

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Yahoo! Go for TV Enters Beta Testing

Yahoo! released a public beta test of a new Yahoo! Go for TV application that delivers photos, movie trailers, music from "LAUNCHcast", music videos and other content on a TV screen. Yahoo! Go for TV, which is a free download, also provides DVR-like recording.



The recommended hardware is a broadband-connected PC running Windows XP, a TV tuner card (for using the DVR functionality), a USB remote control, and a TV.http://go.connect.yahoo.com/go/tv/index

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Enterasys Appoints New CEO

Enterasys Networks announced the appointment of Michael Fabiaschi as President and CEO, replacing Mark Aslett, who left the company to pursue other interests. Fabiaschi joins Enterasys from CA (formerly Computer Associates), where he was a senior vice president responsible for launching its efforts in the telecommunications vertical and for its fault and performance management software business. Prior to CA, Fabiaschi was President and CEO of Aprisma, a fault and performance management company that was spun out from Enterasys in 2002 and bought by The Gores Group.

http://www.enterasys.com

• Earlier this year, The Gores Group and Tennenbaum Capital Partners acquired Enterasys for approximately $386 million. Enterasys develops and sells connectivity and security solutions for enterprise customers. The Enterasys product portfolio includes multilayer switches, core routers, WAN routers, wireless LANs, network management, and intrusion defense systems. Following the closing of the transaction, the company's current senior management team will continue to lead Enterasys and its corporate headquarters will remain in Andover, Massachusetts.

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Lucent Posts revenues of $2.14 billion

Lucent Technologies reported net income (GAAP) of $181 million, or 4 cents per diluted share, compared with a net loss of $104 million, or 2 cents per share, in the first quarter of fiscal 2006, and net income of $267 million, or 6 cents per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.



The company reported revenues of $2.14 billion in the quarter, an increase of 4 percent sequentially and a decrease of 8 percent from the year-ago quarter. The company's revenues were $2.05 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2006 and $2.34 billion in the year-ago quarter.



Gross margin was 43 percent and operating margin was 12 percent.



On a sequential basis, revenues in the United States increased 11 percent to $1.5 billion, and revenues outside the United States decreased 9 percent to $642 million. Compared with the year-ago quarter, U.S. revenues increased by 3 percent and revenues outside the United States decreased by 28 percent, with approximately two-thirds of that decline related to the aforementioned challenges in China and India.



"Although our North American revenues for the first half of fiscal 2006 are slightly below the year-ago period, the fundamentals of the business remain solid. We expect wireless deployments in North America to build through the remainder of the year, with an acceleration in the fourth fiscal quarter around UMTS and EVDO Rev A deployments," said Lucent Technologies Chairman and CEO Patricia Russo. "We continue to expect growth across our portfolio in the Caribbean and Latin America region during the second half of the fiscal year, and we expect a ramp-up in network transformation projects in Europe as well. Offsetting these favorable trends, however, we expect a $500 million revenue decline in China and India for this fiscal year, driven primarily by declines in PHS sales and delays in the issuance of 3G licenses in China, and to a lesser extent our selective participation in highly competitive market opportunities in India," concluded Russo.

http://www.lucent.com

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Japan's Sentivision Selects Motorola's IPTV Set-tops

Sentivision has selected the Motorola VIP series IPTV set-top platform for providing video service to Japanese subscribers. Sentivision becomes the first service provider outside of North America to deploy the Motorola VIP set-top. Financial terms were not disclosed.



For this service deployment, Sentivision will port its advanced middleware suite to the Motorola set-top platform.

http://www.motorola.com

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Canada's Rogers Reports Subscriber Growth

Rogers Communications reported that revenues increased by 28.4% in Q1 over last year, with growth coming from all three of its operating units, including 20.1% growth at Rogers Wireless, 53.2% growth at Rogers Cable and Telecom and 9.5% growth at Rogers Media.



Highlights of the first quarter of 2006 include the following:

• Postpaid voice and data subscriber growth continued to be strong at Wireless, where quarterly net additions of 89,600 subscribers reflected a modest increase from the strong postpaid subscriber growth reported in the first quarter of 2005. Postpaid subscriber levels are up 14.8% year-over-year while total postpaid and prepaid subscribers are up 11.4%.



• Wireless postpaid subscriber monthly churn continued to decrease, down 43 basis points to 1.47% versus 1.90% in the first quarter of 2005, while postpaid monthly ARPU increased 5.1% in the quarter to $62.20. This increase reflects a 72.0% lift in data revenues, which represented 10.3% of total network revenue in the quarter as well as continued growth in roaming and optional services.



• Wireless announced that it has begun deploying UMTS/HSDPA equipment.



• Cable and Telecom ended the quarter with nearly one-half million Home Phone subscriber lines, with net additions of 48,700 cable telephony subscriber lines and 11,400 circuit-switched telephony subscriber lines since December 31, 2005. Cable and Telecom continued to expand the availability of its Home Phone voice-over-cable telephony service through the first quarter of 2006, with service now available to approximately 85% of the homes in its cable service areas.



• Cable and Telecom added 50,000 net digital cable subscribers (households) representing a 35.9% increase over the growth experienced during the first quarter of 2005 of 36,800, while residential high-speed Internet subscribers grew by 40,300 in this quarter to a total of 1,176,500.



• At the end of the quarter, Rogers launched a broadband fixed wireless service in 20 cities across Canada as the first offering enabled by its Inukshuk joint venture. This service gives customers wireless portable access to Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet services at speeds up to 1.5 Mbps.

http://www.rogers.com

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AudioCodes Partners with CompTek in Russia

AudioCodes will supply its media gateways to the Russian market via a partnership with CompTek, a leading Russian distributor of networking and telecommunications equipment. AudioCodes said its range of products, including its carrier class media gateways and servers, has successfully been interoperability-tested, evaluated and deployed in a variety of VoIP networks in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

http://www.audiocodes.com

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Nokia Teams with CommTel and Soul in Australia

CommTel Network Solutions Australia, a value added network integrator, will supply Nokia' broadband DSL solutions and related services to the Soul group of companies all operating in Australia. Deliveries commenced in January 2006 and the system will be up and running during April 2006.



The deployment includes the Nokia D500 IP Multi Service Access Node, which can deliver access in excess of 24 Mbps, IPTV, and VoIP in conjunction with Soul's SIP-based softswitch.



Soul is the new brand name for the SPT group of companies which includes Soul Pattinson Telecommunications, B Digital, Digiplus, Kooee and SPTCom (formerly Comindico) all operating in Australia. The Soul network is a fully converged video, voice and data IP-based network with distributed switching throughout regional Australia. These capabilities enable Soul to deliver broadband products and services, whether voice, video or data, through to the "last mile" on its own fully converged network throughout metropolitan, regional and rural Australia.

http://www.nokia.com

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First Avenue Networks Selects Huawei for SONET Core

First Avenue Networks, which provides U.S. carriers with wireless backhaul and access services, selected Huawei's SONET platform for its core network. The company will initially utilize Huawei's OptiX Metro 800 system for wireless backhaul applications, providing wireless carriers with T1, T3, 10/100 Carrier Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet services to meet the current and evolving needs of broadband wireless networks. First Avenue will also use OptiX Metro 800 to deliver wireless access services to wholesale service providers focused on enterprise and government markets.



Huawei's OptiX Metro SONET product line includes the M800 OC3/12 (future OC48), M1600 OC48/192 Compact and M3600 Core OC48/192 elements. This range of products share common interfaces.

http://www.huawei.com

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Intel Invests in Zensys for Wireless Home Control

Intel has made an investment in Zensys, a start-up based in Menlo Park, California that is developing mesh networking technology for wireless home control and automation. Financial terms were not disclosed.



Zensys' Z-Wave is a low-cost, interoperable RF-based wireless mesh networking technology that is already available in wireless home control and automation products from leading consumer brands. The technology can be used for digital control of a wide array of home devices including lighting, appliances, HVAC, entertainment, access and security systems and more.



The news follows closely on the heels of Intel and Monster joining the Z-Wave Alliance as principal members. The Z-Wave Alliance is a consortium of 125+ companies - including Linksys, Zensys, Leviton, Logitech, Intermatic, Wayne Dalton, Danfoss and Universal Electronics - that are actively developing Z-Wave-enabled products and technologies for residential home control applications.

http://www.zen-sys.com

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