Deutsche Telekom Outlines Seven-Point Strategy

Deutsche Telekom's Supervisory Board has given the go-ahead for changes in DT's management structure, in line with a new, 7-point program called "Telekom 2010."



T-Systems CEO Lothar Pauly will head the areas Networks, IT and Purchasing worldwide, while T-Mobile CEO Rene Obermann will be responsible for over-the-counter sales in Germany. Kai-Uwe Ricke will assume responsibility for advertising budgets, media planning and media coordination along with global brand-management.



The Telekom 2010 Plan



1. Germany -- DT aims to safeguard current earnings on a sustained basis, thereby securing its future in the long run. It plans to defend market share with attractive package deals and excellent service.



2. Europe -- In the European markets, the objective is to sustainably increase revenue market share by 2010.



3. USA -- DT seeks to maximize its revenue market share and develop T-Mobile USA into the Group's largest business unit in the consumer area.



4. Business customers -- In the European business customer market, Deutsche Telekom intends to achieve a market position among the Top 3 across all customer segments.



5. Innovation -- DT is concentrating on IPTV, mobile Internet and ICT services.



6. Service -- DT aims to achieve a first-done rate of around 80 percent. In 2007, the company will continue existing programs, such as integrating its customer database and CRM.



7. Efficiency -- DT seeks to become the strongest company in terms of earnings in the European industry by the year 2010. Measures in this area are IP-based infrastructure, IT architecture as well as enhanced sales and marketing efficiency.

http://www.telekom.de

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Huawei to Supply UMTS for Uruguay's ANTEL

Administración Nacional de Telecomunicaciones ("ANTEL"), the leading telecom operator in Uruguay has selected Huawei Technologies for its UMTS network. Huawei is supplying the HSDPA-based end-to-end UMTS solution for ANTEL. Financial terms were not disclosed.



Huawei's UMTS solution encompasses its HSDPA-based series NodeB, compatible mobile Softswitch core network for GSM/GPRS/3GPP R99/3GPP R4, open intelligent network and mobile data platform, uniform network management solution and operating support system.



Huawei said it has now secured 31 UMTS/HSDPA commercial contracts to date.

http://www.huawei.comhttp://www.antel.com.uy

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Amino Announces Internet-TV Set-top Box

Amino has entered the Internet TV market with a new set-top box designed for Web-based video services.



The AmiNET125i is a multi-codec unit, designed to deliver Windows Media 9 and MPEG-4 video streams to a TV. The product features a low-cost digital signal processor (DSP) supporting a range of decoders which are widespread in the world of Internet-based content. There is also a host processor to ensure the user experience is on a par with that of a PC-based web portal.



In anticipation of DRM issues, the AmiNET125i supports Microsoft Windows Media Digital Rights Management 10 (WM DRM10). The unit will also integrate an embedded HTML 4 browser providing JavaScript. This allows content to be resized to fit the larger TV screen, regardless of its dimensions, ensuring the best possible user experience.



Amino is partnering with Narrowstep, a provider of IP-delivered video content, to bring true Internet TV to the living room.

http://www.aminocom.com

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BT Anticipates First Live Customer Upgrades to 21CN in November

BT announced details of the first steps it will take to transition customers in the UK to its 21st century network (21CN). Starting in late November this year, BT, working closely with other communications providers, will begin the planned upgrade of customers and their voice and broadband services, in Cardiff and the surrounding area.



The first stage of the new network will be delivered in three phases, increasing in scale with each phase. Phase one, to run from November this year until March 2007, will see the upgrade of voice services to some 10 percent of customer lines in Cardiff and the surrounding area. Phase two, from April to mid May 2007, will deliver a further 10 percent of upgraded lines.



By the end of Phase 3 in the summer of 2007, BT will have upgraded all 350,000 customer lines. 90,000 of these lines also support broadband and ISDN2 and ISDN30 services. Private circuit-based services, which typically support business-critical corporate applications, will not be migrated on to the new network until much later in the programme.



At the end of the final stage of the Cardiff upgrade, BT and other communications providers will begin an in-depth review before moving to the planned national upgrade of all remaining customers across the UK, some 30 million lines supported from over 5,500 telephone exchanges, from January 2008.http:///www.btplc.com

• In July 2006, BT announced that its trial 21st Century Network (21CN) was currently handling more than 625,000 live customer calls per day and more than 23 million customer calls had been completed to date. The trial involves the use of an IP link to carry voice calls between two major network nodes at Cambridge and Woolwich.
  
  
  
  
  BT said the success of its trial represents a significant step towards the creation of its next generation network. It builds on the previous trial which ran from October to December 2005 where fourteen million calls were successfully carried on the IP network and voice quality monitoring carried out.
  
  
  
  Multi service access nodes or MSANs from Huawei and Fujitsu are already in use, carrying voice services onto the core network from trial customer lines. This equipment is being installed at 18 exchanges in South East London, Kent and East Anglia.
  
  
  
  For this stage of the trial, BT has also newly introduced Cisco's media gateway; Ericsson's call server and a Cisco Catalyst Switch. Other key technology components are Alcatel's LAN switch and Siemens/Juniper routers used in a previous 21CN voice trial.

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Working Prototype of Prototype of Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Receiver Developed

STMicroelectronics, in cooperation with Kenwood and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (Fraunhofer IIS), presented a fully working prototype of a "Digital Radio Mondiale" (DRM) receiver at last week's IFA Consumer Electronics trade fair in Berlin. The prototype could pave the way to the development of a low-power Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) for DRM applications such as fixed and portable radios, car receivers, software receivers, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs).



Standardized by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), Digital Radio Mondiale is a universal, open standard digital radio system with FM-like sound quality available to markets worldwide for long-wave (LW), medium-wave (MW), and short-wave (SW) frequencies. In addition to providing substantially better audio quality and interference-free reception, the DRM system benefits listeners with new multimedia content such as track title, artist, and station name, which can be displayed on DRM receivers to enhance the listening experience.



Unlike digital radio systems that require a new frequency allocation, DRM just uses more efficiently the existing Amplitude Modulation (AM) broadcast frequency bands (below 30MHz). The DRM signal fits into the AM broadcast-band plan and could be carried by many existing AM transmitters.

http://www.drm.org

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Broadcom's Antitrust Complaint Against QUALCOMM Dismissed

The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey has dismissed Broadcom's antitrust complaint against QUALCOMM in its entirety. Originally filed in July of 2005 and later amended, the complaint alleged a variety of purported antitrust violations by QUALCOMM, each of which was rejected by the District Court.



"QUALCOMM is pleased by the Court's thoughtful and comprehensive ruling dismissing all of Broadcom's claims," said Steve Altman, president, QUALCOMM. "Our business model is built upon making our innovations available to the entire wireless industry through the widespread licensing of our intellectual property and the creation and supply of advanced chipsets and software solutions.

http://www.qualcomm.com

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RadiSys Completes Convedia Acquisition

RadiSys Corporation completed its previously-announced acquisition of Convedia, a leading supplier of IP media processing technologies and IP media server products.




RadiSys paid $105 million in cash at closing. RadiSys could pay up to an additional $10 million in cash determined by a contingent formula tied to achieving certain profitability goals during the twelve-month period beginning October 1, 2006.

http://www.radisys.comhttp://www.convedia.com

• Convedia's family of media servers enable fixed, mobile and cable service providers to deliver processed media streams for IMS and pre-IMS services. Convedia media servers also support media-rich applications and services on converged enterprise networks. In addition, Convedia's eXMP technology delivers a common set of IP media processing features, control and management interfaces, and can be deployed on third-party Linux-based servers, embedded in third-party proprietary platforms such as routers, switches, and gateways and deployed on purpose-built, highly-optimized IP Media Server platforms. Convedia is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.



• RadiSys is a leading provider of advanced embedded solutions for the communications networking and commercial systems markets. The company helps OEMs bring better products to market faster and more economically. Its products include embedded boards, platforms and systems. RadiSys is headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon.

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Global Crossing to Provide VoIP for UK's Inuk Networks

Global Crossing was awarded a three-year contract to offer VoIP as part of a triple-play offering being launched by Inuk Networks later this year aimed initially at the UK university student population, which totals over three million. The service will include broadband Internet access, IPTV and VoIP. Inuk's "Freewire" promises broadcast-quality television over IP networks that have a multi-casting capability. The Freewire bundle includes VoIP and Internet services.



Since July 2005, Inuk has been collaborating with UKERNA, operators of the JANET education and research network in the UK, to use this high-capacity IP infrastructure to transport both IPTV and VoIP services. Through a single connection, students will be able to receive mainstream and premium television content, as well as low-cost telephony to keep in touch with fellow students, university staff and the world at large.



Students will be able to make SIP calls from phones or "soft-phones" on PCs. Calls to other students will be free and Global Crossing will terminate fixed-line and wireless outbound calls to domestic and international destinations via its global VoIP network. External callers will be able to make calls at highly competitive rates using a single 0844 local rate number. Incoming traffic also will be routed over Global Crossing's VoIP network.

http://www.globalcrossing.comhttp://www.inuknetworks.com

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Alcatel to acquire Nortel's UMTS Radio Access Business

Alcatel agreed to acquire Nortel's UMTS radio access business (UTRAN) and related assets for US$320 million -- making Alcatel one of the world's largest suppliers of UMTS radio access solutions.



The proposed sale includes Nortel's UMTS access product portfolio made up of the Radio Network Controller and Node B products and OAM solutions, related services and associated assets. It is anticipated that the significant majority of employees of Nortel's UMTS access business will transfer to Alcatel.



The deal adds an additional fourteen UMTS customers to the Alcatel customer list. The company would then have a global footprint that amounts to one in four UMTS operators. This would include strong relationships with 12 of the top 15 mobile service providers worldwide and all of the top 15 service providers worldwide.



Alcatel said the acquisition would also significantly strengthened its research and development capabilities, especially in HSxPA and 3G Long-Term Evolution (3G LTE), fully leveraging Alcatel's expertise in multi-standard radio solutions and Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology.



"We are clearly poised to become a strong number 3 in UMTS and HSxPA," said Marc Rouanne, President of Alcatel's mobile communications activities. "Combined with our strong GSM/EDGE position, our early leadership in WiMAX and our strong commitment to LTE, this acquisition will add further momentum to Alcatel's broadband wireless access strategy. Through the contemplated merger with Lucent, the combined company will also enjoy a leading position in CDMA EV-DO, including a clear commitment to Rev C, thus offering the most comprehensive and innovative wireless access portfolio in the industry."



Nortel said the deal would simplify its business and strategically focus its investments for leadership in key markets -- next-generation mobility, enterprise transformation, and services and applications. As part of its ongoing mobility business, Nortel will continue to develop and support solutions for the evolution of GSM access and core, GSM-R, GPRS and EDGE technologies as well as CDMA access and core and UMTS core.



"Nortel is sharpening its focus on the markets in which we intend to lead. Our UMTS access business lacks the scale and momentum needed to become profitable," said Mike Zafirovski, president and chief executive officer, Nortel.

http://www.alcatel.comhttp://www.nortel.com

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Huawei Wins Phase II IPTV contract in Morocco

Morocco's Maroc Telecom has selected Huawei as the exclusive supplier for the second phase of its IPTV project. In just 3 months since launching IPTV service, Maroc Telecom has registered more than 10,000 subscribers.



The first phase of the IPTV project covered the capital city Rabat and Casablanca, and the service focused on BTV and VOD using H.264 encoding.



In the phase two contract, Huawei will enable "Video Value-Added Services" for Maroc Telecom, and provide uniform management and backup of the network-wide equipment. Huawei will also supply content protection mechanisms and the EPG interface customization function that reflects the local characteristics of Morocco. The user channels will be expanded from the 50 channels implemented in phase I to 100 channels in phase II. IPTV service availability will be extended from Rabat and Casablanca to the entire country.



Huawei noted it now has over 40 carrier customers for its IPTV solution, including six commercial deployments which current serve over 300,000 subscribers.

http://www.huawei.comhttp://www.iam.ma

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Ciena Reports 16% Sequential Revenue Rise, 1-for-7 Reverse Stock Split

For its fiscal third quarter 2006 ended July 31, 2006, Ciena reported revenue of $152.5 million, representing a 16.3% sequential increase from fiscal second quarter revenue of $131.2 million, and an increase of 38.0% over the same period a year ago when the company reported sales of $110.5 million. Ciena's net loss (GAAP) for the fiscal third quarter 2006 was $4.3 million, or a net loss of $0.01 per share. This compares with a reported GAAP net loss of $51.0 million, or a net loss of $0.09 per share, for the same period a year ago.



"Strong sequential revenue growth in our fiscal third quarter, combined with significant progress toward a normalized operating model, attests to continued success in the execution of our strategy," said Ciena CEO and President Gary Smith. "We continue to see positive indicators in overall market demand for next-generation solutions that maximize the business case for IP service delivery," said Smith. "As a result of these market dynamics and strong traction across our product portfolio and customer landscape, we expect our fiscal fourth quarter revenue will trend upward sequentially by as much as 5% from our fiscal third quarter revenue."



Separately today, Ciena announced that its Board of Directors has approved a one-for-seven reverse split of its common stock to be effective as of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 22, 2006. Ciena said the purposes of the reverse split are "to increase the per share trading price of Ciena's common stock, thereby appealing to a broader range of investors; and to provide investors with more useful information in making period-to-period comparisons of Ciena's earnings per share."http://www.ciena.com

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Nokia Acquires gate5 for Mapping/Navigation in Mobile Devices

Nokia agreed to acquire gate5, a supplier of mapping, routing and navigation software and services, for an undisclosed sum.



gate5, which was founded in 1999 and is based in Berlin, provides software to leading personal navigation device manufacturers around the world. Its "smart2go" software enables a sophisticated mapping and navigation experience with advanced features such as house polygons, earth browsing and dynamic route guidance. All applications are extendable with more than 5,000 city guides, travel guides or services.

Nokia said it will continue to support gate5's PND (personal navigation device) customers and remains fully committed keeping them satisfied with enhanced software solutions. It will also continue to support gate5's multi-platform strategy for mobile devices, including Symbian, Linux, Windows Mobile, Palm and Java platforms.



Nokia sees the acquisition as an important step in developing the new product category of multimedia computers that offer people multiple ways to connect to information, entertainment and other people.



"Our combined expertise means that mobile device owners will enjoy a wide range of location based services," said Dr. Michael Halbherr, CEO, gate5. "Based on maps and routing functionality, there are countless useful features for mobile users; e.g. travel guides, search what is around you including restaurants, hotels, shops, etc. anything you need in your surroundings. We are excited to become part of Nokia and to be able to take the gate5 technologies and products to even wider audiences."http://www.nokia.comhttp://www.gate5.de

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Telstra Awards Contracts Valued at EUR 270 million to Alcatel

Telstra has budgeted AUD460 million (EUR 270 million) for upgrades to its fixed networks in a works program led by Alcatel.



In 2006/07, Alcatel will establish an IP network footprint in five Australian cities - Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide - by supplying and deploying its IP-DSLAMs, Ethernet aggregation and optical networking solutions.



A milestone reached in the lead up to this next phase of upgrades is the establishment of Telstra's state-of-the art Integration Laboratory in Australia, which will be managed by Alcatel.



This technology upgrade is unrelated to Telstra's previous Fibre to the Node (FTTN) proposal, which was put on hold earlier this year.

http://www.alcatel.comhttp://www.telstra.com

• In November 2005, Telstra announced a Network Transformation Project that will migrate its Australian voice and broadband access networks into a single IP-based infrastructure. At the time, the carrier said it aimed to have 80% of its Internet customers on broadband in three years (today 50% are on broadband). CAPEX plans for the next generation IP network called for an investment of more than A$10 billion over five years, of which A$2-3 billion is incremental over existing plans, with the IP core in place by the end of 2007. Telstra has selected three strategic vendors for this multiyear project: Alcatel, Cisco Systems, and Ericsson.

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Arcadian Raises $20 Million for IP-based Wireless Monitoring Network

Arcadian Networks, a privately held wireless carrier based in New York, raised an additional $20 million of financing from Clal Industries and Investments Ltd. (CII), Goldman Sachs and Gilo Ventures.



Arcadian Networks commenced operations in April 2006 and has introduced IP-based, private network and turn-key carrier services for real-time monitoring and control of mission-critical applications such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), security surveillance, VoIP, automatic meter reading (AMR), and workforce management. Industries that will use this network include electric and water utilities, as well as oil and gas, public safety, mining,
transportation and environmental companies.



Arcadian Networks operates a unique 700 MHz-based network.

http://www.arcadiannetworks.com/

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Fujitsu Names Keith Horn COO for U.S. Semiconductor Operation

Fujitsu Microelectronics America (FMA) named Keith Horn to be its Chief Operating Officer (COO). Horn, who is currently serving as senior vice president of sales and marketing, will report to Kazuyuki Kawauchi, President and CEO of Fujitsu Microelectronics America.http://us.fujitsu.com/micro

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HelloSoft to Provide Symbian VoIP and IMS/VCC Solutions

HelloSoft is extending its VoIP and IMS/VCC software solutions for mobile devices to the Symbian OS ecosystem. HelloSoft has a range of VoIP and wireless products. In addition, HelloSoft's IMS/VCC stack enables seamless hand-off between cellular and Wi-Fi networks for multi-mode handsets.



HelloSoft is headquartered in San Jose, California with an R&D facility in Hyderabad, India.
http://www.hellosoft.com

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ESnet and Internet2 to Launch Next Gen Research Network

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) and Internet2 will deploy a high capacity nationwide network that will greatly enhance the capabilities of researchers across the country who participate in the DOE's scientific research efforts.



Called ESnet4, the new network created through this partnership will initially operate on two dedicated 10 Gbps wavelengths on the new Internet2 nationwide infrastructure and will seamlessly scale by one wavelength per year for the next four to five years. It will deliver production IP capabilities as well as new optical services like point-to-point dynamic circuits. The network will serve large-scale DOE Office of Science projects such as DOE's participation in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Lab and several supercomputing centers.



Significantly, the ESNet4 optical infrastructure will provide flexibility and control through the dynamic provisioning of lightpaths and sub-channels.

The new ESnet4 infrastructure will be provided by Internet2 through its recently announced agreement with Level 3 Communications to develop a new advanced nationwide hybrid network infrastructure with enhanced IP services as well as new dynamic optical capabilities. Level 3, which will provide the underlying bandwidth services over a dedicated optical platform, is deploying Infinera's Digital Optical Networking equipment a to enable the provisioning of optical circuits dynamically. The new Internet2 network builds upon successful tests of dynamically provisioned optical waves for ESnet conducted earlier this year by the Hybrid Optical and Packet Infrastructure (HOPI) project of the Internet2 member community.




ESnet, funded by DOE's Office of Science and operated by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, connects more than 30 DOE laboratories and provides networking to over 100,000 DOE laboratory scientists. It is also used by more than 18,000 researchers from universities, other government agencies and private industry. ESnet directly serves major science facilities including particle accelerators, supercomputing centers, and massive scientific data storage systems.



Internet2's network currently connects over five million users at 270 research and education institutions in the U.S. and also provides access to over 80 international research networks. This partnership will allow university and lab researchers participating in ESnet activities to leverage their institutions' Internet2 network connection to access the ESnet4 infrastructure and its global network partners around the world.



"ESnet and Internet2 share a common technical vision for the evolution of dynamically delivered network capabilities that will enable the next-generation of scientific breakthroughs," said Bill Johnston, head of ESnet at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "In creating this partnership, ESnet and Internet2 will extend the most cutting-edge network capabilities with guaranteed carrier-class dependability, allowing our scientific community to focus its resources on its core research and educational objectives."http://www.es.net/http://www.internet2.edu/

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GSM Exceeds 50% Market Share in the Americas

GSM has taken more than fifty percent of the market share in the Americas, adding nearly 100 million new customers from June 2005 to June 2006. At the end of 2Q 2006, two billion of the world's 2.41 billion cellular subscribers used GSM/UMTS. Informa's World Cellular Information Service projects three billion GSM/UMTS customers by 2009, with 551 million of these subscribers using UMTS services. Some other notes:

• At 2Q 2005, GSM held 38% of the Americas market. Twelve months later, that market share has grown to 51%, and in several key countries the market
  
  shares are even more impressive.



• Brazil added 21 million new GSM customers in the year ending June 2006, and now represents more than 57% of the Brazilian wireless mobile market.



• GSM in Argentina added 12 million new GSM customers from June 2005 to June 2006, and now holds a market share of 77%, compared to CDMA and TDMA at 11%
  
  and 10%, respectively.



• GSM in Colombia added 14 million new GSM customers from June 2005 to June 2006, with a current market share of 80%, compared to CDMA and TDMA at 10%
  
  each.



• In Mexico, where 16 million new GSM subscriptions in one year have contributed to an almost 78% growth rate, GSM has captured 71% of market share, up
  
  from 48% only one year ago. This compares to a share of 18.5% for TDMA and 7% for CDMA.



• In the twelve months from Q2 2005 to Q2 2006, the GSM family of technologies gained nearly 500 million new customers worldwide, including 41 million new
  
  UMTS 3G customers.



• In June 2006, the industry milestone of 2 billion GSM subscriptions worldwide was reached, including subscriptions to UMTS at 70 million, and in the past
  
  year, new GSM subscriptions accounted for more than 90% of all net new digital wireless customers.



• Mobile broadband UMTS/HSDPA now has 45 networks in service in 32 countries and another 66 networks planned, in deployment, or in trial.



• Although voice still constitutes most cellular traffic, wireless data now exceeds 10 percent of ARPU.



• Data is based on figures from Informa Telecoms & Media World Cellular Information Service (WCIS).

3G Americas' President, Chris Pearson, stated, "2006 is the year for HSDPA. Only one year ago there were no commercial networks in play, and today you have more than 70 million customers using GSM for mobile broadband. Expect to see nearly all of the 289 operators publicly committed to deploying UMTS execute HSDPA on their networks, thereby achieving the best possible use of their spectrum assets, the lowest cost per bit of data and a wide variety in devices and applications for their customers."http://www.3gamericas.org/

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CBS Launches More Than 100 Broadband Channels of College Sports

CSTV Networks, a division of CBS, is launching more than 100 new broadband channels dedicated to live college sports. Consumers can subscribe to CSTV XXL via www.CSTVXXL.com or CSTV.com, which includes the entire array of All-Access broadband channels and all 10,000 events.



The service is powered by thePlatform Media Publishing System and Maven Network's Maven Media System.



"Exclusive Internet content has become a vital element as we segue from a mass media to a personalized media world," said Brian Bedol, President and CEO, CSTV Networks, Inc. "Oftentimes the only way passionate communities of college sports fans can stay connected and catch every play of every game is through original broadband content."http://www.cstv.com/mediaoverview

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Azaire Networks Secures $21 Million for FMC

Azaire Networks, a start-up based in Santa Clara, California, raised $21 million in new funding for its Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) solutions.



Azaire Networks' IP Converged Network Platform (IP-CNP) enables service providers to offer mobile broadband services through the creation of hybrid networks that integrate cellular and IP access networks (such as Wi-Fi and WiMAX).



The new funding was led by Investor Growth Capital and existing Series B investors Convergence Partners, Rustic Canyon Partners and Woodside Fund also participated in the round.



http://www.azairenet.com/

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FiberTower and First Avenue Networks Complete Merger

First Avenue Networks competed its merger with FiberTower Corporation. The old FiberTower Corporation is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, and the company has changed its name to FiberTower Corporation. Shares will be traded on Nasdaq under the new ticker symbol "FTWR".

The merger creates one of largest operators of wireless transport services in the U.S. Both companies operate networks to provide backhaul - transport from cell site to switch - for wireless carriers. The new company will have an installed base in 12 markets with more than 1,000 sites. The companies said their networks and operations are complementary and once combined will have minimal overlap.



The company also holds extensive spectrum in the 24 GHz and 39 GHz bands covering 99% of the United States.



The deal was first announced in May 2006 and valued at $1.5 billion at the time.

http://www.fibertower.com

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Flextronics Software Systems Claims Leading Share for SIP Stacks

Flextronics Software Systems (FSS) has captured the leading global market share in the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) stacks , according to a recent Venture Development Corporation (VDC) report. The company claims 32% share, according to VDC's Telecom Core Infrastructure Market Intelligence Service 2005-2006. http://www.flextronicssoftware.com

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Reliance Infocomm Deploys Ventuti Optimization on CDMA Network

Reliance Infocomm, India's largest CDMA operator, has deployed Venturi Wireless' optimization solution to enable its newly launched Netconnect with Netbooster service -- a mobile broadband service. The Reliance deployment consists of the Venturi VServer along with the VClient software for mobile devices.



Venturi's "Adaptive Airlink Optimization" leverages a patented Venturi Transport Protocol (VTP), developed specifically for wireless IP transport. The optimization improves the Internet Protocol operation over the wireless link, offering mobile data users accelerated access speeds, fewer dropped sessions and interruptions, and a more consistent overall user experience. The VServer, in coordination with the VClient software, delivers up to seven times higher data access speeds as well as significantly improved service availability under all radio frequency (RF) conditions.

http://www.venturiwireless.com

Wireless Transport Optimization Spurs Mobile IP Services

Broadband Internet is leaving the home and going mobile. But to deliver a wireless broadband experience that consistently meets user expectations, carriers must implement a wireless transport optimization solution that addresses the unique challenges of data transport over wireless networks. These include link delay, loss of data, and bandwidth variations�all of which can lead to slow connection speeds, dropped sessions, and inefficient utilization of bandwidth.

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Space Data Awarded $49 Million Air Force Contract For Near Space Communications System

Space Data Corporation of Arizona was awarded a five-year $49 million contract by the U.S. Air Force Space Command Space & Missile Systems Center's Development and Test Wing to provide a near space communications system.

"Near space" is defined as 65,000 to 135,000 feet (19,812m to 41,148m) above the earth--higher than airplanes fly, but lower than satellites.



Space Data said the Air Force Space Battlelab has carried out extensive testing of its system over the past two years. The tests included using the same tactical radios carried by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The results showed that ground-to-ground voice and data communications could be extended from 10 miles to over 400 miles using Space Data's balloon-borne payloads.



Space Data technology also improved communications between troops on the ground and pilots flying air support.



The Space Data system utilizes a balloon-borne platform that takes advantage of the very predictable winds in near space to position communications equipment 20 miles above the earth. The GPS-equipped platforms can be launched from the back of a Humvee, for example, and once at altitude provide excellent communications over thousands of square miles.



Space Data has offered a commercial version of its technology to the energy industry for more than two years. This "SkySite" system operates over the South-central and Southwestern United States and allows energy firms to monitor and control equipment remotely.

http://www.spacedata.net/

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Sierra Wireless Introduces USB modems for EV-DO Rev A and HSDPA

Sierra Wireless introduced its AirCard USB Wireless Modems for EV-DO Revision A and HSDPA networks. Based on Sierra Wireless PCI Express Mini Card embedded modules, the AirCard USB modems can either plug directly into the USB ports of both notebook and desktop computers, or be connected through a docking cradle. This offers an alternative for customers without PCMCIA card slots, and allows them to move a single wireless data service between multiple computers.

img border="0" src="https://dl.dropbox.com/u/11402824/CND/v13n167-sierra.jpg" align="right">


The AirCard 595U for EV-DO Revision A networks is expected to begin shipping in the fourth quarter of 2006. Shipments of the AirCard 875U, for use on HSDPA networks, are expected to follow in the first quarter of 2007.



The modems are compatible with both Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. An internal battery ensures optimal performance in fringe areas, while built-in GPS functionality allows for delivery of location-based services such as local searches and navigation assistance.



The EV-DO Revision A version offers maximum data speeds of 3.1 Mbps on the downlink and 1.8 Mbps on the uplink. For use in areas where an EV-DO Revision A network is not yet available, the AirCard 595U is also compatible with widely available EV-DO Release 0 and CDMA 1X networks.



The HSDPA version supports peak theoretical data rates of up to 3.6 Mbps on HSDPA networks and is upgradeable to support future network upgrades providing peak data rates of up to 7.2 Mbps. With support for HSDPA and UMTS on the 2100, 1900, and 850 MHz frequency bands, as well as support for EDGE and GPRS on the 1900, 1800, 900, and 850 MHz frequency bands, the AirCard 875U offers international 3G network roaming on networks worldwide.http:/www.sierrawireless.com

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SingTel Launches Global Ethernet Services

Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) launched international Ethernet service for its global corporate customers. SingTel's MPLS-based ConnectPlus Ethernet-VPN provides any-to-any connectivity between two or more countries and comes with Class of Service (CoS) and Service Level Guarantees (SLG).



ConnectPlus Ethernet-VPN will be available immediately between Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and United States. The service offers a bandwidth from 1 Mbps to 45 Mbps, with 1 Mbps increments. Network coverage will be enhanced over the next few months.
http://www.singtel.com

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Extreme Networks Appoints Mark Canepa as CEO

Extreme Networks named Mark Canepa as its new CEO, replacing company co-founder Gordon Stitt, who is retiring. Previously, Canepa was with Sun Microsystems where he served as executive vice president of the Network Storage Products Group. Before that, he served in multiple vice president and general manager roles at Sun, after joining the company in 1996.

http://www.extremenetworks.com

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ZyXEL Selects Texas Instruments' VoIP for Access Devices and IP Phones

ZyXEL Communications, a supplier of residential gateways, has chosen Texas Instruments' VoIP products for its voice-enabled DSL access devices, VoIP gateways and IP phones. The first IP phones with TI's chipset will be available at CeBIT 2007. Prior to that, ZyXEL will roll out its high-port density VoIP gateway, P2024.



TI's VoIP gateway product suite combines hardware and software-based functionality on an optimized architecture and co-defined features for a range of voice over packet applications. http://www.ti.com/http://www.zyxel.com/

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Sumitomo Selects Ikanos' VDSL2 Chipsets

Sumitomo Electric Networks (SEN) has selected Ikanos Communications' Fx 100100-5 and Fx100100S-5 CO and CPE chipsets for its next generation of broadband equipment. Ikanos' products enable symmetric 100 Mbps bandwidth as well as POTS-compatible "IP-Phone" services.

http://www.ikanos.com

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JDSU Posts Revenue of $318.2 million

JDSU posted GAAP net revenue for its fourth fiscal quarter ended 30-June02006 of $318.2 million, up 86% year- over-year, due primarily to 25% growth in its Optical Communications business and the addition of the Communications Test and Measurement segment in August last year. Fourth quarter GAAP net loss of $(45.8) million compares to a GAAP net loss of $(145.7) million in the year-ago quarter, and to GAAP net income of $3.7 million in the third quarter.



"Year-over-year revenue growth and improved profitability metrics highlight JDSU's advancement towards a profitable and sustainable business model," said Kevin Kennedy, JDSU's Chief Executive Officer.

http://www.jdsu.com

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Verizon Removes DSL Supplier Surcharge

Verizon Communications will drop previously announced plans to impose a supplier surcharge for DSL-based Internet access service on its retail customers. A small number of customers who have already been billed for the surcharge will receive a credit.



Verizon Online began notifying its retail customers earlier this month of its plans to pass through a surcharge imposed by its affiliated operating telephone companies to cover costs associated with providing DSL service to customers who do not also subscribe to Verizon's traditional phone service. At the same time that the surcharge was to have been added, a federal government charge, the Universal Service Fund recovery fee, was eliminated from the bills.



In a statement, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said "I am pleased that both Verizon and BellSouth have eliminated fees recently imposed on their DSL customers. Consumers should receive the benefits of the Commission's action last summer to remove regulations imposed on DSL service. The continued deployment of broadband at affordable prices for consumers remains my top priority as Chairman."http://www.verizon.com

• Earlier this week, BellSouth decided to eliminate a $2.97 per month charge associated with consumer DSL service, agreeing to pass on the savings that began when a federal regulatory fee expired earlier in August. According to media reports, the decision followed a set of letters sent by the FCC to BellSouth and Verizon informing them of forthcoming investigations into potential violations of truth-in-billing laws. At issue is whether operators are continuing to collect regulatory fees that the government is no longer assessing.

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TiVo Reaches 4.4 Million Users

TiVo reported better than expected bottom line results with a net loss of ($6.4) million and net loss per share of ($0.07) for the quarter, compared to a net loss of $(0.9) million, or $(0.01) per share, for the second quarter last year. For the quarter, service and technology revenues increased 30% to $52.9 million, compared to $40.7 million for the same period last year.



TiVo-Owned subscription gross additions were 74,000 for the quarter, a 4% decrease compared to 77,000 in the second quarter of last year.



TiVo reported 30,000 new net TiVo-Owned subscriptions. This figure was impacted by a slightly improved year-over-year churn rate set against a higher average subscription base, resulting in an additional 7,000 churn compared to last year.



TiVo reported a net decline in the number of DIRECTV TiVo subscriptions during the period, against several thousand per month of new TiVo subscriptions that were still being added by DIRECTV during the quarter.



Total subscriptions as of July 31, 2006, were up slightly from last quarter to more than 4.4 million, and up 24% over the year-ago subscription totals.



TiVo-Owned ARPU per month was $8.88. DIRECTV ARPU per month was $0.96. http://www.tivo.com

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Huawei Wins HSDPA Contract with Saudi Arabia's Mobily

Saudi Arabia's Mobily selected Huawei Technologies for the construction of a UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) based on High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA). Huawei will supply its New Generation Node B solution, which incorporates highly efficient digital power amplifiers and support the multi-carrier technology. Financial terms were not disclosed.



Mobily is owned by Etisalat of the United Arab Emirates. As one of Mobily's primary suppliers, Huawei strategically collaborates with Mobily not only in the field of 3G, but also GSM.

http://www.huawei.com

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ADC Posts Sales of $344 Million, Up 12% from 3Q05

ADC reported revenue for its third fiscal quarter ended July 28, 2006 of $343.6 million, compared with $358.1 million in the preceding quarter and $307.0 million a year earlier. Gross margin was 39.2%, compared with 38.7% in Q2 and 41.2% last year.



Broadband Infrastructure and Access sales of $293 million decreased by 4% from the second quarter of 2006. The sequential decline is primarily due to short-term impacts of both customer consolidation activity affecting current spending rates and customers' current inventory levels, which are higher than current deployment rates. Sales of global copper connectivity solutions fell by 11% and global fiber connectivity sales declined by 6%. These declines were partially offset by the 16% growth in sales of global enterprise connectivity solutions.



Compared with last year, there was a 77% increase in global fiber connectivity sales and 5% sales increases in both global copper connectivity and global enterprise connectivity products. This growth was partially offset by lower sales in wireless access systems and, to a lesser extent, wireline access systems. Global fiber connectivity sales were strong in central-office infrastructure and FTTX deployments. Third quarter 2006 sales of global fiber connectivity solutions were boosted by $35 million in sales of FTTX products from FONS, which ADC acquired on August 26, 2005. Sales of global copper connectivity solutions grew as a result of demand for ADC's products that support the copper infrastructure in wireless, digital subscriber line, fiber-to-the-node and -curb networks partially offset by lower sales of copper products to support central-office infrastructure.



On a year-over-year basis, third quarter 2006 sales for Professional Services increased by 6% to $50 million, primarily as a result of higher sales in the United States to a customer resuming and expanding its network build programs. Sales in Europe were lower due to contract timing with various customers. On a quarterly sequential basis from the second quarter of 2006, Professional Services sales in the third quarter of 2006 decreased by 3%, primarily due to lower sales in both the United States due to merger activity among customers and in Europe due to contract timing with various customers.



ADC said it believes its expansion in recent periods into markets for FTTX, wireless and enterprise products, as well as changes in the seasonality of customer spending due to FTTX and other broadband initiatives, has changed the historical seasonality of its business.



In the past, ADC's sales of these products have fluctuated from quarter to quarter, something the company believes that may continue. It expects future sales in its first fiscal quarter will be lower than in other quarters.



"We are pleased that we were able to achieve third-quarter results better than the preliminary outlook provided on July 19. While we expect our results to fluctuate from quarter to quarter, we believe carrier consolidation, wireline/wireless convergence, subscriber retention/growth and network evolution to Internet Protocol communications services create strong long-term potential for ADC's solutions to connect our customers' next-generation wireless, broadband, video, data and voice services," said Robert E. Switz, president and CEO of ADC.

http://www.adc.com

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China Netcom Deploys Alcatel's NGN in Hei Longjiang

Hei Longjiang Netcom, a subsidiary of China Netcom, has selected Alcatel's Next Generation Network (NGN) platform. The project is the first province-wide fixed network migration for China Netcom. Upon completion, which is expected at the end of September 2006, seven million subscribers of Hei Longjiang Netcom will be able to access multimedia services such as prepaid phone, color ring back tones, universal personal telecommunications (UPT), free calls from the internet (Web 800), and click-to-dial.



The deployment includes the Alcatel 5020 Softswitch, Alcatel 7510 Media Gateway and Alcatel 1430 Unified Home Subscriber Server as well as the Alcatel 1540 Multi-service Access Gateway. Alcatel will also provide network design and integration, deployment, maintenance and on-going support for Hei Longjiang Netcom. Financial terms were not disclosed.



Prior to this project, Alcatel was selected by China Netcom to deploy a nationwide long-distance NGN trial network covering all 31 provinces of China. The company noted that it is involved with more than 90 NGN projects globally, including operators such as BT, Asia Pacific Telecom Group (Taiwan) and Telekom Austria.

http://www.alcatel.com

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Universal Music Group Signs with SpiralFrog for Advertising-Supported Downloads

Universal Music Group (UMG) agreed to make its extensive music catalog available for legal downloading in the US and Canada via SpiralFrog's advertising-supported service. SpiralFrog will offer users of its no-cost web-based service the ability to legally download music.



Microsoft's DRM is built-in to all audio and video content as part of measures that SpiralFrog and its partners are actively taking to address piracy.



SpiralFrog plans to launch a beta of its advertising-support download service in December.

http://www.spiralfrog.com

• SpiralFrog is headed by Robin Kent, who previously was Chairman and CEO (2002-2005) for the global media communications agency Universal McCann Worldwide, part of McCann-Erickson. SpiralFrog's technical team is led by Vesa Suomalainen (CTO), who joined the company in May 2004 after working at Microsoft for 12 years.

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RCN Deploys Turin's Traverse Multiservice Transport Switch

RCN Business Solutions is deploying Turin Networks' Traverse Multiservice Transport Switch to launch Carrier Ethernet services to business customers. The Traverse platform unifies Carrier Ethernet/MPLS switching with next-generation SONET/SDH functionality in a single shelf optimized for metro and interoffice deployments.



RCN Business Solutions has over 9500 route miles of fiber optic and coaxial cable at its disposal in six key metropolitan markets: Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Chicago and San Francisco.



The deployed Carrier Ethernet applications include multipoint E-LAN, as well as point-to-point Ethernet Private Line (EPL) services at both 10/100 and 1,000 Mbps rates, with bandwidth flexibility in 1 Mbps increments.

http://www.turinnetworks.com

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Kineto Announces UMA Support for 3G/UMTS Handsets

Kineto Wireless' UMA client software now supports 3G/UMTS. UMA enables consumers to seamlessly roam and hand-over between the cellular network (3G/UMTS or 2.5G/GSM/GPRS/EDGE) and Wi-Fi access points in the home or office.



Kineto's client technology supports 2.5/GSM/GPRS/EDGE today and is currently licensed by Samsung, LG Electronics, and SIM Technology Group. The client is available for platforms from Philips Electronics, Texas Instruments, and Infineon/Comneon. Kineto said it working with existing licensees to bring the new 3G solution to market.



UMA enables consumers to seamlessly roam and hand-over between the cellular network (3G/UMTS or 2.5G/GSM/GPRS/EDGE) and Wi-Fi access points in the home or office.



Service providers who have embraced UMA technology as part of a fixed-mobile convergence strategy include Telecom Italia, France Telecom/Orange and TeliaSonera.

http://www.kineto.com

How UMA Enables Broadband IMS

Originally developed by 15 leading companies in the mobile industry, Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) is now the 3GPP standard for enabling subscriber access to mobile services over Wi-Fi and broadband IP networks. The UMA standard effectively creates a parallel radio access network - the UMA Network (UMAN) that interfaces to the mobile core network using existing GSM-defined standard interfaces. This solution uses IP tunneling techniques to transparently extend mobile voice, data, and IMS services over IP access networks. Here is an overview of UMA.

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Wi-Fi Alliance to Certify Pre-Standard IEEE 802.11n

The Wi-Fi Alliance plans to certify interoperability of Wi-Fi products that include baseline features from the developing IEEE 802.11n standard in the first half of 2007. This is the first phase in a certification program of the next generation of Wi-Fi products. A second phase brings full alignment with the ratified standard. The second phase of the program, which will be introduced at the time of final IEEE 802.11n ratification, will support compatibility between Wi-Fi CERTIFIED pre-standard products and those certified to the full standard.



The IEEE recently updated its estimated timeline for ratification of a full 802.11n standard, and is now targeting the first quarter of 2008 for final approval. However, Wi-Fi products implementing features from the draft specification are in the market now, and analysts forecast that tens of millions of pre-standard devices will ship in 2007.

http://www.wi-fi.org

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Hibernia Atlantic Cites Risk to Submarine Cables

Hibernia Atlantic, which operates the trans-Atlantic undersea cable systems linking Dublin, Manchester, London, New York, Halifax, Montreal and Boston, issued a call for the greater awareness and need for government understanding of the submarine cables linking North America with Europe.



Hibernia Atlantic is concerned that the cables' importance as an economic infrastructure has not been properly addressed within the global community.



Hibernia Atlantic said there are two areas that merit attention:

• Government assistance. Designating protection zones, placing several cables in to one bore pipe, restricting fishing activities and increasing military air surveillance.



• Educating network purchasers in laying out a plan for sufficient geographic diversity. Both examples are proactive protection approaches versus reactive.

The company points out that some countries have already recognized the extreme importance of the communications infrastructure. For example, Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA)'s just announced a new protection regime proposal, restricting and prohibiting certain maritime activities up to 40 nautical miles off the Sydney beaches. These beaches are the limited landing points of some of Australia's most important submarine cables.



"We at Hibernia Atlantic believe that promoting education on the trans- Atlantic existing communications networks will generate increased submarine security," states Derek Bullock, Sr. Director of Operations and Submarine Activity for Hibernia Atlantic. "Currently there are only seven modern fiber optic submarine cables in use in the Atlantic Ocean. And all but two of these cables are owned by foreign organizations and a majority of these companies are sharing common backhaul. We need to consider the security of these lines as the highest priority."



http://www.hiberniaatlantic.com/

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Verizon and Microsoft to Co-branded Windows Live Services

Verizon Communications has expanded its alliance with Microsoft and plans to offer its consumer DSL and FiOS Internet customers a co-branded suite of Microsoft Windows Live services. Under the partnership, Verizon customers will have access to:

• a co-branded Live.com home page


• a Windows Live Toolbar,


• a co-branded Windows Live Search page,


• Verizon e-mail powered by Windows Live Mail,


• a co-branded version of Windows Live Messenger


• safety protection via Windows Live OneCare safety scanner.

Verizon will continue delivering MSN Premium services to current subscribers, with new Windows Live offerings set to roll out early next year.http://get.live.com/http://www.verizon.com

• Verizon and Microsoft began their partnership in April 2002.

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Nokia to Resell Sourcefire's Intrusion Prevention System

Nokia plans to offer Sourcefire's Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) on its portfolio of high-performance IP Security Platforms. Nokia Intrusion Prevention with Sourcefire will provide enterprises with defense-in-depth by analyzing network traffic to discover risks, determine their business impact and take actions to defend the network.



Sourcefire's Intrusion Prevention system leverages open source Snort technology, which it created and manages.



The Nokia Intrusion Prevention line will join the Nokia IP Security family which also features Integrated Security, Firewalls, IP VPN and SSL VPN for businesses.

http://www.nokia.com

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Verizon Wholesale Offers National SLAs for High Capacity Circuits

Verizon Partner Solutions has filed tariffs with the FCC for a new national service level agreement (SLA) plan for customers who buy interstate DS-1 and DS-3 special access services.



Under the new Verizon optional National SLA plan, if a special access service is not installed by the committed due date, DS-1 customers could receive a credit worth up to 50 percent of the monthly recurring charge for the service, or up to $500 -- depending on the Verizon tariff that applies. DS-3 customers could receive a credit of up to $1,000.



For repair under the new SLA plan, customers could be eligible for a credit of up to $250 for a DS-1 service outage not resolved within a specified time, or a credit of up to $1,000 for a DS-3 service outage not resolved within a specified time.



There is no extra charge for those customers who opt for the new SLA plan. To be eligible, DS-1 and DS-3 special access service customers must sign a subscription form prior to receiving the benefits of the plan.



"In talking to customers of these high-capacity services, they want an option to choose something more in terms of a service level agreement plan beyond what's contained in the basic SLA provisions that we have today," said Quintin Lew, vice president - marketing for Verizon Partner Solutions.

http://www.verizon.com

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Motorola to Develop Mobile WiMAX Chipset

Motorola has launched a strategic initiative to develop mobile WiMAX chipsets for use in Motorola's next-generation WiMAX devices. Motorola's initial chipset will focus on core 802.16e mobile WiMAX functionality supporting voice, video, and data for low power mobile applications in handsets and modules. These first chipsets are scheduled to support commercial Motorola WiMAX devices in 2008 for carriers in North America, Japan and around the world including Sprint and others. Motorola is working with its silicon vendors on the overall fabrication of the new chipsets.



Motorola's previous WiMAX announcements have included:

• Selected to support Sprint Nextel's nationwide WiMAX network build out.



• Chosen by SOFTBANK for end-to-end WiMAX trial in Japan.



• Motorola and Intel fund Clearwire Corp. for portable and mobile WiMAX networks.



• Chosen to plan, design and deploy a nationwide WiMAX network in Pakistan.

http://www.motorola.com

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Fujitsu Microelectronics Expands Networking ASIC Cores

Fujitsu Microelectronics America expanded its portfolio of IP cores for networking, communications and storage system applications, introducing three new macros for custom ASIC designs.



The new macros include Fujitsu's Serial ATA physical layer storage interface, a 10 Gbps clock data recovery transceiver, and a SerDes macro that is compliant with PCI Express version 1.0a. All three macros can be used in designs built using Fujitsu's 0.11-micron process technology. The PCI Express SerDes and Serial ATA macros have also been designed to be used in 90-nanometer designs. All macros can be applied in customer-owned tooling (COT) and ASIC designs.
http://us.fujitsu.com/micro/ASIC

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AT&T Awarded $250 Million DoD Networking Contract

AT&T Government Solutions was awarded the Joint Hawaii Information Transfer System (JHITS) contract by the Defense Information Technology Contracting Office (DITCO) - Pacific. JHITS is a six-year contract with four one-year options and has an estimated value of $250 million. AT&T will provide customized telecommunications and data services to the Hawaii-based military departments.



DITCO-Pacific is a part of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), a division of the Department of Defense (DoD), which oversees the Department of Defense's networking needs.

http://www.att.comhttp://www.disa.mil/

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Google CEO Joins Apple's Board of Directors

Dr. Eric Schmidt, chief executive officer of Google, was elected to Apple's board of directors. Schmidt joined Google from Novell, where he was chairman and CEO. Prior to joining Novell, Eric was chief technology officer at Sun Microsystems, Inc., where he led the development of Java, Sun's platform- independent programming technology, and defined Sun's Internet software strategy. Before joining Sun in 1983, he was a member of the research staff at the Computer Science Lab at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and held positions at Bell Laboratories and ZiLOG.

http://www.apple.com

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Psytechnics Raises $20 Million for its Quality of Experience (QoE) Assessment Tools

Psytechnics, a start-up headquartered in Ipswich, UK with US offices in Boston, closed a new round of funding bringing total capital raised to over $20 million. The company specializes in solutions for Quality of Experience (QoE) assessment for mobile, fixed and converged network service providers.



Psytechnics' products provid real-time, per-session measurement of end user experience for rapid detection and resolution of service affecting issues.



The company also announced the appointment of Benjamin Ellis as its Vice President of Global Marketing. Prior to joining Psytechnics, Ellis was at Juniper Networks, where he was Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications, and previously head of Product
and Solutions marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

http://www.psytechnics.com

IP Service Providers Ignore Customer Experience Metrics at Their Own Risk

Lagging end-user Quality of Experience (QoE) could be the downfall of IP service providers if they continue heightened attention on service price cuts and neglect advancements in test and measurement technology. To ensure end-user satisfaction, IP service providers will find that objective testing methods best suit their testing needs, since older methods, including subjective measurements, consume time and resources without producing the needed results.

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PMC-Sierra's PALADIN 20 Targets Remote Radio Head Architecture

PMC-Sierra introduced its third generation Digital Predistortion (DPD) solution targeting next gen wireless equipment designed for Remote Radio Head (RRH) deployments. RRH promises to significantly lower the cost of 3G network rollouts by reducing power requirements for base stations and thereby eliminating the need for expensive air-conditioned housing.



PMC-Sierra's new PM7820 PALADIN 20 device, which offers full software compatibility with its existing PALADIN family, powers new Doherty power amplifier (PA) architectures to achieve power efficiencies in excess of 40 percent, more than doubling the efficiency of currently deployed Class A/B LDMOS PAs.



Together with PMC-Sierra's BRIC family of standard Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) baseband to RF interconnects, the PALADIN 20 provides an end-to-end digital solution for distributed base station architectures.



The Paladin 20 provides 20 MHz of bandwidth for WCDMA, CDMA2000 and WiMAX applications giving wireless Service Providers enhanced flexibility to deploy various carrier configurations.



PMC-Sierra said the new PALADIN 20 provides the enhanced linearization a Doherty PA requires and increases efficiency by reducing the thermal and memory effects that contribute to performance degradation. The solution's DPD algorithm enables Doherty PAs to exceed the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) WCDMA specification requirements with greater than 3 dB of margin. The use of highly efficient Doherty PAs in WCDMA and CDMA2000 system deployments provides significant cost savings, including reduced energy expenses due to reduced heat dissipation, cost-effective plastic cooling units, and a smaller footprint that saves cost and board space on the RRH. Doherty PAs, combined with the PALADIN 20's advanced DPD technology, can cut annual energy costs by as much as 50 percent compared to DPD Class A/B PAs. For a typical 15,000 BTS rollout, with three PAs per BTS, this translates into an annual savings of more than $2.1M.

http://www.pmc-sierra.comIn February 2006, PMC-Sierra introduced its second-generation, single-chip Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) solution for enabling 3G distributed architectures. As mobile operators increase the coverage and capacity of their cellular networks, distributed base station architectures using Remote Radio Heads can help them realize major performance improvements and significant capital and operational savings.



PMC-Sierra said its Baseband to Radio Interface Controller (BRIC) product family will accelerate the adoption of distributed wireless base station architectures, significantly reducing capital and operational expenditures for carriers.

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Spirent Adds 10GbE X2 Interface for Enterprise Switch Testing

Spirent Communications announced new test solutions to help network equipment manufacturers of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) switches and routers. Spirent now offers 10GbE copper and fiber interfaces on a single test module. The solution provides twenty-four ports of GigE and two ports of 10-Gigabit Ethernet.



The new MSA-1001A Two port 10GbE test Module with X2 interfaces starts at $70,000 US List price.



Spirent said equipment vendors are seeing high growth rates in blade switches and stackable Gigabit Ethernet switches that have two or four 10GbE uplinks. These uplinks are normally 10GBASE-CX4 copper, XFP or X2 fiber connectors, all of which can be evaluated on Spirent TestCenter.

http://www.spirentcom.com

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Riverbed Launches New WAN Optimization Appliances

Riverbed Technology introduced three new "Steelhead" WAN optimization appliances that deliver high scalability and acceleration for up to one million simultaneous connections at 4 Gbps throughput. The latest release of the Riverbed Optimization System (RiOS), version 3.0, supports QoS enforcement for all traffic types, including TCP, VoIP, video, and any other forms of UDP.



The Steelhead appliances, which sit at both ends of a WAN connection, optimize performance across all traffic types, including voice and video. The product rollout includes:

• the Steelhead 5520 -- which delivers optimized WAN bandwidth of up to OC-3 (155 Mbps) and 800 Mbps with disk-based data reduction disabled. It supports up to 15,000 simultaneous TCP connections and has a disk capacity of 1.5 TB and a data store of 700 GB.



• the Steelhead 6020 -- which is the most scalable WAN optimization product on the market. It delivers up to 310 Mbps and 800 Mbps with disk-based data reduction disabled. The Steelhead 6020 can support up to 40,000 simultaneous TCP connections and has a disk capacity of 3.2 TB and a data store of 1.4 TB.



• The Riverbed Interceptor 9200 allows very large organizations to deliver massive scalability by enabling virtual in-path clusters of Steelhead appliances without Web Cache Communications Protocol (WCCP) or Policy-Based Routing (PBR). The device supports up to a million simultaneous TCP connections per cluster and up to 4 Gbps of optimized WAN throughput. WAN administrators can configure, upgrade, and scale clustered Steelhead appliances non-obtrusively.

Optimizations in RiOS 3.0 include Network File System (NFS) application streamlining, which accelerates NFS for Linux/Unix users without the need for caching or explicit proxies. The performance of Unix-based applications such as ClearCase, Unigraphics, Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application (CATIA), and remote Home Directory access can increase by up to 55 times. RiOS 3.0 also includes new optimizations for the Common Internet File System (CIFS) protocol that improve the performance of collaborative applications such as Visio and SolidWorks by up to 20 times. Every Steelhead introduced into the network can auto-detect over 4,000 other Steelhead peers without requiring complex tunneling configurations.



Every Steelhead introduced into the network can auto-detect over 4,000 other Steelhead peers without requiring complex tunneling configurations.



Riverbed said it now has over 1,000 customers. For its latest fiscal quarter, the company racked up sales of $18 millionhttp://www.riverbed.com/

WAN Optimization: Finding the Best Approach

There are critical factors beyond bandwidth limitations that impede performance and productivity. While users complain that the network is painfully slow, network managers insist that the problem must lie outside the network, since utilization is at only a fraction of the total bandwidth available. How can both arguments be correct? Latency is the secret throughput killer. Physics dictate that latency is unavoidable in a wide area network - the information takes some small amount of time to traverse the network connection. But when transport and application protocols are layered on top of typical network latencies, frustration can mount as employees wait for data and applications to load.

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Verizon Launches Free "PlayLinc" Games Messenger

Verizon began offering a free "PlayLinc" service that provides gamers with an integrated interface for voice, instant messaging and access to free public servers. Essentially, PlayLinc is a free games messenger with VOIP tools. It also allows players to host games on their own PCs and invite friends to private Internet gaming sessions.



PlayLinc can be used with any broadband connection, but Verizon said its fiber-based FiOS Internet service will deliver superior performance.



PlayLinc's peer-to-peer voice capabilities allow up to 32 players to communicate with one another in real time.

Verizon's introduction of PlayLinc is the result of the company's new relationship with SuperComputer International (SCI), a leading provider of high-performance game-server hosting solutions, gameplay-related services and fully integrated gaming portals. Verizon acquired an equity position in SCI in May.



Verizon also announced the launch of its new online community Web site, games.verizon.com, which showcases PlayLinc and includes forums, frequently asked questions, blogs, gaming news and other features for online gaming aficionados.



Verizon said PlayLinc and the new Web site are key parts of its overall strategy to establish relationships with and encourage the growth of a large, loyal community of serious and casual gamers. These relationships with gamers are expected to fuel business opportunities for Verizon, including digital distribution of games, in-game and on-site advertising, promotion of other Verizon services, and increased adoption of Verizon's FiOS and DSL broadband services.http://games.verizon.com

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XO Deploys Fixed Broadband Wireless in Nine U.S. Cities

XO Communications announced its first significant market deployments of fixed broadband wireless in nine metropolitan markets -- Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego, Tampa and Washington, DC.



The deployments are the first in a series of markets nationwide in which XO plans to utilize fixed broadband wireless technology through a partnership with its sister company, Nextlink, the nation's largest holder of Local Multipoint Distribution System (LMDS) spectrum with licenses in 75 metropolitan markets.



XO is using LMDS fixed broadband wireless as a last mile access method to deliver Dedicated Internet Access and Metropolitan and Inter-city Ethernet solutions directly to businesses at speeds of 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps.



From Nextlink wireless hubs deployed in each market, XO can deliver services to any qualified line-of-site location within an average of five miles. Services include Internet access, VoIP, and private business local area networks at native LAN speeds. XO is also reducing local network costs by replacing leased circuits that connect local switch locations to the XO network with more cost-effective and scalable fixed wireless links.htp://www.xo.com

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QUALCOMM Introduces Single-Chip CDMA Solution for Low-Cost Handsets

QUALCOMM introduced a single-chip solution for low-cost CDMA2000 handsets aimed at emerging markets worldwide. The design integrates baseband modem, RF transceiver, power management and system memory into a single chip. QUALCOMM said the chip reduces the number of discrete components required, reduces bill-of-materials costs and delivers board-area savings of more than 50%. Key features include downloadable polyphonic ringtones and color displays.

http://www.qualcomm.comhttp://www.cdmatech.com/singlechip

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Atheros Adds Network Processor and Debuts 802.11n Chipset with 2x2 MIMO

Atheros Communications launched its first family of network processors, the AR7100, targeting triple-play wireless APs and routers. Key features of the Atheros network processors include a high-performance MIPS-based processor core; a 33/66 MHz PCI interface; dual Ethernet ports for LAN and WAN connectivity; a high- speed 32-bit DDR memory controller to support high-bandwidth applications; and on-chip cache memory. The NPUs also offer dual USB 2.0 interfaces for wireless network storage and printing; a PCM interface to support analog and VoIP telephony; and an I(2)S interface to support audio streaming through the router.



Two NPU processor models are initially offered: 300MHz with dual 10/100 Ethernet ports, and 400MHz with dual 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet ports.





Atheros also introduced a high-performance, cost-optimized draft 802.11n chipset (AR5008V) featuring a 2x2 MIMO design. The 2x2 solution, based on Atheros' XSPAN technology, achieves cost savings through silicon and other bill of materials cost reductions. It provides PCI and PCIe host interface support for integrating the chipset into laptops, routers and APs.



The chipset provides up to 300 Mbps physical data rates. Atheros said the technology delivers 10 times the range of legacy 802.11g and a/g solutions.



As with the entire Atheros XSPAN family, the new AR5008V supports all the mandatory technical elements in the Draft 1.0 802.11n specification to ensure interoperability with both legacy devices and draft 802.11n products that adhere to the specification.

http://www.atheros.com

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KPN Selects Alcatel/Lucent for All IP Network

KPN, the incumbent operator in the Netherlands, selected Lucent Technologies to manage the deployment and integration of KPN's All IP Next Generation Network (NGN), based on IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) service architecture.



Lucent will serve as prime integrator in the migration of KPN's existing services and customers to the new All IP network, which will support multimedia services across the nation. KPN has earlier announced that it will be spending between EUR 1 to 1.5 billion on its All IP program. Following the successful migration of customers and services, the legacy networks and buildings will be phased out.



KPN has also selected Alcatel to provide the network equipment to extend its nationwide Ethernet Virtual Private Network (VPN) services for business customers and Ethernet aggregation for residential services. The contract is part of a substantial IP network transformation project that will give KPN one of the largest MPLS-enabled networks in the world, which in turn forms part of its All IP program.



The contract is the second phase of an ambitious IP/Ethernet network transformation. Phase one was awarded to Alcatel in October 2005 for the delivery of triple play services from 28 main POPs and 172 medium PoPs located in 14 different regions. The second phase extension is expected to be completed by 2008 and will result in a network with an additional 1300 smaller POP locations.



The foundation for the phase two extension is the Alcatel 7450 Ethernet Service Switch (ESS) and Alcatel 5620 Service Aware Manager (SAM).

http://www.lucent.comhttp://www.alcatel.com

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Consolidated Communications Launches IPTV in Texas

Consolidated Communications, the 17th largest local telephone company in the United States, launched its IPTV service in Conroe and Katy, Texas, offering 157 local and premium digital channels and over 1000 hours of movies on-demand. Consolidated serves approximately 239,000 local access lines and 46,000 DSL accounts.

http://www.consolidated.com

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MoCA Certifies ONTs from Motorola and Tellabs

The Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA-TM) has certified Optical Network Terminal (ONT) triple-play fiber-to-the-home terminals from Motorola, Inc. and Tellabs. These devices, the first ONTs to be certified by MoCA, convert optical signals, delivered over a passive optical network (PON) on fiber, into electrical signals that are sent to a homeowner's entertainment devices. MoCA technology, embedded in the ONT, enables triple-play content, including well over net 100Mbps of multiple HDTV and SDTV programs, high-speed data, gaming, voice and any other services over IP , through the existing in-home coaxial wiring. The ONT is typically attached to the outside of a home or apartment.



The Motorola ONT1000M Single Family MoCA Optical Network Terminal provides a single point of delivery for voice, video and data services over a single fiber network.



The Tellabs 1600-612 Single Family Unit (SFU) ONT supports residential voice, Ethernet-based data, video over IP, MoCA and RF analog-digital video services all over a single optical fiber in an easy-to-install unit. The unit supports either 10/100BaseT Ethernet or a MoCA interface for high-speed delivery of entertainment over IP throughout
a home using coaxial cable.

http://www.mocalliance.org

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Google Launches Hosted Communications Services for Businesses

Google began offering a set of business communications services, including email, messaging, calendaring and other web-based applications, aimed at small businesses that "the hassle of installing and maintaining software or hardware."



"Google Apps for Your Domain" allows a company to customize the user interface with their own branding and color scheme. Over time, Google will offer versions of Google Apps for Your Domain that are oriented toward the needs of a variety of organizations, from family websites and community groups to non-profits and small businesses, as well as universities, large enterprises, and ISPs.



Google Apps for Your Domain, an expansion of the Gmail for Your Domain service that launched in February 2006, currently includes Gmail web email, the Google Talk instant messaging and voice calling service, collaborative calendaring through Google Calendar, and web page design, publishing and hosting via Google Page Creator.



Domain administrators use a web-based control panel to manage their user account list, set up aliases and distribution lists, and enable the services they want for their domain. End users with accounts that have been set up by their administrator simply browse to customized login pages on any web-connected computer. Google said the service scales to accommodate growing user bases and storage needs while reducing maintenance costs.



Initially, Google is offering a beta version without cost to domain administrators or end users. Key features include 2 gigabytes of email storage for each user, easy to use customization tools, and help for administrators via email or an online help center. Furthermore, organizations that sign up during the beta period will not ever have to pay for users accepted during that period (provided Google continues to offer the service).



A premium version of the product is being developed and pricing will be disclosed shortly.



As a hosted service, Google Apps for Your Domain is available worldwide, though the control panel for domain administrators is currently available only in US-English. Google is currently working to make the service available to administrators in additional languages.

http://www.google.com/a

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RADVISION Enhances H.324M Toolkit for Fast Video Call Set-up

RADVISION announced the availability of fast call set-up support in the new release of its 3G-324M toolkit, aligning the software with the recent improvements to the 3G standard established by ITU-T Study Group 16. These improvements are designed to enhance the experience of 3G video subscribers by significantly reducing the amount of time required in setting up a video call.



The ITU has included RADVISION's intellectual property related to fast call setup as an integral and mandated part of a revision to the H.324M standard for 3G video, known as H.324 Annex K MONA (Media Oriented Negotiation Acceleration). The newly released 3G-324M Toolkit fully supports H.324 Annex K MONA.



The H.324M standard is used in cellular 3G networks to exchange real-time and bi-directional video traffic that is used in popular services.



RADVISION said the improvements significantly shorten the call set-up time required when requesting such video services as video fun tones, video conferencing and video community chat groups. http://www.radvision.com

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DISH & Warner Bros. Sign VOD Deal

EchoStar Communications' DISH Network satellite TV service reached an agreement with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group to carry the studio's current and catalog titles on its Video On Demand platform, DISH On Demand, as well as Pay-Per-View services, including high definition. DISH On Demand service is currently available on certain DVR receivers. http://www.dishnetwork.com

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SunRocket Raises $33 Million for Consumer VoIP Service

SunRocket, a provider of consumer VoIP service, secured $33 million for its Series C round of institutional financing, bringing the firm's total venture capital raised to approximately $80 million.



The company said it has nearly tripled its subscriber base in 2006, although subscriber numbers were not disclosed.



SunRocket plans to use the money "to accelerate product and feature development, penetrate strategic new sales channels, and enhance the overall customer experience."



A new customer care center opened in Springfield, Missouri earlier this month and will employ as many as 500 workers by the end of the year.



The Series C includes participation from all of SunRocket's existing investors: BlueRun Ventures, Mayfield Fund, DCM and Anthem Capital Management.

http://www.sunrocket.com

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Nokia Siemens Networks Announces Executive Team

Nokia and Siemens announced the key executive appointments that will become effective when their merger is complete and the new company starts operations, which is expected by January 1, 2007.



Nokia and Siemens announced previously that Simon Beresford-Wylie would assume the position of CEO at Nokia Siemens Networks; Mika Vehvilainen would serve as Chief Operating Officer (COO); Karl-Christoph Caselitz would serve as Chief Market Operations Officer (CMO); and Peter Schonhofer would serve as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).



The business units of Nokia Siemens Networks will be global organizations with management and personnel distributed in many countries, including both Finland and Germany.



Stephan Scholz, currently Senior Vice President and Head of Carrier Development in Siemens Communications, will lead the Research, Technology and Platforms organization, focusing on research, technology and cross-business unit synergies including common platforms. Scholz will report to Vehvilainen.



Business unit leaders for Nokia Siemens Networks will be:



Jose Costa e Silva, who will lead the Services business unit. Costa e Silva, currently Senior Vice President and Head of Europe and Americas at Mobile Networks in Siemens Communications, will report to Caselitz. Costa e Silva will be based in Germany.



Ari Lehtoranta, who will lead the Radio Access business unit. Lehtoranta, currently Senior Vice President & General Manager of the Radio business at Nokia, will report to Vehvilainen. Lehtoranta will be based in Finland.



Christian Unterberger, who will lead the Service Core and Applications business unit. Unterberger, currently President Fixed Networks at Siemens Communications, will report to Vehvilainen. Unterberger will be based in Germany.



Christian Fredrikson, who will lead the Operation Support Systems business unit. Fredrikson, currently General Manager of the Core Networks business at Nokia, will report to Vehvilainen. Fredrikson will be based in Finland.



Martin Lust, who will lead the Broadband Access business unit. Lust, currently President, Fixed Networks Access at Siemens Communications, will report to Vehvilainen. Lust will be based in Germany.



Bernd Schumacher, who will lead the IP Networking and Transport business unit. Schumacher, currently President, Siemens Optical Networks at Siemens Communications, will report to Vehvilainen. Schumacher will be based in Germany.



The regional organization for Nokia Siemens Networks will report to Caselitz. Its leaders will be:



Mark Louison, who will lead the North American region. Louison is currently Senior Vice President of North America for Nokia Networks.



Fernando Terni, who will lead the Latin American region. Terni is currently Senior Vice President of Latin America for Nokia Networks.



Zhiqiang Zhang, who will lead the China region. Zhang is currently General Manager of Siemens Communications in China. David Ho, currently Senior Vice President of China for Nokia Networks, will serve as Chairman of Nokia Siemens Networks in China.



Jurgen Bill, who will lead the Western and Southern Europe region. Bill is currently Senior Vice President of Asia Pacific for Mobile Networks in Siemens Communications.



Kai Uebach, who will lead the Northern Europe region. Uebach is currently President of the EMEA Region for Mobile Networks in Siemens Communications.



Jan Cron, who will lead the Middle East and Africa region. Cron is currently Vice President and General Manager of the Middle East Region in Mobile Networks for Siemens Communications.



Rajeev Suri who will lead the Asia Pacific region. Suri is currently Senior Vice President of Asia Pacific for Nokia Networks.

http://www.nokia.comhttp://www.siemens.com

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Global Crossing Offers to Acquire UK's Fibernet for $96 Million

Global Crossing announced a cash offer to acquire all of the issued and to-be-issued shares of Fibernet Group Plc , a UK-based provider of specialist telecommunications networks, for approximately $96.1 million (50.6 million British pounds sterling).



Fibernet serves a marquee roster of UK corporate enterprise and carrier customers, including the Bank of England, Citigroup, IBM and Carphone Warehouse. provides its services from a national fiber network in the UK and also from its metropolitan networks in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Reading. The company has more than 100 points of presence in the UK and an additional 12 in Frankfurt, Germany. In the financial year ended August 31, 2005, Fibernet reported revenue of 47.9 million pounds sterling and Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) of 15.9 million pounds sterling, or $91.0 million and $31.2 million, respectively, at current exchange rates.



Global Crossing and Fibernet have complementary long haul networks.



"Global Crossing and Fibernet have complementary businesses in the UK. The opportunity to combine and grow these businesses is compelling and exciting for us. I look forward to a quick and seamless integration upon closing and to better serving existing customers and welcoming new customers with the expanded range of products we will offer," said John Legere, chief executive officer of Global Crossing.



The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2006 and is conditioned on acceptance by Fibernet shareholders and regulatory approvals.

http://www.globalcrossing.comhttp://www.fibernet.co.uk/

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FCC Grants New Certification for XM Radios

The FCC issued new grants of authority for three XM Satellite radios with FM transmitters after determining that the radios are in compliance with FCC regulations. The XM plug-and-play radios -- Audiovox Xpress, Delphi RoadyXT, and XM Sportscaster -- are three of XM's primary products at retail.



XM Satellite pulled the units off of the market in May 2006, after the FCC questioned whether the power output of the FM radio was too strong.

http://www.xmradio.com

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ST and China's Dahua Develop Dual-Mode Cable/IP STB

STMicroelectronics and Dahua Technology, a Chinese supplier of cable and IPTV set-top boxes, announced a jointly-developed, highly- integrated, digital-cable and IP set-top box. At the heart of Dahua's design is a dedicated chip belonging to ST's STi7100 family of Advanced Video Codecs (AVC). This system-on-chip (SoC) solution integrates support for advanced high-definition H.264/MPEG4 AVC and MPEG4 P2 standard definition (SD) in addition to MPEG2 encoded video signals. The box, which begins deployment in Hangzhou Province in August 2006, will enable consumers to enjoy a new three-in-one digital media experience including digital-cable TV, video-on-demand, and web browsing.



ST said it is the first silicon supplier to provide single-chip dual-mode digital set-top-box solutions for the China market.

http://www.st.com

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Broadcom Marks 15th Anniversary

Broadcom marked the fifteenth anniversary of its founding in 1991 by Henry T. Nicholas III and Henry Samueli, each of whom earned a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from UCLA. The company went public in April 1998.



Broadcom chips are found in broadband gear such as DSL and cable modems, digital cable, satellite and IP set-top boxes, and high definition DVD players and personal video recording devices; in networking infrastructure equipment, which rely on Broadcom switches, controllers, PHYs, security processors, broadband processors, and server I/O chipsets; and in mobile platforms and wireless connectivity devices and equipment such as cellular phones and Wi-Fi routers with VoIP, Bluetooth and WLAN technologies.

http://www.broadcom.com

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