Siemens SHC Licenses ANT Galio Client and TV Application Manager

Siemens Home and Office Communication Devices has licensed the ANT GalioT Client to enable existing and new TV services across a range of Siemens SHC devices in worldwide DVB/IPTV hybrid and pure IPTV markets.



The ANT Galio Client is a TV Application Manager that provides a dynamic framework for set-top boxes, televisions, portable devices and PCs. It controls device and service capabilities while presenting an advanced and consistent look and feel across applications. Galio unifies the user experience across services and client devices, simplifying product introduction and network roll-out.

http://www.antplc.com

	It's Television, but not as we know it. . .
A new TV Application Manager is needed to enable tomorrow's television. Consumers will use the TV Application Manager to take care of all aspects of digital media and interactive service delivery between digital television and connected home products.

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ECI Expands its Optical Transport Network Solution

ECI Telecom has expanded its Optical Transport Network (OTN) solution to include anew XDM-40 optical metro access and Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) platform.



The XDM-40 integrates OTN transponders and combiners in a small and cost-effective package. It is managed end-to-end from the optical layer via ECI's LightSoft network management system. It features pluggable optics, CWDM and WDM capabilities, optimal support for 1G and 10G Ethernet, storage extension and support for SDH/SONET. The XDM-40 also uses the same universal modular service card that is used in other members of the XDM family.
http://www.ecitele.com

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MetaSwitch Deploys 200th Switch at BroadRiver

MetaSwitch announced the delivery of its 200th Class 4/5 switching system to Atlanta-based competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC), BroadRiver Communication Corporation.



BroadRiver is deploying the MetaSwitch CA9020 call agent, MG3510 media gateway and UC9000 application server, enabling capabilities such as hosted voice over IP services. The carrier is also using the platform's PacketCable Network-based Call Signaling (NCS) capability to expand into residential services over a partner's cable network.



MetaSwitch said more than 200 of its switches are currently deployed. The company also noted a doubling in size of its US support team over the past year; increased emphasis on the delivery of complete end-to-end network solutions, based on expansion of the MetaSwitch partnership and interoperability program in new lab facilities in California; the establishment of a nationwide professional services team, staffed by experienced engineers and project managers, to help streamline customer deployments; major internal investment in tools and processes to better support a fast expanding customer base; and ongoing development of its customer training capacity, with a range of new courses in the pipeline.

http://www.metaswitch.com

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Cable & Wireless to Shed 30,000 Customers

Cable & Wireless provided an update on its restructuring plans, saying its UK business plans to reduce its customer base from a total of approximately 30,000 customers to about 3,000 large corporate customers and public institutions. The company hopes that concentrating on fewer, larger customers, and by reducing the complexity in its products, systems and processes, it will be able to increase its margins from 33% today to 40%. To reduce costs, the company plans to cut its UK headcount (C&W UK and Energis) from more than 5,500 to between 2,500 and 3,500.



The company confirmed its commitment to deploying a next generation network and has allocated GBP 50 million in CAPEX in 2005/6. The pace of deployment will depend on customer uptake. The company is still pursing an unbundled local loop strategy and has a target of 900 unbundled exchanges by September.



A webcast is available on the company site.

http://www.cw.com

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Cox Upgrades Core Backbone with Juniper's T-series Routers

Cox Communications is upgrading its core, national IP backbone with Juniper Networks' T-series core routing platforms. Cox previously deployed Juniper Networks M- and T-series routing platforms to support multiple applications including peering, Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) aggregation, high-speed Internet and video in its metro core networks. Cox is now upgrading with T640 core routers. Financial terms were not disclosed.



Cox also relies on a range of Juniper Networks security solutions-including the Juniper Networks Integrated Security Gateways (ISG) and a full range of appliances ranging from the NetScreen-5GT to the NetScreen-208--to support the managed security service offered by Cox Business Services. The security solutions also protect key elements of Cox's IP/MPLS backbone and provide site-to-site IP VPNs.

http://www.juniper.net

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Verizon Sees FTTP Connection Costs at $715 in 2006, Down from $1,200

Speaking at an investors' conference in New York, Verizon's Vice Chairman and President Lawrence T. Babbio Jr. said the company has targeted costs of $890 in 2006 to pass a home or business with FTTP. This cost, which includes a blend of aerial and underground deployment, had averaged $1,400 at the start of 2005.

Babbio said that at the beginning of 2005 Verizon's fiber network was passing an average of 100,000 premises per month, and by the end of the year it was passing an average of 235,000 premises per month, as the deployment ramped up to its current and ongoing run rate.




As the network deployment continues to scale up, the same trend applies to costs to connect a premises, Babbio noted. In January 2005 Verizon's connection costs averaged $1,200, and the goal in 2006 is $715.



Some other highlights of the presentation:

• Verizon expects the new fiber network to dramatically reduce the costs in outside plant maintenance by at least 40% , with opportunities for further cost reductions in the future.



• Most new FiOS data customers are migrating from dial-up services or are switching from cable offerings.



• Churn rates for FiOS data customers are below churn rates for other broadband customers.



• Verizon expects to build out a network capable of delivering new FiOS TV services to a total of from 3 million to 4 million premises by year-end 2006.



• In its first 60 days, Verizon Business has begun migrating off-network voice and Internet protocol traffic on to Verizon's networks, generating cost synergies.



• Regarding the previously announced workforce reduction in Verizon Business of 7,000 employees over three years, approximately 3,500 of those reductions will occur in 2006, on a base of 35,000 employees.

http://www.verizon.com

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BellSouth Deploys SupportSoft for New Broadband Services

BellSouth has deployed SupportSoft's Real-Time Service Management (RTSM) software for automated, personalized customer self-service for multi-play services and applications. BellSouth already uses SupportSoft solutions to automate customer self-help for its high-speed BellSouth FastAccess DSL customers. The new deployment expands the SupportSoft product footprint into BellSouth's advancing consumer and business service offerings.



SupportSoft software will also be used to assist BellSouth in providing technical support for its customer trials of IPTV and wireless-wireline integration services. SupportSoft solutions are also being used for the customer help site of its wireless broadband offering, FastAccess Internet Service, which is available in Athens, GA, New Orleans and parts of Florida.

http://www.supportsoft.com

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JDSU Introduces Portable 40 Gbps Optical Tester

JDSU introduced a portable tester for 40 Gbps (OC-768/STM-256) -- presently the fastest transmission rate for SONET and SDH networks. JDSU said that while 40G is still in the early stages of deployment, it is experiencing accelerated growth in core networks to accommodate the widespread introduction of triple-play services.



The 40/43G module for the ONT-506 and ONT-512 supports the research and development, service verification testing and production needs of network equipment manufacturers, as well as the equipment verification, installation and maintenance requirements of service providers. Technical features for the 40/43G module include concatenated and fully structured signals for SONET OC-768/ SDH STM-256, OTN OTU-3 (G.709 FEC) with bulk or SONET/SDH client, unframed 39.813 Gbps and 43.018 Gbps BER testing, and complete alarm, error, overhead, and pointer generation and analysis for SONET/SDH and OTN. JDSU's 40/43G jitter/wander solution is compliant to ITU-T O.172/O.173 and provides the full set of jitter measurement capabilities -- jitter generation, jitter tolerance, and jitter transfer, which help during the design, manufacturing, and commissioning of SDH/SONET/OTN systems. http://www.jdsu.com

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Avaya and Samsung Electronics Form Strategic Alliance for Enterprise IP Telephony

Avaya and Samsung Electronics announced a strategic alliance to collaborate on the joint development and marketing of IP communications solutions to businesses globally. Samsung brings an established position in the telecom industry, particularly in mobile technology, and Avaya brings its expertise in the IP telephony market.



At the initial stage, Samsung will market and resell Avaya's contact center and IP telephony solutions in Korea. The alliance will also drive the co-development of technologies that will enhance Avaya's IP-based mobility and convergence solutions. These solutions will be either co-branded or individually branded, and sold through Avaya's global sales channels.
http://www.avaya.comhttp://www.samsung.com

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Lucent Appoints John Kritzmacher Chief Financial Officer

Lucent Technologies appointed John A. Kritzmacher, 45, as its new chief financial officer (CFO). Kritzmacher, who had been Lucent's corporate controller since 2001, succeeds Frank D'Amelio, who took on a new role as Lucent's chief operating officer in January.



As Lucent's corporate controller, Kritzmacher played a critical role in leading the company's financial recovery. He was an active leader in the company's major restructuring efforts, which led to the reduction of about $5 billion in annual operating expenses and helped generate the company's first full year of profitability in fiscal 2004 after three years of losses. He also has led the company's comprehensive internal controls efforts under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and Lucent's 2005 audit reflected no material weaknesses as a result of this undertaking.

http://www.lucent.com

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JAPAN TELECOM Selects Sonus

JAPAN TELECOM, a subsidiary of SOFTBANK Corp., is deploying Sonus Networks' platforms for its next generation voice network. The deployment includes the Sonus GSX9000 Open Services Switch, PSX Call Routing Engine, SGX Signaling Gateway, as well as the Sonus Insight Management System. The new network will enable a rich set of broadband applications and services. It will also enable greater internetworking capabilities with Japan Telecom's parent SOFTBANK Corp. Financial terms were not disclosed.



SOFTBANK BB began deploying Sonus' long distance solution for its voice network in 2003.

http://www.sonusnet.com
JAPAN TELECOM, which was acquired by SOFTBANK Group in July 2004, operates a nationwide fiber optic digital network.

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Sony Ericsson Launches its 7th Walkman phone

Sony Ericsson introduced its seventh WALKMAN phone model. The W300 WALKMAN phone is a quad band (EDGE 850/900/1800/1900) clamshell that supports both MP3 and AAC music playback. It offers 20MB internal memory, 256 MB Memory Stick Micro expansion, and Bluetooth, Infrared and USB 2.0 connectivity.



http://www.sonyericsson.com

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Arianespace to Launch WildBlue Ka-band Spot Beam Satellite

WildBlue Communications' Ka-band spot beam satellite, WildBlue-1, has been scheduled for launch aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle in Q4 2006. WildBlue-1, manufactured by Space Systems/Loral, will approximately triple WildBlue's customer capacity, and is expected to handle WildBlue's continuing rapid customer growth into 2008 and beyond. WildBlue-1 is a 4.7 metric ton high power satellite based on Space Systems/Loral's 1300 spacecraft bus and provides Ka-band spot beam capacity over the contiguous United States. Spot beam Ka-band satellites are a key component in WildBlue's low-cost wireless broadband infrastructure. WildBlue currently utilizes the Ka-band spot beam capacity over the United States on Telesat Canada's Anik F2 satellite, which was launched by Arianespace in July 2004.

http://www.wildblue.com

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Mobile DTV Alliance Seeks to Accelerate DVB-H in U.S.

Microsoft has joined the newly launched the Mobile DTV Alliance as a founding member. The group seeks to promote the growth and evolution of Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H) as the open standard for broadcast digital TV on mobile devices in the U.S.



Other founding members include Intel, Modeo, Motorola, Nokia and Texas Instruments.



"Demand for over-the-air delivery of digital entertainment to mobile devices is driving the need for broadly supported mobile broadcast technologies like DVB-H," said Pat Griffis, senior director of Windows Digital Media at Microsoft and Microsoft's board member in the alliance.



Mobile-optimized Microsoft Windows Media technologies from Microsoft -- such as Windows Media Audio Professional, Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) and Windows Media Video (Microsoft's implementation of VC-1) -- have already been successfully deployed for use in mobile broadcast solutions, including Modeo's pilot of its DVB-H mobile broadcast network last year.

http://www.mdtvalliance.org

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Hammerhead to Support European Deployments

Hammerhead Systems announced its intention to accelerate European expansion plans to support customers and trials. The company said it is in early discussions with potential partners to support Hammerhead customers who deploy its HSX 6000 Layer 2.5 aggregation switch in Europe and in North America, and to support trials at large European carriers. Neither the North American customers nor the European trials have been disclosed. Hammerhead currently has a North American partnership with Fujitsu Network Communications.



Hammerhead has two large customer wins, including an IP MPLS Multi-service Edge Aggregation application and a Business Ethernet Aggregation application. The company said it is accelerating plans to secure European support for global customers and European trials, based on these wins.



In addition to the two existing customers, Hammerhead is in lab trials with other carriers for a variety of applications. In a typical scenario, Hammerhead's HSX 6000 takes physical handoffs from SDH/SONET transport and/or cross-connect equipment, and performs aggregation, grooming, switching, and interworking functions on the data traffic while feeding Gigabit Ethernet to routers. In other cases, the HSX 6000 is a gateway between ATM and MPLS networks validating Hammerhead's value in network.

http://www.hammerheadsystems.com

• In January 2006, Hammerhead Systems, a start-up based in Mountain View, California, closed $30 million in Series C funding, for its traffic aggregation and switching platform.



• Hammerhead's HSX 6000 is a purpose-built Layer 2.5 Aggregation Switch that features MPLS Pseudowire technology. It provides dense Ethernet aggregation, Pseudowire termination, legacy Frame Relay and ATM support, and Service Interworking. It features a "Layer 2.5" edge aggregation approach designed to integrate access services (wireline, broadband, broadband fixed wireless and 3G) that are typically based on Layer 2 connection-oriented technologies with new services that are based on Layer 3. The platform supports the migration of Frame Relay / ATM services onto MPLS backbones, so that it can be used as an aggregation platform in an Ethernet service architecture, offering native Gigabit Ethernet as well as Ethernet-over-SONET (both GFP and x.86) trunking capabilities. On the subscriber side, the HSX 6000 switch offers high-density fan-in across a range of new and legacy service interfaces, media and speeds, including Ethernet.

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Swisscom Deploys VDSL with Ikanos Silicon

Ikanos Communications announced that its SmartLeap SL9400 solution is powering Swisscom Fixnet's rollout of VDSL-based IPTV and triple-play services. Ikanos said its silicon provides Swisscom with the ability to deliver up to 60/30 Mbps in short distance deployments and at 20/5 Mbps on longer loops.

http://www.ikanos.com

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JDSU Introduces Portable 40 Gbps Optical Tester

JDSU introduced a portable tester for 40 Gbps (OC-768/STM-256) -- presently the fastest transmission rate for SONET and SDH networks. JDSU said that while 40G is still in the early stages of deployment, it is experiencing accelerated growth in core networks to accommodate the widespread introduction of triple-play services.



The 40/43G module for the ONT-506 and ONT-512 supports the research and development, service verification testing and production needs of network equipment manufacturers, as well as the equipment verification, installation and maintenance requirements of service providers. Technical features for the 40/43G module include concatenated and fully structured signals for SONET OC-768/ SDH STM-256, OTN OTU-3 (G.709 FEC) with bulk or SONET/SDH client, unframed 39.813 Gbps and 43.018 Gbps BER testing, and complete alarm, error, overhead, and pointer generation and analysis for SONET/SDH and OTN. JDSU's 40/43G jitter/wander solution is compliant to ITU-T O.172/O.173 and provides the full set of jitter measurement capabilities -- jitter generation, jitter tolerance, and jitter transfer, which help during the design, manufacturing, and commissioning of SDH/SONET/OTN systems. http://www.jdsu.com

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