Vendors Promote MSML Interface for IP Media Server Control

Convedia, Intel, and NMS Communications announced a joint effort to use, evolve, and promote the standardization of Media Server Markup Language (MSML), an extensible, open, and IPR-free language used to control IP media servers.MSML is used along with the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to provide standards-based control of IP media servers when deployed in VoIP and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks. Based on eXtensible Markup Language (XML), MSML provides a common language that can be implemented by all application and media server vendors...

Read More

Tut Upgrades IPTV Headends to MPEG-4 AVC

Tut Systems announced contracts to upgrade existing IPTV headends to MPEG-4 AVC compression technology. The contracts were awarded by triple play pioneers that previously deployed MPEG-2 technology. Tut Systems said the upgrades represent the third phase of new technology in the rapidly growing IPTV market that originally deployed MPEG-2 over ATM, followed by MPEG-2 over IP, and now MPEG-4 AVC over IP. http://tutsys.com/pressroom/pressreleases/prID-378....

Read More

LiteScape and LignUp to Deliver Converged CRM applications

LiteScape Technologies, Inc., which develops converged applications, and LignUp Corporation, a provider of converged IP telephony communications solutions, will make the LiteScape ServicePoint applications available on the open, SIP-based LignUp platform and market these enhanced solutions through their global channels. LS ServicePoint functionality includes accessing time management, corporate directories, inventory check and bulletins directly from IP phones. LiteScape provides collaboration, converged CRM and identity management solutions to...

Read More

TeliaSonera to Provide Backbone for FastLign Managed Telephony

TeliaSonera International Carrier (TSIC) will deliver FastLign managed IP telephony services to service provider customers across Europe. FastLign, an alliance founded by LignUp, NexTone and others, is providing a managed services platform that allows service providers to rapidly deliver competitive hosted services. In Europe, IP telephony service provider Streamdoor Ltd. will host the completely integrated FastLign services architecture and provide full datacenter capacity, system support and help desk capabilities, while providing access to the...

Read More

Belgacom Deploys VDSL, Ikanos Supplies Chipsets

Belgacom has begun deploying VDSL in its broadband access network. Ikanos Communications announced that is CleverConnect 600 and SmartLeap 8100 chipsets are be used in equipment for the deployment. The Ikanos CleverConnect 600 chipset is a single-port solution configurable for VDSL2 and VDSL customer premises applications, while the SmartLeap 8100 chipset is an eight-port solution configurable for VDSL2 and VDSL DSLAM applications. The chipsets are designed to offer up to 30 Mbps symmetrical bandwidth, or up to 60 Mbps downstream and 30 Mbps...

Read More

Ringgold Selects Latens IPTV Conditional Access

Ringgold Telephone Company has selected Latens FCAS CA as the encryption solution for its advanced IPTV services. Ringgold, which serves approximately 14,000 lines in Georgia, can offer its subscribers secured video services that include Pay-TV, High-Definition (HD), personal-video-recording (PVR), video-on-demand (VOD), and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), through tight integration with TVN, the C-Cor VOD solution and Minerva's iTV Manager.http://www.latens....

Read More

Yemen Telecom Selects Alcatel for Net Operations

Yemen Telecom, the nation's incumbent telecommunications service provider, selected Alcatel to supply and integrate a network operation center for its fixed line and mobile networks. The center will centrally manage all multi-vendor and multi-technology network systems. Alcatel will integrate various subsystems such as an integrated fault management and service assurance platform based on Netcool suite and problem management from Micromuse, an IBM company. Financial terms were not disclosed.Yemen Telecom serves more than 1. 2 million fixed...

Read More

NCTA and Disney Cites Flaws in FCC Study on A La Carte Programming

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and The Walt Disney Company released new studies that find significant flaws in the FCC Media Bureau's Further Report On the Packaging and Sale of Video Programming Services To the Public (issued February 9, 2006).The studies, separately commissioned by NCTA and Disney, found that the assumptions, analysis and conclusions in the FCC's Further Report are incorrect, unsubstantiated and severely at odds with the comprehensive analysis in the first FCC study which reached conclusions similar...

Read More

FLO Forum Approves Device and Transmitter Performance Specifications

The FLO Forum announced the ratification of several key technical specifications developed by its Test and Certification Committee. The technical and performance requirements captured in the documents assure interoperability and compatibility for FLO based terrestrial mobile multimedia multicast devices and transmitters. The specifications are companion documents to the previously ratified FLO Air Interface Specification (AIS), which was submitted to the TIA TR47.1 subcommittee at its January 2006 meeting. The newly approved documents are:FLO Device...

Read More

Microsoft Outline VoIP Strategy, Voice/Video Traffic Soars on MSN

At the Spring VON conference in San Jose, Microsoft outlined its VoIP strategy and vision for Windows Live."Our mission with Windows Live is to deepen people's relationships with whomever and whatever matters most to them," said Blake Irving, corporate vice president of the MSN Communication Services and Member Platform group. "We will get there by working closely with the whole ecosystem of telecommunications, Internet services and hardware manufacturing partners to build a complete presence- and contact-centric communications experience. Voice...

Read More

EarthLink and Covad Expand Partnership

EarthLink has agreed to provide Covad with $50 million in debt and equity financing to fund additional network build-outs that will bring Covad's line-powered voice access to Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. Already, EarthLink provides DSL and Home Phone Service in Dallas, TX, San Francisco and San Jose, CA, and Seattle, WA.Made possible through Covad's line-powered voice access, EarthLink DSL and Home Phone Service provides an alternative to the local phone companies.http://www...

Read More

Microsoft 's "People-Ready" Vision Centers on Collaboration & Communication

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer today outlined a new "People-Ready" vision of business tools that will be based on feature integration across the company's forthcoming versions of the Windows Vista operating system, the 2007 Microsoft Office system, Windows Mobile software and the next version of Microsoft Exchange Server, as well as infrastructure offerings such as Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005."Fueling our vision is a series of software solutions resulting from a $20 billion R&D investment over the past three years that is producing...

Read More

MetroFi and SkyPilot Build Municipal Wi-Fi in Aurora, IL

The city of Aurora, Illinois (pop. 170,000) selected MetroFi and SkyPilot Networks to build out a wireless Internet network for use by the general public and city employees. Aurora is the second largest city in Illinois and was the first to announce its intention to build a citywide Wi-Fi network. The city is known as 'The City of Lights' because it was the first city in the United States to use electric street lights. Those same street lights will be used to power and provide the height and access for WiFi radios that will blanket the city....

Read More

CBS's March Madness Streams 268,000 Simultaneous Video Sessions on First Day

CBS SportsLine set an Internet record for a scheduled live entertainment or sports event by serving over 268,000 simultaneous video streams with its "NCAA March Madness on Demand" coverage. In total, "NCAA March Madness" on Demand has already surpassed 1.2 million video streams served.CBS SportsLine has partnered with Akamai Technologies and Limelight Networks to provide video bandwidth support for this event."What we've done is complement the biggest college sports event of the year with the largest known simultaneous live viewing audience in...

Read More

Microsoft Signs Epic Records for Xbox Live

Epic Records today will make available a full year of exclusive artist content and high-definition music video downloads free for all Xbox 360gamers. The deal marks another step in Microsoft's strategy to position its Xbox Live service as a unified global online entertainment network. Each month Microsoft and Epic will announce the new Artist of the Month along with exclusive benefits for Xbox 360 gamers around the world. Xbox Live members will be able to download featured music videos from Xbox Live Marketplace at no additional charge and watch...

Read More

BT Selects Tektronix for Performance Management on 21CN

BT selected Tektronix' GeoProbe and Advanced Performance Monitoring (APM) suite for its 21st Century Network (21CN) initiative. Tektronix will initially provide network assurance solutions for voice service as BT transitions from a traditional circuit switched network to carrying voice services over its next generation IP network.Tektronix' UA solution will be deployed across the entire network, monitoring each call to guarantee complete visibility and proactively manage the network and services.Tektronix said its network assurance capabilities...

Read More