Atrica Raises $28.2 Million for Carrier Ethernet

Atrica raised $28.2 million in a new round of new financing to support its carrier Ethernet platforms. The company is currently engaged with 30+ carriers worldwide.



Atrica's Carrier Ethernet portfolio is comprised of the A-2000 family of Carrier Ethernet Edge Switches, the A-4000 family of Carrier Ethernet Aggregation Switches, the A-8000 family of Carrier Ethernet Core Switches, the A-100 and A-200 Ethernet demarcation devices and the Atrica Service Platform for Ethernet Networks (ASPEN), an integrated service provisioning and management system.



The new funding was led by Vesbridge Partners and GunnAllen Venture Partners, and included existing investors such as Innovacom (the venture capital subsidiary of France Telecom), JK&B, and Investor Growth. In addition, AT&T Corporation was added as a new investor and European Venture Partners (EVP) provided debt financing.



Atrica has previously received funding from industry notables such as Intel Capital and from global service providers such as BellSouth Corporation, Bezeq, SBC Communications, Inc. (via Aurum-SBC Ventures), Saturn Venture Partners, and Telia.



Atrica said it will use the funds to expand engineering and operations functions.



Atrica also announced the appointment of Matt Giuliano as its new vice president of Worldwide Sales. Prior to Atrica, Mr. Giuliano was VP of Global Sales and Business Development for Mangrove Systems, a supplier of multi-service access and aggregation solutions, where he developed an extensive international presence for the company in Japan, Europe and North America. He has also held executive sales positions with early stage companies including Sycamore Networks, Procket Networks, Xedia Communications, and Cascade Communications as well as sales roles with Motorola Codex, NCR and Network Equipment Technologies.

http://www.atrica.com

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Atrica Announces Outdoor Carrier Ethernet Edge Switch

Atrica introduced an environmentally-hardened Outdoor Carrier Ethernet Edge Switch that enables cable operators and telecom service providers to extend their points of presence (POPs) virtually to anywhere. The new switch, which is designed to be strand-mounted or pole-mounted, could be used for wireless backhaul, FTTH, FTTC and FTTB access network applications.



The new A-2160 supports Atrica's carrier Ethernet feature set, including granular QoS (CIR, EIR and priority with 64Kbps and 1Mbps granularity) and sub-50ms protection. It supports input power compatible with cable TV power (40-90VAC pseudo-square wave) and feautres dual redundant AC/DC power supplies that can be replaced in the field. It supports pluggable SFP or SSF transceivers, offering 2 ports on the network-side and 8-ports for customer connectivity. OAM functions include fast and pinpoint fault detection, alarm-service correlation, Ethernet loop-backs, and round-trip delay, jitter and packet loss measurement.



Atrica said the new platform is gaining traction with major cable operators, who will use it to extend their networks for business Ethernet services. In particular, the platform was developed with Cox Communications.

http://www.atrica.com

• Atrica has a reseller agreement with Fujitsu Network Communications.

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Broadcom Delivers 7.2 Mbps Single-Chip HSDPA Processor

Broadcom introduced a baseband processor that is fully compliant to the High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) standard for high-speed cellular data. The new mixed-signal monolithic chip integrates a complete Category 8 HSDPA modem that is capable of delivering 7.2 Mbps connectivity, advanced digital signal processing (DSP) and multimedia functionality (for recording and playback of video and audio), and a high-performance ARM11 applications processor. http://www.broadcom.com

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VeriSign Launches Hosted Service for Mobile Phone Backup

VeriSign launched a service that automatically backs up and restores personal data on mobile phones. Cincinnati Bell will be the first carrier in the world offering the hosted, self-care service.



VeriSign Backup Plus will initially feature instant, over-the-air back up of contacts in mobile phone address books, giving consumers peace-of-mind from knowing their data is backed upon entry and easily retrievable if phones are lost, stolen or damaged. Later this year, the service will back up mobile calendars, pictures and video and audio content.



Studies have shown that 25 percent of mobile phones are lost each year and most consumers change phones every 12 months. http:/www.verisign.com

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Agere Adds Windows Media Support to Mobile Chipset

Agere Systems is enhancing its mobile phone chipset to support the Microsoft Windows Media Audio (WMA) format, an important feature for adding music download capabilities to mass-market phones.



Agere's Vision X115 solution supports Windows Media Audio 9.1, the format's most current version, which includes specific codecs for multi-channel surround sound and voice encoding. WMA provides both constant and variable bit rate (VBR) encoding. With VBR, the encoding bit rate increases to capture complex sections of data, and then decreases to compress less complex sections, enabling the compact, high-quality audio files required for small-form-factor, mobile devices.



Agere expects to be able to support the launch of Windows Media Audio-capable handsets in the second half of 2006.

http://www.agere.com

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Alcatel's Genesys to Acquire VoiceGenie for Voice XML Apps

Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, a subsidiary of Alcatel, agreed to acquire privately held VoiceGenie for an undisclosed amount of cash.



VoiceGenie offers a software platform based on Voice XML, an open standard used for developing self service applications by both enterprises and carriers. Voice XML is used in contact centers for customer voice self-service; is widely deployed by telecom providers to support multi media services such as directory assistance, navigation direction and virtual receptionists; and as increasingly applied to speech-enabled enterprise applications such as order status. The company is based in Toronto and has established a strong position in the worldwide Voice Portal market, serving Verizon, AT&T, and Orange, among others..



According to recent Garter/Dataquest estimates, VoiceGenie is number two in market share position, with Genesys in number one position.

"We believe the market wants to see a clear leader emerge that is dedicated to standards-based solutions that make it easier and faster to deploy speech-enabled applications," said Thomas Charlton, VoiceGenie president and CEO. "Together with Genesys, we will build the market leader, with global scale, and establish Voice XML as a universal platform."http://www.voicegenie.comhttp://www.genesyslab.com

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Lucent and IBM Collaborate on BladeCenter IMS Solution

Lucent Technologies will offer the option to deploy parts of its IMS portfolio on the IBM BladeCenter family of servers.



The incorporation of blade server technology is the result of IBM and Lucent's recently announced partnership targeting new "blended" services for wireless and wireline carriers.



IBM's portfolio of blade servers provides a single, open, standards-based architecture that can be deployed either in the data center or within a central office.



Also at this week's CTIA in Las Vegas, Lucent and IBM are demonstrating the inter-working of Lucent's Active PhoneBook application and IBM Workplace Collaboration Services for enterprise applications that enables a blended service across wireless and private/enterprise networks.



As part of a broader technology collaboration relationship, Lucent and IBM have developed more than a dozen joint offers including the inter-working between IMS and IPTV with Caller ID (enabled by IBM Websphere), and IMS and web services inter-working (enabled by Lucent Service Broker).



Lucent and IBM have already completed proof-of-concept testing of several of these offers with service providers in Europe, Asia and North America.

http://www.lucent.comhttp://www.ibm.com/telecom/systems

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Modeo Expects DVB-H Launch in US for 2H06

Modeo, a subsidiary of Crown Castle International, plans to officially launch its DVB network and its commercial-grade multicast mobile broadcast center during 2006 in select major U.S. markets, including New York City. The company currently is working on deployment of the network to the top 30 U.S. markets, with launches targeted throughout 2007.



At this week's CTIA conference in Las Vegas, Modeo is showcasing a mobile handset designed around the high performance DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld) standard, the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 platform and Microsoft Windows Media platform. The handset also uses Windows Media Player 10 Mobile to playback video and music stored in multiple formats, with Windows Media Audio (WMA), MP3 and AAC to be the supported file types. Additionally, users will be able to take advantage of portable subscription music services to expand their mobile entertainment library through use of Windows Media DRM.

http://www.modeo.com

• DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) is an open, non-proprietary global industry standard for the delivery of mobile broadcast digital services to handheld devices that has been formally standardized by the Digital Video Broadcasting Project (DVB) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).

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Tellabs Enhances Digital Cross-connect for Wireless Backhaul

Tellabs has expanded the wireless transport capabilities of its 5500 digital cross-connect with features for wireless backhaul, integration of voice-quality enhancement and DS-0 grooming.



Tellabs estimates 40% to 50% savings in backhaul transmission bandwidth through elimination of idle transmissions and packetization of cell site traffic. As part of its "IntegratedMobile" solution, the
Tellabs 5500 system will enable migration from TDM and ATM to an all IP network. The addition of integrated voice-quality enhancement (iVQE) and DS-0 grooming (iDS-0) into the Tellabs 5500 system, eliminates the need for separate VQE and 1/0 grooming equipment.

http://www.tellabs.com

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STMicroelectronics Debuts 802.11a/b/g Ultra Low Power Mobile Wi-Fi Chip

STMicroelectronics introduced an ultra-low power consumption dual-band Wi-Fi solution -- the STLC4420 -- that provides wireless IEEE802.11a/b/g capability for mobile handsets. A second new device IEEE802.11a/b/g capability for mobile handsets in a single compact package. A second new device, the STLC4550, delivers similar IEEE802.11b/g functionality to the existing STLC4370, which entered volume production early in 2006, but in a significantly smaller package; the earlier device is designed into several Wi-Fi enabled handsets from leading mobile-phone manufacturers.



The STLC4420 is a highly integrated WLAN device capable of operating in the 5GHz, as well as the 2.4GHz, frequency bands and supporting both OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) and CCK (Complementary Code Keying) signal modulations. It is designed expressly for mobile platforms, including cellular and Wi-Fi phones, PDAs, laptop computers and cameras, and matches the ultra-low operating power consumption requirements of these applications with a 30 microwatt sleep mode.

http://www.st.com

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Linksys Offers Mini Wireless-G Router for Sharing EVDO or Hotspot Access

Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems, introduced its Wireless-G Router for Mobile Broadband (WRT54G3G-NA), which enables mobile broadband users to share their single wide area mobile signal with up to five users via a Wireless-G network. The product is designed to work with mobile broadband data services, such as Mobile Broadband on the Sprint Power Vision Network. When a customer plugs their mobile broadband card into the PC Card slot on the router they can turn their wide area mobile broadband connection into a shared wireless (802.11g) and wired local area network for connected users. The router can encode all wireless LAN transmissions with WEP or WPA security. The router can also serve as a DHCP server, and features a stateful packet inspection (SPI) firewall to protect networked PCs from Internet intruders and attacks.
http://www.linksys.com

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San Francisco Selects Google/Earthlink for Wi-Fi

The San Francisco City Council selected Google and EarthLink to provide a city-wide Wi-Fi service. A free Internet access service will be provided by Google and Earthlink will offer a higher-speed, paid tier.



Six proposed solutions were submitted to the City. A review panel of city employees and an internationally known outside consulting firm undertook a detailed analysis of the proposals, each ranking them according to a methodology outlined in the RFP. The scores were combined and a final rating created for each bidder.. http://www.sfgov.org/site/tech_connect_page.asp?id=38562

• In January 2006, Earthlink signed a contract with Motorola for it to provide wireless equipment, design, installation and system integration for the initial five major cities where EarthLink will deploy municipal Wi-Fi Internet access networks. Financial terms were not disclosed. Motorola will provide its MOTOwi4 portfolio of products, including its Canopy high-speed backhaul and Wi-Fi mesh network equipment supplied to Motorola by Tropos Networks.

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Netgear Ships First Products Based on 802.11n Draft

NETGEAR has begun shipping its first RangeMax NEXT Wi-Fi products, which are based on the draft 802.11n specification. NETGEAR said the products deliver wireless speeds up to 300 Mbps.



The product line includes both the RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router Gigabit Edition with 10/100/1000 Switch and RangeMax NEXT Wireless Notebook Adapter Gigabit Edition ; the RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router with 10/100 Switch ; RangeMax NEXT Wireless DSL 2+ Modem Router with 10/100 Switch ; RangeMax NextWireless Notebook Adapter; RangeMax NEXT Wireless PCI Adapter; and RangeMax NEXT Wireless Access Point.



The products incorporate an advanced internal antenna design and are manufactured and tested with NETGEAR's "11n-True Test" high performance testing and tuning process to ensure maximum draft-11n performance at all times and at extended ranges.

http://www.netgear.com

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Samsung Unveils WiFi/UMA Handset, IMS and WiMAX Solutions

At CTIA Wireless 2006, Samsung Telecommunications America showcased a line-up of 35 mobile phone models, including its first model (t719) for the U.S. market that incorporates RIM Blackberry Connect Email in a compact, slim folder design.



Samsung also unveiled the t709, expected to be the first phone in the U.S. to offer WiFi/UMA connectivity, and the zx20, expected to be the first HSDPA phone supporting 1.8 Mbps in the U.S. Samsung showed other distinctive products for the U.S. market, including the slim slider d807, push to talk d407, multimedia-rich a930, and classic-looking a960.



Samsung's Wireless and Broadband Network Systems division unveiled its IP-based Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution that will enable the global availability of converged telecommunications services via a WiMAX network. The company also provided an update on its global mobile WiMAX trials and deployments, including Sprint Nextel in U.S., TVA in Brazil, KKDI WBB in Japan and BT in Great Britain.

http://www.samsungwireless.com

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ARRIS Lands Two-Year E-MTA Supply Deal with Comcast

Comcast signed a purchase agreement for a minimum of 1.2 million ARRIS Touchstone(R) Embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapters (E-MTAs) over the next two years. An E-MTA is the combination modem and phone adapter. The contract covers the ARRIS Touchstone Telephone Modem TM402 and the next-generation Touchstone Telephony Modem TM502 product line. ARRIS will equip the Comcast E-MTAs with battery back-up for service reliability in case of a power failure in the home.

http://www.arrisi.com

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Verizon Business Adopts Hosted Microsoft Office LCS

Verizon Business will use Hosted Microsoft Office Live Communications Server, including Microsoft Office Communicator client software, as the platform for its newly launched Hosted Secure Instant Messaging (IM) Service.



Verizon Business is the first announced network service provider to offer a service based on Microsoft's Hosted Live Communications Server.



The new Verizon Business service will provide enterprise-class, security-enhanced instant messaging and presence awareness.



Verizon Business can host thousands of customer organizations on a single instance of Live Communications Server 2005, helping reduce system management costs and enabling Verizon Business to scale the service rapidly to its customer base.



With Hosted Live Communications Server, Verizon Business can integrate Hosted Microsoft Exchange Server and instant messaging, connecting employees through e-mail and instant messaging applications. For example, if Microsoft Exchange Server is in use, presence information such as "busy in a meeting" or "out of office" is derived from the user's Microsoft Exchange Server calendar and displayed in the presence field of Office Communicator.

http://www.microsoft.com

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Walt Disney Unveils its Family Mobile Service with GPS Tracking

The Walt Disney Company unveiled a national wireless phone service designed for families and featuring customizable tools that allow parents to manage the children's phone use, including:

• set spending allowances and track usage for voice minutes, text messaging, picture messaging and downloadable content



• determine the hours of the day and days of the week when kids can use their phones



• program restricted and always-on phone numbers to manage with whom kids may communicate



• prioritize important family messages



• locate kids' phones with GPS capabilities either via the parent's mobile phone or a secure website.

Beyond the Family Center features, Disney Mobile will offer wireless voice service, text and picture messaging, and a broad range of entertainment and content.

Disney Mobile, which will launch in June will be marketed through Disney Mobile kiosks in malls throughout the U.S. Additional retail distribution channels are planned for later in the year. Pricing plans, which will be detailed closer to consumer availability, will be competitively priced with other family mobile plans and will include Family Center features as part of the basic service. Handset pricing will start at $59.99 when purchased with a two-year service agreement.



http://www.disneymobile.com

• Disney Mobile will run over the Sprint Nationwide PCS Network.



• LG Electronics MobileComm will supply handsets for Disney Mobile

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Narus Enhances its Carrier-class IP Security & Intercept Platform

Narus announced major enhancements to its "NarusInsigh", a carrier-class IP traffic processing system that provides real-time network visibility essential to secure, manage and deliver Services over IP (SoIP).



The platform can be used for advanced IP security, intercept and traffic classification, including blocking specific applications.



NarusInsight 5 now processes full-packet layer 7 traffic at speeds up to OC-48 (2.5 Gbps) and layer 4 traffic at speeds up to OC-192 (10 Gbps). In addition, NarusInsight 5's new security application modules (the NarusInsight Secure Suite) feature "entropy-based security algorithms," providing telecom carriers with early detection of sophisticated new-breed anomalies such as low-volume and polymorphic worms, layer 7 protocol attacks, and application attacks.



Narus noted that its systems have been installed by Tier 1 carriers such as AT&T, KDDI, Vodafone and Korea Telecom.



NarusInsight's extensible application modules include:



NarusInsight Secure Suite (NSS), which leverages behavior-based security algorithms to detect low volume or latency threats, and even polymorphic worms -- hours or even days before previously possible. Advanced VoIP security provides port-independent, layer 7 security for scanning, targeting and flooding attacks as well as call hijacking and protocol exploit attacks.



NarusInsight Intercept Suite (NIS), which includes CALEA- and ETSI-compliant modules for lawful intercept. Capabilities include playback of streaming media (for example, VoIP calls), rendering of Web pages, examination of e-mails and the ability to analyze the payload/attachments of e-mail or file transfer protocols. A proprietary directed analysis monitoring and surveillance module provides integration with the NSS or other DDoS, intrusion or anomaly detection systems, securely providing analysts with real-time, surgical targeting of suspect information (from flow to application to full packets).



NarusInsight Discover Suite (NDS), which supports detection of the following services and protocols for the purposes of billing, quality of service, planning and provisioning as well as blocking:

• VoIP (SIP, H.323, MGCP, RTP, RTCP)


• Skype


• Streaming media (RTP, RTSP)


• Peer-to-peer (Gnutella, BitTorrent, KaZaa, eDonkey, etc.)


• Web (HTTP, SMTP, POP3, IMAP)


• Messaging (IM, MMS)


• Push-to-talk

http://www.narus.com

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Shanghai Telecom Deploys Narus to Detect "Rogue" VoIP Traffic

Shanghai Telecom is deploying Narus' "NarusInsight" IP traffic processing system to detect and mitigate "rogue" VoIP traffic on their network.



NarusInsight performs deep-packet inspection (layers 2 through 7) of IP traffic, while correlating across every link of the network.



The contract marks Narus' first installation in China, and comes on the heels of an unprecedented agreement with the China Information Technology Security Certification Center (CNITSEC), which recently certified NarusInsight to protect China's major telecom carriers against network attacks.



Designed in conjunction with a mitigation system from local Chinese partner and system integration from CommVerge Solutions, the Shanghai Telecom system leverages NarusInsight's VoIP Discovery application module to detect and analyze incoming VoIP traffic to correctly determine whether that traffic is authorized or not.



If the VoIP traffic proves to be unauthorized, NarusInsight alerts the mitigation system to take action and block the traffic.

http://www.narus.com/press/2006/0405.html

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