Japan's JCSAT-9 Successfully Launched

The JCSAT-9 telecommunications satellite was successfully launched aboard a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL launch vehicle from the Pacific Equator.



JCSAT-9, which was designed and built by Lockheed Martin, features 20 Ku-band channels covering Japan and 20 C-band channels covering Japan, Southeast Asia and Hawaii. JCSAT-9 is also equipped with a mobile service communications subsystem. It is the second in a series of seven satellite launches planned this year for LMCSS and the first of three satellites Lockheed Martin will deliver to JSAT over the next two years. Based on Lockheed Martin's high-power A2100AX platform, JCSAT-9 will operate from 132 degrees east and is designed for a minimum service life of 12 years.



JSAT owns and operates nine satellites in eight orbital slots, covering North America, Hawaii, Asia and Oceania.

http://www.lockheedmartin.com

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JDSU to Acquire Test-Um for Home Networking Tester

JDSU agreed to acquire Test-Um Inc., a developer of home networking test instruments for the FTTx and digital cable markets, for an undisclosed sum.



Test-Um's "three-wire" test instruments verify the ability of home wiring to support the reliable delivery of new, high-bandwidth voice, data and video services throughout the home. Test-Um's instruments include test sets for verifying line conditions and power-signal levels, wireless testers that facilitate communications on the job, tone tracing and identification to locate and track cable runs, and analyzers for more advanced service troubleshooting and certification.



Test-Um has 30 employees and is based in Camarillo, California. The company will be integrated into JDSU's Communications Test and Measurement Product Group.



JDSU said the acquisition would enable it to provide an extensive set of home-wiring test instruments for the verification, installation and maintenance of Category 3, Category 5 and coaxial cables used in home and small office networks for the delivery of VoIP, IPTV and other services. The ability to conduct "three-wire" home network testing is increasingly important as the number of broadband-connected homes and networked devices grows.

http://www.jdsu.comhttp://www.test-um.com

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Envivio Debuts MPEG-4 Part 11 Middleware on Sigma STBs

Envivio is showcasing MPEG-4 middleware running on a Sigma Designs based H.264 consumer set-top box. The Envivio IPTV Triple Play solution delivers standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) IP video, video on demand (VOD) and middleware with an electronic program guide (EPG) -- all within an MPEG-4 environment.



In the demonstrated solution, SD and HD IP video is encoded by Envivio 4Caster B3 and HD3 systems. Content for VOD services is delivered via the Envivio 4Sight streaming server. The Envivio EPG is created using the interactive components defined in MPEG-4. enables advanced features including PVR, an integrated telephony portal and trick play.



IP video content and the EPG are delivered to the consumer set-top box as MPEG-4 streams and managed by the Envivio 4Front middleware server.



Envivio's 4Front middleware supports MPEG-4 Part 11 for the delivery of synchronized applications and messages to enable advanced services such as SMS texting, betting and voting.

http://www.envivio.com

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QUALCOMM and DOJ Reach Settlement in Flarion Gun-Jumping Case

QUALCOMM reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) resolving "gun-jumping" allegations arising from QUALCOMM's acquisition of Flarion Technologies earlier this year. The acquisition was cleared by the DOJ's Antitrust Division and closed in mid-January.



QUALCOMM said that during the Hart- Scott-Rodino review of the transaction, it and Flarion called the DOJ's attention to provisions of the acquisition agreement that required Flarion, in the period before the closing, to obtain QUALCOMM's consent to enter into certain types of intellectual property licenses and other agreements, and to make certain types of customer proposals. QUALCOMM and Flarion said they voluntarily modified some of the provisions to eliminate or reduce the consent requirement. The DOJ has asserted that the provisions effectively gave QUALCOMM an inappropriate level of control over Flarion's business prior to Hart-Scott- Rodino clearance in violation of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. The companies disagree with the DOJ's position. The settlement involves the simultaneous filing of a civil complaint by the DOJ under the Act and the entry of a stipulated final judgment. The judgment contains no finding or admission of wrongdoing by QUALCOMM or Flarion. The companies will pay $1.8 million to the DOJ.

http://www.qualcomm.com

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D-Link Selects Marvell's "TopDog" 802.11n Silicon

D-Link selected Marvell's "TopDog" branded family of 802.11n IEEE draft-compliant silicon for its Draft 802.11n product line. Volume deployment of Marvell based D-Link products started this month. The D-Link products, featuring Marvell TopDog WLAN technology, include wireless routers and PC client cards. Marvell TopDog WLAN products deliver data rates between 300 to 600 Mbps and Ethernet connectivity from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps.

http://www.marvell.com

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TiVo Prevails in Patent Case with EchoStar

A jury in the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Texas ruled in favor of TiVo in its lawsuit against EchoStar Communications. TiVo said it was pleased that the jury found that its time warping patent is valid and that EchoStar has been infringing its
intellectual property. TiVo intends to seek a permanent injunction against EchoStar's DVR products. The jury also awarded $73 million in compensation to TiVo.



In a statement, EchoStar said "This is the first step in a very long process and we are confident we will ultimately prevail. Among other things, we believe the patent - as interpreted in this case - is overly broad given the technology in existence when TiVo filed its patent. We believe the decision will be reversed either through post-trial motions or on appeal. Additionally, the Patent Office is in the process of re-examining TiVo's patent, having determined there is a substantial question concerning the validity of the patent.



DISH Network subscribers can continue to use the receivers in their homes, including their DVRs. Furthermore, TiVo dropped their claim that EchoStar's Dishplayer 7200 DVR infringes their patent. "http://www.tivo.comhttp://www.echostar.com

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