Kenya Data Networks Deploys Strix's Wireless Mesh

Kenya Data Networks (KDN), East Africa's largest public data network operator, is deploying Strix Systems' Access/One Network Outdoor Wireless Systems (OWS) and Indoor Wireless Systems (IWS) to launch a new "Butterfly" Wi-Fi service. Initially available in the cities of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Eldoret -- which have a combined population of over 4 million -- Butterfly will ultimately provide seamless connectivity throughout Kenya.



KDN will leverage Strix's multi-radio, multi-channel, multi-RF architecture. A planned WiMAX module, which will be a simple plug-in upgrade to existing nodes, will enable KDN to provide additional WiMAX backhaul and high-speed services. In addition, the multi-radio design offers seamless high-performance broadband coverage in the areas where the Strix nodes are deployed, allowing users to move around without losing connectivity.



The Strix architecture reduces operating expenses for KDN's clients by enabling the operator to deploy a network within the free Wi-Fi spectrum. As a result, end users do not have to pay frequency fees, which are quite high in Kenya, and their cost of entry is cheaper. The Strix solution enables KDN to expand its subscriber base and provide high-quality broadband service to Butterfly customers throughout Kenya.

http://www.strixsystems.com

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China Netcom Selects Alcatel's 7750 for Shanxi and Shandong

Shandong and Shanxi Netcom, two subsidiaries of China Netcom, have selected Alcatel's IP solution to expand and optimize their metropolitan networks across the Shandong and Shanxi provinces. The two contracts were won through Alcatel Shanghai Bell. Financial terms were not disclosed.



Under the terms of the contracts, Alcatel will deploy its 7750 Service Router (SR) in Qingdao, the major city in Shandong Province, and in Changzhi and Jincheng in Shanxi province. The projects, which are expected to be completed in August 2006. will support residential Triple Play services and enterprise services such as Layer 2 Virtual Private LAN service (VPLS) and Layer 3 VPNs, which are provided with IP/MPLS Quality of Service.



Alcatel noted that all major Chinese operators, including China Netcom, China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile, have selected the Alcatel 7750 Service Router to optimize the delivery of high-performance carrier data, voice and video services.

http://www.alcatel.com

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Netcordia Hires Former CEO of Laurel Networks

Netcordia, a supplier of network analysis tools, announced the appointment of Don Pyle as its new chief executive officer. Terry Slattery, will continue with the company as CTO. Pyle previously served as Juniper's first salesman, and was promoted to Vice President of North American sales. Prior to joining Netcordia, he was CEO of Laurel Networks, which was acquired by ECI Telecom in 2005.

http://www.netcordia.com

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ECI Hires Former Juniper Exec to Head Data Networking Division

ECI Telecom announced the appointment of Tony Scarfo as Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Data Networking Division, formerly Laurel Networks. Prior to joining ECI, Scarfo served as Vice President, Global Alliances and Partnerships, at Juniper Networks. Scarfo joined Juniper through its acquisition of Unisphere Networks, where he was Vice President of Marketing. Scarfo also spent a significant portion of his career at Lucent Technologies, as Vice President of several divisions including 3G Wireless, Strategic Marketing and Solutions Development.

http://www.ecitele.com

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PMC-Sierra Supplies EPON for Dasan Networks, KT

Dasan Networks, Korea's leading supplier of broadband access equipment, has selected PMC-Sierra's EPON Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) semiconductors for use in its FTTH equipment. Dasan's FTTH solution has been selected by Korea Telecom (KT) for volume deployment in Korea's FTTH network rollout. KT is expected to begin volume deployments in the third quarter of this year.



Dasan will supply ONU (Optical Network Unit) FTTH equipment for consumers in CPEs (Customer Premise Equipment) and OLT (Optical Line Terminal) FTTH equipment for central office equipment (COs). The PON (Passive Optical Network) network architecture delivers Gigabit/s bandwidth from the fiber-based core network to the consumer using ultra-high bandwidth fiber. Dasan's ONU CPE systems use PMC-Sierra's third-generation PAS6201 ONU device powered by PMC-Sierra's GigaPASS FTTH architecture. Dasan's OLT systems use PMC-Sierra's field-proven PAS5001 OLT device.

http://www.dasannetworks.comhttp://www.pmc-sierra.com

• Earlier this year, PMC-Sierra acquired Passave Inc., a developer of system-on-chip semiconductor solutions for the Fiber To The Home (FTTH) access market, for approximately $300 million in PMC-Sierra common stock. The Passave product line includes system-on-chip solutions for Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) for the Central Office, Optical Network Terminals (ONTs), and Optical Network Units (ONUs) solutions for residential termination equipment. Passave has delivered two million ONU devices that have been deployed in NTT's Fiber To The Home broadband access network. Passave's product set includes GPON chipsets supporting 2.5 Gbps downstream and 1.25 Gbps upstream, and features Forward error correction and AES-128 encryption.



• In 2004, Dasan Networks entered into a close development and sales partnership relationship with Siemens, with Siemens acquiring a controlling interest in the company.

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UPnP Releases New Audio Video Specifications for Home Networking

The UPnP Forum released version 2 of its UPnP Audio Video specifications (UPnP AV v2) for AV-oriented home networking.



The UPnP AV specifications use the UPnP Device Architecture specifications -- the core interoperability technology for all UPnP enabled devices -- allowing different companies to build home network products that automatically locate and identify each other without any end-user configuration.

The UPnP Forum said its new UPnP AV v2 specifications will enable consumers to identify and record programs and other digital content for later viewing over home networks. These new specifications also simplify playback of premium digital content without interfering with the underlying DRM (digital rights management) technology used to protect the premium content.



These new entertainment experiences are created by adding capabilities to the UPnP AV MediaServer and MediaRenderer device classes that allow a higher level of interoperability between MediaServers and MediaRenderers from different manufacturers. MediaServer devices include DVD players, VCRs, PCs, personal video recorders (PVRs), CD players, MP3 players, satellite and cable set-top boxes, TVs, etc. MediaRenderer devices include televisions, PCs, digital media adapters, stereo systems, and personal music players.



The UPnP AV v2 specifications are fully backward compatible with the UPnP AV v1 specifications.



"The UPnP AV specifications provide an interoperability infrastructure, which enables device manufacturers to deliver innovative AV products that allow an end user to purchase products from different manufacturers, bring them home, plug them into their home network, and they just work together -- it's that simple," said John Ritchie, co-chair of the UPnP Forum's AV Working Committee and staff engineer, Intel Digital Home Group.

http://www.upnp.org

• UPnP device and service standards have been defined and published for Internet gateways/routers, audio-video media devices, printers, scanners, climate control, lighting and wireless LAN access points.



• The UPnP architecture leverages TCP/IP and other Web technologies to enable seamless integration of these devices into existing network infrastructures. UPnP technology can be implemented on nearly any operating system and works with essentially any type of physical networking media that supports IP -- wired or wireless.



• There are now more than 220 UPnP certified products. The UPnP Implementers Corporation (UIC) is the non-profit corporation that promotes the adoption of UPnP technology by manufacturers of hardware and software products. The UIC administers the UPnP device certification process and the UPnP mark licensing.

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Yahoo! and Microsoft Agree to Bridge IM Services

Yahoo! and Microsoft agreed to begin limited public beta testing of interoperability between their instant messaging (IM) services that enable users of Windows Live Messenger, the next generation of MSN Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger with Voice to connect with each other.



The interoperability deal -- the first of its kind between two distinct, global consumer IM providers -- would form the world's largest consumer IM community, approaching 350 million accounts.



"Interoperability between IM services has consistently topped our users' wish lists, and through the collaborative efforts between Yahoo! and Microsoft we are delighted to provide our combined global users with the ultimate IM experience," said Brad Garlinghouse, senior vice president of Communications, Community and Front Doors, Yahoo! "A new era for staying connected with friends and family is here, and the bridge between Yahoo!'s and Microsoft's IM communities is bringing people around the world closer together."http://www.yahoo.comhttp://www.msn.com

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Ixia Enhances Automated Test Application

Ixia has updated and enhanced its test application for executing automated performance and functionality testing of network devices. The updated Aptixia IxAutomate 6.00 release enables the testing of Layer 2-7 devices and systems all from a single test framework, including switches, routers, broadband access devices, firewalls and content switches. The new release transitions the former IxScriptMate application to an extensible test automation framework and changed its name to IxAutomate to better reflect this new functionality.



IxAutomate, part of Ixia's Aptixia family of test applications, provides a test environment for executing automated tests that run without manual intervention, any time of day. More than 90 test methodologies including RFC-defined performance benchmarking, routing, QoS, broadband, content aware devices, etc., are pre-built and available from Ixia. In large-scale environments, such as proof-of-concept and system test labs, IxAutomate tests can be set up and executed across many hundreds of network ports. These capabilities enable service providers to speed and simplify testing during the pre-deployment validation of devices and networks. Network Equipment Manufacturers can use IxAutomate to validate and benchmark new products and ongoing software releases in a repeatable, scaleable fashion. http://www.ixiacom.com/ixautomate

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Tut Systems Warns on Q2 Earnings

Tut Systems, which supplies encoding and content processing systems, expects its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2006 to be below previously issued guidance. Preliminary estimate of second quarter revenue is approximately $8.2 million. Gross margins will also be impacted as fixed costs become a higher percentage of total cost of goods sold. The company stated that sales for the quarter were adversely affected by several large digital TV headend orders that did not close in this quarter as expected and by lower than planned revenue from its new T2 products.



"We are disappointed in the preliminary results for the quarter, as a number of potential new IOC/PTT customers extended their IPTV purchase decisions into later periods and revenue from our new T2 products was impacted by production ramping issues," said Sal D'Auria, Chairman, President and CEO of Tut Systems. "Nevertheless, we are encouraged by the continued high level of IOC/PTT interest in deploying video services, existing customer upgrades to our MPEG-4 AVC High Definition solutions, and the initial interest we are seeing in our new innovative T2 products. We have also made meaningful progress this quarter with the various tier 1 opportunities that we have been pursuing."http://www.tutsys.com

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VeriSign to Provide PKI-related Security for WiMAX Networks

The WiMAX Forum has selected VeriSign to provide PKI-related services to all WiMAX Forum Certified solutions based on IEEE 802.16-2004 and ETSI HiperMAN 1.2.1. This partnership promotes industry-wide equipment compatibility and interoperability within the WiMAX Forum community by creating a single, trusted device authentication standard across broadband wireless networks.



Under the agreement, VeriSign will operate the WiMAX root CA used to create a single, trusted device authentication standard for WiMAX networks. The VeriSign Custom Device Certificate Service (CDCS) allows embedding X.509- standard digital certificates into all WiMAX Forum Certified hardware devices based on IEEE 802.16-2004 and ETSI HiperMAN 1.2.1 standards. Using strong certificate-based authentication allows service providers to ensure network access, digital content and software services can be secured from unauthorized access.

http://www.verisign.com

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Meriton Optical Transport Selected by Telepak, Buckeye TeleSystem

Telepak Networks, a CLEC with over 1,900 miles of fiber throughout Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida, has deployed the Meriton Networks 6400 OTP (Optical Transport Platform) to deliver advanced new broadband services at rates up to 10 Gbps to customers throughout the state of Mississippi.



Meriton said some of the main drivers for Telepak Networks' selection of the 6400 OTP were its optical backplane, jumperless technology and provisioning simplicity, which reduce the carrier's operational expenses. The 6400 OTP gives Telepak Networks the ability to add capacity, wavelengths and additional nodes to the network, without having to re-engineer the entire optical ring. The rapid networking planning and service provisioning capabilities of the 6400 OTP allow Telepak Networks to swiftly meet its customers' changing service demands with accelerated service provisioning times.



Separately, Buckeye TeleSystem, a facilities-based provider of telecommunications services with 1,700 route miles of fiber in Ohio, has launched a new triple play network infrastructure based on the Meriton Networks 6400 OTP. Buckeye TeleSystem offers a full array of solutions for voice, data, and video requirements, including local and long-distance phone service, Internet and intranet access, and video conferencing. Buckeye TeleSystem is leveraging its the art, multi-service infrastructure to deliver converged voice and Ethernet data services to the Toledo Public School district, and to supply Triple Play services at competitive prices to the surrounding residential and business customers. A sister company, Buckeye CableSystem, for years has provided video services to Toledo schools via its hybrid fiber-coax network.



Meriton's 6400 optical transport platform combines wavelength selective switch technology with a GMPLS control plane, 10-port multiservice GFP card, and a GUI-based network management system. The 6400 OTP leverages Meriton's ADM-on-a-Wavelength technology to provide a truly "reconfigurable" optical add-drop multiplexer capable of delivering SONET/SDH and Ethernet-based services.

http://www.meriton.com

	Optical Foundations for Video Transport Networks
The impact of IPTV and other broadband multimedia services on service provider backbones will be enormous. Driven by changes in consumer viewing practices, even the very nature of the traffic will change over time. Service providers should deploy optical wavelength networking deep into the access network, and only undertake service layer processing when it adds value.

	An Interview with Mike Pascoe, President and CEO
	Overview of Meriton Networks The Mahi Acquisition Agile Optical Networking (AON) Meriton's partnerships Optical networking market share Next generation networks BT's 21CN and the Fujitsu partnership

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MobiTV Raises $70 Million in New Funding

MobiTV, which supplies television and digital radio services for cellular, WiFi and broadband-enabled devices, raised $70 million in Series C financing led by Oak Investment Partners.



MobiTV said its service already reaches more than one million paying subscribers across the globe who can now watch top news, sports, entertainment and music videos on their mobile devices. The company recently expanded its service to include personal computers across WiFi and other broadband networks and announced the commercial availability of the MobiTV service in Latin America.



MobiTV, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Emeryville, California, first launched its mobile TV service in November of 2003. Since that time, MobiTV has expanded to serve major domestic carriers including Sprint, Cingular and Alltel and has also grown internationally. The MobiTV service reaches mobile subscribers through more than 20 carriers around the globe including Bell Canada, Rogers and TELUS in Canada, 3 and Orange in the UK, and America Movil in Latin America.



Content partners include MSNBC, ABC News Now, CNN, Fox News, Fox Sports, ESPN 3GTV, NBC Mobile, CNBC, The Discovery Channel, TLC and The Weather Channel, along with cartoons, music videos, comedy and more.

http://www.mobitv.com

• In May 2006, AT&T agreed to deliver MobiTV's mobile television content across its nationwide Wi-Fi network. The service will enable AT&T customers to view live television while connected to one of AT&T's Wi-Fi hot spots.

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China Telecom to Expand IPTV in Shanghai with UTStarcom's RollingStream

China Telecom awarded a follow-on contract to UTStarcom to deploy its "RollingStream" end-to-end IPTV solution in Shanghai. The deployment is initially designed to support 51,000 users.



Prior to this deployment, China Telecom Shanghai selected UTStarcom to deploy an initial 5,000-user IPTV network in November 2005. During the first stage of deployment, UTStarcom's RollingStream solution was put through a rigorous series of technology tests.



Shanghai, which is also the largest city in China with a population of approximately 18 million, had nearly two million broadband subscribers at the end of first quarter of 2006. UTStarcom believes these factors provide a solid foundation for the IPTV market in both Shanghai and China.



Partnering with Shanghai Media Group (SMG), a leading multimedia television content provider, China Telecom Shanghai plans to offer subscribers a service package of live broadcast television and videos-on-demand. Additionally, the service is designed to offer subscribers "time-shift" capabilities -- the ability to pause and rewind live television, as well as an expansive amount of storage to record any program and watch on each subscriber's own schedule.



Shanghai is the largest city of China with a total population of approximately 18 million. The number of broadband users in Shanghai approached two million at the end of first quarter of 2006. UTStarcom believes these factors provide a solid foundation for the addressable market of IPTV in China.

http://www.utstar.com/Solutions/Broadband/IPTV

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Avaya Reports 99.999% Availability for FIFA World Cup Network

Avaya reported 99.999% availability and not a single major outage or error for the converged communication network it built for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.



In all, the network Avaya built for FIFA carried over 21 trillion bytes of data during the World Cup. According to Avaya, a total of 21,126 terabytes of voice and data traffic was transferred over the network between May 15, when the network became operational, and July 10. During that time, people have logged on to the converged communications network approximately 642,538 times and made 364,395 phone calls on the network, which represents 789,810 minutes of calling time.



On the day of the Final Match between France and Italy, 111,150 megabytes of data traffic traveled over the network, 55,037 people logged on to the converged network, and 3,456 phone calls were made, representing 6,217 minutes of calling time.

The converged network -- which combined voice and data on the same infrastructure -- connected the 12 host stadiums, the stadium media centers, and the FIFA headquarters in Berlin. Players, coaches, volunteers and fans alike benefited from the network that was used to issue accreditations for players and journalists, report results, track materials and inventory, confirm accommodations at FIFA's official hotels, and maintain security systems.



"This is one of the largest and most sophisticated converged networks ever built," said Doug Gardner, managing director for Avaya's FIFA World Cup technical program. "Avaya deployed more than 650 wireless access points, 1,000 Avaya switches at the edge of the network and 38 core data switches from Extreme."http://www.avaya.com

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Verizon FiOS TV Wins Franchise in Sarasota County, FL

Florida's Sarasota County awarded a franchise to Verizon for its FiOS TV service, to be delivered via its new, digital all-fiber network.



The franchise, which could potentially bring competition and consumer choice to over 246,000 residents in the county, makes Florida one of Verizon's most competitive frontiers for FiOS services.



As the fiber network is built, the Sarasota franchise, combined with Verizon's franchises for Temple Terrace, Tampa, Oldsmar, Manatee County, Bradenton, Hillsborough County and Pasco County, will enable over 1.8 million residents in Verizon's Florida service territory to enjoy stepped-up competition and more consumer choice for video services in the region.



The 15-year agreement contains provisions for:

• Two public, educational and governmental (PEG) access channels now and as many as six later.
  
  
• A Community Needs Pass Through Grant in support of PEG channels, starting at 53 cents per subscriber in years one through three and
  potentially increasing to as much as $1.50 per subscriber over the life
  of the franchise, as determined by community need.
  
  
• Cable service to over 85 schools and to certain government buildings at no cost; and other important benefits including insurance, indemnification and enforcement protections.

http://www.verizon.com

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