Force10 Bridges SONET-to-Ethernet with POS Line Card

Force10 Networks introduced multi-rate packet over SONET/SDH (POS) capabilities for its TeraScale E-Series family of switch/routers, providing a means to bridge SONET and 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks. While new service provider deployments are using 10 GbE, there remains a technical challenge in bridging the transition from the installed base of SONET. A new four-port multi-rate line card allows service providers to select between OC-3c/STM-1c,...

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EC Approves Proposed Alcatel + Lucent Merger

The European Commission has cleared the proposed merger between Alcatel and Lucent Technologies. The Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it. The main areas of concern had been in the sale of DSLAMs and optical networking equipment, where the combined company will hold considerable market shares. However, the EC concluded that network operators would be able to sufficiently constrain the merged entity through their countervailing...

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France Telecom Sells PagesJaunes to KKR

Following a competitive bidding process, France Telecom decided to sell its 54% stake in PagesJaunes Groupe to KKR (Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts & Co Ltd.), which is offering EUR 3.312 billion, representing a price per share of EUR 22. KKR intends to carry on PagesJaunes Groupe's strategy, which it believes has been successful since the IPO, relying on PagesJaunes Groupe' s management team and on the expertise and know-how of its employees. http://www.francetelecom.comIn December 2005, Agilent Technologies completed the divestiture of its Semiconductor...

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Telekom Austria selects Alcatel for Triple Play

Telekom Austria has selected Alcatel's IP-based network infrastructure and end-to-end video solution to support its recently launched aonDigital TV service to households in Vienna. The service offers more than 55 broadcast TV channels, video on demand and additional information service channels. The IP-based network infrastructure includes Alcatel's DSLAMs, IP routers and optical transport equipment. Alcatel also provided its end-to-end video solution, integrating other technology leaders in segments such as head-ends, set-top boxes and encryption...

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Ixia Scales its Optixia Test Platform

Ixia introduced the next addition to its Optixia product line -- the Optixia XM test system and Optixia XM12 chassis -- featuring ultra-high Ethernet port density of 144 GbE or 36 10 GbE ports per 17.5 inch tall chassis. The new system delivers the highest test port density available today and maintains backward compatibility with previous Optixia systems and software. Ixia said the new Optixia XM12 addresses the growing needs of equipment manufacturers...

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Avaya Reports Revenue of $1.3 Billion, Lower Profits

Avaya's quarterly revenues increased 4.9 percent to $1.297 billion compared to $1.236 billion in the same period last year. Product sales worldwide rose 12 percent over the same period, with U.S. product sales rising 15 percent. The company's operating income for the quarter was $28 million. Avaya generated $181 million in operating cash flow and had $822 million in cash at the end of the quarter.In the same quarter last year the company reported net income of $194 million or 40 cents per diluted share. These results include the net favorable impact...

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Spirent Partners with Anue Systems

Spirent Communications and Anue Systems, a provider of network emulation solutions for Ethernet, SONET/SDH, and Fibre Channel environments, announced a partnership to address Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) issues across converged networks.Anue's network emulators can be used with the Spirent TestCenter or Spirent Abacus test systems to simulate network delays, jitters, and other impairments. By running critical applications through an emulated environment, customers can accurately assess and ensure performance of their...

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Cingular Adds 1.5 Million Subs, Reaches 57.3 Million Total

Cingular Wireless added 1.5 million net new customers during the second quarter of 2006 and served a total of 57.3 million subscribers at the end of June. Some highlights:Postpaid customer additions were more than 1.0 million for the quarter, a 9.2 percent year-over-year improvement. Overall monthly subscriber churn for the quarter was a record-low 1.7 percent and postpaid churn was also the lowest- ever at 1.5 percent.Q2 revenues were $9.2 billion, an improvement of 7.1 percent over the same quarter a year ago and up 2.7 percent sequentially....

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BellSouth Adds 128,000 DSL and 63,000 DirecTV Customers, Loses 251,000 Residential Access Lines

BellSouth reported normalized revenues (including its 40% share of Cingular) of more than $8.8 billion for the second quarter of 2006, representing normalized revenue growth of 3.4 percent. Earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations were 49 cents, up 14.0 percent compared to the second quarter of 2005. "Three consecutive quarters of double-digit earnings growth reflects the strength of our broadband and wireless businesses," said Duane Ackerman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Some highlights for Q2 include:For the second quarter...

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SaskTel Selects 2Wire as Exclusive Supplier

SaskTel, the incumbent carrier in Canada's Saskatchewan province, has named 2Wire to be the exclusive provider of broadband connectivity and home networking equipment to all new SaskTel broadband subscribers. SaskTel currently offers 2Wire's ADSL residential gateways to its HomeNet service customers. Under the terms of the expanded alliance, SaskTel will also provide new subscribers with 2Wire's ADSL2+ residential gateways.http://www.2wire....

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SingTel to Test Alcatel's GPON Solution

Singapore Telecommunications has selected Alcatel for a Gigabit Passive Optical Networking (GPON) trial in the Asia Pacific region and the first residential Metro Ethernet trial in Singapore.In March 2006, Singapore announced plans to create a Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure (Next Gen NII), which aims to evolve to a nation-wide platform for information sharing and communication. The Next Gen NII will be capable of delivering ultra-high speeds of 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps as early as 2008, enabling triple play services.For...

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Installed Sonus Equipment Carries 61 billion VoIP Minutes in Q2

Sonus Networks reported that in Q2, its customer deployed equipment drove nearly 61 billion minutes of IP voice traffic. In the month of June alone, Sonus-based networks carried 22 billion minutes of IP voice traffic, representing a nearly 70% increase compared to June 2005. In the month of June alone, Sonus-based networks carried 22 billion minutes of IP voice traffic, representing a nearly 70% increase compared to June 2005. Sonus attributed the dramatic growth in traffic to a combination of factors including a number of new Sonus customers...

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Verizon Wireless Adds 1.8 Million Subscribers in Q2

Verizon Wireless added 1.8 million subscribers in Q2, all of which are retail customers, that is those customers that the company directly serves and manages. Verizon Wireless believes, based on publicly available information, that it has the most retail customers of any wireless carrier, with 52.6 million retail customers of its total 54.8 million customers.http://www.verizonwireless....

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BT to Provide Services to Philips in 40 Countries

Dutch electronics giant Philips awarded a 5-year contract to BT to provide services in more than 40 countries in EMEA (Europe, Middle-East and Africa) as well as global data infrastructure and access services. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.Under the terms of the contract, BT will handle the management of Philips' MPLS-based network in EMEA together with voice services, managed mobility and certain metropolitan area networks within the region.BT will also be providing Philips with global data access services including security...

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Infinera and Internet2 Target 100 Gbps Services

Infinera announced an agreement with Internet2 covering the development, testing and deployment of 40 to 100 Gbps services. Key areas of technology development will include: lab and network-wide tests of super-lambda services including 40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet service; advanced network service management and delivery leveraging GMPLS technology; and advanced virtual private network (VPN) services based on Layer One VPNs. Last month, in a joint...

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SteelBox Raises $10 Million for Video Switching

SteelBox Networks, a start-up based in Atlanta, has received $10,000,000 in venture funding from Sierra Ventures of Menlo Park, California and existing investors. SteelBox's initial market focus centers on intelligent switching, storage and high speed access for large scale video surveillance applications and networks.SteelBox's video-over-IP switching equipment has been deployed in large-scale surveillance networks in terminals and mass transit venues. SteelBox has installations in the US, Europe and Asia where systems have been deployed to monitor...

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SOFTBANK Tests WiMAX (802.16e-2005) with Motorola

Motorola is supplying an end-to-end WiMAX (802.16e-2005)trial system including access points, an access network, and prototype WiMAX mobile handheld devices to SOFTBANK for testing in Tokyo. Expected to begin in September 2006, the five-month trial will focus on performance of WiMAX in the 2.5GHz spectrum with regards to throughput and range, as well as the speed of network handovers between access points.Motorola will be deploying five WiMAX access points and 25 prototype WiMAX mobile handheld devices. The trial will also showcase MIMO (multi-input,...

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Quake's SFP+ PHY Chips Slashes Cost of 10 GigE

Quake Technologies announced the availability of the industry's first integrated physical layer IC for all SFP+ 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GE) applications. Quake's QT2035S is the first silicon device to integrate a standard XAUI-interface 10G Ethernet PHY, with complete SFP+ signal processing support. SFP+ modules, by virtue of being 40% smaller than XFP modules, allow for full-density 48-port designs. Elimination of redundant electronics in the module...

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Vyatta Releases its Open Source Enterprise Router

Vyatta, a start-up based in San Mateo, California, announced the availability of its enterprise-grade open-source router platform. The Vyatta Open Flexible Router (OFR) is positioned as open-source alternative to today's expensive, inflexible closed-source solutions. The platform is designed for mid-sized enterprises or branch offices of large enterprises. The OFR software is available for free download from the Vyatta web site. Vyatta is offering a software subscription service that enables enterprise customers to receive software updates and...

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Florida's FDN Communications Chooses Calix

FDN Communications, a 250,000-line CLEC based in Florida, has selected the Calix C7 multiservice access platform (MSAP) to help transform its network in the face of a changing regulatory environment and accelerating consumer expectations. FDN Communications will initially deploy the Calix C7 in its 170 central office collocations. Founded in 1998, FDN Communications currently provides a full suite of voice and data services to over 70,000 business and residential customers and has more than 250,000 access lines. In addition, FDN provides web...

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DragonWave to Provide Wireless Ethernet Backhaul for EarthLink's Muni Wi-Fi Networks

EarthLink has selected DragonWave's AirPair solution for licensed wireless Ethernet backhaul for their municipal wireless network deployments. EarthLink has already been selected as the operator in Philadelphia, New Orleans as well as Anaheim and Milpitas, California. The DragonWave solution provides a wireless backhaul solution, allowing Earthlink to roll out new high-bandwidth services such as free Internet access in some parks and public spaces,...

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