Tuesday, August 8, 2006

Lucent to Resell TCS' Location-based Application in IMS Portfolio

Lucent Technologies will resell TeleCommunication Systems' (TCS')location-based solutions and applications. Specifically, Lucent will offer the TCS Xypoint Location Platform and Xypoint Secure User Plane for Location (SUPL) Server with its IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMS) solutions portfolio, including the Lucent Intelligent Services Gateway (ISG), iLocator application and managed service offerings to provide network operators integrated location-based solutions. The location-based services include navigation, "family finder", asset and fleet tracking, location-specific traffic and weather information, and location-based mobile alerts and advertising.



TCS said its location technology originated from its experience working with CDMA, TDMA, GSM, and UMTS operators over the last eight years. Its track record in location-based solutions include:

  • First location-based call placed by a wireless operator (supporting E9-1-1)


  • First location solution to support UMTS


  • Used by more than 45 wireless operators around the world


  • Supports handset-based (AGPS) or network-based (triangulation) location technologies


  • Supports UMTS, GSM, CDMA, and iDEN wireless infrastructure


  • Currently deployed to support multiple wireless operators from a single infrastructure
http://www.lucent.comhttp://www.telecomsys.com

Deutsche Telekom Trims Guidance, Warns of Competitive Pressure

Citing competitive pressures in its home market, Deutsche Telekom AG trimmed its revenue guidance from the previous range of between EUR 62.1 billion and EUR 62.7 billion to between EUR 61.5 billion and EUR 62.1 billion. Revenue is expected to continue to grow at a moderate rate in 2007.



The company said the reduction in high-margin revenues in Germany will lead to a drop in expectations for adjusted EBITDA for the 2006 financial year to between EUR 19.2 billion and EUR 19.7 billion. Previous guidance was between EUR 20.2 billion and EUR 20.7 billion. Adjusted EBITDA for 2007 is expected to remain at approximately the 2006 level.



>










































2006
billions of EUR
Revenue Adjusted
EBITDA
Guidance old new old new
Broadband/
Fixed network
24.8
- 25.2
24.6
- 25.0
9.4
- 9.6
8.8
- 9.0
Mobile
communications
31.9
- 32.3
31.9
- 32.3
10.0
- 10.2
9.8
- 10.0
Business
Customers
13.4
- 13.6
12.6
- 12.8
1.5
- 1.6
1.2
- 1.3
Group 62.1
- 62.7
61.5
- 62.1
20.2
- 20.7
19.2
- 19.7
http://www.telekom.de

Leapstone Enhances its IPTV Software

Leapstone Systems released a new version of its Communications Convergence Engine (CCE) suite incorporating enhancements designed to strengthen its carrier-grade IPTV capabilities. Leapstone's newest CCE software release now offers broadband service providers the means to implement a centralized management layer on top of IPTV platforms like Microsoft TV, enabling to offer superior VOD services.



The key enhancements in CCE Release 6.5 include:

  • Flexible Broadcast Packaging and Broadcast Listings Options: Leapstone offers service providers an automated means to localize channel lineups for the same service package and to also restrict channel information display for customers who wish to restrict content listings, such as adult program information


  • Choice of VOD Catalog Delivery: CCE Release 6.5 supports standards-based, automated interfaces to third-party content providers for uploading and creation of a comprehensive VOD content catalog that can be presented to subscribers over multiple devices such as PCs and mobile devices. Service providers can use this feature to offer differentiated video services that will help increase adoption rates and contribute to higher average revenue per user


  • Enhanced Blackout Management: The newest Leapstone release gives service providers a simplified tool for implementing sports blackouts while providing alternate programming during blackout periods


  • Improved Customer Care: Improved integration of Leapstone's CCE with the service provider's call center and self-service portals streamlines such functions as a suspension or restoration of subscriptions, while simplifying personalization features like parental PIN resets, credit limit adjustments and simplified purchase of promotional content such as VOD content


  • Faster Billing and Vendor Settlements: The latest software release incorporates features to streamline the billing and settlement of VOD purchases, helping both service providers and content owners reduce delays in revenue recognition
http://www.leapstone.com

Cisco Selected for Unified Communications Project for Portugal's Largest Bank

Millennium BCP, the largest private financial group in Portugal, has selected Cisco's retail banking solution to transform its information and communication infrastructure to a converged voice and data IP network. Millennium BCP will be making one of the largest deployments of Cisco Unified Communications technologies in the region, replacing its various telephone systems from multiple vendors with a Cisco Unified CallManager system and 15,000 Cisco Unified IP phones at more than 900 office and branch locations in Portugal. Future plans will extend the network and communications system to 600 international branches.



The project will bring Cisco's worldwide installed based on IP phones to over 9 million.



The Cisco solution includes the following products and services:

  • Cisco Unified CallManager call control system, with integrated voice recording


  • Cisco Unified IP Phones 7900 Series


  • Cisco 2800 Series Integrated Services Routers


  • Cisco Catalyst 3560 Series Switches
http://www.cisco.com

Intel Sells Media and Signaling Business to Eicon Networks

Eicon Networks agreed to acquire all of the assets of Intel's media and signaling business, for an undisclosed sum.



Intel's media and signaling business includes all of the product lines from Intel's Dialogic acquisition, as well as Host Media Processing (HMP) software and HMP-enabled blades. Intel's complete line of SS7, PBX integration and gateway solutions are also included in the sale.



The sale does not include Intel's communications infrastructure products for telecommunications equipment manufacturers, including its Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA) blades and carrier-grade rack mount servers, and its CompactPCI compute blades and chassis.



Intel's media and signaling business includes approximately 600 employees involved in a variety of functions, including engineering, product testing and validation, operations and marketing. It is expected that a significant number of these employees will become employees of Eicon.



Eicon is a supplier of media processing hardware and software for applications encompassing voice, speech, conferencing, VoIP, fax and IP based solutions. Its Diva Server family of adapters and software for media processing provide voice processing functions including tone detection and generation, voice activity detection and echo cancellation. The adapters feature onboard Digital Signal Processor (DSP) resources - dedicated to each communication channel, to ensure real-time voice processing, reduced latency and overall system performance improvement for high-density speech solutions. The company is based in Montreal.

http://www.intel.comhttp://www.eicon.com
  • In June 1999, Intel acquired Dialogic Corp., a supplier of computer telephony software, network interfaces and media processing boards that run on Intel servers, in a deal valued at $780 million at the time.

FCC Auction for Advanced Wireless Services Spectrum Gets Underway

The FCC commenced its auction for Advanced Wireless Services licenses in the 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz bands (AWS-1). A total of 168 bidders were pre-qualified for the auction. During the first two rounds of auction, conducted on Wednesday, the top ten bidders were:

  • Wireless DBS (backed by DirecTV, News Corp, Fox, EchoStar, Rupert Murdoch, and EchoStar)

  • T-Mobile

  • SpectrumCo (backed by Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and Sprint Nextel)

  • Dolan Family Holdings (holder in Cablevision)

  • Cellco Partnership, dba Verizon Wireless

  • Denali Spectrum License

  • Cingular AWS

  • Triad AWS

  • Antares Holdings

  • American Cellular Corp.


Daily results from the bidding are posting online.http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/default.htm?job=auction_summary&id=66
  • AWS-1 bands are currently being used for a variety of Government and non-Government services and require relocating incumbent operations. The lower half of these paired frequencies, i.e., 1710-1755 MHz, is currently a Government band and is covered by a Congressional mandate that requires that auction proceeds fund the estimated relocation costs of incumbent federal entities. The upper half of these paired frequencies, i.e., 2110-2150 MHz band, is used by private (including state and local governmental public safety services) and common carrier fixed microwave services (“FS�?). The 2150-2155 MHz band is currently used by the Broadband Radio Service (BRS).

Atheros Acquires Taiwan's ZyDAS

Atheros Communications completed its previously-announced acquisition of ZyDAS Technology Corporation, a Taiwan-based fabless IC design company specializing in high-performance IEEE 802.11 semiconductor and software solutions for PC, mobile and embedded applications. Atheros has established its new Taiwan Research & Development Center in ZyDAS' former headquarters in in Hsinchu Science Park.

http://www.atheros.com

Verizon's Video Franchises Now Cover 3 Million Households

Verizon now has video franchises covering approximately 3 million households in nine states and over 100 franchise areas. This month, Verizon began offering its FiOS TV service to 4,000 households in north Sarasota County, Florida, following the Sarasota County Commission's decision on July 12 to award a franchise to Verizon.

http://www.verizon.com

Zarlink and BroadLight Combine Packet Processing and GPON

Zarlink Semiconductor has completed interoperability testing of its CESoP (circuit emulation services-over-packet) technology with BroadLight's GPON solution.



The companies noted the continued importance of TDM traffic as evidenced by the recent GPON RFP (request for proposal) issued in North America, which stipulates legacy services must be supported.



"Carriers are seeking ways to add TDM service support to the new GPON infrastructure, rather than incur the expense of maintaining existing circuit networks," said Bruce Ernhofer, product manager, Packet Processing, Zarlink Semiconductor.



Zarlink positions its CESoP as a key bridging technology that allows carriers to seamlessly support TDM services over a packet network.



The tested solution, based on Zarlink's CESoP technology and BroadLight's BL3238 OLT (optical line terminal) MAC (media access controller), supports the delivery of TDM-based services across central office and customer premises GPON equipment. Using CESoP technology in the OLT, circuit-switched traffic along with associated timing and signaling information is converted into IP or Ethernet packets and tunneled across the GPON network. At the OLT, GPON access blades supporting TDM services do not need to include TDM circuitry and backplane connectivity.



At the business CPE (customer premise equipment), Zarlink's CESoP technology and BroadLight's BL2340 ONU (optical network unit) System on Chip enable channelized, fractional and clear channel T1/E1 services.



Zarlink also noted that most carriers have specified that TDM-over-packet and pseudo wire solutions for GPON deployment must conform to the IETF draft standards and MEF (Metro Ethernet Forum) 8.0 standards. Its CESoP technology meets all issued and drafted TDM-over-packet and pseudo wire standards.http://cesop.zarlink.comhttp://www.broadlight.com

NDS Sees Growth in STB Middleware as Smart Cards Decline

NDS reported revenue for fiscal 2006 of $600.1 million, an increase of 8% compared to the previous fiscal year. Conditional access revenue increased; higher security fees resulting from growth in the number of authorized cards using NDS technologies were offset in part by lower deliveries of smart cards. Revenue from integration, development and support declined. Higher middleware development revenue in fiscal 2006 did not compensate for the prior year revenue from the migration of Sky Italia subscribers to NDS technology. License fees and royalties revenues continue to benefit from the company's increased middleware shipments. The increase in revenue from new technologies was due to higher income from DVR technologies, the company's Synamedia IPTV technologies, interactive infrastructure and gaming applications.



Recent developments include:

  • Smart card deliveries for all of 2006 amounted to 24.4 million units, down from 30.8 million units in 2005


  • Middleware deployments in set-top boxes reached 21.2 million units, up from 2.0 million units in 2005. Cumulatively, there are now 41.6 million set-top boxes using NDS middleware.


  • Premiere, a pay TV operator in Germany and Austria, has chosen the NDS MediaHighway middleware solution to set-up an interactive platform paving the way into advanced digital TV services.


  • Dutch satellite service provider CANALDIGITAAL has chosen NDS MediaHighway middleware for its new set top boxes in northern Belgium.


  • SKY Italia launched the first ever interactive betting platform for the Italian market, using NDS interactive technologies, allowing SKY Italia customers the ability to place bets through two of Italy's leading bookmakers across a range of sports and betting combinations.
http://www.nds.com

Verizon Wins US Army Contract

Verizon was awarded help modernize and upgrade the telecommunications infrastructure on U.S. Army posts, camps and stations worldwide over the next decade.



Verizon Business, through its Federal Network Systems (FNS) arm, was among ten prime contractors chosen by the Army to participate in future bidding for task orders in its $4 billion Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Infrastructure Modernization (IMOD) program. Each contractor is guaranteed a minimum amount of the overall program

.

IMOD is a 10-year contract effort managed by the Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems, Fort Belvoir, Va.; and Project Manager, Defense Communications and Army Switched Systems, Fort Monmouth, N.J., to update fiber-optic cable and wireless communications facilities at major Army facilities. Voice, data and video systems will be integrated into a single communications system.



The IMOD project replaces the Digital Switched Systems Modernization Program (DSSMP), which expires in June 2007.

http://www.verizon.com

UTStarcom Reports Revenue of $549.1 Million

UTStarcom reported net sales for Q2 of $549.1 million. Gross margins for the second quarter were 19.9% and GAAP net loss for the quarter was $21.4 million, or a loss of ($0.18) per share.



The company's cash balance was approximately $647 million at the end of the second quarter, reflecting approximately $25 million of positive cash flow from operations, offset by approximately $50 million used to pay down short- term debt in the quarter.

http://www.utstarcom.com