FCC Votes 3-2 to Ease Video Franchising Process

The FCC voted 3-to-2 to approve new rules that prohibit local franchising authorities from unreasonably refusing to award competitive franchises for the provision of cable services. The vote is a victory for A&T, Verizon and other telephone providers seeking to enter the market for video services.The majority of FCC commissioners concluded that the current franchising process required by local municipalities constitutes an unreasonable barrier...

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Siemens Achieves 107 Gbps over a Single Fiber Channel

Researchers at Siemens, working in cooperation with Micram, the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications (Heinrich-Hertz-Institut) and Eindhoven Technical University, achieved an optical transmission rate of 107 Gbps over a single fiber channel using purely electric processing in both the transmitter and receiver.The newly developed transmission and receiving system processes the data by purely electrical means directly before and after its conversion into optical signals. The test was conducted at a long-haul network at one of world's largest...

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Boingo Expands Roaming Network in Europe

Boingo Wireless expanding its roaming network with the addition of six Wi-Fi partners in Europe, providing new Boingo hot spots in Germany, Spain, Greece and the Netherlands. Boingo now provides over 60,000 locations from more than 140 leading Wi-Fi operators.Boingo also announced an expanded partnership with The Cloud, Europe's leading neutral-host Wi-Fi network operator, to enable Boingo's retail customers, and customers of Fiberlink and Verizon...

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Motorola Cites Mobile WiMAX Momentum in 2006

With the prediction that 2007 will be the year WiMAX will begin entering the mainstream, Motorola issued a year-end update on its wi4 WiMAX solutions. The company cited several milestones during 2006. These include:Announced agreements with Sprint Nextel and Clearwire in the US, Wateen Telecom in Pakistan and Agni Systems, Ltd in Bangladesh for WiMAX systems. Clearwire and Sprint Nextel are the two largest holders of 2.5GHz spectrum in the U.S.Increased to more than 20 the number of 802.16e mobile WiMAX trials underway around the world.Began work...

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BigBand's DOCSIS 3.0 CMTS Enters Trials with European Operators

BigBand Networks' modular cable modem termination system (M-CMTS), which supports DOCSIS 3.0 downstream channel bonding, has entered trials with multiple European cable operators, including Multikabel in the Netherlands and Austria's LiWest Kabelmedien GmbH. BigBand has also provided its M-CMTS platform to operators in North America and Asia as part of an early access program (EAP). Key advantages include quadrupled downstream delivery capacity and convergence of video, data and voice traffic.DOCSIS 3.0 specifications, developed by CableLabs...

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Alcatel-Lucent Selected for Deutsche Telekom's "T-City" Initiative

Alcatel-Lucent has been named an exclusive premium partner supporting Deutsche Telekom's "T-City" competition, which aims to highlight the potential of new, innovative and broadband information and communication technologies for business, public facilities and citizens in a community. A total of 52 cities entered the "T-City" competition. An independent jury has selected ten cities to go forward to the final round: Arnsberg, Coburg, Frankfurt (Oder), Friedrichshafen, Görlitz, Kamp-Lintfort, Kaiserslautern, Neuruppin, Osterholz-Scharmbeck and Schwäbisch-Hall....

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TeliaSonera Selects HP and IXeurope to Serve Online Gaming Market

TeliaSonera International Carrier has selected HP and IXEurope as preferred suppliers of managed data services and high density co-location. The companies will provide TeliaSonera's Global Gaming Community business with access to hardware, software and storage for the creation of high quality gaming platforms and tailor made technology solutions.Customers can now rely on TeliaSonera International Carrier for outsourcing advanced, high quality gaming platforms and tailor made solutions designed to meet their individual needs for their Internet...

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Cox Adds Dynamic "PowerBoost" for Faster Downloads

Cox Communications introduced an exclusive "PowerBoost" enhancement that will give its cable modem customers a burst when downloading large files. PowerBoost automatically utilizes additional capacity on Cox's local fiber-hybrid network to give customers a speed burst above and beyond their normal speed. The capability leverages Cable Labs' DOCSIS technology to automatically detect when a customer begins a large file download, regardless of file type. It then jumpstarts the download. Speeds will be boosted up to twice as fast for Cox Preferred...

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Telcordia CEO Appointed to NSTAC

Telcordia Technologies' President and CEO, Daniel J. Carroll, Jr., has been appointed by President Bush to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC). The NSTAC, which is comprised of leaders from throughout the communications industry, provides industry-based analyses and recommendations to the President and the executive branch regarding policy and enhancements to National Security and Emergency Preparedness communications policy. http://www.telcordia....

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Skyworks Introduces Helios II-Plus EDGE Radio

Skyworks Solutions, a of high performance analog and developer of mixed signal semiconductors, unveiled its "Helios" II-Plus EDGE radio for next-generation quad band handsets incorporating advanced multimedia features such as DVB-H, FM radios, MP3 players, digital cameras, and Web browsing. Helios II-Plus reduces radio frequency (RF) board space by an additional 25 percent when compared to the company's previous Helios design. Skyworks said its radio solution also interfaces with virtually any analog baseband and radically simplifies factory calibration,...

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Sprint Invests $7 Billion in Network Upgrades in 2006

Sprint spent almost $7 billion in 2006 for network upgrades, most of which has gone to enhance its wireless and IP networks. Some highlights for the year:Sprint will have added more than 3,000 cell sites to its Nationwide Sprint PCS Network and National Nextel Network in large, medium and small markets across the country.In late October, Sprint upgraded the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network to high-speed EV-DO (Evolution -- Data Optimized) Revision A technology in San Diego, the first U.S. market to receive EV-DO Rev. A. Since then, EV-DO Rev. A...

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Ericsson to Acquire Redback for $2.1 Billion

Ericsson agreed to acquire Redback Networks for $2.1 billion, or $25 dollars per Redback share. The acquisition is expected to occur by means of a tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Redback common stock. The companies expect the deal to be completed in early 2007.Redback Networks supplies multi-service routing platforms for delivering broadband access, including next generation services such as VoIP, IPTV and On-Demand Video. Its customers...

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