Monday, February 5, 2007

RadiSys Teams with Huawei for IMS

RadiSys working with Huawei Technologies in supplying IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) infrastructure and enhanced services.



Convedia, which was recently acquired by RadiSys, has been a supplier of IP media processing platforms and technology for Huawei's Media Resource Server (MRS) products. The Huawei U-SYS Next Generation Network (NGN) solution and fixed and mobile convergent IMS solution incorporate MRS products based on Convedia Media Server technology, and are now being marketed and sold into Huawei's global customer base.



The companies said they are now extending the relationship to include new features such as H.248, video, and ATCA based media processing solutions.

http://www.huawei.com

http://www.radisys.com/

South Africa's Neotel Selects Motorola for RF Planning

Neotel, South Africa's second national operator, has selected Motorola for Radio Frequency (RF) planning of its WiMAX and CDMA wireless networks in South Africa. This is the first contract between Motorola and Neotel, and over a period of time, will encompass the RF planning for various wireless technologies including WiMAX and CDMA.



Neotel officially launched its first services to the wholesale telecoms market on 31 August 2006.

http://www.motorola.com

Earthlink's Broadband Revenue Exceeds Narrowband for First Time

Earthlink's broadband revenues have surpassed it narrowband revenues for the first time. During Q4, the company's broadband revenues increased to $150.3 million, or 35.0 percent, compared to the fourth quarter of 2005, driven by its acquisition of New Edge Networks.
During the fourth quarter of 2006, EarthLink added 29,000 net broadband customers, which included a one-time reduction of 19,000 subscribers related to a broadband partner's database reconciliation. Additionally, the net growth in broadband customers included 12,000 net voice subscribers, which was EarthLink's best quarter for voice subscriber additions.



For the quarter, narrowband revenues decreased 15.8 percent to $145.2 million and web-hosting revenues declined 12.0 percent to $8.4 million. Net narrowband subscribers declined by 29,000 to end the quarter at 3.3 million, a 7.8 percent decrease from the fourth quarter of 2005. EarthLink ended the quarter with 112,000 web hosting accounts, a decrease of 11.8 percent from the fourth quarter of 2005.
For the quarter, total revenues increased to $328.2 million, a 5.0 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2005.
http://www.earthlink.net

BT to Acquire i2i for Enterprise Services in India

BT will acquire i2i Enterprise Pvt Ltd, a Mumbai-based enterprise services company specializing in IP communications services for major Indian and global multinational companies. Financial services were not disclosed.



i2i is currently the distributor of BT Infonet's managed network services and products in India. The company has around 200 technical, sales and other professional staff. It holds licences to provide international long distance (ILD), national long distance (NLD), nationwide ISP, and internet telephony services.



"BT will become the biggest foreign global carrier operating in India today as the result of this deal. The acquisition of i2i is exciting because it places BT at the heart of the world's fastest growing IT and business process outsourcing market. This will help BT build a broad-based platform for growth in India, and create a single BT-branded channel to the Indian market," said Andy Green, CEO, BT Global Services.

http://ww.btplc.com
  • In November 2006, BT Telecom India applied for licenses to provide National Long Distance (NLD) and International Long Distance (ILD) services, and was issued Letters of Intent (LoI) in December 2006 by the Government of India, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), as a first step prior to the award of licenses.

Wal-Mart Begins Video Downloads Beta with 3,000 Titles, HP Supplies Solution

Wal-Mart launched a beta version of its upcoming video downloads service, featuring more than 3,000 movie and TV titles from major Hollywood studios and television networks.



New movie releases are available for video download on the day of the DVD release and range from $12.88- $19.88, with catalog titles starting at only $7.50 and TV shows at $1.96 per episode. In addition to individual video downloads, Wal-Mart will continue to offer physical/digital movie bundles for select movie titles throughout the year, giving customers who purchase a physical DVD the option of downloading the same title for a small additional price to use on portable devices and PCs.

Wal-Mart's beta video downloads are powered by HP's Video Merchant Services. The interface features a "movie connection" tool that allows customers to discover new movies through the visual connections between actors and directors across a complete catalog of films.

HP's Video Merchant was jointly-developed with Capgemini. HP said it plans to sell the system to other providers as well. HP's offering also will include active support of merchant licensing efforts, as well as direct access to a selection of aggregated rights from specialty and back-catalog content owners.

http://www.hp.com/large/dmp/video_merchant_services.htmlhttp://www.walmart.com/videodownloads

Juniper Drives Standards-Based Network Access Control with 802.1x

Juniper Networks announced a series of partnerships leveraging 802.1X-enabled switches and wireless access points to implement network access control. Specifically, Juniper's Unified Access Control 2.0 (UAC 2.0) solution now offers standards-based, network access control interoperability with Aruba Networks, Colubris Networks, Meru Networks and Trapeze Networks.



Juniper said its UAC 2.0 solution interoperates with any 802.1X-enabled switch or wireless access point, allowing enterprises to control access to the network at Layer 2, before an IP address is assigned, thereby mitigating threats to the network from unauthenticated users and non-compliant endpoints prior to admission.



"Juniper Networks continues to build on its commitment to open standards for network access control through the industry's first vendor-agnostic, standards-based solution that features integrated support for both the IEEE 802.1X standard and the open specifications created by the Trusted Computing Group," said Steven Wastie, vice president of enterprise marketing at Juniper Networks.

http://www.juniper.net

World Wide Packets Debuts its LightningEdge 3300 Aggregation Switch

World Wide Packets introduced its LightningEdge 3300 (LE-3300) Service Aggregation Switch for Carrier Ethernet services, featuring capabilities such as Hierarchical Quality of Service (H-QoS), a fully programmable distributed switching architecture, and a redundant hardware design with service cards ranging from 10 Gigabit Ethernet to high-density Gigabit Ethernet.



The LE-3300 is designed for deployment at first and second tier aggregation points where Carrier Ethernet service transport and handoff to the core network is required.



The LE-3300 uses hierarchical ingress metering and egress shaping with rich classification, enabling it to deliver any mix of service types simultaneously on any port. The switch is also designed to facilitate bridging of multiple protocols and standards such as MPLS, Provider Backbone Transport, Provider Backbone Bridging and Provider Bridging. Worldwide Packets also provides full physical redundancy with separate management, control and data planes.

http://www.worldwidepackets.com


Mzima Deploys Force10 Switch/Routers for Nationwide 10GigE Backbone

Mzima Networks, which operates metropolitan DWDM fiber networks connected to multiple Tier-1 backbone providers, has deployed Force10 Networks' TeraScale E-Series family of switch/routers to anchor its high-performance 10 Gigabit Ethernet backbone. The equipment is used to peer with more than 350 networks in the U.S. and Europe.



By using BGP, Mzima has built a fully routed transcontinental network anchored by points of presence in 10 cities with roll outs planned in three additional cities. The TeraScale E300 offers eight-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet line cards, enabling a high density of 10 Gigabit Ethernet services on the switch. The companies noted that for most service providers, more than 80 percent of the traffic on the network is best effort that requires no special handling and does not command a premium price.



"After working with MPLS, we determined that it was both inefficient and far too expensive to keep up with traffic that is roughly doubling every six to eight months," said Grant Kirkwood, CTO at Mzima Networks. "For our customers, performance and reliability is paramount, and with the Force10 TeraScale E-Series as the cornerstone of our Ethernet network, we know we have the flexibility to meet and exceed their expectations."http://www.force10networks.com/applications/service-provider.asphttp://www.mzima.net

Motorola Invests in Tango Networks for Enterprise FMC

Motorola has made an equity investment in Tango Networks, a start-up developing hardware and software that integrates mobile phones with corporate telephone networks. The funding was part of Tango's Series A round. Financial terms were not disclosed.



Tango, which is based in Richardson, Texas, is developing the "Abrazo", a mobility solution that enables any mobile phone to become a PBX extension on an enterprise network. Product specifics have not been disclosed.

http://www.tango-networks.com

http://www.motorola.com

Cisco Posts Record Q2 Sales of $8.4 billion

Cisco reported record second quarter net sales of $8.4 billion, net income (GAAP) of $1.9 billion or $0.31 per share, and non-GAAP net income of $2.1 billion or $0.33 per share.


"Cisco achieved record results that were well balanced across our geographies, products, services, customer segments and new markets," said John Chambers, chairman and CEO, Cisco.


Some highlights:
  • Cash flows from operations were $2.7 billion for the second quarter of fiscal 2007, compared with $1.9 billion for the second quarter of fiscal 2006, and compared with $2.3 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2007

  • Routing revenue was up 18% y/y at $1.67 billion

  • Switching revenue was up 13% y/y at $3.01 billion

  • Advanced technology revenue was up 23% y/y at $1.93 billion, led by storage, unified communications, wireless and security.

  • Scientific Atlanta revenue was up 21% y/y

  • Service revenue was up 20% y/y at $1.34 billion

  • Q3 FY 07 revenue is forecast to be up 19-20% y/y

  • Product gross margin was 64.8% while service gross margin was 64.4%

  • US and Canada accounts for 51% of revenues, Europe for 23%, Emerging Markets for 12%, Asia-Pac for 10% and Japan for 4%.

  • Enterprise revenue represents 45% of the business, Service Providers account for 25%, Commercial for 25% and Consumer for 4%.

  • Cash and cash equivalents and investments were $20.7 billion at the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2007, compared with $17.8 billion at the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006, and compared with $19.5 billion at the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2007.

  • During the second quarter of fiscal 2007, Cisco repurchased 121 million shares of common stock at an average price of $27.01 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $3.3 billion.

  • Cisco currently has 54,563 employees, compared to 39,665 a year ago.
http://www.cisco.com

Time Warner Telecom Revenue up 29% Year over Year

Time Warner Telecom, which provides managed voice and data networking solutions for business customers, reported Q4 revenue of $238.8 million, $80.2 million in Modified EBITDA and a net loss of $24.8 million. The company grew its total revenue 29% year over year and 22% sequentially. Enterprise revenue was up 43% year over year, and 29% sequentially.


Time Warner Telecom also reported progress in integrating recently-acquired Xspedius, for which it paid $216 million in cash and issued 18.2 million Class A common shares. The company's sales force has been consolidated and its IP backbone has been integrated into the Time Warner Telecom network.
http://www.twtelecom.com

Verizon Notes Copper Cable Theft in West Virginia

Verizon reported nearly 45 incidents involving theft of copper telephone cables and electronic equipment, as well as vandalism to its telecommunications network in West Virginia, over the past 12 months. Verizon said a majority of the acts have occurred in southern West Virginia, primarily in Boone, Logan and Kanawha counties, noting that more than 17,000 customers have unnecessarily experienced telephone service delays - up to five days in some cases - and endured risks to their personal safety.



The most recent incident occurred on January 27, when a 20-foot section of Verizon cable that housed 600 telephone lines was stolen, affecting not only residential customers, but police and fire department as well. Last year alone, more than 26,000 feet, or nearly five miles, of copper cable was stolen, causing more than $240,000 in damages to Verizon's telecommunications network.



"These thefts are just incomprehensible in that they put people's lives in danger and cost thousands of dollars to repair," said H. Stan Cavendish, president of Verizon West Virginia. "It's fortunate that there's been no loss of life due to these senseless crimes."http://www.verizon.com

Microsoft Outlines "Anywhere Access" Security Vision, New Alliances

In a keynote address at the RSA Conference 2007, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie outlined their vision for secure and easy "anywhere access" based on the concept of trustworthy computing.


"Security is the fundamental challenge that will determine whether we can successfully create a new generation of connected experiences that enable people to have anywhere access to communications, content and information," Gates said.


Gates said Microsoft remains commitment to interoperability and is working with governments, organizations and partners to create and implement industry wide standards that enable systems and applications to work together. Specifically, the company is continuing to work with the industry on the WS-* Web standard and with the Interop Vendor Alliance, a global, cross-industry group of software and hardware vendors.


Highlights of Microsoft's security vision include:
  • Identity Lifecycle Manager (ILM) 2007 -- a new solution (available in May) that builds on Microsoft's metadirectory and user provisioning capabilities by adding support for managing strong credentials such as certificates and smart cards. ILM aims to manage the entire life cycle of a user identity. Microsoft also unveiled a comprehensive strategy and road map for identity life-cycle management, including planned availability of ILM "2," the next version of ILM, in late 2008.

  • Forefront Server Security Management Console -- a centralized, Web-based management solution for onsite or remote administration of Microsoft messaging and collaboration security solutions. The management solution is the latest in a series of product launches from Microsoft Forefront, a line of business security products designed to help organizations protect their deployed infrastructure from the latest threats and provide more secure access.

  • Support for Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates in Internet Explorer 7 -- the first browser to fully support EV SSL Certificates. When a user visits a site with a valid EV Certificate, Internet Explorer 7 will alert the user to the available identity information by turning the background of the address bar green and displaying identity information. Twelve certificate authorities, including VeriSign Inc., Cybertrust and Entrust, are already issuing EV SSL Certificates.


  • Microsoft Phishing Filter service -- new partners include the Australian Computer Emergency Response Team (AusCERT), BrandProtect, MySpace.com and Netcraft Ltd., whose own broad set of Internet Explorer and Firefox toolbar anti-phishing data sources will be included as data feeds into the service. These new providers join Microsoft's current anti-phishing data providers, which include Cyveillance, Digital Resolve, Internet Identity, MarkMonitor Inc., and RSA Security.


  • New security features in Windows Vista -- including User Account Control, Internet Explorer Protected Mode, Windows Service Hardening, Address Space Layout Randomization and Kernel Patch Protection.


  • Windows Live OneCare -- which delivers PC care with protection and simple PC maintenance.


  • Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 -- which combines the secure sockets layer virtual private network (SSL VPN) product obtained in the acquisition of Whale Communications in July 2006 with Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA Server), in a single, consolidated appliance for policy-based secure remote access, endpoint security and application-layer protection.


  • Microsoft NAP -- a policy enforcement platform built into Windows Vista and Windows Server "Longhorn." Over 40 of these working NAP solutions from Microsoft partners are being demonstrated at the RSA Conference.
http://www.microsoft.com

Equinix Secures $110 Million for Chicago Internet Business Exchange

Equinix secured $110 million in financing for the expansion of its Chicago-area footprint. The financing will fund the development, design and construction of an approximately 250,000 square foot Internet Business Exchange center, which will be located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.


Equinix currently operates facilities in 10 markets in the U.S. and Asia.

http://www.equinix.com

Nortel's CFO to Step Down

Peter Currie will step down as Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of Nortel, effective 30-Apr-2007. The company has not yet named a replacement.



"I believe that I have achieved at Nortel what I returned to accomplish.  We have transformed the finance organization, significantly strengthened internal controls, and improved the balance sheet," said Peter Currie.

http://www.nortel.com