Avici's Soapstone Develops Abstraction Layer Above MPLS, PBT

Avici Systems has formed a new business unit, called Soapstone Networks , that will offer a network control layer solution that sits between IT-hosted services and network/transport. Soapstone will leverage key industry standards such as ITU NGN, SOA, TMF eTOM, and others, along with open application programming interfaces (APIs) between the network and IT/OSS systems. The Soapstone aim is to map the abstract service needs expressed by the business plane into a simple configuration command set that can be applied to any technology or equipment....

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SK Telecom Selects Digital Fountain's FEC

SK Telecom, the largest mobile operator in Korea, has licensed Digital Fountain's DF Raptor software to develop its next-generation of MBMS, BCMCS, and S-DMB content delivery services. DF Raptor increases transmission efficiency to enable the delivery of more content over a broader geographic range. DF Raptor has been adopted as a standard for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project's (3GPP) Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) specification, and is part of the global standard to support content delivery services over DVB-H (Digital Video...

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ILS Proton to Launch Ciel-2 Satellite in 2008

International Launch Services (ILS) was awarded a contract by Canada's Ciel Satellite Group to launch the Ciel-2 satellite in late 2008. Ciel 2 is a Ku-band Spacebus 4000 C4 model satellite, the largest Spacebus class satellite built by Alcatel Alenia, with a mass of 5,575 kg. From its assigned orbital position of 129 degrees West longitude, it will deliver a variety of communications services throughout Canada and the larger North American market. http://www.ilslaunch.c...

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Toshiba Selects Innopath's Mobile Device Management Client

Toshiba has selected InnoPath Software's Integrated Mobile Device Management (iMDM) client for use on its 2007 spring handset models, including the SoftBank 812T, 813T, and 911T. The solution has also been deployed on the SoftBank 810T, 811T, and 910T models which were available on the market last season. InnoPath's solution allows for easy and fast software updates to handsets using over-the-air technology. http://www.innopath.c...

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NTT DoCoMo Achieves 5 Gbps Packet Transmission in 4G

NTT DoCoMo released details of a fourth-generation (4G) radio access network field trial in which it achieved a maximum packet transmission rate of approximately 5 Gbps in the downlink using 100MHz frequency bandwidth. The 5 Gbps downlink was established to a mobile station moving at 10 km/h. The field experiment took place in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture on December 25, 2006.The result doubled the previous maximum speed of 2.5Gbps, which NTT DoCoMo achieved a year earlier, by increasing the number of MIMO transmitting and receiving antennas...

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T-Mobile Selects Alcatel-Lucent for GSM/EDGE network

T-Mobile awarded a contract to Alcatel-Lucent to enhance its German GSM network with the latest generation of GSM/EDGE technology, enabling data rates of up to 220 kbps. The GSM/EDGE network to be upgraded by Alcatel-Lucent will be operational by the end of 2007. Financial terms were not disclosed.Under the agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will replace several thousand existing GSM base stations in T-Mobile's network with its latest 9100 Multi-standard Base Station product line. It will upgrade the existing base stations with EDGE capability and replace...

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Tropos Debuts Spectrum and Application Based Routing Engine for Wireless Mesh Networks

Tropos Networks introduced its Spectrum and Application Based Routing Engine (SABRE), a mesh software system that enables intelligent integration of parallel network operation across multiple frequency bands and radio types. The new capability could be used by wireless network operators to reserve spectrum and radio interfaces for specific applications or users. For example, a municipality could carry video surveillance traffic in the 5 GHz band while using the 2.4 GHz band for consumer access. The municipality could switch the video surveillance...

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Infinera Acquires Little Optics for Planar Integration Technology

Infinera has acquired Little Optics, a start-up specializing in planar lightwave circuits, for an undisclosed sum. Infinera said the acquisition complement its own active large-scale photonic integration based on indium phosphide.Based in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, Little Optics has pioneered the development of integrated optical devices using planar lightwave technology and proprietary glass materials to deliver photonic integration that is designed to be superior to traditional planar lightwave technology. Little Optics' passive integration...

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Avaya Announces $500 Million Stock Repurchase Plan

Avaya's board of directors authorized a new share repurchase plan of up to $500 million over the next two years."This plan underscores Avaya's financial strength," said Caroline Dorsa, chief financial officer, Avaya. "Our share repurchases represent an excellent opportunity to enhance shareholder value over the long-term."http://www.avaya....

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U.S. Residential Broadband Penetration to Exceed 50% in 2007

Residential subscriptions to broadband Internet services surged 20% in 2006 to exceed 50 million U.S. households, according to Digital Lifestyles: 2007 Outlook, a new study from Parks Associates. The report estimates U.S. residential broadband subscriptions will surpass 60 million households by year-end 2007, accounting for 55% of all U.S. households."The foundations of digital lifestyle applications and products are built on access services, including broadband Internet and television," said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst with...

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Iridium Offers Network Quality Guarantee

Iridium Satellite announced a new network quality guarantee program promising credits of up to 100 minutes of airtime, as well as three months free subscription fees, if the Iridium network fails to complete properly initiated voice calls from customers' new Iridium handsets.If a customer is dissatisfied with the quality of Iridium's network service within the first 90 days of service activation, the customer may submit a claim through their participating Service Provider.Iridium operates a constellation of cross-linked low-earth orbiting (LEO)...

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Vonage Adds 166,000 VoIP Subscribers in Q4, Loss Narrows

Vonage reported Q4 revenue of $181 million, a 91% increase from $95 million in the year-ago quarter. Net loss narrowed to $65 million, or $0.42 per share, from a net loss of $72 million reported in the fourth quarter 2005. Vonage added 955,000 net subscriber lines in 2006, including 166,000 in the fourth quarter. The Company finished 2006 with 2,224,000 lines, 75% above the year-ago level of 1,269,000. http://www.vonage....

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Bookham's CEO Out

Dr. Giorgio Anania has resigned his position as Bookham's president and chief executive officer, as well as resign his seat on the company's board of directors, effective immediately. Dr. Peter Bordui, Bookham's current non-executive chairman of the board of directors, has assumed the position of president and chief executive officer on an interim basis.Bookham is a leading supplier of optical components, modules and subsystems. http://www.bookham....

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NETGEAR Posts Q4 Revenue of $164 Million, up 8% Sequentially

NETGEAR reported Q4 2006 revenue of $164.0 million, a 35% increase as compared to $121.8 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2005, and an increase of 8% as compared to $151.6 million in the third quarter of 2006. Net income (GAAP) was $13.4 million or $0.38 per diluted share, an increase of 51% compared to the same period a year earlier.The U.S. retail channel inventory ended the fourth quarter of 2006 at 8.4 weeks compared to 6.0 weeks in the fourth quarter of 2005 and 10.6 weeks in the third quarter of 2006. U.S. distribution channel...

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