Corning Introduces Ultra-Low-Loss, Single-Mode Optical Fiber

Corning unveiled a single-mode optical fiber with low attenuation and low polarization mode dispersion (PMD) characteristics, enabling greater system reach and longer span lengths in long-haul and regional terrestrial networks. Corning said its new fiber, which compatible with the installed base of single-mode fibers, has the lowest loss of any terrestrial-grade fiber with maximum attenuation available between 0.17 and 0.18 dB/km at 1550 nm. Additionally, the fiber has the lowest PMD of any ITU-T G.652 compliant optical fiber featuring a ≤ 0.04...

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STMicroelectronics Offers New Chip for STB

STMicroelectronics announced a new generation single-chip solution for digital cable-TV STBs. The newest member of the company's leading OMEGA family, the QAMi5107 is an integrated demodulator plus MPEG decoder for standard-definition digital TV. ST said the new device enables manufacturers to cut their total component cost and simplify board design and assembly, while offering increased performance and enhanced security features.The decoder supports the advanced security features required by all major conditional-access (CA) suppliers. The 200MHz...

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Global Crossing Extends VoIP Local Service to Hong Kong and Italy

Global Crossing is extending its VoIP Local Service into Rome, Milan and Hong Kong. The company also announced it is expanding the United States availability of VoIP Local Service to 83 additional communities.VoIP Local Service has been extended to Hong Kong and Italy supporting the existing suite of VoIP Outbound and converged IP services is these two markets. VoIP Local service is also available in Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK and the United States. Global Crossing VoIP Local Service complements the company's...

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Limelight Expands Its Board and Management

Limelight Networks, which operates a leading content delivery network for digital media, announced it is expanding its board and management team with the addition of David Peterschmidt and Gary Valenzuela as Directors, and David Van Engelhoven as General Counsel. Peterschmidt is President and Chief Executive Officer of Openwave Systems, a maker of software for mobile phones. Valenzuela, a former Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Yahoo!, is an entrepreneur and executive actively involved in real-estate development and the San...

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Panasonic Skype Wi-Fi Phone Embeds Broadcom Chip

Broadcom is supplying its Wi-Fi phone platform and other key technologies for Panasonic's new Skype Wi-Fi phone, the KX-WP1050, and travel router bundle. Panasonic's Skype Wi-Fi phone allows consumers to make and receive phone calls, as well as have an Internet connection, while at home or on the road. Unlike a traditional cordless phone, the Skype-enabled Wi-Fi phone is unique because it allows users to see if other Skype users are available and...

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GENBAND to Acquire Tekelec's Switching Solutions Group

GENBAND agreed to acquire Tekelec's Switching Solutions Group (SSG). The deal is structured as a sale of Tekelec's equity interests in Santera Systems and Taqua, and the SSG business assets held by Tekelec in exchange for a 19.9% common equity interest in GENBAND, $1.0 million in cash and GENBAND's assumption of certain SSG liabilities. Twenty-five percent of the equity issuable at closing will be held in escrow for one year pending the expiration of the indemnity period. Tekelec will have no operational role in GENBAND and will account for its...

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AT&T Launches GPS-based Workforce-management Solution with TeleNav

AT&T introduced a hosted, GPS-based workforce-management solution based on the TeleNav platform. The application delivers GPS-enabled location- tracking, mileage-tracking, wireless time sheets, alerts and detailed location-reporting to capture field data. A premium version of TeleNav Track is also available with features including wireless forms, dispatching, barcode- scanning support and voice and on-screen turn-by-turn GPS directions. Initially, TeleNav Track is available on the new BlackBerry 8800 and HP iPAQ hw6920 Mobile Communicator,...

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Two Former Alcatel Executives Indicted in Costa Rica Case

Two former Alcatel executives have been indicted in the U.S. for allegedly bribing Costa Rican officials to obtain a telecommunications contract. Specifically, a 10-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Miami charges Edgar Valverde Acosta, a Costa Rican citizen, along with Christian Sapsizian, a French citizen, with conspiring to make over $2.5 million in bribe payments to Costa Rican officials in order to obtain a telecommunications contract on behalf of Alcatel, making corrupt payments, and laundering the bribes through a con...

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EarthLink Selects Accton to Supply Wi-Fi Phones; Beta Testing in Anaheim

EarthLink has selected Taiwan-based Accton Technology Corporation to manufacture handsets for the company's Wi-Fi phone initiative. EarthLink is beta testing phones on the company's municipal wireless network in Anaheim, California.EarthLink Wi-Fi phones will allow consumers to make Internet phone calls from a wireless handset to any traditional landline, cell phone or VoIP phone. The handsets will work directly on EarthLink's municipal wireless networks and can also connect via a wireless router attached to the user's wired home broadband network....

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DSL Forum Releases Technical Reports, Elects New Board

Following its annual meeting in Vancouver earlier this month, the DSL Forum released two new technical reports and announced the election of new board members. The newly approved technical specifications include TR-100 ADSL2/2plus Performance Test Plan and TR-126 Triple-play Services Quality of Experience Requirements. TR-100 builds on TR-67 (ADSL Interoperability Test Plan) and evolves the ADSL test plan to address the higher speed options. With the launch of common performance standards, service providers can reduce costs and time to market...

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WildBlue Launches Internet Services over New Satellite

WildBlue Communications began offering Internet access services using its new Ka-band spot beam satellite, WildBlue-1. The new satellite allows WildBlue to more than triple its customer capacity, making high-speed Internet service available to more than 750,000 rural consumers throughout the continental United States. WildBlue expects that the additional capacity accessible on WildBlue-1 will be available to all areas of the contiguous United States...

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