Apple Offers DRM-free Music Downloads -- 256 kbps Quality

EMI Music's entire digital catalog of music will be available for purchase DRM-free (without digital rights management) from Apple's iTunes Store starting next month. The DRM-free tracks from EMI will be offered at higher quality 256 kbps AAC encoding and will cost $1.29 per song. In addition, iTunes customers will be able to upgrade their entire library of all previously purchased EMI content to the higher quality DRM-free versions for just 30 cents a song. Apple said that iTunes will continue to offer its entire catalog, currently over five million...

Read More

Rogers Wireless Offers Video Calling over HSDPA

Rogers Wireless, Canada's largest mobile operator with 6.8 million customers, unveiled a wireless video calling service over its new High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network, the fastest wireless network in Canada. In addition to wireless video calling, Rogers VISION allows customers to access video-on-demand, including the best on YouTube, ET Canada, CSI, and CNN; radio-on-demand, featuring live XM Satellite radio; and Rogers MusicStore with hundreds of thousands of music tracks. As part of Rogers VISION, Rogers Wireless is first in Canada...

Read More

Freescale Develops Voice-Enabled GPON Chipset

Freescale Semiconductor introduced a voice-enabled Gigabit Passive Optical Networking (GPON) SoC. The multi-core MSC7120 integrates a Power Architecture CPU, a "StarCore" DSP and a data path engine to deliver a complete PON sub-system in a single device. Sampling is underway.Freescale and Alcatel-Lucent initiated joint development of the MSC7120 after the companies agreed in 2005 to collaborate on delivering compatible, interoperable and cost-effective GPON technology to the market.The delivery of rich digital content to the home and small office...

Read More

North Carolina's Star Telephone Deploys Ciena's CN 4200

Star Telephone, an independent operating company (IOC) based in southeastern North Carolina, has selected Ciena's CN 4200 FlexSelect Advanced Services Platform for its core network infrastructure upgrade. Star is transitioning its legacy SONET network to a next-generation, service-enabled architecture to better support the delivery of high-bandwidth services including metro Ethernet, wireless, high-speed data and IPTV.Supporting the ITU's G.709 Optical Transport Network (OTN) standard, Ciena's CN 4200 enables Star to overlay its SONET ring with...

Read More

Comcast Interactive Capital Invests in Vyatta

Vyatta, a start-up developing open source routing, completed its Series B financing led by Comcast Interactive Capital (CIC). The Vyatta system is available as a software subscription with tiered service and support options, or as a pre-configured hardware appliance. Vyatta has also sponsored the Vyatta Community, a public forum for Vyatta users and developers who are interested in open-source network innovation. In addition to leading the round, CIC has joined the Vyatta board of directors, where it will assist the company in addressing service...

Read More

UK's Virgin Media Deploys Juniper Networks T-series

Virgin Media Group, the UK's largest cable operator serving 3 million customers, has deployed Juniper Networks T-series core routers, including the multi-terabit TX Matrix, to upgrade its IP backbone network. Financial terms were not disclosed.Virgin Media, which was formed through the merger between ntl, Virgin Mobile and Telewest Global in 2006, is using the T-series for its next-generation IP network supporting bandwidth-intensive multiplay services such as IPTV, video on demand and VoIP. In addition to supporting all of its own broadband customers,...

Read More

Vyyo to Supply 3GHz Network Passives by Cox

Vyyo has been selected as a supplier of 3GHz taps and passive network elements by Cox Communications, the fourth largest cable system operator in the U.S. Cox will use 3GHz elements from Vyyo within its coaxial network as part of its new build architecture and for business services in its existing network. Vyyo has received initial orders for 3GHz passives from multiple Cox systems.Vyyo said its Spectrum Overlay solution is designed to allow cable companies to substantially increase bandwidth to fiber-like performance, leveraging their existing...

Read More

AT&T Offers Managed Web-Security Service

AT&T introduced a network-based security service that provides advanced Web content and instant-messaging filtering.AT&T Web Security, which is available to companies in the U.S. and internationally, is the newest addition to AT&T's enterprise security portfolio, which is focused on providing companies with security services "in the cloud" to help remove the dependency on hardware and software while supporting a "defense in depth" architecture with security features built into different network layers and supporting processes.AT&T...

Read More

Nokia Siemens Networks Starts Operations, Offer 2007 Outlook

Nokia Siemens Networks officially started its operations as a merged company. It has five product business units - Radio Access, Broadband Access, Service Core and Applications, IP/Transport, and Operations Support Systems - that provide a full range of products and applications for fixed, mobile and converged networks. Additionally, the new company addresses the growing demand for services through its Services Business Unit, which has some 20,000...

Read More

Korea's DASAN Networks Selects Ikanos Silicon for VDSL2 Gear

DASAN Networks has selected Ikanos Communications' multi-mode VDSL2 central office (CO) and customer premises equipment (CPE) chipsets for its next generation equipment. Ikanos' solutions enable DASAN to offer universal 100/100 VDSL2 DSLAMs, concentrators, CPE and residential gateways for deployment in Korea and the rest of the world. http://www.ikanos.com http://www.dasannetworks....

Read More

LSI Completes Merger With Agere Systems

LSI Logic completed its merger with Agere Systems. The newly merged company will be known as LSI Corporation and will continue to trade under the stock symbol LSI on the New York Stock Exchange.The two companies had combined revenue of $3.5 billion for the 12 months ended December 31, 2006. The new LSI operates in more than 20 countries, with a workforce of approximately 9,100 employees, including nearly 4,300 engineers. The company owns a substantial...

Read More

SunRocket Reaches 200,000 Paid VoIP Subscribers

SunRocket has reached 200,000 residential VoIP subscribers. The company has also launched or expanded service in several key markets over the past few weeks.SunRocket also noted that in the coming months it plans to leverage its all-IP network to deliver "a host of compelling home-centric communications products, services and features to consumers nationwide."http://www.sunrocket....

Read More

Colubris Networks Names CEO

Colubris Networks, which supplies intelligent WLANs gear for enterprises and service providers,announced the appointment of Rob Scott as president and CEO. Most recently, Scott was president and CEO of Xelor Software, where he established the company's U.S. headquarters and launched its new software solution for IP telephony and voice over IP service quality management. Prior to Xelor, Scott served as president and CEO at IPeria, a provider of network-based voice messaging applications. http://www.colubris.com/In the last year, Colubris said...

Read More

Verizon Offers Premium Tech Support Service

Verizon will begin offering a Premium Technical Support service to its broadband customers for problems with spyware, adware, viruses, Internet security, hardware issues, computer operating systems and other problems not typically covered by many Internet providers' standard support services.Consumers and businesses who have Verizon High Speed Internet service can subscribe to Premium Technical Support for $9.99 a month. Subscribers will have a single point of contact, unlimited use of the service, and expert one-on-one assistance for a wide variety...

Read More