TANDBERG TV Unveils its Next Gen Switched Digital Video Solution

TANDBERG Television unveiled its next generation solution for enabling cable operators to offer switched multi-rate (2-20Mbs) digital television video services through an open platform.



The TANDBERG OpenStream Switched Digital Video (SDV) Solution promises massively scalability to more than 15 million digital VOD subscribers through a fully redundant system with seamless failover to ensure the delivery of critical video channels. It supports multi-format (SD/HD; MPEG-2/MPEG-4) environments, allowing cable operators to mix MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC set-top boxes in the same network.



TANDBERG TV said key attributes of its Switched Digital Video solution include:

• an open architecture, multi-vendor solution



• serves the deployed base of legacy MPEG-2 set-tops while providing a solution to migrate to advanced video codecs such as MPEG-4 AVC.



• supports multi-rate (2-20 Mbps) and multi-format (SD/HD; MPEG-2/MPEG-4) video content to enable greater flexibility in video delivery.



• provides n+1 redundancy for seamless failover, overload protection and load balancing for carrier-class reliability - high availability scalable clustering architecture allows flexible system expansion as SDV services are rolled out.



• provides centralized network resource management across multiple services - VOD, SDV and HSD - and allows the operator to share network resources.



• complies with all approved cable industry specifications allowing for seamless integration into existing networks.



• offers advanced reporting features for network and business planning to enable the operator to manage the switched network.

TANDBERG Television is now part of the Ericsson Group.
http://www.tandbergtv.com

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Clearwire and AOL Expand Wireless Distribution Agreement

Beginning this month, AOL will to offer Clearwire's high-speed wireless broadband service to AOL users throughout Clearwire markets in the U.S. Previously, AOL and Clearwire had a joint distribution agreement that covered four Clearwire markets -- Jacksonville and Daytona Beach, Fla.; and Stockton and Modesto, Calif. The new joint distribution agreement covers all existing and future Clearwire markets in the U.S. Clearwire is currently available in 38 markets across the country covering more than 400 municipalities including Seattle, Honolulu and Raleigh, N.C.



Cleawire's wireless broadband solution uses licensed spectrum. Radio signals are transmitted from a tower to a small, wireless modem at the customer location.

http://www.clearwire.com

http://www.aol.com

• Clearwire, the broadband wireless services provider founded by Craig McCaw, raised $600 million in an initial public offering (IPO).



• In February, Clearwire agreed to acquire all 2.5 GHz spectrum currently licensed to, or leased by, BellSouth, now AT&T. The sale price is $300 million in cash. For AT&T, the deal follows through on a commitment of the AT&T-BellSouth merger.



• In January 2007, Clearwire named Scott Richardson as the company's new chief strategy officer. Richardson previously served as vice president of Intel's Mobility Group and general manager of the company's Service Provider Business Group. In these roles, Richardson led Intel's broadband wireless efforts from its inception and was responsible for driving the company's 802.16 silicon products for WiMax Certified wireless equipment and access devices.



• In July 2006, Clearwire secured $900 million in funding to accelerate its development and deployment of portable and mobile WiMAX networks based on the IEEE 802.16e-2005 standard. The deal included a $600 million investment from Intel Capital, its largest to date, and Motorola's acquisition of Clearwire's subsidiary NextNet Wireless, which supplies OFDM-based non-line-of-sight (NLOS) wireless broadband infrastructure equipment.

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Nokia Siemens Networks to Cut 9,000 Jobs

One month after completing its merger, Nokia Siemens Networks announced a round of job cuts affecting up to 9,000 people and aimed at strengthen its competitive position in the communications industry. The company's stated goal is to reduce headcount by 10-15% over a four year period from an initial base of approximately 60,000 with the goal of saving EUR 1.5 billion annually by the end 2010. Some of the job cuts may be in the form of the transfer of personnel to research and development (R&D), manufacturing, and other partners of Nokia Siemens Networks.



Nokia Siemens Networks has begun the process of sharing its proposed overall headcount reduction plans with employees and plans for Germany and Finland with employees and employee representatives. The company plans similar processes will take place in other countries over the next few months.



"This is a necessary step to build a Nokia Siemens Networks able to compete now and in the future," said Simon Beresford-Wylie, chief executive officer of Nokia Siemens Networks. "While we are a global company, with more than sixty percent of our employees already outside of Finland and Germany, both Finland and Germany will continue to be major centers of employment for Nokia Siemens Networks."



"While we have a great opportunity now that we are Nokia Siemens Networks, we also have to face the reality of the market," said Christoph Caselitz, chief market officer of Nokia Siemens Networks. "Many of our customers are facing intense cost pressure, relentless competition, and new business models. We must make the tough changes necessary to adapt to this reality and lower the cost of connectivity if we are to succeed in our vision of having five billion people in 2015 enjoying the benefits of being connected."http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

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Alcatel-Lucent to Build Fiber Overlay on Electrical Grid for France's RTE

RTE, the French public power transmission network operator, awarded a contract to Alcatel-Lucent to deploy an additional several-thousand-kilometer fiber-optic network on its high-voltage transmission grid. ROSE 7 (Réseau Optique de SEcurité, or Optical Security Network) is the continuation of a project that began in 2004 with a 500 Km pilot project in Brittany which has grown to over 5,000 km. The agreement includes project management, engineering, supply, network installation and commissioning, as well as maintenance for the majority of the network. Financial terms were not disclosed.

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

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SES Astra Satellite Successfully Launched

SES Astra' Astra 1L satellite was successfully launched by Arianespace.



SES Astra is the leading direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast system in Europe, serving more than 109 million households via DTH and cable networks. Satellites in the SES Astra fleet transmit 1,864 TV and radio stations.



Astra 1L, built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) using an A2100 AX platform, will weigh about 4,500 kg at launch. Equipped with 29 Ku-band active transponders and 2 Ka-band active transponders, Astra 1L will be positioned at 19.2 degrees East, and provide high-power satellite services across Europe. Its design life is approximately 15 years.



Galaxy 17, built by Thales Alenia Space using a Spacebus 3000 B3 platform, is designed to provide television and telephony services for North America. Weighing about 4,100 kg at launch, it is fitted with 24 Ku-band and 24 C-band transponders. Its design life is about 15 years.
http://www.ses-astra.com

http://www.arianespace.com

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Intelsat's Galaxy 17 Satellite Successfully Launched

Intelsat's Galaxy 17 Satellite was successfully launched aboard Arianespace's Ariane 5 ECA rocket. The satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space, will initially operate from 74ºW and offer high-power capacity to video programmers, government and corporate broadband customers in North America and in the Caribbean.



Galaxy 17, built by Thales Alenia Space using a Spacebus 3000 B3 platform, is designed to provide television and telephony services for North America. Weighing about 4,100 kg at launch, it is fitted with 24 Ku-band and 24 C-band transponders. Its design life is about 15 years.

http://www.intelsat.com

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EC Advances its Case Against Germany's "Regulatory Holiday" for DT

The European Commission published a ruling advancing its case against a German law that could grant Deutsche Telekom a "regulatory holiday" in spite of its dominant position in the broadband market. Specifically, the European Commission is objecting to a German telecom law that just entered into force that effectively exempts Deutsche Telekom's new VDSL network from competition, as had been requested by the German incumbent operator. DT is still partly owned by the German State.



With this ruling, the EC has given Germany one month to reply. The EC describes its action as the last step before referring the case to the European Court of Justice.

http://www.europa.eu

• At the CeBIT show in March 2007, Deutsche Telekom's T-Com division announced its plans to accelerate its VDSL rollout for supporting IPTV. The aim is to cover more than 17 million households by the end of 2007. As the next step in the expansion of its VDSL access network, Deutsche Telekom will provide its customers in the following cities with the new high-speed technology: Bochum, Bonn, Bremen, Darmstadt, Dortmund, Dresden, Duisburg, Essen, Karlsruhe, Ludwigshafen, Mainz, Mannheim, Wiesbaden and Wuppertal. This will bring the number of VDSL connected cities in Germany to 26.

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FCC Adopts Rules for the Broadcasting-Satellite Services

The FCC adopted rules for the 17/24 GHz Broadcasting-Satellite Service (BSS), which is expected to deliver a mix of local and domestic video, audio, data, video-on-demand, and multi-media services to U.S. consumers, including Alaska and Hawaii. In some cases, these services will complement existing Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) services.



The FCC is implementing a first-come, first-served licensing procedure for the 17/24 GHz BSS, as well as various safeguards, reporting requirements, and licensee obligations. It is also establishing rules and requirements for orbital spacing, minimum antenna diameter, and antenna performance standards. The new rules detail limits for uplink and downlink power levels to minimize the possibility of harmful interference. The new rules also stipulate criteria to facilitate sharing in the 24 GHz and 17 GHz bands.



DIRECTV, Pegasus Development DBS Corp., EchoStar, and Intelsat North America have filed applications for 17/24 GHz BSS space station licenses. These applications represent a wide range of system designs and business plans, from complementing existing DBS services to providing a new suite of services which will include standard-definition and high-definition formats.
http://www.fcc.gov

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FCC Grants Set-top Box Waivers

The FCC's Media Bureau granted several waivers to cable operators regarding compliance requirements for various set-top boxes.



Charter Communications was granted a request for a waiver of the ban on integrated set-top boxes for seven set-top box models until July 1, 2008.



The FCC also granted conditional waivers of the integration ban to Millennium Telcom (OneSource Communications) and GCI Cable, Inc.. The bureau found that these operators' commitments to migrate their systems to all-digital on or before February 17, 2009 justified grant of the waivers. Among other things, migration to all-digital will facilitate the DTV transition and enable expanded service offerings. The Bureau denied Millennium's request for a waiver with respect to one set-top box model, finding Millenium's arguments that this high-end model was critical to its ability to migrate to all-digital unconvincing.

http://www.fcc.gov

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US Army Selects General Dynamics' Ku-Band Satellite Antenna

General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies has been awarded an order under the World Wide Satellite Services contract to provide Ku-band on-the-move satellite communications terminals to the U.S. Army. Under this order, General Dynamics will provide a single Warrior Model 20-20 Satcom-on-the-Move (SOTM) antenna system for verification and testing, with additional purchases to follow successful tests. The total potential value of the award if all options are exercised is $28 million over three years.



General Dynamics said its equipment transmits and receives data at speeds up to 1.54 Mbps in Ku-band, giving unit commanders robust satellite communications in moving vehicles. The terminals track satellites very accurately using a combination of integral satellite-beacon receivers, gyro stabilization and inertial measurement units.

http://www.gdsatcom.com

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