Deutsche Telekom Selects Ericsson's VDSL2 for 12 Cities

Deutsche Telekom awarded a contract to Ericsson to supply its VDSL2 broadband access solution for deployment in 12 German cities. The move will step up the carrier's rollout of VDLS2 , enabling downlink speeds up to 50 Mbps. Financial terms were not disclosed.



Ericsson's EDA 1200 VDSL2 solution is based on Ethernet technology. The VDSL2 platform will also be managed by Ericsson's ServiceOn Access, a multi-technology network management system allowing end-to-end management of the high-speed network.

http://www.ericsson.com

Read More

Alcatel-Lucent Unveils Mobile Evolution Transport Architecture

Alcatel-Lucent unveiled its Mobile Evolution Transport Architecture (META) for evolving mobile networks from TDM to all-IP. The META architecture enables mobile network operators (CDMA/EV-DO, GSM/UMTS and WiMAX) to scale their networks and more efficiently transport voice and data traffic from the cell site to the core.It also aims to provide integrated management across fixed and mobile domains, leveraging existing infrastructure --- ATM, TDM, DSL/GPON, IP/MPLS, SONET (including pseudowire technology) -- in a migration to all-IP.



META, which is the first major architecture announced since the merger of former Alcatel and Lucent, will leverage the service-aware capabilities of MPLS and the economies of Ethernet.



As part of this initiative, Alcatel-Lucent also is announcing three new cell site aggregation products:

the 9500 Microwave Packet Radio (MPR), which is an all-IP microwave transport platform. The 9500 MPR transports multimedia traffic using packet technology while transforming microwave TDM traffic -- from existing, widely deployed TDM systems -- into packets. The system also introduces innovative features into the microwave transport arena, including the ability to transport packets in response to varying microwave link conditions (such as adverse weather) by recognizing the type of traffic -- video, voice or data -- and automatically adapting the transmission to meet the quality requirements of different service types. It also offer features that are unavailable in traditional microwave TDM platforms, including: service-driven adaptive packet modulation, E1 in packet via pseudo-wire/CES (circuit emulation services), multi-service aggregation, service awareness and synchronization distribution.

the 1850 Transport Service Switch (TSS)-5, a packet aggregation and transport solution in a 5 Gbps compact chassis. The modular design enables operators to support TDM based mobile traffic in their present mode of operation, migrate to circuit emulation over pseudowire technology, then to Ethernet backhaul all on the same chassis. Its environmentally hardened design serves as a mobile access transport aggregator at the BTS/Node B cell site

the 7705 Service Aggregation Router (SAR) provides IP/MPLS and pseudowire capabilities in an aggregation platform. It is primarily targeted at the transport needs of the evolving mobile radio access network (RAN). The new router allows service providers to scale aggregation bandwidth for legacy cell towers using T1/E1 leased circuits.

Alcatel-Lucent said META will deliver an end-to-end, seamless "Service Aware Management" across the fixed and mobile domains, delivering significant operating expense (OPEX) reductions of as much as 44%.






http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

Read More

SFR Selects Alcatel-Lucent for Nation-Wide IP/MPLS

SFR, the second-largest mobile phone operator in France, selected Alcatel-Lucent to supply a core, nationwide IP/MPLS network. SFR plans to one of the first mobile operators to migrate its voice traffic alongside its growing data services on a next generation backbone.



Alcatel-Lucent said its IP/MPLS core network will enable SFR to offer a new set of differentiated mobile broadband services, full network Quality of Service (QoS) on a service-by-service basis. The network is based on the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router and 7450 Ethernet Service Switch (ESS). The SFR solution also includes the Alcatel-Lucent 5620 Service Aware Manager to provide intelligent service management capabilities.

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

Read More

Kineto Updates UMA Network Controller (UNC)

Kineto Wireless released a new version of its UMA Network Controller (UNC), adding support for the 3G Iu core network interface, which enables deployment of 3G femtocells and dual-mode handsets. Femtocells are consumer 3G access points that improve coverage and performance of mobile services in a subscriber's home.

http://www.kineto.com

Read More

Broadcom Supplies 3G for Samsung

Broadcom has expanded its relationship with Samsung Electronics to include advanced 3G cellular solutions for a new series of Samsung mobile handsets, including the recently released Samsung SGH-J750 and SGH-A401 3G phones. Additional Samsung products with Broadcom's 3G solution are expected to be introduced for sales in Christmas season 2007.

http://www.broadcom.com

Read More

Neuf Cegetel Selects Alcatel-Lucent's GPON

Neuf Cegetel has selected Alcatel-Lucent to deploy a Gigabit Passive Optical Networking solution (GPON) for its residential services.





Alcatel-Lucent will also be responsible for project management, installation, and maintenance services and will provide its 7342 ISAM FTTU (Fiber to the User) solution, including its new optical network terminal (ONT) in the home. First deployment began this past summer. Financial terms were not disclosed.

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

• In June 2007, Cisco announced a contract to supply Neuf Cegetel with the Cisco 7600 Series Routers, including the new Cisco 7603 Router as the access and aggregation platform, at its POPS and COs to take advantage of the coverage of the residential network and significantly enhance its enterprise market coverage and service portfolio. Neuf Cegetel is also deploying Cisco's flagship CRS-1 Carrier Routing System to strengthen its core network. The Cisco CRS-1s are equipped with 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface modules to provide the transport across the IP/MPLS core network and the DSL aggregation layer. Ethernet VPN connectivity for large businesses and service provider customers is supported on an IP/MPLS-enabled core architecture based on the Cisco IOS MPLS virtual private LAN service (VPLS) technology.
  
  
  
  As of June 2007, Neuf Cegetel's residential network comprised approximately 200 points of presence (POPs) connected to around 1,200 central offices (COs) throughout France. The company currently serves 4 million residential customers, out of which 2.3 million are broadband customers, and connects 148,000 business clients' sites.

Read More

Portugal Telecom Selects Ruckus for In-Home IPTV Distribution

Portugal Telecom is now offering Ruckus Wireless' MediaFlex "Smart Wi-Fi" system as its in-home wireless standard for IPTV distribution.



Portugal Telecom currently provides high-speed Internet service to more than 700,000 broadband subscribers and is installing more than 200 IPTV customers every day. According to the company, 50 percent of all IPTV installations now use the Smart Wi-Fi option.



Portugal Telecom makes use of 16 Mbps ADSL 2+ broadband connections into subscriber homes.
http://www.ruckuswireless.com/

Read More

WiMedia Alliance Certifies First Ultra-Wideband Products

The WiMedia Alliance has certified the first silicon products based on its Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Common Radio Platform. A total of 12 platforms were certified from the following companies: Alereon, Artimi, Intel, Realtek Semiconductor, Staccato Communications, Tzero Technologies, WiQuest Communications and Wisair.

The next generation Bluetooth and Wireless USB based on the WiMedia specifications promise low power consumption and data rates of up to 480 Mbps in the wireless personal area network (WPAN).

http://www.wimedia.org

Read More

Agilent Offers Ethernet OAM Test Solution

Agilent Technologies introduced a single-platform test solution for protocol emulation and conformance testing of Ethernet Operations, Administration and Maintenance (E-OAM). E-OAM provides end-to-end Carrier Ethernet diagnostic capabilities that allow service providers to rapidly detect and locate faults, ensuring the reliable delivery of delay-sensitive triple play services.



Agilent said its solution enables network equipment manufacturers and service providers to ensure their Carrier Ethernet devices meet E-OAM performance and scalability requirements, conform to new international standards, and interoperate in very large multi-vendor networks.



The new Agilent N2X N5581A and N5585A emulations test a Carrier Ethernet device's protocol implementation against many thousands of similar emulated devices, enabling Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) scalability characterization in carrier-scale networks without a costly test-bed of thousands of real devices. The emulation software is complemented by the N2X N5718A CFM conformance test suite, which validates device compliance to IEEE 802.1ag, draft 8. Conformance testing is a prerequisite for regression testing of each software release.

http://www.agilent.com

Read More

Alcatel-Lucent and Sagem Collaborate on Femtocells

Alcatel-Lucent and Sagem Communications are collaborating on the development of a femto cell base station platform for extending 3G UMTS/HSPA network coverage in homes or business locations. This would help mobile operators improve indoor coverage. Sagem Communications is a leading supplier of DSL residential gateways.



Under the partnership, Alcatel-Lucent will provide its flat IP and UMTS/HSPA expertise, networking equipment and software and end-to-end integration and support for the development of the BSR Femto. Sagem Communications will lend its enhanced home networking capabilities and expertise in developing IP, VoIP and DSL solutions for the mass market.



The companies said their collaboration flattens the mobile network by integrating and collapsing the UMTS/HSPA radio access network elements, including the base station and radio network controller (RNC), into a single, small unit about the size of a TV set-top box. The BSR Femto uses a DSL connection to backhaul voice and data traffic onto an operator's existing UMTS/HSPA network, enabling operators to offload traffic from the macro-network. It supports circuit-switched voice and data applications, packet-switched data applications, HSPA and IP-Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)-based networks. It also works with all 3GPP-compliant UMTS/HSPA handsets.



Alcatel-Lucent and Sagem Communications have already achieved significant milestones in the BSR Femto development effort, including the completion of voice and data calls, lab demonstrations with key customers and the establishment of a program of field trials (to be conducted in the fourth quarter of this year).



Two versions of the BSR Femto are planned for UMTS/HSPA networks -- a standalone 3G unit with Ethernet connectivity to a DSL modem and an integrated unit that supports UMTS/HSPA, DSL and WiFi. Alcatel-Lucent is also developing a CDMA/EV-DO based BSR Femto.

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

http://www.sagem.com

Read More

Alcatel-Lucent Cites 15 Deployment for WiMAX 802.16e

Alcatel-Lucent now has 15 commercial contracts and more than 70 pilots and field trials underway for WiMAX 802.16e-2005.



The Alcatel-Lucent also noted the successfully demonstration - on its commercial equipment - simultaneous use, in a single sector, of two MIMO downlink technologies, space-time block coding (STBC) and spatial multiplexing (SM). MIMO STBC enables the establishment of a more robust WiMAX signal by leveraging spatial diversity, in turn improving the data rate in adverse radio conditions up to 30 percent. MIMO SM increases data rates by sending different signals on each of the two WiMAX base station antennas, doubling throughput.
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

Read More

Vonage and Sprint Settle VoIP Patent Dispute for $80 Million

Vonage settled its pending patent dispute with Sprint and entered into a licensing arrangement valued at $80 million. The fee includes $35 million for past use of license, $40 million for a fully paid future license, and $5 million in prepayment for services.



On September 25, 2007, a Kansas jury handed down a verdict finding that Vonage had infringed six Sprint patents.

http://www.vonage.com

http://www.sprint.com

Read More

Sprint's Forsee Steps Down

Gary Forsee has resigned as Sprint Nextel's chairman, president and CEO. Until a replacement is found, James Hance, Jr., a member of the Board of Directors, will assume the role of acting non-executive chairman of the Board and Paul Saleh, current CFO, will serve as acting CEO.



The company announced today that it expects to report a net loss of approximately 337,000 post-paid subscribers in the third quarter. In addition, both adjusted OIBDA* and consolidated operating revenue for 2007 are expected to be slightly below the range of previously provided guidance of $11.0 to $11.5 billion of adjusted OIBDA and $41 to $42 billion of consolidated operating revenue.

http://www.sprint.comGary D. Forsee was named CEO of Sprint in 2003, replacing Bill Esrey. Forsee previously served as vice chairman of BellSouth, where he had responsibility for the company's domestic operations. Before that, Forsee spent 10 years with Sprint, holding leadership positions in the company's long-distance and PCS operations, and one year with Global One, a joint venture of Sprint, Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom, where he served as president and CEO. His appointment as CEO of Sprint was challenged in court by BellSouth as a violation of his previous employment contract.

Read More