NexTone Notes Customer Deployments in Balkans, Russia

IT TEL d.o.o., an alternative telecommunication operator for voice and data services in the Adriatic/Balkan region of Europe, has purchased NexTone's IntelliConnect System, including its Session Border Controller (SBC), Multi-protocol Session Exchange (MSX), and Real-time Session Manager (RSM). IT TEL will use the NexTone system to offer high-quality voice services on a national and international level for private users, corporate customers, carriers and operators. Specifically, IT TEL will be able to offer a broad range of voice and data services in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Albania. In addition, IT TEL will be able to share selected billing information and details with almost all other carriers and operators.



Separately, NexTone announced that Express Teleservice Corp. (d/b/a. LANCK Telecom), an international wholesale voice carrier, has deployed its Session Border Controller (SBC) to extend its voice network to carrier partners all over the world. Express Teleservice focuses on delivering international voice traffic to Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and other CIS countries. By integrating NexTone's SBC with an OSS solution from Telejet Ltd., a software provider for inter-carrier billing, routing, and rate management, Express Teleservice can utilize NexTone's robust features to achieve a higher level quality of service, more granular routing capabilities, and capacity control. The NexTone/Telejet solution also speeds provisioning with new customers.

http://www.nextone.com

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Paramount Joins BT Vision Download Store

Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment agreed to make around 150 of its films available from the BT Vision Download Store. BT Vision Download Store is an online video store available to all UK broadband customers, regardless of which internet service provider they use.
http://www.downloadstore.bt.com

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Exalt Releases GHz Tri-band DS3 Wireless Backhaul System

Exalt Communications released its new EX-5i-DS3 high capacity wireless backhaul system, supporting all three 5 GHz sub-bands in one system.



The 5i-DS3 all-indoor system carries low latency native TDM and native IP, and offers software expandability to add capacity on demand. Additional features include high-precision 1 MHz tuning across 600MHz of spectrum, and variable channel bandwidth to mitigate interference, high security SNMPv3 management, proprietary link security coding, and AES encryption functionality, Monitored Hot Standby, and "ExaltSync" for high-density system collocation of multiple Exalt radios in close proximity and frequency without self-interference.

http://www.exaltcom.com

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GE Fanuc Offers AdvancedTCA IP Packet Processor Blade

GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms introduced its AT2-5800 IP Packet Processor Advanced TCA Blade, featuring two high performance Cavium OCTEON Plus 16-core CN5860 multi-core Secure Communications Processors (SCPs) operating at up to 750MHz. The blade, which is designed to enable data and control plane services in the same form factor, will scale to dual 900MHz OCTEON Plus CN5860 processors when available from Cavium. A Rear Transition Module (RTM) is also available.



Target applications include IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), IPTV and wireless broadband. In addition, it is designed to enable rapid application development using open, modular, highly available systems based on AdvancedTCA architectures, and can be configured to enable a wide variety of applications where high speed, secure connectivity is a requirement.



The processors -- each of which supports up to 8 Gigabytes of DDR2 memory, implemented as packet memory -- provide hardware acceleration for security, compression, packet scheduling and QoS (Quality of Service) -- and deliver up to 10 Gbps line-speed core processing for network Layers 2-7. With dual 16-core processors, the AT2-5800 has 32 MIPS64 cores for high-speed packet processing.

http://www.gefanuc.com

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Veraz Partners with Telarix on Next Generation Routing

Veraz Networks and Telarix, a provider of Interconnect Business Optimization (IBO) and settlement solutions, announced a joint solution to enable carriers to financially optimize routing on-the-fly as network conditions change. The solution combines Veraz's ControlSwitch softswitch and Telarix's iXRoute and iXTranslate next generation routing optimization technology.



Veraz's ControlSwitch can interface with any network protocol enabling carriers to preserve legacy service infrastructure as they add new services and expand into new markets.



Telarix's iXRoute and iXTranslate work in conjunction with the ControlSwitch to streamline and automate the carrier's routing processes. Network route guides are converted into switch level instructions allowing carriers to easily financially optimize their routing to specific QoS and network requirements.



As part of the announced partnership, Telarix has joined the Veraz Open Solution Alliance program (VOSA), which brings together hardware vendors, software developers, and systems integrators.

http://www.veraznetworks.com

http://www.telarix.com

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Vodafone Portugal Installs Acme Packet for IMS Network

Vodafone Portugal is leveraging Acme Packet's Net-Net session border controllers (SBCs) to provide secure, high-quality residential VoIP services throughout Portugal.



Acme Packet's Net-Net SBCs, which are deployed as part of an Ericsson Core IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution, protect Vodafone Portugal's IMS network as well as provide a solution for service assurance, service reach maximization and regulatory compliance.



Acme Packet's Net-SAFE security architecture provides denial of service (DoS/DDoS) protection from malicious attacks and non-malicious overloads, access control and topology hiding. Call admission control policies on the Net-Net SBCs assure service quality and network availability.



Hosted NAT traversal, signaling protocol repair and interworking maximize the reach of Vodafone Portugal's IMS services. Using the DIAMETER e2 interface, Acme Packet SBCs query the CLF (connectivity location repository function) to obtain subscriber location information and insert it in SIP messages for emergency service support.



Acme Packet's SBC is also deployed at the access border to provide lawful intercept capability for Vodafone Portugal's PSTN emulation service.

http://www.acmepacket.com

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Calix Supplies its Multiservice Access Platform in Dominican Republic

TRICOM, a full-service carrier that serves more than 700,000 customers in the Dominican Republic, has selected the Calix C7 multiservice access platform (MSAP) to expand and extend its broadband services.
TRICOM, which is the largest cable operator in the country, started the deployments in March of 2007. Along with the C7, the carrier also employs the Calix Management System (CMS) to simplify service provisioning. The carrier initially targeted its broadband DSL service at business customers but is now also deploying the C7 platform to serve residential customers. http://www.calix.com

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Ironton Telephone Selects Occam for DSL Upgrade

Ironton Telephone Company, which serves over 18,000 subscribers in eastern and central Pennsylvania, selected Occam Networks' Broadband Loop Carrier (BLC) system to upgrade its DSL network. Specifically, Ironton has purchased Occam's BLC 6214 ADSL2plus Blades with Gigabit Ethernet and integrated splitters, and BLC 6440-01 Optical Packet Transport Blades.

http://www.occamnetworks.com

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Verizon Business Tunes its eBonding for Large Enterprises

Verizon announced two eBonding enhancements that allow corporate and government customers to more easily link their systems directly to those of Verizon Business.

Specifically, Verizon Business is offering a new eBonding Implementation Toolkit, which provides technical assistance, and a new eBonding Center, which monitors the status of automated transactions for a wide range of business processes between Verizon Business and its customers.



Verizon Business said eBonding offers customers the benefit of a system-to- system interface that enables them to automate day-to-day functions like ordering, monitoring and troubleshooting of communications services. This empowers customers to better manage their networks and telecommunications expenses through an end-to-end business process.



Verizon Business delivers a comprehensive suite of real-time application integration and data-exchange tools including trouble management, circuit testing, order management and inventory reporting.

http://www.verizonbusiness.com

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TiVo and Nero Partner on Personal Computer PVR

Nero and TiVo announced a deal to extend TiVo's television user experience with Nero's next generation of PC software. Specifically, Nero will develop a software solution that will bring TiVo features to the personal computer. Capitalizing on the growing PC TV tuner market, it will answer the consumer demand for a PC-based DVR experience for use with the estimated 50.8 million PC TV tuners that will be sold worldwide by 2011, according to In-Stat research report published in April 2007.

http://www.tivo.com

http://www.nero.com

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Hearst-Argyle to become First Television Reseller of Google Advertising

Hearst-Argyle, operator of 29 TV stations across the U.S. and more than 30 Websites, will become the first television industry reseller of the Google AdWords advertising program. Under the deal, Hearst-Argyle will become an official reseller and will use its Web sales force to provide marketers in its 26 local markets access to Google AdWords. http://www.google.com

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AT&T and Nokia Siemens Networks Host IMS Research Competition

AT&T and Nokia Siemens Networks will an IMS Research Competition for undergraduate and post-graduate students at the Georgia Institute of Technology with the goal of building prototype next-generation mobile applications using an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) platform. The competition will begin in the Spring semester 2008.



Student teams will compete in one of three categories: Innovation, Higher Education, and Contextual Usage -- all categories have been identified as key growth areas in the wireless communications industry. Students will have unparalleled access to commercial-grade network equipment supplied by Nokia Siemens Networks. The IMS lab is located in the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC), and is co-operated by GTMobilesphere and participating vendors. In addition to the application prototype, students will be judged on a business plan outlining how they would market and launch their application.



Students are competing for $45,000 in cash prizes to be divided among each category, and up to eight internships at AT&T and Nokia Siemens Networks, two of the world's leading companies in their respective fields.
http://www.att.com

http://www.nsn.com

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Hong Kong Broadband Network Launches GPON with Alcatel-Lucent

Hong Kong Broadband Network Launches GPON with Alcatel-Lucent
Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited (HKBN), a wholly-owned subsidiary of City Telecom (HK), announced the deployment of the first GPON links in Hong Kong using gear from Alcatel-Lucent. The deployment uses the Alcatel-Lucent 7342 Intelligent Services Access Manager Fiber-to-the-Home (ISAM FTTU) solution. The contract also includes network maintenance. Financial terms were not disclosed.



Alcatel-Lucent's Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) solution will enable HKBN to deliver advanced triple play services to its subscribers and enlarge its FTTH network coverage in Hong Kong. The new network is expected to be in service in January 2008.



Monthly pricing for HKBN's FTTH service announced last month is as follows:

• FiberHome100 for HK$378 (US$48)


• FiberHome200 for HK$6888 (US$88)


• FiberHome100 for HK$1,680 (US$215)

HKBN is now phasing out its 10 Mbps residential broadband tier. Its new entry-level tier is 25 Mbps symmetric service for HK$208 per month (US$27).

HKBN first launched 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps services in 2005 using a fiber-to-the-building approach. It now plans to increase its coverage from 1.4 million to 2 million homes passed within three years.

http://www.ctigroup.com.hk/en/http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

• HKBN has installed thousands of Cisco Catalyst LAN switches and more than 800 Cisco routers in buildings throughout Hong Kong. Category 5e copper cables are wired from the LAN switch cabinet to the apartments of each target customer. Fiber-to-the-building (FTTB) was deployed between the buildings using the Cisco ONS 15454 Multiservice Transport Platform (MSTP) and Cisco Catalyst 4507R Switches. HKBN is also using a Cisco Optical Core network. The deployment includes the Cisco ONS 15454 SONET/SDH Multiservice Provisioning Platform (MSPP); Cisco Catalyst 6500, Catalyst 4500, Catalyst 3350, and Catalyst 2950 series switches; and Cisco 2600XM Series routers.

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Freescale and OpenCon Offer GPON Reference Design

Freescale and OpenCon announced a hardware/software reference design kit for highly integrated GPON customer premises equipment (CPE). The kit includes a turnkey software solution for optical network terminals (ONTs) based on field-proven OMCI management technology that ships with Freescale's MSC7120 GPON device. The OpenCon software solution also leverages the MSC7120's on-chip DSP to support SIP-based VoIP voice telephony services.
http://www.freescale.com

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Verizon Business Enhances Customer Portal

Verizon Business unveiled a number of enhancements to its business online portal, the Verizon Business Customer Center (VBCC), including more capabilities for its Dashboard and a new document-management capability enable customers to better collaborate and more closely manage their relationship with the company.



The VBCC Dashboard -- a customized network-monitoring tool that provides customers a comprehensive, at-a-glance view of their communications landscape -- now enables customers to track how well Verizon Business' IP services performed against service level agreement (SLA) standards. It also has added a LEC/PTT Performance Report that provides customers visibility into Enterprise Trouble Management System tickets referred to local exchange carriers (LECs) and foreign carriers (or PTTs) for resolution.



The company has also launched a document-management capability for the VBCC -- a one-stop tool for customers to manage their documents in a secure, centralized location.
http://customercenter.verizonbusiness.com

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XO and Sotto Wireless Launch FMC Trial in Seattle

XO Communications and Sotto Wireless will begin trials of a fixed mobile convergence (FMC) solution in Seattle. The XO-Sotto FMC solution, to be called the Unwired Office, combines XO Communications' nationwide IP networking capabilities with Sotto Wireless' all-in-one wireless and office phone communications service to offer a single device FMC solution for businesses.



The companies said that unlike other FMC solutions that simply allow calls to ring on multiple fixed and mobile devices, the Unwired Office solution integrates customers' fixed and wireless communications services into a single platform with one smartphone that can be used in the office or on the go for voice, email and Internet access as well optional IP desk phones.



The service uses dual-mode smartphones from Nokia, such as the Nokia E61i, that feature both office Wi-Fi and cellular network connectivity options, full keyboards, and productivity applications.

http://www.xo.com

http://www.sottowireless.com

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