Italy's Wind Launches IPTV with Alcatel-Lucent, Microsoft

Wind, a leading Italian telecommunications company, has launched a nationwide commercial IPTV offering based on Alcatel-Lucent's solutions and the Microsoft Mediaroom Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and multimedia platform. The launch represents an important milestone in the multi-year frame agreement under which Alcatel-Lucent has been deploying its Triple Play Service Delivery Architecture (TPSDA) and is the end-to-end network integrator. Financial...

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MetaSwitch Enhances Automated Call Distribution Application Capabilities

MetaSwitch announced enhancements to its Hosted VoIP Solution, including new Automated Call Distribution (ACD) features that enable small-to-medium businesses to direct inbound calls to groups of users based on the nature of the call. With this ACD service installed, callers can be prompted to identify the purpose of their calls via the MetaSphere Auto Attendant application, that would then re-direct the calls to the appropriate groups - for example "sales" or "support." If all users in that group are busy, calls are held in a queue, and callers...

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Cisco Revamps its R&D Organization

Cisco announced a reorganization of its technology development organization. The company said the changes within the Cisco Development Organization (CDO) are designed to enhance its effectiveness and efficiency in delivering integrated products and solutions, as well as to provide greater synergies in its development process.There will be four new groups within the Cisco Development Organization: The Access Networking and Services Group, led by Kathy Hill, senior vice president. This group is responsible for the Integrated Services Routers, Fixed...

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China Netcom Selects ZTE for AVS-IPTV Network

China Netcom has selected ZTE for what is described as the world's first AVS-IPTV commercial network development. AVS is a digital rights management technology approved by China's Ministry of Information Industry. ZTE said trials of AVS-IPTV have been underway in the city of Dalian. ZTE claims to hold over 50 percent share of China's current IPTV product solutions market, having previously clinched deals to construct IPTV projects for Beijing Telecom,...

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Taiwan's Tatung to Deploy NEC's Mobile WiMAX

Taiwan's Tatung InfoComm awarded a contract to NEC for the supply of mobile WiMAX systems, which will be used for commercial service in Taiwan. NEC will deliver a total mobile WiMAX system consisting of approximately 200 base stations along with peripheral equipment to Tatung InfoComm. This marks the first order received by NEC for a commercial mobile WiMAX system.Tatung InfoComm is an affiliate of a major Taiwanese conglomerate that focuses on broadband wireless access, while Tatung Co. operates as a leading manufacturer/seller of consumer electronics...

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Sprint Launches Nationwide Ethernet Access Service

Sprint announced availability of an Ethernet Access service as an alternative to Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) options. The new Ethernet offer complements other converged access services including Sprint Data Link and Sprint Business DSL. Sprint Provided Ethernet Access is now available nationwide and connects from the customer's premises to the Sprint Global MPLS or DIA networks using an Ethernet local loop. Benefits of Sprint Provided Ethernet...

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Critical Path Pursues Privatization

Critical Path, which provides messaging software and services to mobile operators, announced a privatization agreement with CP Holdco and CP Merger Co., a California corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Newco (Merger Sub). Under the deal, holders of Critical Path's common stock (other than Newco and shareholders entitled to and who properly exercise dissenters' rights under California law) will receive $0.102 in cash (without interest and less any required withholding taxes) for each share of common stock they own. Newco is beneficially...

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Motive and AT&T Knowledge Ventures Team on IPTV Assurance

Motive announced a partnership with AT&T Knowledge Ventures to market an IPTV service assurance solution to network operators. The solution provides customer care agents and field technicians with access to real-time IPTV service performance information. This information is used to help diagnosis and repair systems and applications that span the IPTV service delivery infrastructure -- including the customer premise, the network and the back-office. http://www.motive....

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Hong Kong's PCCW Deploys Juniper's E320 Routers

Hong Kong-based PCCW has deployed Juniper Networks' E320 Broadband Services Routers to improve the capacity and performance of its broadband network and leverage its existing installed base of Juniper E-series routers. The E320 supports high subscriber density, high system capacity and high-density Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. Financial terms were not disclosed.Juniper noted that in two years since introduction, it has shipped of over 800 E320 platforms to over 70 service provider customers worldwide. http://www.junip...

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Solera Releases DPI-based Stream-to-storage Appliances

Solera Networks announced the availability of its DS 5100 series of capture and stream-to-storage appliances capable of lossless, deep packet capture and recording on 10 Gbps networks.Solera Networks said its appliances act much like a digital video recorder (DVR) for the network, capturing every single packet (header and payload) that crosses the network to enable post-event analysis, remediation and prevention. The platform allows network analysts to search, reconstruct and analyze all of the captured traffic using any tool of their choice, including...

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Panama's CTV Selects Amino's STBs

Panama's CTV Telecom has selected Amino's AmiNET125 multi-codec Set-Top-Box (STB) for Central America's first IPTV service. CTV is deploying a fiber optic network in the capital, Panama City, exclusively to deliver the new IPTV service. CTV offers IPTV services including telephone, broadband internet and television, with a choice of over 100 broadcast, music and on demand channels. Amino said an initial order for a substantial volume of AmiNET125 STBs has been placed. Further orders are expected. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www...

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SureWest to Acquire Everest Broadband in Kansas City

SureWest Communications, which serves the Sacramento, California region, agreed to acquire Everest Broadband, which serves the greater Kansas City area, for $173 million. Everest is a portfolio company of Seaport Capital. The deal, which is expected to close by the end of the first quarter 2008, will more than double SureWest's triple-play residential subscriber base and facilitate the rapid expansion of its business services. The combined company will serve a broader customer base across two comparable areas and together possess over 200,000...

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IBM Announces Nano-photonic Modulator

Researchers at IBM have developed a silicon Mach-Zehnder electro-optic modulator that could someday be used to interconnect thousands of processor cores on a single chip. IBM said the modulator is 100 to 1,000 times smaller in size compared to previously demonstrated modulators of its kind and could significantly reduce cost, energy and heat while increasing communications bandwidth on chip."We believe this is a major advancement in the field of...

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