Cisco Extends Catalyst Switch Portfolio with ePoE, 10GigE Aggregation

Cisco introduced new Catalyst switches and capabilities, including enhanced Power-over-Ethernet (ePoE) across its Catalyst portfolio beginning with the Catalyst 3750-E and 3560-E Series, with the Catalyst 6500 and Catalyst 4500-E Series scheduled to follow in the second quarter of this calendar year. With ePoE, customers can power Cisco 802.11n wireless access points from a single switch port.


Cisco also announced new fixed 10 Gigabit Ethernet aggregation switching solutions in its Catalyst 3560-E Series and has introduced Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) support in its Catalyst 2960 Series, providing greater deployment flexibility to enterprises and small and medium-sized business customers.


Cisco Catalyst 3750-E and 3560-E Series switches are enterprise-class lines of wiring closet and aggregation switches supporting real-time applications such as IP telephony, wireless and video. The added support of ePoE in the Catalyst 3750-E Series enables deployment of 802.11n wireless networks, including the Cisco Aironet 1250 Series Access Points. This internal ePoE provides up to 18.5 watts per port on the family of Catalyst 3750-E and 3560-E Series today with the future rollout across the Catalyst 6500 and 4500-E Series portfolio scheduled for the second quarter of this calendar year.


The Cisco Catalyst 3560-E Series has been extended with the introduction of a 12-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch and a 12-port 1 Gigabit Ethernet switch with two 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports. The Catalyst 3560E-12D and 3560E-12SD are suited to support real-time converged applications such as Cisco TelePresence, Cisco Unified Communications and intensive client-server applications by providing highly secure unified network services with Layer 3 and Layer 2 feature sets and IPv4 and IPv6 support.http://www.cisco.com

Read More

Cisco Invests in ip.access for Femtocells and Picocells

ip.access, a start-up that specializes in femtocell and picocell technologies, announced that Cisco has made an investment in the company. Terms of the investment were not disclosed. Existing ip.access investors include Scottish Equity Partners, Rothschild Gestion, Intel Capital, Amadeus Capital Partners, ADC and Motorola Ventures.




ip.access' Oyster 3GTM femtocell , which is currently in trials with major mobile network operators, is a low-power wireless access point which plugs into a residential broadband DSL or cable connection to deliver a 3G mobile phone signal indoors.


ip.access' 2G picocells are already deployed in more than 30 live networks around the world.


ip.access is based in Cambridge, UK.http://www.ipaccess.comhttp://www.cisco.com

Read More

Veraz and Apertio Simplify IMS Application Integration

Veraz Networks and Apertio today announce a new IMS solution that combines a consolidated subscriber network database from Apertio with a unified applications view and unified session control from Veraz. The combination of Veraz ControlSwitch-USC and Apertio One-HSS enables communication service providers to integrate existing and new application platforms with their back office systems.


The companies said their joint solution allows providers to maximize service revenue even in complex converged networks. Most significantly, it enables existing operators to offer a unified fixed-mobile IMS network using Veraz ControlSwitch-USC through seamless integration with an Apertio One-HLR (Home Location Register), their own HLR or a legacy HLR from a Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) partner.


Veraz ControlSwitch is responsible for the core IMS session control and application interaction management functionalities. Apertio One-HSS acts as a key element for IMS mobility and delivers a single, open, subscriber-centric architecture that unifies customer data typically locked away in proprietary infrastructure. Veraz ControlSwitch communicates with Apertio One-HSS via the Diameter Cx interface, a standard authentication, and authorization and accounting protocol used in IMS.


The joint solution is currently deployed within an IMS reference model at Amdocs' interoperability laboratories together with Amdocs' 3GPP-compliant revenue, customer and service management products. The model demonstrates enhanced real-time charging and provisioning across fixed, mobile, and converged environments.http://www.apertio.comhttp://www.veraznetworks.com

Read More

BSNL Selects SOMA Networks for WiMAX Rollout

India's Bharat Sanchar Nigam, Ltd (BSNL), has selected SOMA Networks for its mobile WiMAX rollout across three of India's fastest-growing telecom circles: Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, and Andhra Pradesh. SOMA said it was selected after extensive field trials in urban, suburban and rural areas. Based on the 802.16e-2005 standard, SOMA's Mobile WiMAX solution provides extended range and supports high subscriber density per sector. Financial terms were not disclosed.


SOMA is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Toronto, Ottawa, Gurgaon, and Singapore.http://www.somanetworks.com

Read More

Andrew Introduces Geometrix Hybrid Caller Location System for UMTS

Andrew Wireless Solutions announced a major advancement in the accuracy and flexibility of its "Geometrix" Mobile Location Center (MLC) platform for UMTS . The new Hybrid Caller Location feature set brings 3G networks the capability to produce high-accuracy caller locating when adverse geographic or other conditions may limit the effectiveness of individual locating methods. The solution now supports high-accuracy A-GPS and Hybrid caller locating methods for both 3G UMTS and GSM networks.


In addition to computing high-accuracy caller locations to support E911 calls, Andrew's 2G/3G MLC also supports enhanced value-added commercial location-based services (LBS). The Andrew MLC can combine both Control Plane (CoPL) and Secure User Plane (SUPL) location methods on the same hardware platform. Andres says this blend of network- and device-based technologies produces the needed location speed, accuracy and reliability that is necessary for future LBS.http://www.commscope.com

Read More

SIP Forum Announces Ratification of Version 1.0 of the SIPconnect

The SIP Forum has ratified version 1.0 of the SIPconnect Technical Recommendation, which is a standards-based approach to direct IP peering between SIP-enabled IP PBXs and VoIP service provider networks.

It specifies a reference architecture, required protocols and features and implementation rules necessary for seamless interconnection between IP PBXs and VoIP service providers. As SIPconnect was designed to directly tie enterprise customers to VoIP service providers using an end-to-end IP connection, it eliminates the need for a VoIP gateway, improves voice quality and creates a stable foundation for personalized applications and rich media services.


The SIP Forum noted that the SIPconnect Technical Recommendation has recently enjoyed a number of independent implementations, as witnessed by the rapid adoption of the SIPconnect Compliant Program. The SIPconnect Compliant Program offers equipment manufacturers, software providers and service providers the means to attain SIPconnect Certification by the SIP Forum, as well as enjoy the use of a unique certification mark created by the Forum to ensure interoperability among IP communications equipment, software and services.http://www.sipforum.org

Read More

Motorola Mobile Device Sales Decline 38% vs. Prior-year Quarter

Motorola reported Q4 2007 sales of $9.65 billion and net earnings of $0.04 per share, which include $0.05 per share from continuing operations and a net loss of $0.01 per share from discontinued operations. The company said its Mobile Devices business remains challenged, with sales declining 38 percent versus prior-year quarter, while its Home & Networks Mobility and Enterprise Mobility Solutions business continued to deliver strong results.


"We are focused on aggressively rationalizing the company's cost structure and working to get Mobile Devices back on track," said Greg Brown, chief executive officer of Motorola. "The recovery in Mobile Devices will take longer than expected and there is a lot more work to be done. Our primary focus is on improving profitability and enhancing our product portfolio in this business. At the same time, we are very pleased with the continued strong performance of our Home and Networks Mobility and Enterprise Mobility Solutions businesses."


Mobile Devices segment sales were $4.8 billion, down 38 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. The operating loss was $388 million, compared with operating earnings of $341 million in the year-ago quarter. For the full year 2007, sales were $19.0 billion, a 33 percent decrease compared to 2006, and the segment incurred an operating loss of $1.2 billion, compared to operating earnings of $2.7 billion in 2006. During the quarter, the company shipped 40.9 million handsets.


Home and Networks Mobility segment sales were $2.7 billion, up 11 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. Operating earnings decreased to $192 million, compared with operating earnings of $223 million in the year-ago quarter. For the full year 2007, sales were $10.0 billion, a 9 percent increase compared to 2006, and the segment generated operating earnings of $709 million, compared to $787 million in 2006.


Enterprise Mobility Solutions segment sales were $2.1 billion, up 35 percent compared with the year-ago quarter, driven by sales from the Symbol business acquired in early 2007. Operating earnings increased to $451 million, compared with operating earnings of $323 million in the year-ago quarter. For the full year 2007, sales were $7.7 billion, a 43 percent increase compared to 2006, and the segment generated operating earnings of $1.2 billion, compared to $958 million in 2006.http://www.motorola.com

Read More

United Mobile Raises $15 Million for Low-Cost Roaming

United Mobile, a Swiss company that provides international travelers with a single, global SIM card
that offers both voice and data roaming, completed a US$15 million round of equity funding led by Accel Partners and Grazia Equity, who join angel investors Morten Lund, an initial investor in Skype, Thomas Geitner, the former global CTO of Vodafone, and Robert Zacconi, CEO of King.com.

United Mobile leverages a network of 300 companies in 140 countries and transparently negotiates the cheapest rate for outgoing calls. It provides free incoming calls in more than 80 countries.http://www.united-mobile.com

Read More

Quintum Releases Hybrid Gateway for Microsoft Unified Communications

Quintum Technologies released its new Tenor Hybrid Gateway 60, a single box solution specifically designed to allow customers to integrate Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 with legacy and IP-based PBXs, analog endpoints, fax, and modem-based devices, while providing connectivity to the PSTN.


The Tenor Hybrid Gateway 60 contains Quintum's new Unified Communications Proxy (UCP). The UCP enables Tenor to provide intelligent MultiPath connectivity between VoIP, Legacy telephony (TDM) equipment, and unified communications, with any-to-any call routing, including SIP to SIP, TDM to TDM and SIP to TDM connections. The UCP also offers the ability to deploy multiple gateways behind the Tenor Hybrid Gateway 60 to simplify the deployment of multiple gateways distributed within an enterprise's headquarters network, as well as gateways deployed in branch offices. It also provides TDM to TDM switching to support fax and modem equipment on the same PSTN connections used by Office Communications Server 2007. The UCP supports the coordination of all SIP and TDM communications in a Microsoft UC deployment from a single device connected directly to Office Communications Server 2007.


The Tenor Hybrid Gateway 60 is integrated on an Intel SR-1500 1U server with Intel Quad-Core Xeon processors. It supports up to 60 simultaneous VoIP calls, with up to two T1/E1/PRI spans. The Tenor Hybrid Gateway 60 is currently available and has a starting list price of $9,750.
http://www.quintum.com/http://www.net.com

Read More

Quintum Offers Unified Communications Proxy (UCP) for its VoIP Switches and Gateways

Quintum Technologies, which is now a subsidiary of Network Equipment Technologies, introduced a Unified Communications Proxy (UCP) for its Tenor VoIP MultiPath Switches and Gateways. The UCP, originally developed to support VoIP in Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007, allows multiple VoIP and TDM networks to be integrated together. The UCP expands Tenor's unique MultiPath switching capability to include enhanced call routing and SIP to SIP switching, and is now available in the entire Tenor "S" line of VoIP MultiPath Switches and Gateways.


The addition of the new UCP capability in the Tenor provides "any to any" MultiPath switching between VoIP and TDM networks, including SIP to SIP calls, TDM to TDM calls and SIP to TDM calls. This capability simplifies the deployment of new VoIP systems such as Unified Communications, assuring integration with any existing voice network element (TDM or SIP) and the PSTN .


Quintum said this flexibility also benefits VoIP service providers by providing a flexible customer premises gateway that can interface to all existing business voice network elements including SIP, TDM or both. The UCP also offers benefit when deploying Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 in that it can support multiple gateways and SIP endpoints with a single Microsoft mediation server.


This allows businesses to deploy multiple gateways to support PSTN connectivity, legacy TDM PBXs, existing SIP based IP- PBXs, existing SIP phones, and analog devices such as fax machines, all with one mediation server. http://www.quintum.comhttp://www.net.com

Read More

Alcatel-Lucent Enhances IP/MPLS Portfolio for Wireless Operators

Alcatel-Lucent enhanced its IP/MPLS service router portfolio with the addition of new hardware and software capabilities aimed at next- generation mobile services. The enhancements deliver improvements in the efficiency, capacity, density, reliability and resiliency of networks supporting broadband wireless services.


Alcatel-Lucent said key beneficiaries of these enhancements to its IP/MPLS portfolio include operators of CDMA-based mobile networks, who are looking for ways to simplify and consolidate their legacy radio access network (RAN) backhaul infrastructures in order to reduce operational complexity and total cost of ownership. The capabilities announced today in the 7710/7750 SR platforms enable the consolidation of multiple pairs of aggregation routers and multi-layer switches into a single pair of Service Routers - significantly reducing operational complexity. As a result, CDMA operators are able to reduce their footprint and power consumption, and hence their operating costs.


New product innovations -- which enhance interface flexibility for increased network efficiency, capacity and density for mobile network environments -- include:

• 4-port Channelized DS3/E3 Any Service Any Port (ASAP) Media Dependent Adaptor (MDA)



• 12-port Channelized DS3/E3 ASAP MDA



• 1-port Channelized OC-12/STM4 ASAP MDA



• 1-port Channelized OC-3/STM-1 Circuit Emulation Services (CES) MDA



• 1-port Channelized OC-3/STM-1 CES Compact Media Adaptor (CMA)

New enhancements for the Alcatel-Lucent Service Router Operating System (SR OS) -- which improve network reliability and resiliency (with failover times 2-3 times faster than alternative solutions, thus preventing dropped calls and enhancing customer satisfaction), include:

• Multi-chassis Automatic Protection Switching (APS)



• Stateful Multi-Link Point-to-Point Protocol (MLPPP) resiliency



• ATM Pseudowire redundancy



• Multi-Class MLPPP

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/ipnews

Read More

Motorola Teams with Qualcomm on Next Gen UMTS 3G Chipsets

Motorola announced its intention to design Qualcomm chipsets into certain UMTS 3G handsets beginning at the end of 2008 and in 2009. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.


"Qualcomm is a valued supplier and I am excited about the UMTS opportunities we are pursuing together," said Alain Mutricy, senior vice president, platform technology, Motorola's Mobile Devices business. "This agreement represents a further step in the execution of our silicon strategy."http://www.motorola.comhttp://www.qualcomm.com

Read More

Telstra to Provide Global MPLS Solution for Aicent

Telstra announced a new contract to supply Aicent with a global MPLS network. Aicent's customer list of more than one hundred wireless operators -- includes four of the world's top five largest mobile carriers -- that in turn serves more than one billion mobile subscribers globally.


Deployed largely over Ethernet, Telstra's global IP network aims to reduce infrastructure costs and increase speed and efficiency for Aicent's customer base across Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The service will connect Aicent's mobile data services to their mobile operator customers for reliable, high-quality bandwidth and to enable global roaming on wireless networks.


Aicent has been providing network services to Australian based Telstra Corporation since 2004, including GPRS Roaming Exchange (GRX) services, multi- media messaging services (MMS) and more recently SMS. Telstra recently reached the milestone of connecting more than 100 roaming partners for MMS, a first amongst operators.http://www.telstra.comhttp://www.aicent.com.

Read More

AT&T to Offer Broadband Customers Free Access its Wi-Fi Network

AT&T will provide its residential broadband users with free unlimited access to its nationwide Wi-Fi network, which encompasses some 10,000 hotspots in retail stores, restaurants and airports


The free Wi-Fi offer will be available to new and existing customers who subscribe to any of AT&T's broadband services with downstream speeds of up to 1.5 Mbps, 3.0 Mbps, or 6.0 Mbps. Free Wi-Fi access was initially provided to the company's higher-speed broadband customers last year.


AT&T said the enhancement plays directly into the company's efforts to increase the value of broadband by adding more ways for consumers to stay connected to their worlds.http://www.att.com

Read More

AT&T Offers 10 Mbps U-verse Access for $55/month

AT&T will offer a 10 Mbps Internet access tier to its U-verse customers. Previously, the top speed for the service was 6 Mbps.

The new AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet Max tier will provide up to 1.5 Mbps upstream. The service will be priced at $55 a month when bundled with U-verse TV.http://uverse.att.com

Read More

Qualcomm Posts Revenues $2.44 Billion

Qualcomm reported revenues of $2.44 billion, up 21 percent year-over-year and 6 percent sequentially, for its first fiscal quarter of 2008 ended December 30, 2007. Net income was $767 million, up 18 percent year-over-year and down 32 percent sequentially, and diluted earnings per share were $0.46, up 21 percent year-over-year and down 31 percent sequentially.


"We are pleased to report another strong quarter as the demand for CDMA-based devices, applications and services continues to accelerate around the world," said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, chief executive officer of Qualcomm.


The company reaffirmed its fiscal 2008 pro forma earnings per share guidance.http://www.qualcomm.com

Read More

One Minute Video: What is an SSL VPN?

One Minute Video presented by Sanjay Beri, Juniper Networks -- What is an SSL VPN?


Jargon Buster

Read More