Riverbed Enhances Central Management Console

Riverbed Technology released the latest version of its Central Management Console (v5.0)

featuring enhancements for deploying, configuring, and managing its Steelhead appliances, while providing visibility into the underlying performance of applications running across the WAN. Specifically, the enhancements provide network administrators with hierarchical structuring of Steelhead appliances, new policy-based configuration, role-based administration and centralized security management.

Among the changes in the new release, the configuration of Steelheads is now based on discrete policies that can be assigned among Steelhead appliance groups and imported from existing Steelhead appliances. Policies can be defined separately for optimization, networking, security, and system configuration elements. To simplify the management of large Steelhead deployments, network managers can categorize and centrally manage Steelhead appliances using a hierarchical structure.http://www.riverbed.com

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SingTel and Partners to Bid on Next Gen Broadband Net

Axia NetMedia (30%), Singapore Telecommunications (30%), Singapore Press Holdings (25%) and SP Telecommunications Pte Ltd (15%) have formed a consortium to jointly bid on Singapore's Next Generation National Broadband Network - Network Company (NetCo), as defined by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA).


The new OpenNet consortium, as it is known, proposes an open fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network. The open nature of the network is defined as follows:


(i) No individual parties having control over OpenNet


(ii) Three of the four OpenNet owners are not integrated telecommunications players hence there are no conflicting interests


(iii) the Network is specifically designed to enable choice by OpenNet customers, large and small


(iv) Interests are aligned as OpenNet's commercial success depends on its customers' success.


In the proposal, OpenNet said it will leverage SingTel's existing extensive high-quality, subterranean ducting network, making the infrastructure less vulnerable to damage. OpenNet also promises to deliver the FTTH network at least two and a half years ahead of schedule of the iN2015 vision. OpenNet is positioned to complete the network rollout by June 2010.http://www.singtel.com

• In March 2008, Hong Kong's City Telecom (CTI) and Singapore's M1 and StarHub will form a consortium and jointly submit a bid to design, build and operate Singapore's next generation broadband network, as specified by Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore's Request-for-Proposal (RFP) for the Network Company (NetCo).



• In December 2007, the government of Singapore outlined its vision for an open access Next Generation National Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) offering pervasive ultra-high speed connectivity by 2015. The plan calls for a minimum speed of 100 Mbps in the downlink and 50 Mbps in the uplink per end-user connection and scalability to 1 Gbps and above. Singapore is also calling for a separation between network layer operations (the Layer 1 physical network), the bandwidth service operators (Layer 2 and Layer 3 connectivity), and the retail services that ride on top.
  
  
  The Next Gen NBN is expected to be available nationwide by 2015, although the first services, such as high-definition video conferencing, telemedicine, Grid Computing-on-Demand, security and immersive learning applications, should be running on the Next Gen NBN from about 2010.
  
  
  Singapore's Infocomm Development Authority is issuing a Request-For-Proposal (RFP) open to all interested parties to submit their bid to design, build and operate the passive infrastructure layer of the Next Gen NBN.
  
  
  Under this RFP, a Network Company, or NetCo, will be selected to design, build and operate this passive infrastructure that will carry the traffic for Next Generation Services. The deployment of active electronics such as switches and routers to manage the flow of traffic on the passive infrastructure will be done by what is called the Operating Company or OpCo, which will also be the entity that offers wholesale broadband access to downstream Retail Service Providers, or RSPs. The latter are the companies that provide Next Generation Services to end-users.

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Indonesia's Telkomsel Selects Nokia Siemens Networks for Core Mobile Softswitch

Indonesia's Telkomsel will upgrade its mobile core to Release 4 architecture with

Nokia Siemens Networks' MSC Server System mobile softswitch solution. Under the three-year frame work agreement, Nokia Siemens Networks will deploy the latest generation softswitch in across Indonesia. NSN will also provide network planning, implementation as well as consulting and system integration. The company describes the project as one of the biggest softswitch network modernizations in Asia Pacific. Financial terms were not disclosed.


There are currently 190 Nokia Siemens Networks customers using mobile softswitching in over 110 live networks.http://www.nsn.com

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Libya Telecom Selects Alcatel-Lucent for WiMAX

Libya Telecom and Technology, the national Internet Service Provider in Libya,

selected Alcatel-Lucent to deploy the first commercial WIMAX network based on the 802.16e-2005 standard in the country. Under the agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will provide a complete WiMAX infrastructure solution, including the radio access network, microwave backhaul and IP routers and will deploy around 120 sites in a first phase. The new network will support VoIP and high-speed Internet access. LTT plans to launch the commercial service on the network in September 2008. Financial terms were not disclosed.http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

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Motorola Enhances CherryPicker for MPEG2/4 Ad Insertion

Motorola released the latest software enhancement for its CherryPicker Application Platform (CAP-1000). In addition to MPEG-4 Rate Shaping, the CAP-1000 now offers MPEG-2 rate shaping, ad insertion and statistical multiplexing. The platform supports both standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) video, all in a dense single rack unit device. The Motorola CAP-1000 v2.0 supports hundreds of simultaneous video streams, with near instantaneous failover redundancy capability.http://www.motorola.com

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Ruckus Wireless Sues NETGEAR and Rayspan over Wi-Fi Antennas

Ruckus Wireless, has filed suit in the U.S. Court for the Northern District of California against NETGEAR and Rayspan Corporation for patent infringement. Ruckus Wireless alleges that in the development of the NETGEAR RangeMax WPN 824v3 wireless router, NETGEAR and Rayspan infringed two Wi-Fi patents which are fundamental to intelligent and adaptable Wi-Fi antenna arrays. Ruckus said it has over 70 patents granted or pending worldwide in the area of intelligent antenna or wireless technology innovation.


Ruckus also noted that in January 2005 it entered into a technology licensing agreement to develop the underlying technology within the NETGEAR RangeMax 824v1 and v2 wireless routers, the predecessors to the RangeMax 824v3 at issue. The resulting hardware and software technology developed for NETGEAR was owned and patented by Ruckus Wireless.http://www.ruckuswireless.com

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Concord Hospital Deploys Juniper Application Acceleration and Security Platforms

Concord Hospital, a regional medical center with the second busiest acute care hospital in the state of New Hampshire, has deployed Juniper Networks' WX application acceleration platform, Secure Services Gateway (SSG) firewall/VPN appliances with Unified Threat Management (UTM) and Secure Access (SA) 4000 SSL VPN to increase the performance of business-critical applications by 40 to 50%. The network also ensures
secure wireless VoIP communications in its emergency department, and provides secure remote network access for employees using a standard Web browser.


Juniper's WX platform employs application acceleration techniques that recognize and eliminate redundant transmissions, speed application-specific protocols, prioritize and allocate bandwidth, and accelerate SSL-encrypted applications. Additionally, Concord Hospital implemented Juniper's WX Central Management System (WX-CMS) to gain real-time network and application visibility and proactively manage the network.http://www.juniper.net

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Sun Offers OpenSolaris over Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud

Sun Microsystems will begin offering its OpenSolaris Operating System (OS) on the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), a Web service that provides resizeable compute capacity in the cloud. Amazon's EC2 allows customers to pay only for the infrastructure software services and capacity that they actually use.


Sun will also provide premium technical support for its MySQL database running on Linux and Amazon EC2.


The companies said a select group of leading software vendors are already offering their solutions via Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) for OpenSolaris on Amazon EC2, including GigaSpaces, Rightscale, Thoughtworks and Zmanda. Sun is also making available its "GlassFish" application server. OpenSolaris on Amazon EC2 is available for no additional charge. Customers pay only for Amazon EC2 usage, which starts at $0.10 per CPU-hour.http://www.sun.com/amazon

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iamba Networks Secures $7 Million for GPON Silicon

iamba Networks, a start-up based in Cupertino, California with R&D in Israel, raised $7 million in new venture funding for its GPON silicon. iamba's product portfolio consists of multicore SoCs for GPON ONT units and OLT blades. Investing firms in this round include iamba's investors from previous rounds, Pitango Venture Capital, Cedar Fund, Giza Venture Fund and Kreos Capital. http://www.iamba.com

• In January 2008, iamba Networks released its new iSN1000 family of GPON ONT ASICs. The iSN1000 family includes three SoCs for three types of ONTs: the iSN1000F for Single Family Units (SFU), the iSN1000T for small office, home offices (SOHO), and the iSN1000D for Multi Dwelling Units (MDU). Iamba said its new silicon delivers 1 Gbps wire speed throughput, WT-156 compliant VLAN processing, QoS, security, IPTV support and a multi-core architecture that facilitates the integration of customer developed software with iamba's own powerful software packages. The iSN1000 family of ASICs is part of the iamba GPON Eco-System (iGES) solution comprised of next generation ASICs for ONTs and for the OLT, a comprehensive set of software packages, evaluation units and production-ready reference designs.

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T-Mobile Launches UMTS/HSDPA in NYC

T-Mobile USA has launched its UMTS/HSDPA network in New York City. The 3G network rollout will continue across major metropolitan markets through the year. By year's end, T-Mobile expects its high-speed data network will be available in those cities where a majority of its subscribers currently use data services.


T-Mobile currently offers multiple phones that are able to operate on the UMTS network. In the coming months, T-Mobile plans to offer its first HSDPA device, along with new data-centric, all-in-one devices that help make the most of T-Mobile's high-speed data network.


T-Mobile also confirmed its intention to build upon its HotSpot Wi-Fi network.http://www.t-mobile.com

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Qwest to Offer Verizon Wireless Service

Qwest Communications announced a 5-year agreement to market and sell Verizon Wireless service beginning this summer. Financial terms of the agreement are not being disclosed. Under the deal, Qwest customers will have access to the full line of Verizon Wireless handsets, smartphones and BlackBerry devices, as well as high-speed broadband wireless services for e-mail, Internet access and multimedia services.


Qwest said its residential customers will be able to choose "wireless only" and be billed directly by Verizon Wireless, or include Verizon Wireless service as part of a Qwest bundle with their home phone, Internet and video services, and receive one bill from Qwest for all services. Qwest residential customers will be able to buy Verizon Wireless products and services via Qwest's call centers, Qwest's retail stores and kiosks, and online at Qwest.com. Once billing systems are coordinated, residential customers will be able to elect to have their Verizon Wireless service charges included on their Qwest bill. Qwest customers will receive information in the near future about the Verizon Wireless products and services that will soon be available to them.


In addition, the companies will work together on bidding for enterprise and government wireless contracts, and collaborate in the development of converged services, such as a unified voicemail box for mobile and landline as well as integration of Qwest's IP networking solutions with Verizon Wireless' mobile data network for business and government customers.http://www.qwest.comhttp://www.verizonwireless.com

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