ITU Appoints BT Exec to Chair Climate Change Group

BT's Dr Dave Faulkner has been selected by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to chair a new Focus Group examining the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on climate change.
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The new group will focus in particular on the reduction of ICT emissions and how ICTs can assist in cutting emissions in other industry sectors such as energy, transportation and buildings. The ICT sector is seen as a major part of the solution to climate change with the growth of teleconferencing and other e-communication services reducing the need for physical journeys and international travel.


"It is crucial that the ICT industry both acknowledges and seeks to reduce its role in climate change. Communications technologies can play a vital role in reducing carbon emissions worldwide. Developing global standards for reducing the energy requirements of networks and equipment will help make ICT an even more powerful tool for businesses to use in managing their greenhouse gas emissions and meeting their climate change targets," stated Dr. Faulkner.http://www.itu.int/themes/climate/http://www.btplc.com

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Qwest Now Offering Verizon Wireless Services

Qwest Communications is now offering Verizon Wireless services to all new residential and business customers in its residential service area. The companies announced a five-year agent earlier this year.

http://www.qwest.com

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Corning Announces $1 Billion Stock Repurchase Plan

Corning's board of directors and executive committee have approved the repurchase of up to $1 billion of common stock between now and the end of 2009. This is in addition to last year's $500 million repurchase authorization of which $125 million remains.


Separately, Corning reported Q2 sales of $1.69 billion, up 19% year over year. Earnings per share were $2.01, including a $2.429 billion net special gain primarily related to the release of U.S. deferred tax asset valuation allowances.


Telecommunications segment sales in the second quarter were $477 million, a 13% sequential increase and a 9% increase over a year ago. The increase was driven by strong fiber-to-the-premises demand as well as overall strength in optical fiber sales.http://www.corning.com

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Tiscali International Network To Expand via Equinix's European Centers

Tiscali International Network (TINet), which specializes in wholesale IP-MPLS market, selected Equinix as a strategic partner for the expansionof its European network.

The expansion will occur initially from Equinix's Frankfurt and Paris Internet Business Exchange (IBX) data centers.


TINet offers IP Transit, MPLS lines and long distance Ethernet services to major service providers in North America, Hong Kong, Singapore and across Europe. TINet has an extensive network of close to 100 IP/MPLS PoPs.http://www.equinix.comhttp://www.tiscali.net.

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Crescendo Raises $9.5 Million for Web Application Acceleration

Crescendo Networks, a start-up based in Israel, secured $9.5 million in third round funding for its web application acceleration solutions. Crescendo Networks features a multi-tier application architecture that improves the operation of existing application infrastructure. The company was founded in 2002.


The Challenge Fund -- Etgar II L.P. participated in the current financing and joined current investors, Evergreen Venture Partners, Apax Partners, Magma Venture Partners, StageOne Ventures and Convergent Capital. The company has now raised $36.2 million to date.http://www.crescendonetworks.com

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Internet2 to Provide Dedicated 10Gbps to GENI Effort

Internet2 has agreed tol donate a 10 Gbps dedicated circuit on its national backbone to support the GENI Project Office (GPO), located at BBN, and its subcontractors as they build and test prototypes of the GENI system. GENI subcontractors and developers will be able to access the circuit at every connection point on the network to enable nationwide collaboration on GENI prototypes.


GENI is envisioned as a national data communications laboratory, supporting experiments on a wide variety of advanced research in communications, networking, distributed systems, cyber-security, networked services, and applications. It is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.


BBN is currently negotiating with potential subcontractors who responded to the GPO's solicitation earlier this year and expects to announce the subcontracts shortly.http://www.geni.nethttp://www.internet2.edu

• The Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI), a project managed by BBN Technologies, is funded by grants from the US National Science Foundation.

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Australia's Foxtel Selects NDS to Power Quad Tuner HD DVR

FOXTEL, which delivers subscription TV via cable and satellite to more than 1.5 million homes in Australia, has selected NDS XTV DVR technology to power its new FOXTEL iQ2 High Definition quad tuner DVR. NDS has also developed a next-generation EPG for the FOXTEL iQ2 and carried out the systems integration for the launch of FOXTEL's HD services.


NDS XTV technology allows subscribers to pause, record, play back, rewind and fast forward their TV programs for viewing when they choose.http://www.nds.com

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Verizon Business Wins Mobile Managed Service Bid

Verizon Business was awarded a new managed services contract to help the U.S. Department of Interior manage and track the expenses for more than 22,000 mobile devices. Under the two-year deal, worth up to $15 million if all three additional one-year optional extensions are exercised, Verizon Business will provide expense-management services for mobile phones, personal digital assistants and other wireless devices used by the Interior Department, which has eight bureaus nationwide. The bureaus are: the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, the Office of Surface Mining, the Minerals Management Service, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation.httpp://www.verizon.com

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Harris Stratex Networks to Restate Financials, Trim Expenses

Harris Stratex Networks will need to restate prior period financial statements. The company also announced that the earnings release for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008, which ended June 27, 2008, will be rescheduled.


The company noted strong revenue of approximately $188 million for the quarter. Total revenue for the year is expected to increase by approximately 10 percent compared to previously reported combined company results for fiscal 2007. All three business segments -- North America Microwave, International Microwave and Network Operations -- generated increased revenues in fiscal 2008 compared with fiscal 2007.


The company also reported record booking levels in the fourth quarter with a 1.6 book-to-bill ratio. Increased orders came from Africa, Europe, Middle East and Russia as well as North America. Demand for the company's Eclipse product line was particularly strong when compared with prior periods.


However, expense levels in the quarter increased by approximately $13 million to $14 million compared with previous estimates, as a result of higher orders-based sales compensation expense, increased allowance for doubtful accounts charges, project charges, and outside professional services. As a result, non-GAAP earnings per share for fiscal 2008 will not meet the company's previously announced target of $0.82 per diluted share.


Harris Stratex Networks also stated that it continues to focus on the acceleration of the transition from higher cost legacy products to lower cost next-generation IP-based technologies. This transition, which is underway at a pace faster than originally contemplated at the time of the merger, resulted in a charge of $11 million in the fourth quarter for integration related inventory impairment of raw materials and finished goods for some of the legacy products.


"The company achieved significant top line growth in all segments in fiscal 2008, and our cash position has remained strong in the second half of the year," said Harald Braun, President and Chief Executive Officer of Harris Stratex Networks. "While the additional expenses incurred in the fourth quarter delayed the expansion of our earnings, the company is well-positioned for achievement of our growth objectives as we enter the new fiscal year. The company has added customers, achieved meaningful top line growth, and developed a significantly enhanced foundation for long-term competitiveness. We must, however, continue to take action to reduce costs and expenses in the business through increased product outsourcing activities and process related restructuring actions at certain global locations. This will have associated costs in order to implement, and we expect additional restructuring and integration charges to be incurred in fiscal 2009."http://www.harrisstratex.com

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ARRIS Posts Q2 Revenues of $281.1 million

ARRIS reported Q2 revenues of $281.1 million, an increase of $7.6 million or 2.8% , as compared to first quarter revenues of $273.5 million. Second quarter 2008 gross margin was $92.9 million, or 33.0%, as compared to $85.2, or 31.2%, in the first quarter 2008 and $72.4 million, or 28.6%, in the second quarter 2007. Order backlog increased to $206.0 million at the end of the second quarter as compared to $147.0 million at the end of the first quarter. Book-to-bill ratio in the second quarter was 1.21. GAAP net income in the second quarter 2008 was $0.08 per diluted share, as compared to $0.21 per diluted share for the second quarter 2007.http://www.arrisi.com

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Telecom Liechtenstein Deploys VDSL2 with Ericsson

Telecom Liechtenstein has selected Ericsson to upgrade and expand its ADSL network with VDSL2 technology. Ericsson will also provide support over the next three years. The deal will bring high-speed broadband to Telecom Liechtenstein subscribers across the country. Financial terms were not disclosed.http://www.ericsson.com

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Comcast Revenue Rises to $8.6 billion, up 11%

Comcast reported Q2 revenue of $8.6 billion, an increase of 11% of the same period last year. Operating Income increased 19% to $1.8 billion. This growth was due to solid operating results at Comcast Cable and in the Programming segment, as well as the positive impact of cable acquisitions.


"We delivered solid results in the second quarter of 2008, highlighting the strength of our businesses even in a challenging economic environment. We continue to manage the business for profitable growth, resulting in healthy revenue, operating cash flow, earning per share, and free cash flow generation," stated Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast.


Some highlights for the quarter:

• Basic video subscribers declined 138,000 or 0.6% during the second quarter.



• Added 320,000 digital cable subscribers during the second quarter - 67% or 16.3 million video subscribers have digital service.



• 7.0 million or 43% of digital cable subscribers have advanced services such as digital video recorders (DVR) and/or high-definition television service (HDTV).



• Video revenue increased 3% to $4.7 billion in the second quarter of 2008 from $4.6 billion in 2007. The revenue increase reflects price increases for video services and growth in digital video customers, offset in part by an increasing number of customers in bundles and promotional offers, as well as a decline in basic video customers.



• Basic cable subscribers decreased by 138,000 to 24.6 million during the seasonally-weak second quarter. This compares to a 101,000 subscriber decline in the second quarter of 2007. Year to date through June 30, 2008, basic subscribers decreased 195,000.



• Comcast added 320,000 digital cable customers in the second quarter of 2008, below the 823,000 digital cable customers added in the same period one year ago. This deceleration was anticipated and reflects the significant deployment of digital boxes in the second quarter of 2007 in advance of a July 1st regulatory deadline. Year to date through June 30, 2008, Comcast added 814,000 digital cable customers. PPV revenue decreased 3% in the second quarter of 2008 primarily reflecting the absence of 2 major live events that contributed approximately $33 million to last year's second quarter. In the six months ended June 30, 2008, PPV revenue grew 9% compared to the same period in 2007.



• Added 278,000 high-speed Internet subscribers during the second quarter -- penetration reached 29% of homes passed or 14.4 million customers.



• High-speed Internet revenue increased 10% to $1.8 billion in the second quarter of 2008 from $1.6 billion in 2007 reflecting a 12% increase in subscribers and a 3% decline in average monthly revenue per subscriber to $42.01, reflecting the impact of additional bundling and the recent introduction of new offers and speed tiers.



• Added 555,000 Comcast Digital Voice (CDV) customers during the second quarter -- penetration reached 12.5% of homes passed or 5.6 million customers.



• Phone revenue increased 50% from $425 million to $640 million in the second quarter of 2008, reflecting significant growth in CDV subscribers and a decrease in average revenue per subscriber to $39.48, resulting from an increase in the number of customers receiving service as part of a promotional offer or in a new product package. The increase in CDV revenue was also partially offset by a $64 million or 96% decline in circuit-switched phone revenue as Comcast exits that product offering.
http://www.comcast.com

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One Minute Video: What is E-Line?

One Minute Video presented by Dr. Hans-Juergen Schmidtke -- What is E-Line?


Jargon Buster

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