Monday, October 27, 2008

Ixia and Juniper Establish Energy Consumption Rating (ECR) Initiative

Juniper Networks, Ixia and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs announced the formation of the Energy Consumption Rating (ECR) Initiative -- a framework for measuring the energy efficiency of network and telecom devices. The aim is to measure the energy consumption of networking equipment so as to be able to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the network.


The ECR Initiative has produced a metric that creates a common energy denominator between different network and telecom systems operating within a single product class. The ECR methodology defines the procedures and conditions for measurements and calculations, and can be readily implemented with industry-standard test equipment. Specifically, the final ECR "performance-per-energy unit" rating, expressed in (watts) / (Gigabit per second) can be reported as a peak (scalar) or synthetic (weighted) metric that takes dynamic energy management capabilities into account. The ECR framework and methodology is vendor-neutral and can be easily adapted to upcoming energy-related ICT standards and legislations. With growing interest from national and international standard bodies to lower operational expenses and the environmental footprint of networking, the ECR offers a turnkey solution for reporting, measuring and regulating energy efficiency of network components.


Ixia is offering an "IxGreen" solution that integrates its test platform with energy measurement devices, correlating the energy statistics against application load. The following current, voltage and power data is collected and made available via real-time statistics views and reports.


As part of a ECR Initiative launch day event hosted at Ixia's iSimCity proof-of-concept lab in Santa Clara, California, Juniper Networks presented its T1600 core routing platform for energy-efficiency testing. The T1600 achieved an ECR value of 9.1 Watts/Gbps, making it one of the more efficient core routing platforms, according to the companies.


The ECR Initiative is welcoming additional participants and users from network equipment manufacturers, government agencies, carriers, and enterprises. The ECR specification and additional details are available for free.

http://www.ecrinitiative.org/http://www.ixiacom.com/

Cornell University Deploys BridgeWave for Wireless Network Hardening

Cornell University has deployed several of BridgeWave Communications' 60-GHz gigabit wireless links as part of their network hardening strategy. BridgeWave's AR60 and AR60X products provide uninterrupted campus connectivity even during inclement weather or natural disaster situations. Additionally, the products' built-in Advanced Encryption Standards (AES) feature would protect University research from potential network tapping.


BridgeWave said its AdaptRate (AR) products are being used by Cornell to augment a vulnerable fiber link in the campus network as well as to serve as backup for their other network links. Cornell was particularly interested in the products' built-in AES feature and the exclusive AdaptRate technology. The AR radios momentarily switch transmissions from GigE to 100 Mbps data rates during intense or violent weather patterns or during moments of torrential downpour to maintain a highly available link.http://www.bridgewave.com

Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft Vow to Defend Human Rights Online

A coalition of companies in the information and communications industries, including Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft , launched a Global Network Initiative whose mission is to protect and advance the human rights of freedom of expression and privacy. The Initiative is being launched in the 60th Anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In addition to the three leading Internet companies, the initiative is backed by the United Nations, leading human rights organizations (NGOs), as well as several distinguished academic institutions.


Founding members of the coalition said today's online resources require significant new commitments from across the industry, including: establishing greater transparency with users; assessing human rights risk; requesting the legal rationale for government actions and policies; training employees; challenging human rights violations; and providing whistle-blowing mechanisms through which violations of the Principles can be reported.


The Global Network Initiative outlined a set of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Privacy. In part, these include:

Freedom of Expression

Freedom of opinion and expression is a human right and guarantor of human dignity. The right to freedom of opinion and expression includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.


Freedom of opinion and expression supports an informed citizenry and is vital to ensuring public and private sector accountability. Broad public access to information and the freedom to create and communicate ideas are critical to the advancement of knowledge, economic opportunity and human potential.


The right to freedom of expression should not be restricted by governments, except in narrowly defined circumstances based on internationally recognized laws or standards. These restrictions should be consistent with international human rights laws and standards, the rule of law and be necessary and proportionate for the relevant purpose.


Participating companies will respect and protect the freedom of expression of their users by seeking to avoid or minimize the impact of government restrictions on freedom of expression, including restrictions on the information available to users and the opportunities for users to create and communicate ideas and information, regardless of frontiers or media of communication.


Participating companies will respect and protect the freedom of expression rights of their users when confronted with government demands, laws and regulations to suppress freedom of expression, remove content or otherwise limit access to information and ideas in a manner inconsistent with internationally recognized laws and standards.


Privacy


Privacy is a human right and guarantor of human dignity. Privacy is important to maintaining personal security, protecting identity and promoting freedom of expression in the digital age.


Everyone should be free from illegal or arbitrary interference with the right to privacy and should have the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.


The right to privacy should not be restricted by governments, except in narrowly defined circumstances based on internationally recognized laws and standards. These restrictions should be consistent with international human rights laws and standards, the rule of law and be necessary and proportionate for the relevant purpose.


Participating companies will employ protections with respect to personal information in all countries where they operate in order to protect the privacy rights of users.


Participating companies will respect and protect the privacy rights of users when confronted with government demands, laws or regulations that compromise privacy in a manner inconsistent with internationally recognized laws and standards.


More information is online.
http://www.globalnetworkinitiative.org

Boingo Expands Its Wi-Fi Roaming Network in India

Boingo Wireless announced the addition of Tata Communications hotspots to the Boingo Roaming Network,

giving Boingo members access to over 500 new hotspots under the Tata Indicom brand. With the addition of the Tata Communications network, Boingo members will be able to enjoy high speed Wi-Fi connections in restaurants, cafés, coffee shops and airports while traveling through India.http://www.boingo.com

Starent Posts Q3 Revenue of $66.1 million, Up 80% YoY

Starent Networks, while supplies mobile data aggregation platforms, reported Q3 revenue of $66.1 million, an increase of 80% from the third quarter of 2007. Revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 were $183.5 million, up 93% from the same period a year ago. Net income for the third quarter of 2008 was $19.6 million, or $0.26 per diluted share, compared to net income of $1.6 million for the same period in 2007. http://ir.starentnetworks.com

Tellabs Shows its Latest MSPP

Tellabs introduced a compact, fully-featured multiservice provisioning platform (MSPP) that evolved from its 6325 Edge Node. The new Tellabs 6335 Switch Node shares common modules with the Tellabs 6325 node, yet has more slots for better capital and operational expense savings versus stacking multiple nodes.


Key features of the Tellabs 6335 node include:

  • Is a dual-purpose platform that works both as an MSPP as well as a WDM transport solution. Operators can mix MSPP and WDM simultaneously in the same universal shelf and reap the benefits of seamless capacity upgrade from single channel to multichannel networks.

  • Supports 16 wavelengths complemented by a suite of muxponders, transponders and wavelength sensitive filters fulfilling the needs of metro-edge applications.

  • Features a compact, modular design with two sizes, a two-rack and a seven-rack unit, that fit well in metro and core networks and customer locations and reduce power consumption.

  • Supports 2G and 3G mobile transport services for efficient mobile backhaul.

  • Offers higher flexibility and availability required in highly competitive markets.


The new Tellabs 6335 node will be available in the first quarter of 2009.http://www.tellabs.com

Verizon Launches Fast-Forward-Disabled VOD with Disney-ABC

Disney-ABC Television Group and Verizon announced deal that will make top ABC's television shows ("Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost," "Samantha Who?" and "Ugly Betty") available via video-on-demand (VOD) to Verizon FiOS TV customers across the country just one day after their broadcast premieres. All the episodes are offered at no charge and in high definition (HD).


As with other ABC VOD offerings, Verizon will disable the fast-forward option on the FiOS TV VOD service for all offered ABC content. ABC first made its fast-forward-disabled VOD offering available last fall during a trial in California. The companies said that viewers of this fast-forwarding-disabled ABC VOD content overwhelmingly (93 percent) found the advertising acceptable in exchange for gaining free access to their favorite shows.


Verizon FiOS TV's VOD library now offers more than 11,000 titles per month, 70 percent of which are free.
http://www.verizon.com/fiostvcentral

Microsoft Demos Web Versions of Office Apps

As part of its preview event for Windows 7, Microsoft also demonstrated new Web applications for Office. This consisted of lightweight versions of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that could be used from within standard Web browsers. The company showed how anyone can use all of the Web, phone, and PC versions of Office to edit the same rich document, switching among them with lossless file compatibility.


Office Web applications for Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote will be available to individuals through Office Live, and to businesses though a hosted subscription and existing volume licensing programs. Microsoft plans to release a private Technical Preview of Office Web applications later this year.


"We are bringing the best of the Web to Windows, and the best of Windows to the Web," said Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft. "From PC to the Web to the phone, and from the server to cloud, we are focused on enabling the creation of the next generation of user experiences that change the way we live, work and play."http://www.workspace.officelive.com/

Level 3 Expands CDN Capacity in Asia

Level 3 Communications has expanded its Content Delivery Network (CDN) capacity in Asia. The upgrade increases content delivery capacity in Asia by a factor of 10 and extends the CDN network into China. With this expansion, the Level 3 CDN footprint in the region includes: Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.http://www.level3.com

ARRIS Reports Q3 Revenues of $297 Million, Strong DOCSIS 3.0 Shipments

ARRIS reported preliminary and unaudited Q3 revenues of $297.6 million, representing an increase of $16.5 million, or 6%, as compared to second quarter 2008 revenues of $281.1 million. Third quarter and first nine month 2008 revenues increased $42.9 million, or 17%, and $109.5 million, or 15%, respectively, as compared to the same periods in 2007, primarily as a result of the C-COR acquisition in December 2007. Third quarter 2008 gross margin was $106.1 million, or 35.7%, as compared to $92.9 million, or 33.0%, in the second quarter 2008 and $68.8 million, or 27.0%, in the third quarter 2007. Net income (GAAP) was $0.19 per diluted share, as compared to $0.08 per diluted share in the second quarter 2008 and $0.25 per diluted share in the third quarter 2007.


The company also announced that its flagship Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS), the ARRIS C4, continues to ship in record numbers to cable operators around the world. The ARRIS C4 CMTS supports downstream channel bonding capabilities for speeds up to 160 Mbps.


"Our CMTS business in the quarter was remarkably strong with record shipments as customers began their rollouts of new DOCSIS 3.0 wideband platforms," said Bob Stanzione, ARRIS Chairman & CEO. "Partially offsetting our strong CMTS performance were the expected Access, Transport & Supplies results. Although the current economic climate may present some obstacles in the near term, demand for ARRIS products that enable high speed data and video traffic remains strong as both competition and traffic intensifies. In addition, opportunities in Latin America, Asia and Europe, give me optimism that our international sales will be a bright spot in ARRIS' results in the coming year.http://www.arrisi.com