Alcatel-Lucent Adds Gigabit Wireless Radios from Bridgewave into Portfolio

Under a global resale agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will integrate multi-gigabit millimeter wave radios from BridgeWave into its 9500 Microwave Packet Radio (MPR) transmission solutions. This advancement will expand the frequency range covered by the 9500 MPR with the high-frequency 60-90 GHz spectrum to provide customers up to 2.6 Gbps of capacity, sufficient to support the anticipated transport requirements for 2G, 3G and 4G networks.


"We are proud to collaborate with Alcatel-Lucent, a company with a clear strategic vision for an open LTE ecosystem," said Amir Makleff, President and CEO at BridgeWave Communications. "Our expertise and leadership in the 80GHz spectrum combined with Alcatel-Lucent's broad product offering and support organization provides customers with an attractive combination of technology and solutions."

• Last month, BridgeWave Communications introduced its FlexPort family of high-capacity 80 GHz radios for mobile backhaul. The FlexPort operates in the high-frequency 80 GHz spectrum to provide up to 1.5 Gbps of capacity for backhaul of both native IP and TDM traffic. Bridgewave plans to release an update in Q3 that will boost this backhaul capacity to up to 2.6 Gbps. The company said that multi-gigahertz allocations in the 80 GHz frequency band make possible these multi-gigabit transmission rates. And unlike bandwidth-constrained microwave or newer Ethernet radios, the multi-gigabit capacity of its FlexPort makes it suitable for 4G backhaul.

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

Read More

TI Reaches One million mark in Puma 5 Chips for DOCSIS 3.0

Texas Instruments has shipped more than one million Puma 5 DOCSIS 3.0-based products to cable manufacturers, a vast majority of which have helped MSOs (Multiple System Operator) deploy end-equipment in North America, Europe, Asia and South America.


TI's Puma 5 family supports a wide-range of DOCSIS 3.0 end-equipment that can deliver speeds up to 400 Mbps downstream. Additionally, TI provides customers with a cost-optimized, high-performance solution designed for mass market demands of up to 200 Mbps downstream, helping manufacturers get to market quickly in volume.


"This milestone serves as resounding proof that the global cable industry has achieved sweeping success in deploying next-generation DOCSIS 3.0 products and services and is now rolling out these services in volume globally. Over the past two years, TI's customers have helped MSOs drive DOCSIS 3.0 deployments in every major region around the world, while continuing to enhance interoperability and gain valuable field experience," said Ran Senderovitz, TI's Digital Connected Home business manager.
http://www.ti.com

Read More

Harris Stratex Networks Introduces 400 Mbps Wireless Backhaul

Harris Stratex Networks introduced an enhanced Eclipse Packet Node wireless backhaul solution for North American mobile operators. The enhanced Eclipse Packet Node, which includes the new IRU600 all-indoor radio unit, helps service providers avoid the backhaul bottleneck and meet the growing demands for the evolution to high-speed IP backhaul. The IRU600 supports pure native Ethernet/IP traffic up to a maximum throughput of 400 Mbps in a single radio channel. The IRU600 also enables native mixed mode operation to provide continued support for TDM traffic, enabling gradual and controlled backhaul network migration to all-IP networks.
http://www.HarrisStratex.com

Read More

Juniper Integrates Video Monitoring/Analysis into Edge Routers

Juniper Networks an integrated video monitoring and analysis solution for its M and MX Series routers. The StreamScope eRM, which builds upon the technology of Triveni Digital, a provider of digital signal monitoring and analysis solutions and subsidiary of LG Electronics (LGE), performs deep, application-layer video stream quality monitoring within edge routing infrastructure.


Juniper said the ability to monitor and analyze MPEG streams in real-time is critical to ensuring the quality of video services over cable, wireless and IPTV networks. Traditionally, comprehensive video monitoring functionality required dedicated appliances. By integrating video monitoring capabilities within the M and MX Series platforms and JUNOS software, StreamScope eRM eliminates the need for video monitoring specific appliances.


Because StreamScope eRM can be seamlessly integrated into existing Juniper routers, customers will be able to leverage deployed M and MX Series platforms to deliver integrated video monitoring and analysis capabilities, providing investment protection and lower TCO, while ensuring superior scalability. With support for 10 Gigabit Ethernet links, StreamScope eRM is offered with up to 10 times the scalability of many typical video monitoring appliances. Additionally, the tight coupling with JUNOS forwarding and control planes ensures simple, unified device and network management.


StreamScope eRM is expected to be available as an optional feature for the MX and M Series in 2H09.
http://www.juniper.net

Read More

Cisco Confirms Cisco CRS-1, ASR 9000, ASR 1000 Selection by Verizon Wireless

Cisco confirmed that the Verizon Wireless network incorporates the Cisco CRS-1 Carrier Routing System and is also deploying the new Cisco ASR 9000 Series Routers and Cisco ASR 1000 Series Routers to expand both capacity and capabilities of backhaul for its 3G/4G Mobile Internet services. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Cisco announced that Verizon Wireless, operator of the nation's largest and most reliable wireless voice and 3G data network, was named winner of the inaugural Cisco Joint Operational Excellence Quality Award. Cisco said its award recognizes the service provider that best demonstrates excellence in operational metrics, cost management, and product and service performance.
http://newsroom.cisco.com

Read More

Alcatel-Lucent Expands its ng Connect Program

Alcatel-Lucent announced an expansion of its ng Connect Program multi-industry initiative -- which is aimed at encouraging the growth of a rich and diverse ecosystem of infrastructure, devices, content and applications for both mobile and fixed broadband networks including 4G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), GPON and other ultra high bandwidth technologies.


The ng Connect Program has added four new members including leading companies from the music, telecommunication and education sectors bringing the total number of companies in the program to eighteen in the two months since its inception.


The new members include:

• Atlantic Records - Atlantic Records, which celebrated its 60th Anniversary in 2008, currently ranks as the #1 label in the music industry according to Nielsen Soundscan.



• Kyocera Communications Inc. (KCI) - the newly formed sales, marketing and service organization for Kyocera and Sanyo-branded wireless devices in the Americas. The company's devices are driving the convergence of telecommunications, broadband and multimedia.



• LearningMate - a leading provider of end-to-end e-Learning education solutions. LearningMate develops engaging, instructionally sound, interactive learning experiences on a variety of technology platforms and devices.



• MediaTile - a worldwide supplier of all-in-one cellular digital signage and kiosk solutions that are remarkably easy-to-deploy and operate.

.
http://www.ngconnect.orghttp://www.alcatel-lucent.com

Read More

Verizon Wireless Joins China Mobile, and SOFTBANK on Mobile Widget Initiative

Verizon Wireless plans to join the Joint Innovation Lab (JIL) established by China Mobile, SOFTBANK and Vodafone to help accelerate the uptake of innovative mobile technologies on a mass-market scale. The combined customer reach of these carriers is approximately 1 billion consumers.


The JIL will initially focus on creating a single global platform for developers to encourage the creation of a wide range of innovative and useful mobile widgets. These mobile widgets will be capable of enhancing the mobile Internet experience on a variety of smartphones as well as mid- and low-cost handsets on multiple operating systems.


As part of this initiative, the JIL plans to launch later this year a range of tools to encourage innovation among global mobile developers. The tools include: a common mobile widgets specification; easy-to-use developer kits; and an online repository, distribution and payment mechanism to ensure developers can roll out their products to customers in more than 70 countries across North America, Asia, Europe and Africa.
http://www.verizonwireless.com

Read More

Radware Completes Acquisition of Nortel's Alteon Layer 4-7 Business

Radware has completed the acquisition of assets pertaining to Nortel's Layer 4-7 Application Delivery Business for US$18 million . Included in the acquisition are Nortel's application delivery products, certain related intellectual property assets, tangible assets, inventory and service contracts in addition to a number of employees related to this business.


A 5-year product support plan will be implemented immediately for all existing Radware [Alteon] customers reinforcing the company's commitment to the product line and securing the investment of these customers in Alteon technology. Radware plans to continue to sell these products under the Radware Alteon brand and invest in their development - leveraging mutual strengths of both Radware and Alteon technologies and experience - to provide customers with the next generation of more reliable, high-performance and feature-rich solutions.
http://www.radwarealteon.com

Read More

Verizon Wireless Establishes LTE Innovation Center

Verizon Wireless is establishing an LTE Innovation Center to help foster creative solutions connecting people, places and things wirelessly using LTE technology. The Verizon Wireless LTE Innovation Center seeks to help developers assess what types of new products and services may best succeed in the marketplace.


The facility, which is based in Waltham, Mass., includes a lab for product testing and development, as well as home and business environments designed to simulate usage of products in real-life situations.


A catalyst for early development of non-traditional products for use on LTE networks, the Verizon Wireless LTE Innovation Center is expected to see significant activity across three product areas: 1) consumer electronics and appliances; 2) machine-to-machine (M-2-M) products in the areas of healthcare, security and utility metering; and 3) telematics.


The Verizon Wireless LTE Innovation Center will support early stages of product development, including concept validation, usability studies, product design analysis, prototyping, and lab and field trials. Once a product is proven through the development process and ready to come to market, Verizon Wireless can help the developer quickly access the most appropriate sales channels for a given product.


Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent, primary network vendors for Verizon Wireless' initial LTE network deployments and founding partners of the Verizon Wireless LTE Innovation Center, will offer expertise to a wide array of companies, many of which never have had products ripe for commercial deployment on a wireless network. This includes providing commercial-grade hardware and software for prototyping, testing and validation, and resources to help manage the lab and work through any service integration and hand-off design issues that may arise during the testing process.


Brian Higgins will serve as executive director of the Verizon Wireless LTE Innovation Center.
http://www.verizonwireless.com

Read More

Alcatel-Lucent Unveils its Evolved Packet Core for LTE

Alcatel-Lucent introduced its Evolved Packet Core (EPC) architecture for operators deploying Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks.


Unlike existing cellular networks, LTE will be based on a flat, all-IP packet core for both voice and data services. The Evolved Packet Core will feature a clear delineation of the control plane and the data plane.


Alcatel-Lucent's Evolved Packet Core incorporates four elements, including: the Mobility Management Entity (MME) and Dynamic Services Controller (DSC), which manage dynamic mobility and policy; and the Serving Gateway (SGW) and Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway, which are implemented as plug-in hardware and software modules for the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router. The MME will be based on an in-house Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) purpose-built platform. All EPC elements are managed by the Alcatel-Lucent 5620 Service Aware Manager (SAM). In addition, the EPC integrates with the Alcatel-Lucent Mobile Evolution Transport Architecture (META), providing an all-IP evolution path to LTE technologies in both the transport and core networks.


Alcatel-Lucent noted that its EPC solution draws on its established based on its 30,000 7750 SR router deployments amongst 260+ operators.
With the 7750 SR, operators are able to deploy a single router that supports 2G, 3G and LTE as well as wireline networks, reducing cost, complexity and space requirements.


The company also noted that its EPC architecture has already been selected by Verizon Wireless. Alcatel-Lucent was also selected for the RAN and IMS portions of the Verizon Wireless LTE network as well.


"The move to LTE is one of the most critical network transformations we will see within the next 5-10 years," said Basil Alwan, President of Alcatel-Lucent's IP activities. "Consumers are now using their wireless devices for more sophisticated broadband applications and mobile operators have recognized that a new IP network architecture is required to meet the resulting demands.
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/epc

Read More

Alloptic Debuts DOCSIS Enabled PON

Alloptic, which offers RF over glass (RFoG) and passive optical networking (PON) solutions, is now supporting a DOCSIS PON capability that lets cables operators introduce PONs into their network plant while preserving their existing DOCSIS management systems. The D-PON capability is enabled by new software for Alloptic's DOCSIS PON Controller (DPC), which provides DOCSIS provisioning and control of its EPON system.



DPC acts as a proxy between back office systems and the Alloptic GEPON system. In effect, the PON OLT appears to be a cable modem termination system (CMTS), and the PON ONU takes the place of the cable modem, resulting in PON performance from a DOCSIS-controlled network.


DPC works in concert with Alloptic's other products including its RFoG MicroNode ONUs, GEPON OLTs and ONTs and the GEMS management system to allow increased operational efficiencies, bandwidth gains and the ability to offer advanced services to residential and business customers without requiring major overhauls or replacement of OSS components.


By enabling DOCSIS-controlled PONs, Alloptic said service providers can enhance their current networks in a phased approach, with new network elements that excel for both greenfield and brownfield deployments, integrating tried and true technologies where rip-and-replace isn't economically feasible.
http://www.alloptic.com

Read More

Time Warner Cable Picks Motorola tru2wayMulti-room DVR Solution

Time Warner Cable is developing a multi-room digital video recorder (DVR) solution using Motorola tru2way set-top software. The Follow Me TV solution will enable subscribers to access, share and place shift video recordings throughout the home. Time Warner Cable aims to bring the solution to market later this year.




Motorola developed the whole-home DVR solution to work with tru2way software and the Motorola DCX3400-M and Motorola DCX3200-M tru2way-enabled set-tops. Using MoCA (Multimedia over Coaxial Alliance) technology, the solution creates a multimedia network using existing coaxial cable in consumer homes. The network is capable of transporting high-definition video, high-quality digital voice, and high-speed data to televisions, DVRs, game consoles, wireless access points, and home computers.
http://www.motorola.com

Read More

Sprint Forms Standalone Business Markets Group

Sprint has established a new business unit dedicated solely to enterprise and government customers. The Business Markets Group is staffed by more than 4,000 sales, support, marketing and operations personnel.


Previously, Sprint managed its business, government and consumer sales under an umbrella organization. The new and separate unit brings Sprint's business, government, 4G, IP wireline, international and strategic alliance teams into a distinct sales and marketing organization with a singular focus on business and government customers. Additionally, Sprint will continue to provide those customers with enhanced customer care services, including individualized support from specially-trained agents for business and government customers.


"Sprint is in a unique position with regard to its technology deployment and applications capabilities," said Paget Alves, president of Business Markets Group, Sprint. "We have the nation's most dependable 3G mobile broadband network,* 4G capabilities that are well ahead of our competitors, the fastest national push-to-talk network, and Sprint's leadership in wireless-wireline integration. As a result, we can deliver productivity-enhancing solutions at a time when economic pressures make that especially important to our business customers."http://www.sprint.com/business/index.html

Read More

Columbus Networks shifts to 40G with NSN

Columbus Networks is upgrading its network with a 40Gbps solution from Nokia Siemens Networks. The upgrade will add capacity to Columbus Networks' Florida Transport Network, which serves as a main US backbone connecting international undersea cables ARCOS-1 and CFX. Columbus Networks already provides over 200Gbps of capacity and IP services and seeks to use the latest technology to meet its customer needs for the foreseeable future. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Nokia Siemens Networks will provide a turnkey solution whose cornerstone is the latest version of the hiT 7300 DWDM platform, which allows for regional to long-haul transport applications and supports ROADM (reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer) technology.


This will provide Columbus Networks with a highly scalable transport backbone that can securely and cost-efficiently manage the high data traffic volumes required by its carrier customers. Additionally, the ROADM support for multi-degree Photonic-Cross-Connects (PXC) supporting 80 channels enables Columbus Networks to best route this data traffic on the optical layer remotely so they can quickly and flexibly manage varying data traffic demands.
http://www.columbus-networks.com
http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

Read More

Firetide Forecasts Big Jump in Large-Scale Municipal Wireless Networks in 2009

In addition, Firetide issued a forecast calling 2009 the year for large-scale, municipal wireless mesh networks. The company said its growth will be driven by a number of confluent factors: its market and technology leadership in city-owned video surveillance networks which are expected to expand; the Fed's stimulus package designed to dramatically increase spending on state and local infrastructures; and the new 400 Mbps bandwidth solution.


Firetide, which specializes in wireless infrastructure mesh networks, announced its new, MIMO-based Firetide HotPort 7000 wireless solution delivering up to 400 Mbps throughput. The greater capacity is expected to drive the deployment of large-scale municipal, industrial and enterprise wireless networks for video, data and voice applications. The HotPort 7000 leverages MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) infrastructure mesh technology to enable city-wide video surveillance, traffic management and intelligent transportation systems, Wi-Fi access for mobile city workers and wireless broadband for underserved areas. Key attributes include:

• up to 400 Mbps throughput; fiber-equivalent latency at .9 ms per hop; 1,000 VoIP calls per node


• built-in interference mitigation; intelligent routing; end-to-end QoS on a per-flow basis


• integrated spectrum analysis; network capacity planning and antenna alignment tools


• dual configurable radios in 2.4, 4.9 (U.S. public safety licensed band) and 5 GHz frequency bands; indoor and outdoor models.

With up to 400 Mbps capacity, the Firetide HotPort 7000 MIMO-based infrastructure mesh exceeds the performance of wired solutions like T1, Fast Ethernet and OC-3 fiber.


Firetide also noted that it has doubled its revenues every year since its founding in 2003. In the U.S., over 300 municipalities have deployed Firetide-enabled wireless video surveillance systems and are expanding the use of their wireless infrastructure to include other applications that protect and serve their communities. Firetide customers include some of the largest NFL U.S. municipalities: Chicago, Dallas, Orlando, Denver, Phoenix and Los Angeles County.


Internationally, Seoul, Korea has deployed two municipal networks covering 700 square miles and supporting upwards of 10 applications each: video surveillance for public safety, tourist information over Wi-Fi, video cameras for monitoring wildlife, sensor connectivity for water level monitoring, and event location services such as finding missing children in the park.
http://www.firetide.com

Read More

Starent Networks Shows New Service Convergence Platform

Starent Networks announced its XT30 Service Convergence Platform for bridging between legacy and next generation networks with applications such as converged VoIP, Femtocells, messaging and presence solutions.


Starent's XT30 Service Convergence Platform uses a multi-service protocol conversion engine that enables the inter-working between different generations of network technology so operators can bridge next-generation services and multi-media devices with various networks. The platform supports interfaces from 3GPP, 3GPP2 and IETF to interface with mobile access networks, mobile core networks, SIP/IMS Core Networks, and broadband IP access networks.


Cellcom, a regional carrier, is using this platform as part of its end-to-end femtocell solution. Starent's XT30 Service Convergence Platform will enable Cellcom to migrate its current voice services to a next-generation VoIP solution with enhanced service offerings. Additionally, the platform is being deployed by a tier-one North American carrier for presence-based instant messaging services.


http://www.starentnetworks.com

Read More

Shenick Offers Advanced Testing for DOCSIS 3.0

Shenick Network Systems now offers the ability to test and measure IPv4 and IPv6 traffic on a per-flow basis for Data-over-Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) 3.0 and EURODOCSIS specifications.


Shenick's diversifEye platform can be used, to ensure that networks upgraded to deliver DOCSIS 3.0 can support the introduction of high-speed broadband services such as VoD and IPTV. In addition, Shenick enables MSOs to measure, in real-time, the effectiveness of upstream channel bonding at the application layer on a per-end user, per-flow basis.
http://www.shenick.com

Read More

Freescale Accelerates Multicore 45-nm Silicon for Next-Gen Systems

Citing strong demand from wireless infrastructure equipment manufacturers targeting advanced 3G and 4G systems, Freescale Semiconductor is accelerating availability of key communications products based on 45-nm process technology.


Specifically, Freescale is now sampling the PowerQUICC MPC8569E processor, the dual-core QorIQ P2020 device and the six-core MSC8156 StarCore digital signal processor (DSP). The devices are sampling to more than a dozen OEM customers and are actively being used in the development of next-generation infrastructure solutions. Customer validation/bring-up activities have continued on or ahead of schedule and volume production is expected to begin in 45-nm at the end of 2009.


"In the current economic environment, it is encouraging to see tremendous worldwide demand for enabling technology that facilitates deployment of broadband infrastructure equipment for advanced 3G and 4G networks," said Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager of Freescale's Networking and Multimedia Group. "By accelerating delivery of our high-performance 45-nm products to customers, Freescale is playing a key role in delivering the performance and cost reductions required to bring next-generation networks to life."http://www.freescale.com

Read More

Broadcom Unveils BroadSync Tech for Streaming HD Video over Ethernet

Broadcom introduced its "BroadSync" HD technology to enable the streaming of high definition (HD) audio/video (A/V) traffic over Ethernet to networked electronic devices. BroadSync HD technology is Broadcom's custom implementation of the IEEE 802.1 Audio Video Bridging (AVB) draft standard, which provides guaranteed QoS, frame synchronization and timing that is necessary to stream professional-quality audio and video traffic over Ethernet.


Broadcom said this new technology expands the market for its existing Ethernet portfolio beyond traditional networking applications by promoting Ethernet as a cost effective, easy-to-install technology, with professional levels of Quality of Service (QoS), for the consumer and professional A/V electronics market.


"The connectivity technologies used today in consumer and professional audio/video electronics can be difficult to use with a plethora of seemingly identical connectors and obscure labels," said Michael Johas Teener, Technical Director, Broadcom's Enterprise Networking Group. "These technologies also present technical issues such as limited performance, fixed functionality and the inability to connect with computers or the Internet. Broadcom's BroadSync HD technology solves these problems by combining guaranteed bandwidth, quality of service, and low latency with the flexibility and performance of Ethernet."


Broadcom plans to lead the effort to promote the AVB draft standard, which uses standard Ethernet connectivity (i.e. Category 5 cabling and RJ45 connectors), as the common underlying technology for high quality network-based streaming that will eventually replace most other types of connectivity presently used in A/V equipment.
http://www.broadcom.com
http://www.ieee802.org/1/pages/avbridges.html

Read More

Sonus Networks Outlines LTE Strategy

Sonus Networks outlined its strategy for supporting mobile operators in the migration to Long Term Evolution (LTE). The overall architecture, known as Sonus MobilEvolution, combines Sonus IP-Voice and Multimedia SIP core network technology with the Sonus MobilEdge wireless access node for IP-based radio access. This enables the delivery of basic voice and SMS services from the circuit core even when using the all IP LTE radio access network, and will allow operators to build a richer communications experience to end-users through voice and multimedia.


Sonus said its "MobilEvolution" architecture supports joint interworking of packet and circuit-switched network elements, enabling mobile network operators to initially combine a circuit-switched core network for legacy services with an IP-based access and core network for multimedia services. The Sonus MobilEdge can be used as a VANC (VoLGA Access Network Controller) as defined through the VoLGA forum. The VoLGA forum has been set up to facilitate the delivery of voice and SMS services within the LTE environment from initial development.


In addition, Sonus has joined the VoLGA Forum (Voice over LTE Generic Access).
http://www.sonusnet.com

Read More

Harris Corporation to Spin-Off Harris Stratex Networks

The Board of Directors of Harris Corporation has approved the spin-off to its shareholders of all the shares of Harris Stratex Networks that it currently owns. The distribution of the approximately 56 percent of the outstanding shares of Harris Stratex Networks owned by Harris Corporation, 32.9 million shares, will take place in the form of a taxable pro rata stock dividend payable on May 27, 2009, to Harris Corporation shareholders of record at the close of business on May 13, 2009, the record date for the spin-off dividend.


Harris Corporation announced December 8, 2008, that it was evaluating strategic alternatives related to Harris Stratex Networks, which was formed January 26, 2007, through the combination of Harris Corporation's Microwave Communications Division and Stratex Networks, Inc.
http://www.HarrisStratex.com
http://www.harris.com

Read More

American Airlines to Offer Aircell's Inflight Internet on 300 Aircraft

American Airlines announced plans to install Aircell's Gogo Inflight Internet on more than 300 domestic aircraft over the next two years. Specifically, American will install the Aircell system on its domestic MD-80 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft fleets, beginning with 150 MD-80 aircraft this year.


American was the first U.S. airline to launch the Gogo service last August on 15 of its Boeing 767-200 aircraft primarily on nonstop flights between New York JFK and San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Miami.


Aircell's price for the Gogo service ranges from $7.95 to $12.95 based on length of flight and whether the device is a handheld PDA or a laptop computer. Each paid Gogo session includes full Internet, e-mail and VPN access. Cell phone and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service use will not be available.
http://www.aa.com
http://www.gogoinflight.com

Read More

Cox Selects NDS As Prime Integrator for tru2way System

Cox Communications has selected NDS to be the prime integrator for its upcoming tru2way platform, set to launch in Summer 2009. Specifically, NDS will be responsible for the management and implementation of the tru2way system that will be deployed by Cox. NDS will provide these services for the complete end-to-end solution, from the headend through to the set-top box (STB) components. NDS' role will initially begin with the roll out of the tru2way STBs to Cox customers in July. NDS will also provide the tru2way user interface and interactive applications moving forward. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Cox and NDS recently announced their development of a tru2way compliant user interface (UI) that encompasses a variety of interactive options for the consumer. The Electronic Program Guide (EPG) and interactive applications suite, implemented by NDS, are integrated into Cox's centralized, user-friendly UI along with Video On Demand (VOD) and a digital video recorder (DVR).
http://www.nds.com

Read More

IP/MPLS Forum Advances its “MPLS in Mobile Backhaul�? Certification Program

The IP/MPLS Forum announced the successful completion of the pilot phase of its "MPLS in Mobile Backhaul" Certification program, with 4 vendors completing and successfully passing the tests. Vendors who have successfully completed this initial phase of certification include:

• Alcatel-Lucent - 7750 Service Router and 7705 Service Aggregation Router
  
• Huawei Technologies - CX600 Series Metro Service Platform
  
• Juniper Networks - BX7000 Multi-Access Gateway.
  
  In addition, Cisco has already been certified as part of the pilot phase of the certification program which was announced in February.
  
  
  In this initial phase of certification, the test focused primarily on certifying standards-compliant implementations of TDM services over MPLS as used in the IP/MPLS Forum's MPLS Mobile Backhaul Initiative (MMBI) which outlines how MPLS can be used to backhaul TDM traffic for mobile operators. Iometrix conducted the testing.
  
  
  "Mobile operators today must resolve the burden imposed by ever-increasing bandwidth usage by mobile users," said Bob Mandeville, CEO of Iometrix. "A critical part of the solution is how to deal with circuit-based backhaul traffic which is still used by a large portion of mobile backhaul-based equipment in the network today. Through these certification tests, we have been able to certify solutions which meet the MMBI specifications, thus giving operators, standard based easily-understood MPLS-based solutions to begin deploying immediately for mobile backhaul."
  
  
  The Forum noted that additional phases of the certification program will be announced shortly, and will certify both ATM and IP solutions over MPLS, thereby ensuring a broad range of application support for operators across various Radio Access Networks (RAN) architectures including GSM, UMTS, HSPA, LTE and WiMAX.
  http://www.ipmplsforum.org

Read More

AT&T to Support Microsoft's PlayReady for Shared Content Across TV, PC, Mobiles

AT&T has agreed to use Microsoft PlayReady content access and protection technology to enable shared content and converged entertainment experiences across AT&T's TV, broadband and wireless services. As part of this collaboration, Microsoft intends to add support for PlayReady into its Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV software platform, enabling access to PlayReady-based content through AT&T U-verse TV set-top boxes.


"We're committed to offering compelling entertainment experiences across a wide variety of platforms and devices," said Brian Shay, senior vice president of Converged Services, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "PlayReady will help us give customers broader access to compelling content."


"AT&T's vision of converged entertainment services is something we share, and our collaboration on the use of PlayReady technology for content access and protection represents a significant milestone toward the future of integrated entertainment across multiple screens," said Enrique Rodriguez, corporate vice president of the TV, Video and Music Business Group at Microsoft. "Through the power of software such as PlayReady and Mediaroom, AT&T will bring its customers an exciting new range of services and content."


Microsoft said its PlayReady is designed to enable digital entertainment services across devices and software applications, with a specific focus on meeting the needs of mobile and network operators, service providers and device manufacturers. PlayReady supports a broad range of business models that can be applied to almost any type of digital content and a wide range of formats. PlayReady also provides features such as service domains and embedded licenses specifically designed to make it easy for consumers to enjoy content on all their registered devices without the need of an active connection.
http://www.microsoft.com/

Read More

Ericsson Pushes HSPA to 56 Mbps

Ericsson announced a new performance record for HSPA wireless technology -- a peak of 56 Mbps in the downlink.


HSPA multi-carrier technology with MIMO, which is currently being standardized, is scheduled for commercial deployment in 2010. By the end of 2009, Ericsson will support commercial deployment of multi-carrier technology with speeds up to 42Mbps - an achievement successfully demonstrated at the recent Mobile World Conference in Barcelona.


Ericsson will demonstrate HSPA multi-carrier MIMO technology, providing peak downlink data rates of 56Mbps, at this week's CTIA Wireless exhibition in Las Vegas. The demonstration will be carried out with a concept-design version of an Ericsson HSPA-enabled mobile-broadband router. This consumer device can be used anywhere broadband access is needed, sharing a mobile-broadband connection between multiple consumers and providing efficient use of the high-speed broadband connection.
http://www.ericsson.com

Read More

Ericsson's Latest Mobile-broadband Module Offers Anti-Theft Disabling

Ericsson unveiled its latest mobile broadband module for HSPA/GPRS/EDGE networks. The new module, which will be released in June, provides reduced power consumption, prolonged battery life and an increased level of integration, reducing the number of necessary components and therefore cost. The new module will also provide built-in mobile broadband support for Microsoft Windows 7.


An important facet of the F3607gw is the unique wake-on wireless feature. By remaining connected while a notebook or netbook is in sleep mode, the module's wake-on wireless feature enables users to remotely wake up the device. This innovative technology will allow a new set of applications to be built into the computer to further enhance security and instant-on functionalities, such as the ability to disable the computer in case of theft, or instant distribution of important messages and security updates.


Operators can also combine the wake-on wireless feature and embedded GPS functionality to create a range of differentiating services for consumers and the enterprise market, including remote manageability, security updates, asset protection and tracking and geo-fencing. The module can also be used for content push services, such as podcasts, public warnings, traffic updates and database updates.


Specifically, the wake-on wireless feature supports security solutions based on Intel's Anti-Theft PC Protection Technology. An anti-theft management service in the network can send a message via SMS to the mobile-broadband module inside the notebook, which securely transfers the message to Intel's Anti-Theft function inside the processor platform. This takes appropriate actions, such as completely locking the computer and making it unusable. When the notebook is located and recovered, an unlock message can be sent to the notebook that makes the data accessible again.
http://www.ericsson.com

Read More

Skype for iPhone Officially Released

Skype for iPhone was officially released and is now available for free download on the Apple App Store. The app adds Skype calling and instant messaging to any second generation iPod touch with a compatible headset and microphone.


The application delivers core Skype capabilities including:

• Free Skype-to-Skype calls from any Wi-Fi zone to other Skype users worldwide



• Call landline or mobile phones at Skype's great low rates from any Wi-Fi zone



• Send/receive instant messages to/from individuals or groups via 3G, Wi-Fi, GPRS or EDGE (whichever is available)



• Receive calls to a personal online number on Skype



• See when Skype contacts are online/available to IM or talk

Skype for iPhone requires a Wi-Fi connection to make free Skype-to-Skype calls or low-cost Skype calls to mobiles and landlines. Users will not be charged by Skype for making and receiving Skype-to-Skype calls using an iPhone or iPod touch. Skype's normal rates apply if using Skype to call landlines or mobiles. The app uses Wi-Fi, 3G, GPRS or EDGE (whichever is available) to sign into Skype, update a contact list, maintain and update presence and send/receive instant messages. Skype recommends an unlimited data usage plan for using Skype over a mobile data connection to avoid being charged by a wireless service provider for 3G, GPRS and EDGE mobile data usage.
http://www.skype.com

Read More

Video Presentation: Carrier Ethernet for Mobile Backhaul

Earlier this year, the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) approved "Carrier Ethernet for Mobile Backhaul Implementation Agreement (IA)", or MEF 22, which outlines how to apply existing MEF specifications and industry standards to meet the increasing demands on RAN backhaul.


Mobile backhaul networks until now relied on TDM and ATM technologies, with most locations served by (multiple) T1/E1 lines. Carrier Ethernet services are, however, optimized for packet data traffic and are increasingly available over a multitude of transport media -- including fiber, copper and microwave.



>


Several factors differentiate Ethernet Backhaul from other Ethernet networks, in particular the rapid handoff between base stations in mobile networks. Ethernet backhaul circuits require very tight performance requirements that must be supported by a deterministic architecture that reduces the number of hops required in a call. They must also provide the same level of network protection as PDH or SONET/SDH based networks. The MEF has identified these specific requirements and MEF 22 advises service providers how to successfully and cost-effectively implement Carrier Ethernet for mobile backhaul.


The MBIA addresses performance and quality of service parameters, synchronization options, recovery and protection mechanisms, and Ethernet OAM services. In addition, a Generic Inter-Working Function (GIWF) is defined for TDM-based traffic to be efficiently carried over the Ethernet network. New packet-based mobile backhaul networks introduce new architecture elements that the MBIA has identified and named to establish a common terminology and help to accelerate the adoption of Ethernet-based mobile backhaul networks across the industry.


The MBIA includes recommendations for the network design, architecture and operation of packet-based mobile backhaul networks and is designed to facilitate the deployment of profitable, data-driven mobile services by explaining both the benefits and technical implementation details. Meanwhile plans are underway for a second phase IA that will address further synchronization methods, emerging standards such as LTE and extended architectures.

Read More

Australia's Nextep to Deploy Juniper's IP/MPLS

Nextep, NEC's wholly-owned wholesale broadband division serving the Australian market, will be upgrading its network to a next-generation IP/MPLS routing infrastructure with Juniper Networks. Specifically, Nextep will deploy Juniper Networks M and MX Series Routers to scale its core network and the SA4500 SSL VPN Appliance to provide secure remote access. Nextep targets Australia's government and business segments and distributes the services through a network of channel partners that includes leading tier-2 carriers, ISPs and system integrators. The Juniper solution will increase network capacity, improve performance and lower cost of ownership. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.juniper.net

Read More

Commex Introduces Content-Aware 10GbE Network Adaptor

Commex Technologies introduced a dual-channel "content aware" 10GbE Network Interface Card with the ability to perform Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) on-chip inside a computer sever and thereby bypass packets based on specified content criteria to another server. This capability ensures that each server within a cluster of servers will receive only the desired subset of network traffic to process within its maximum capacity; the sum total of all traffic is shared smartly among the cluster of servers. The Commex Vulcan SP content-aware bypass dual-channel 10GbE NIC leverages AMD Direct Connect Architecture by connecting directly to a Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor via a 16-lane HyperTransport interface.



Commex said its content-aware bypass technology coupled with efficient multicore scalability, enables its adaptor card to perform smart load balancing between servers as well as within-server CPU core load balancing. The combined effect of several servers, each utilized to its fullest capacity, simultaneously processing large volumes of network traffic, is a robust modular architecture that can scale proportionally to the volume of traffic that needs to be processed.
http://www.commextech.com

Read More

Agilent Introduces VoIP Drive Test Solution

Agilent Technologies introduced a drive test solution for VoIP that allows network equipment manufacturers and wireless service providers to integrate voice-quality measurements with drive test RF data used in the optimization of wireless networks.


The VoIP test sequence is offered as a software upgrade to the company's existing drive test platform, which supports RF measurements for all established wireless technologies. Current Agilent drive test customers can purchase the VoIP solution while protecting their earlier investment in the drive test platform. The new solution provides end-to-end service quality measurements of SIP-based VoIP communication. It works by generating real-time transport protocol (RTP) streams that mimic VoIP traffic. The software takes time-stamped measurements as the RTP traffic flows between two endpoints in the data network. The measurements include R-Factor MOS, packet loss, delay and jitter, and can be automated within the same drive test software that simultaneously measures RF. The VoIP solution works for all established mobile data service such as WiMAX, UMTS, EVDO and will work for LTE as soon as a compliant phone is developed.


"Although carriers are migrating to IP-based networks such as WiMAX and LTE so they can deliver a wide-range of data services, voice will remain the primary source of revenue in the foreseeable future," said Dave Stewart, general manager Drive Test Business with Agilent's Network Solution Division. "Voice quality is the major determinate of customer satisfaction, and operators will not profit from additional services if they can't keep customers with high-quality voice communication. Our solution uses the same database for VoIP and RF measurements and enhances engineers' ability to ensure the quality of all services by correlating voice and RF data."http://www.agilent.com

Read More

Charter Receives First Day Bankruptcy Court Approval, NASDAQ Delisting

Charter Communications, the fourth largest US cable operator, announced the approval of all of its first-day motions by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.


In addition, the NASDAQ Stock Market has notified the company that it will suspend and delist trading of the company's common stock on the NASDAQ Stock Market, effective with the open of business on April 7, 2009.

http://www.charter.com

Read More

RADISYS Announces ATCA Single Board Computer based on Xeon 5500

RadiSys unveiled its Promentum ATCA-4500, a new AdvancedTCA (ATCA) single board computer (SBC) utilizing the new Intel Xeon processor 5500 series. The ATCA-4500 is positioned for advanced control, gateway and telecom server functions for 4G networks including LTE (Long-Term Evolution), WiMAX, NMS (Network Management Systems), and IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem). The ATCA-4500 represents seventh-generation RadiSys ATCA blade technology delivering on the promise of Moore's law -- doubling the number of transaction or subscriber units that Telecom Service Providers can handle per ATCA slot -- thereby, dramatically reducing cost per unit.



RadiSys' ATCA-4500 has been optimized to meet Telecom Equipment Manufacturer (TEM) requirements for easily integrating into an existing ATCA chassis and for supporting multiple storage options and OS virtualization. RadiSys said a single Intel Xeon processor 5500 series will outperform the previous generation of Intel Xeon Processors 5400 series by up to 25% using standard computing benchmark. Furthermore it offers more than a 50% increase in performance per watt per dollar over a dual socket Intel Xeon processor L5408 based ATCA blade. The processor and feature set were selected so it could pass the NEBS thermal requirements in chassis already deployed in the field.


Support for a massive 8 DIMM array of VLP DDR3 scales up to 64G of memory while providing cost effective options for applications with lower density memory requirements. The board offers multiple storage options, including RAID, SAS/SATA, solid state USB flash drives and supports iSCSI boot. For low-level software, the ATCA-4500 is based on Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI), which is a significant improvement over the old legacy BIOS firmware.
http://www.radisys.com

Read More

Sierra Wireless Debuts Dual Interface EV-DO Rev A Mobile Data Card

Sierra Wireless introduced its 2-in-1 AirCard 402 designed to fit both PC card and ExpressCard slots, ensuring compatibility for future notebook upgrades. By offering both PC and ExpressCard form factors in a single device, Sierra Wireless spares customers the expense of purchasing a new mobile broadband device when they upgrade their notebook computers.



The AirCard 402 data card is designed for EV-DO Rev. A networks, offering high speed data connections of up to 3.1 Mbps on the downlink and up to 1.8 Mbps on the uplink. Through the convenience of Sierra Wireless TRU-Locate, a high performance built-in global positioning system (GPS), users can quickly and accurately establish location for local searches and navigation.


The AirCard 402 data card offers the same lighted graphic treatment that debuted with the Sierra Wireless USB 598, providing high-impact branding opportunities for network operator customers. It is scheduled to ship in the second quarter of this year.
http://sierrawireless.com

Read More

Allot Launches 20 Gbps NetEnforcer for Next-Gen IP Service Optimization

Allot Communications announced the launch of NetEnforce AC-10000 deep packet inspection (DPI) platform for service provider and large enterprise networks. Allot NetEnforcer AC-10000's characteristics include:

• Network-wide granular visibility at both the application and subscriber level through the precise identification of hundreds of Internet protocols and applications.



• "Pay as you grow" deployment enabling network managers to add throughput whenever required, thereby reducing initial deployment outlay.



• Compatibility with both 1GE and 10GE network infrastructure-enabling easy migration between the two environments.



• Fast and accurate troubleshooting and capacity planning; accurate service control per subscriber.



• Robust, carrier-class architecture.

The Allot NetEnforcer AC-10000 is now commercially available.htp://www.allot.com

Read More

Verizon Cites Growing Use of Online Community Forums for Customer Service

Verizon noted that its online Community Forums have grown quite rapidly as a venue for consumers to submit questions, share advice, and get answers about its portfolio of broadband, entertainment and communication services.


On the forums, customers can interact with each other, ask questions, problem solve, and learn more about the company's products and services. Answers posted on the forums most often come from the community's highly active members, referred to as "super users," an important subset of customers critical to the success of any online community.


According to Mark Studness, director of e-commerce at Verizon, the Community Forums have been well-received since rolling out last July, generating more than 10 million page views.


"The Community Forums have spurred interaction among customers because people today expect to be able to find answers to their technical questions online," said Studness. "The feedback we've already received shows that our customers value the personalized peer-to-peer advice and feedback they receive from fellow users."


To create the Verizon Community Forums, Verizon collaborated with Lithium Technologies, a major online community solution provider based in Emeryville, California.
http://www.verizon.com
http://www.lithium.com

Read More

STMicroelectronics Introduces MEMS-Based Accelerometer for Mobile Phones

STMicroelectronics has expanded its portfolio of ultra-compact, high-performance MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical System) sensors with a 3-axis accelerometer with absolute analog output. The device is able to operate with any supply voltage in the range of 2.16V to 3.6V and is extremely stable over temperature and time, making it suitable for motion-sensing applications in space- and cost-constrained battery-operated devices.


ST noted that its accelerometer's ultra-compact robust design provides very high immunity to vibration and shock survivability up to 10,000g. Built-in self-test capability allows the customer to verify the functioning of the sensor after it has been assembled on board.


Samples of ST's LIS352AX are available now, with volume production starting in June 2009. Unit pricing is $1.3 for quantities over 10,000 pieces a year.
http://www.st.com/mems

Read More

AT&T Selected for Federal Government's $50 Billion Alliant Contract

The AT&T Government Solutions business unit was among multiple awardees selected by the U.S. General Services Administration to provide services under the 10-year Alliant contract, which has a total value of as much as $50 billion.


Alliant, which was awarded to 58 other companies, is a Government-wide, Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) acquisition vehicle with a contract ceiling of $50 billion with a five-year base and one five-year option. Under the terms of the Alliant contract, AT&T Government Solutions will provide federal defense and civilian agencies with high quality systems engineering and tailored IT solutions to help them maximize their full IT potential.


AT&T noted that it is the only company that has been awarded Alliant, Networx Universal, Networx Enterprise and SATCOM-II contracts - enabling AT&T Government Solutions to fully support the converging IT and networking requirements of defense and civilian agencies across all four of these GSA flagship contract vehicles.
http://www.att.com

Read More

Verizon Business Selected for Federal Government's $50 Billion Alliant Contract

Verizon Business, through its Federal Network Systems arm, was among multiple awardees selected by the U.S. General Services Administration to provide services under a 10-year contract, which has a total value of as much as $50 billion. The contract, for a program known as Alliant, authorizes Verizon Business to negotiate with government agencies to serve as a services and solutions integrator and provide a variety of services. They include business process consulting and application development, communications applications and application management, data-center services, communication integration and management, networking, and secure-application optimization.


Alliant, which has a five-year base with one five-year option, will replace the GSA ANSWER and Millennia contracts for individual IT task orders with a minimum value of $1 million.


In addition to Alliant, Verizon Business provides a wide array of advanced communications and IT services through several federal government contracts, including the Networx program, GSA Washington Interagency Telecommunications System (WITS 3), GSA Local Services Acquisition (LSA) contracts and GSA CONNECTIONS.
http://www.verizonbusiness.com

Read More

Intel Positions Xeon as the Cloud Computing Processor

Intel introduced 17 enterprise-class processors, including its Xeon 5500 series (previously codenamed "Nehalem-EP"), featuring significant performance boosts along with the ability to automatically adjust to specified energy usage levels. Intel is positioning the chips as the server foundation for its vision of an Internet consisting of some 15 billion connected devices driven by high-efficiency cloud computing data centers.



"The Intel Xeon processor 5500 series is the foundation for the next decade of innovation," said Patrick Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group. "These chips showcase groundbreaking advances in performance, virtualization and workload management, which will create opportunities to solve the world's most complex challenges and push the limits of science and technology."


Innovations being leveraged by the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series include Intel Turbo Boost Technology, Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, integrated power gates, Next-Generation Intel Virtualization Technology (VT) and triple the memory bandwidth of previous server processors.


Intel Turbo Boost Technology increases system performance based on the user's workload and environment, dynamically boosting the clock speed of one or more of the individual processing cores. The Xeon 5500 has a processor idle power level of only 10 watts, enabling a 50 percent reduction in system idle power compared to the previous generation. New integrated power gates, based on Intel's unique high-k metal gate technology, allow idle cores to power down independently. The processors offer up to 15 automated operating states. These create significant improvements in chip power management by adjusting system power consumption based on real-time throughput and without sacrificing performance.


Intel is offering two versions (L5518 and L5508) tailored specifically for communications market segments. These processors include options for thermally constrained environments, such as blades and appliances for communication infrastructure, security, storage, medical applications, carrier-grade rackmount servers, router modules and even submarine technology. The L5518 offers 2.13 GHz and a power level of 60 watts. The L5508 offers 2.00 GHz and a power level of 38 watts. New communications and embedded processors feature 7-year extended lifecycle support; these new chips will enable the technology of the future, such as WiMAX, video-on-demand and holographic communications.


Intel is also announcing new server boards that offer a higher degree of integrated components. In addition, the company is announcing the Intel 82599 10 Gigabit Ethernet Controller, featuring advanced virtualization technology and unified networking support, which improves network I/O performance in virtualized datacenters. It is optimized to support the increased bandwidth provided by platforms based on the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series, which provides more than 250 percent the I/O throughput of previous-generation servers to best meet the needs of the most demanding virtualization applications.


Also available today is the Intel Data Center Manager software development kit that enables management console vendors to extend platform power control and set rack and datacenter level power policies dynamically, responding to changing server workloads to ensure that racks do not exceed those power levels.


For server applications, processor frequencies peak at 2.93 GHz with DDR3 memory speeds up to 1333 MHz and power levels of from 60 to 95 watts. Under certain conditions, Intel Turbo Boost Technology can provide operating frequencies up to 3.33 GHz, depending on the processor and system configuration. Workstation frequencies go up to 3.20 GHz with power levels of 130 watts, and up to 3.46GHz using Intel Turbo Boost Technology depending on the workload and environment. Each processor contains up to 8MB of level 3 cache.


Intel said more than 230 systems based on its Xeon processor 5500 series are expected to be announced by more than 70 system manufacturers -- including a new Intel customer, Cisco, along with Dell, Fujitsu, HP, IBM, Sun Microsystems and others.
http://www.intel.com/performance/server/xeon/summary.htm

Read More

Motorola Introduces Wi-Fi SURFboard Cable Modem

Motorola introduced four new DOCSIS 2.0 SURFboard gateways with integrated 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi capabilities. The gateways are remotely manageable by the cable operator and feature self-install software. , the new gateways help cable operators accelerate the delivery of personal media experiences to their subscribers by making broadband available throughout the home with one easy-to-install and easy-to-manage device.


Motorola said its field-proven NBBS remote device management solution enables cable operators to remotely access, configure, monitor and troubleshoot their full portfolio of consumer devices, home networks and services. The new models include a built-in firewall with Stateful Packet Inspection, intrusion detection and Denial of Service attack prevention to protect users from hacker attacks.
http://www.motorola.com

Read More

Motorola Enhances its DOCSIS 3.0 CMTS

Motorola released a software upgrade for its widely deployed DOCSIS 3.0 BSR 64000 integrated CMTS (I-CMTS) that delivers an advanced level of system-wide high-availability and service assurance. Motorola said the new redundancy capability is need for commercial and high-tier customers as well as increased service tiers for residential customers with life-line voice services. In addition, the new release supports a doubling of BSR 64000 downstream capacity while continuing investment protection that has made the BSR 64000 the easiest CMTS platform to migrate from DOCSIS 2.0 to DOCSIS 3.0.



Release 5.2 expands downstream capacity per BSR 64000 with the support of dual TX32 modules per chassis. This increase in downstream channel density and bandwidth helps cable operators provide greater capacity and bandwidth for commercial and high-tier residential customers. In addition, operators can now leverage superior control of IPTV traffic with greater multicast traffic control, enhanced multipath routing redundancy, and subscriber billing with L2 MAC configuration. The BSR 64000 also supports superior bandwidth management capabilities by supporting both DOCSIS 3.0 downstream channel bonding and dynamic load balancing simultaneously across existing 2:8 and TX32 modules.


Motorola's DOCSIS 3.0 Bronze qualified CMTS includes support for IPv4 and IPv6 and is backwards compatible with DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0 standards to further protect investments in operators' CPE portfolio. Designed for service assurance, the BSR 64000 is also compatible with Motorola's NBBS device management platform and Motorola's eCare solution for remote customer configuration and support.


"Cable operators are seeking to differentiate themselves in today's highly competitive broadband market not only by winning the speed race, but by increasing their focus on network availability. Downtime to the consumer is unacceptable where there is a choice of service providers." said Dr. George H. Simmons, corporate vice president and general manager, Access Network Solutions, Motorola, Inc. "With BSR software release 5.2, cable operators can increase downstream capacity, offer ultra-broadband speeds of up to 160 Mbps, and maintain high-availability of their DOCSIS based voice, video and data services all while protecting their legacy investments."http://www.motorola.com

Read More

Obama Nominates Lawrence Strickling to be Assistant Secretary for Communications

President Obama has nominated Lawrence E. Strickling for Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, Department of Commerce.


Lawrence E. Strickling served as Policy Coordinator for the Obama for campaign, where he oversaw two dozen domestic policy committees and was responsible for technology and telecommunications issues. Prior to joining the campaign, Strickling was Chief Regulatory and Chief Compliance Officer at Broadwing Communications for three years. His private sector experience also includes serving in senior roles at Allegiance Telecom and CoreExpress, Inc. and as a member of the Board of Directors of Network Plus.


In government, Strickling served at the Federal Communications Commission as Chief of the Common Carrier Bureau from 1998 to 2000. Prior to that, Strickling was Associate General Counsel and Chief of the FCC's Competition Division.
http://www.whitehouse.gov

Read More

Alcatel-Lucent Launches Rich Communications Manager for Service Provider Portals

Alcatel-Lucent released an "Rich Communications Manager" that enables Service Providers to offer an online portal with advanced messaging controls for fixed, mobile, and IP devices. Leveraging Web 2.0 functionality, the portal allows mobile and wireline end users to retrieve, view, respond, and forward video, photos and text.



Subscribers can drag and drop content across voice mail, SMS, MMS, email, faxes, calendars, and address books. In addition to eliminating the traditional silos between various networks by making all mobile and PC communications visible in one place, the Rich Communications Manager eliminates multiple logins, user interfaces and contexts defined by different messaging applications.


The product can also support online message management capabilities for 3rd party voicemail systems. It enables end users to retrieve, view, respond, forward voicemails, SMS, MMS, emails, and fax from a web portal with built-in network address book to store all their contacts. The network address book supported is in compliance with GSM Association Rich Communication Suite (RCS)
release 1.0.
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

Read More

NYT: Vast Spy Network Unveiled

A vast international spy ring with servers based in China has used various forms of malware to penetrate the networks of hundreds of organizations across the world, according to The New York Times. The article is based on research conducted by the Munk Center for International Studies at the University of Toronto.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/technology/29spy.html?em

Read More

Huawei Supplies 21 Mbps HSPA+ Network for StarHub in Singapore

StarHub has launched an HSPA+ network in Singapore using equipment supplied by Huawei Technologies. The network offer mobile broadband speeds of up to 21 Mbps.


"The launch of the first HSPA+ network in Asia-Pacific represents a major milestone for the mobile broadband industry," said Mr Wan Biao, President of Huawei' s Wireless Product Line. "Huawei is delighted to have played a vital role in this endeavor. By leveraging our leading technology and abundant network deployment experience worldwide, Huawei will continuously drive the development of the mobile broadband industry forward and bring sustainable business success to our clients."

http://www.huawei.com
http://www.starhub.com

• In May 2008, StarHub appointed Huawei to expand and upgrade its nationwide 3.5G mobile broadband network to HSPA+. The HSPA+ service launch is part of StarHub' s overall strategy to provide an unparalleled mobile broadband experience that can deliver better surfing experience, higher resolution on streamed mobile content, improved interactivity and other next-generation wireless applications with high bandwidth requirements.

Read More

Fractal Antenna Systems Announces Metamaterial Breakthrough

Fractal Antenna Systems, an antenna and electronics firm based in Waltham, Mass. announced a breakthrough in its development of wideband, high fidelity performance metamaterials. Metamaterials are man-made structures that are built from patterns of electronic resonators. The behavior of metamaterials can be used to make light bend in the ‘wrong' direction; enabling unusual lenses and invisibility cloaks.


Fractal Antenna Systems said it solved a key problem limiting the practicality of metamaterials -- how to make them work at a large range of wavelengths. Previous efforts by others had not succeeded, and had only shown practical use at narrow bands, or single colours.


The company has demonstrated the world's first wideband see-through ‘invisibility cloak'. The invisibility cloak causes microwaves to bend around an object to the other side and have close to same intensity, as if there was no object at all.
http://www.fractenna.com

Read More

NeoPhotonics Expands Portfolio of GPON Transceivers

NeoPhotonics introduced a new line of "pluggable" GPON OLT transceivers, compliant with the ITU-T G.984.5 Class B+ and C+ networking standards. These new pluggable OLT transceivers enhance NeoPhotonics' existing line of GPON modules for optical line terminals (OLT) and Optical Networking Units (ONU), which are deployed in Central Offices (CO) and at Customer Premises (CPE), respectively. Furthermore, the new transceivers cover both Class B+ and C+ link budgets, feature Receive Signal Strength Indicators (RSSI) and advanced monitoring capabilities and meet Commercial (C-Temp) and Industrial Temperature (I-Temp) grade specifications. Advanced monitoring features allow early fault location and reduce down time in system operation.
http://www.neophotonics.com

Read More

Vitesse Forms Next-Generation FTTx Ecosystem

Vitesse Semiconductor is forming an FTTx Ecosystem of industry partners with the goal of advancing the development of next-generation, end-to-end, passive optical networking (PON) systems at 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps rates. This collective effort will focus on standards compliance, backward compatibility, and a smooth upgrade path from existing PON networks. The initial participants of the FTTx Ecosystem include Vitesse, Teknovus, Emcore, and Anritsu. Each company offers specific PON expertise and is well underway with their contribution to making next-generation wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) and high-speed PON-based networks a reality.
http://www.vitesse.com

Read More

Charter Enters Pre-Arranged Chapter 11, Seeks to Eliminate $8 Billion in Debt

Charter Communications, the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, entered into a pre-arranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring that is expected to reduce the company's debt by approximately $8 billion.


As announced on February 12, 2009, the company reached agreements-in-principle with members of a committee of certain of the company's debt holders (collectively, the "Bondholder Committee"). These agreements-in-principle contemplate the investment by members of the Bondholder Committee of more than $3 billion, including up to $2 billion in equity proceeds, $1.2 billion in roll-over debt and $267 million in new debt to support the overall refinancing.


Charter expects the proposed restructuring to position the company to generate positive free cash flow through significant interest expense reductions. The Company has been working closely with the Bondholder Committee to finalize a pre-arranged plan of reorganization and related documents and agreements based upon the agreements-in-principle (the "Pre-Arranged Plan").


Charter said it expects that cash on hand and cash from operating activities will be adequate to fund its projected cash needs as it proceeds with its financial restructuring and therefore does not intend to seek debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing.
http://www.charter.com

Read More

Samsung Selects Spreadtrum as New Chipset Supplier

Samsung has selected Spreadtrum Communications as a new chipset supplier. Spreadtrum's QS520 GSM/GPRS and QS1001 EDGE transceivers have been designed into Samsung's mobile phone models that are to be shipped internationally. Volume shipments to Samsung are underway.
http://www.spreadtrum.com

Read More

NSN Cites Progress in Reducing CO2

Nokia Siemens Networks said it is on track to achieving its targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The company presented its achievements at last week's WWF Climate Savers Summit in Washington DC. The company calculates that 17% of its corporate energy requirements in 2008 were drawn from renewable sources. In addition, NSN recently launched the most energy efficient base station, the Flexi Multiradio, which in certain operation modes can help operators reduce energy consumption in their networks by up to 40 percent. The Flexi Multiradio Base Station consumes only 790W of power while simultaneously running GSM/EDGE and WCDMA/HSPA.


WWF and Nokia Siemens Networks have jointly developed a climate action plan that includes measurable emission reduction targets and steps to meet its goals. The agreement involves negotiations between the WWF, Nokia Siemens Networks and independent technical experts who monitor and verify compliance with the agreement.


Nokia Siemens Networks' Climate Savers commitment is to:

• Improve the energy efficiency of their GSM/EDGE and WCDMA/HSPA base station products by up to 40 percent by 2012.



• Decrease the energy consumption of its buildings by 6 percent by 2012
.


• Increase the use of renewable energy in company operations to 50 percent by the end of 2010.

The baseline for each of these commitments is 2007, and on completion, Nokia Siemens Networks' initiatives will decrease the company's CO2 footprint by approximately 2 million tons annually, compared to 2007.
http://www.nsn.com

Read More

One Minute Video: Reinventing Customer Care

One Minute Video presented by Dave Ginsburg, Innopath Software.
http://www.innopath.com

Read More

Clearwire, Comcast, Huawei and ITRI join WiMAX Forum Board

The WiMAX Forum

has added four new members to its Board of Directors: Ali Tabassi, senior vice president of global ecosystem and standards for Clearwire Corporation, Dave Williams, senior vice president of wireless technology at Comcast Cable, Thomas Lee, vice director of industry standards department for Huawei Technologies, and Bao-Shuh Paul Lin, vice president and general director of the Information and Communications Research Laboratories at Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).


Other members of the WiMAX Forum Board include: Airspan Networks, Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Aperto Networks, British Telecom, Fujitsu, Intel Corporation, KDDI, KT, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks, Samsung, Sprint, and ZTE.
http://www.wimaxforum.org

Read More

TriQuint Releases Surface-Mount Amplifier for 40 Gbps

TriQuint Semiconductor introduced a surface-mount technology (SMT) device for 40 Gbps. TriQuint's new device combines multiple amplifiers and filters within a surface mount package, providing designers easier assembly for 40 Gbps optical networks. Optimized to work with major manufacturers' optical modulators, TriQuint said its new driver amplifier provides convenience and performance advantages including high output drive capability, superior edge rates and excellent signal-to-noise ratio for a cleaner signal.


TriQuint also released a smaller driver amplifier with improved performance for the 10 Gbps optical communications market.
http://www.triquint.com

Read More

Harmonic Supplies Video Compression for New AT&T "CruiseCast"

RaySat Broadcasting Corporation has contracted with Harmonic to provide video compression and stream processing solutions for the new AT&T CruiseCast mobile TV service.


AT&T CruiseCast plans to deliver 42 channels of family satellite TV and radio programming to vehicles in the U.S. The service will be aimed at vehicle "rear seat entertainment systems."


Harmonic's DiviCom Electra 5400 standard definition (SD) MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) encoders, ProStream 1000 stream processing platform and NMX Digital Service Manager were deployed as part of the solution. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.


The technology used for the AT&T CruiseCast service will overcomes line-of-sight obstacles such as overpasses, buildings, trees or tunnels to deliver television programming to cars, non-commercial trucks and SUVs. RBC, a privately held U.S. company, is working with AT&T Business Development to introduce the new product to the marketplace.
http://www.cruisecast.com
http://www.harmonicinc.com

Read More

WildBlue to Lease More Ka-band Capacity From EchoStar

WildBlue and EchoStar Satellite Services completed an agreement under which WildBlue will lease additional Ka-band capacity from EchoStar. This additional capacity comes from EchoStar's currently leased in-space satellites.


WildBlue anticipates additional capacity will become available in the second half of 2009, delivering the same speeds and quality of service enjoyed by current WildBlue customers. http://www.wildblue.com

Read More

Telefónica Selects Level 3 for North American Network

Telefónica International Wholesale Services

has selected Level 3 Communications to establish a dedicated wavelength network across North America. The 10-year deal represents the largest single capacity commitment in Level 3 history. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Under the contract, Level 3 will transport voice, data and Internet traffic for over 250 million Telefónica customers from Europe and Latin America. The dedicated wavelength network includes triverse routes - with three alternative fiber paths - between high-traffic locations and route diversity across the remainder of the network. Level 3 has dedicated bandwidth along each route for Telefonica to expand with future demand growth.


Telefónica International Wholesale Services is the organization within the Telefonica Group which provides global telecommunication services for fixed and mobile carriers, ISPs and content providers. Its portfolio, includes International Voice, Capacity, IP Interconnection, Satellite, Corporate and Mobility services, offering direct connectivity between Latin America, US and Europe.
http://www.Level3.com
http://www.telefonica.com/carrierservices

Read More

Visible Measures Raises $10 Million for Internet Video Analysis

Visible Measures, a start-up based in Boston, raised $10 million in Series C funding for its independent third-party measurement service for Internet video publishers, advertisers, and viral marketers.


Visible Measures provides its customers and partners with visibility into their online video audiences and how they engage with both content assets and advertising placements.


The funding round was led by new investor Northgate Capital with participation from existing investors General Catalyst Partners and MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures. Visible Measures has raised over $29 million in total financing to date.
http://www.visiblemeasures.com

Read More

Motorola Delivers HD Satellite Transcoder Increasing Output 50%

Motorola announced the DSR-6300 -- the industry's first commercial receiver/decoder (IRD) to deliver three-channel MPEG-4 to MPEG-2 HD transcoding -- enabling cable operators to increase HD throughput by up to 50 percent while offering satellite operators greater flexibility in packaging HD services to their affiliates.


The DSR-6300 features Motorola's closed-loop statistical multiplexing, which dynamically allocates the optimal bandwidth to each program using Motorola patented video complexity analysis. This process provides appropriate and timely bit rate adjustments to services as video becomes more or less difficult to encode. As a result, up to three HD services can be efficiently delivered to the home in QAM-friendly transport bit rates, significantly increasing the number of services that can be delivered over a standard cable 256-QAM feed.


The DSR-6300 simultaneously uses the in-band active format descriptor (AFD) to translate input HD services to an appropriate standard definition (SD) service with proper aspect ratio and resolution. This will allow programmers to migrate to HD-only distribution strategies, further freeing up valuable satellite bandwidth for delivering even more HD services.
http://www.motorola.com

Read More

Verizon Launches Fiber Backhaul for Other Wireless Carriers

Verizon has begun offering backhaul services to other mobile carriers using its extensive fiber-optic network to connect cellular towers and mobile switching offices. Thousands of Verizon Wireless' cell sites and mobile switching offices across the country are among the first being networked using Ethernet-based fiber-optic technology, under a contract negotiated with Verizon Partner Solutions, the company's U.S. wholesale division. The Verizon fiber links are available to other wireless carriers as well.


Verizon's fiber backhaul solutions include a Switched Ethernet Service; an all-Ethernet option; and an Ethernet over SONET choice, where the data are sent using SONET, and that provides dual routing of traffic through separate facilities and near-instant recovery should one of the links go down. In each case, data from the cell site is converted immediately to packetized data for transport to mobile telephone switching offices for distribution over appropriate networks.


Verizon said its fiber-backhaul availability leverages both the company's transition in recent years from copper to fiber in its transport facilities as well as its aggressive fiber-to-the-home deployment that is delivering FiOS Internet and FiOS TV services in parts of 16 states, and that puts fiber within reach of approximately 85 percent of various carriers' existing cell sites.


"In an increasingly wireless-dependent society, cellular carriers like Verizon Wireless are engineering their networks to meet both the exploding voice and data traffic demands of today and the capacity requirements that next-generation wireless technologies like LTE and WiMax will place on their facilities," said Quintin Lew, senior vice president of marketing for Verizon Partner Solutions.


"We have the right technology in the right place at the time," Lew said. "Wireless carriers will find value in switching from traditional backhaul links to the higher-value connections we can give them with Ethernet and SONET services on fiber."


Verizon Partner Solutions is solely focused on providing solutions to U.S.-based wholesale customers including wireless carriers, long-distance and local service providers and Internet service providers. VPS has a program-management team focused specifically on fiber-to-the-cell-site implementation and support of wireless carriers interested in taking advantage of fiber backhaul.
http://www.verizon.com/

Read More

AT&T to Add or Upgrade 520 Cell Sites in California in '09

AT&T plans to add more than 200 new cell sites throughout California in 2009 while upgrading nearly 320 more cell sites to 3G. The announcement builds on AT&T's 2008 wireless investment in which it added 157 new cell sites in California and upgraded 1,031 existing sites to 3G. From 2006 to 2008, AT&T's total capital investment in its California network was nearly $7.9 billion.


"Our number one priority in 2009 is to continue to enhance the wireless network so our customers have a top notch experience every time they make a call, check an e-mail or surf the Internet on their AT&T device," said Fred Devereux, regional president, AT&T West.
http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer

Read More

India's Bharti Airtel and MTN Negotiate Possible Combination

Bharti Airtel and MTN Group Limited confirmed that they are discussing a possible combination that would create a leading telecommunications service provider group aligning Bharti's market leading Indian business with MTN's market leading African and Middle Eastern operations. A full merger of MTN and Bharti would create a leading emerging market telecom operator with current combined revenues of over USD 20 billion and a combined customer base of over 200 million.


In a press statement, the companies said they are exploring a potential transaction whereby Bharti would acquire a 49% shareholding in MTN and, in turn, MTN and its shareholders would acquire an approximate 36% economic interest in Bharti, of which 25% would be held by MTN with the remainder held directly by MTN shareholders. Bharti and MTN have agreed to discuss the potential transaction exclusively with one another until July 31, 2009.


"We are delighted at the prospect of developing a partnership with MTN to create an emerging market telecom powerhouse. Both companies would stand to gain significant benefits from sharing each other's best practices in addition to savings emanating from enhanced scale. We see real power in the combination and we will work hard to unleash it for all our shareholders. This opportunity also represents a first of its kind in developing an Indian-African initiative that would serve as a shining example of South-South cooperation," stated Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti.
http://www.bharti.com

Read More

InnoPath Adds LTE Support to ActiveCare Mobile Device Management

InnoPath Software has added support for LTE to its ActiveCare over-the-air mobile device management platform, which already supported CDMA, GSM and WiMAX networks. The platform is used by mobile network operators and handset makers to provide over-the-air support for their customers, reducing call time and driving call avoidance. Key elements of the company's LTE support include:

• Activation -- the ability to effectively detect, provision and customize devices over an IP-centric LTE network. It supports extensibility customized for a specific operator deployment, such as gathering the current SIP or IP address for client-server interaction.



• Device Support -- both LTE-only devices as well as ‘dual-mode' devices used in phased operator deployments. InnoPath only requires an OMA-DM client on the device which can be either pre-loaded or post-loaded into the mobile device. InnoPath ActiveCare is compatible with both planned FDD and TDD LTE (TD-LTE) deployments.



• Standards Evolution -- InnoPath is helping to drive the completion of DM 1.3 within OMA-DM. DM 1.3 provides for provisioning and management of native IP devices over-the-air by supporting non-SMS based bootstrap. Looking to the future, InnoPath is helping drive the definition of DM 2.0.



• Care -- the ActiveCare capability set and Smart Client are deployable within LTE with a goal of reducing client -- server network bandwidth, average call time and increase customer satisfaction.

http://www.innopath.com

Read More

Inphi Develops 28 Gbps Differential Mach-Zehnder Modulator Driver

Inphi announced a 28 Gbps Differential Mach-Zehnder Modulator Driver designed for next-generation 40G Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DQPSK) and 100G Dual-Polarization QPSK transponders. The company said that while current 40G transponders are designed using components in large and expensive metal packages with microwave connectors, its device is based upon surface mount technology that reduces transponder size and cost while not compromising signal integrity.


"Inphi is driving the ecosystems to transition from metal packages with microwave connectors to surface mount solutions," said Loi Nguyen, Vice President of Technology, Inphi Corporation. "Inphi is working closely with industry leaders to develop the next-generation of compact, lower-cost surface mount 40G and 100G components. The 2811DZ underscores our leadership in driving next generation solutions for 40G/100G telecom infrastructure applications."


Unlike other competing single-ended solutions, Inphi's 2811DZ's unique, patented differential architecture results in the largest output swing, 9http://www.inphi-corp.com

Read More

Dell Unveils Latest Server & Storage Products

Dell introduced fourteen new enterprise computing products, including new blades, servers and workstations optimized for virtualized environments. The rollout includes the 11th generation of Dell PowerEdge servers and Precision workstations based on the next generation of Intel's Xeon processors.


Dell said the new PowerEdge portfolio will offer optimal virtualization, system management, and usability capabilities while its PowerEdge R710 provides the industry's best performance per watt.


Dell today also announced new EqualLogic PS6000 storage arrays that offer storage area networks (SANs) the ability to form a virtualized pool of storage. Dell is unveiling SAN Headquarters, a centralized dashboard that monitors performance and events for dozens of PS Series groups, potentially more than 10 PB of SAN storage. SAN Headquarters is available to any EqualLogic customer with a support agreement at no additional cost.
http://www.dell.com

Read More

FCC Revises Fee Structure for International Submarine Cables

The FCC

adopted a revised regulatory fee methodology for international submarine cable operators. The new rules calculate these regulatory fees on a per cable landing license basis -- with higher fees for larger international submarine cable systems and lower fees for smaller systems. This replaces the previous methodology that calculated fees on a per active circuit basis. In addition to being more administratively efficient,
the FCC said its new methodology allocates regulatory fees among service providers in an equitable and competitively neutral manner, without distinguishing between common carriers and noncommon carriers and by assessing a flat per cable landing license fee for all international
submarine cable systems based on size of the system.


The new methodology, which is slated to go into effect this fiscal year, is based on a consensus proposal submitted by a group representing 35 of 42 international submarine cable operators, and accounting for over 95 percent of the international circuits carried on submarine
cable systems.
http://www.fcc.gov

Read More

Verizon Business Offers Professional Virtualization Services

Verizon Business is launching an expanded suite of consulting and management services to help enterprise customers achieve the benefits of virtualization -- high performance, flexibility, cost control and energy savings. The goal is to enable customers to out-task the design and the often complex day-to-day management, maintenance and security of virtualized environments.

Virtualization uncouples operating systems and applications from the physical hardware, allowing servers to run multiple virtual environments on a single machine.

"As enterprises around the world question how to do more with less, many are finding a strong answer in virtualization," said Kerry Bailey, Verizon Business senior vice president of global services. "Whether a company is moving to virtualization using its existing infrastructure or migrating a new 'app' to a virtualized model, Verizon Business' complete solution for virtualization can help companies increase efficiency and control costs."

The following services make up the company's enhanced Virtualization Consulting and Management offering:

• Server Consolidation Assessment -- Verizon Business analyzes a customer's current environment to determine where and how the infrastructure could best be consolidated.



• Server Consolidation Design -- Based on an initial consolidation assessment and review of business and technical requirements,
  virtualization experts design a new consolidated environment.



• Secure Virtualization Assessment & Design -- This converged solution combines the Server Consolidation Assessment and Server Consolidation Design services, plus adds on a security assessment of the proposed virtualization environment. Verizon Business delivers to customers a design and roadmap for a new, secure environment.



• Virtualization Design -- This service is aimed at customers who would like to design a new environment with virtualization as a key consideration, but are not necessarily consolidating existing infrastructure.



• Virtualization Build -- Based on a design by either Verizon Business or the customer, the Verizon Business team builds and implements a virtualized solution. This service includes the installation of the hardware and network, as well as configuration of the virtual
  application.



• Virtualization Migration -- Verizon Business provides services to migrate the customer applications and data to the new virtualized
  environment.



• Virtualization Deployment Review -- With this new service, the company will assess and provide feedback on virtualized environments implemented by the customer or another third party, as well as verify adherence to industry best practices.

In addition to a full array of professional services and a global team that includes many VMware-certified engineers, Verizon Business can host the customer infrastructure and virtual servers at one of its worldwide data centers or manage the environment remotely at the customer's premises or at a third-party colocation facility.
http://www.verizonbusiness.com/us/itsolutions

Read More

Sprint Outlines its 2009-2010 WiMAX Rollout Plans

Sprint announced its 2009-2010 rollout plans for 4G services, which offer peak downlink speeds of up to 12 Mbps and average downlink speeds of 2-4 Mbps. The service is currently available in Baltimore.


In 2008, Sprint plans to deploy 4G service in: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland and Seattle.


Sprint also expects to launch service in multiple markets in 2010 including Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.


Sprint said it has several new 4G devices planned for 2009 and 2010, including a single-mode 4G data card, embedded laptops, a small-office-home-office broadband modem and a tri-mode phone.
http://www.sprint.com

Read More

LSI Enables Tiered Services via APP Communications Processor

LSI is releasing new software for the company's APP3300 and APP300 communication processors, which are used in customer premise equipment that is widely deployed in Tier 1 VDSL and ADSL networks around the world. The new LSI software features service-aware capabilities that service providers could leverage to shape the next generation of user-driven, tiered-pricing models.


Using programmable hardware schedulers in the APP communications processor and its own hierarchical scheduling algorithms, the Broadband Access Functional Programming Interface (FPI) 8.0 software enables network traffic to be dynamically shaped for specific services and subscribers. It also provides multiple levels of policing and priority re-marking to enable the enforcement of a broad range of service-level agreements, which allows service providers to personalize subscription plans and guarantee quality levels.


LSI said DSLAM systems using its Broadband Access FPI 8.0 can support any combination of VDSL, ADSL and SHDSL ports, which allows selected services to be introduced without replacement of deployed network equipment. Because the new software features a single API for the complete suite of LSI APP3300 and APP300 devices, OEMs can leverage a single application across a broad system portfolio.


"LSI's newest Broadband Access FPI 8.0 allows network services to be cost-effectively provisioned and managed," said Sindhu Xirasagar, network processor software product line manager, Networking Components Division, LSI. "This new solution enables service providers to increase the intelligence, control and security of their networks and deliver higher-value, tiered-subscription services at lower incremental cost."http://www.lsi.com

Read More

Blockbuster and TiVo Announce Agreement

TiVo has agreed to deliver Blockbuster's library of premium digital movie titles directly to the television set via TiVo DVRs. Specifically, BLOCKBUSTER OnDemand, featuring content to both buy and rent, will be integrated into TiVo Series2, Series3, TiVo HD, and TiVo HD XL DVRs. Content will be delivered via the customer's broadband connection. The companies expect to have the BLOCKBUSTER OnDemand service integrated into TiVo DVRs in the second half of 2009.


http://www.tivo.com
http://www.blockbuster.com

Read More

Audience Closes $15 Million for its Noise Suppression Silicon

Audience, a start-up based in Mountain View, California, has raised $15 million in Series D funding.


The Audience Voice Processor provides advanced noise suppression modeled after the human auditory system, the human hearing system. The company said its silicon is based on the science of Auditory Scene Analysis (ASA), or the grouping and processing of complex mixtures of sound. Because the Audience Voice Processor handles signals the way people actually perceive specific sounds, it is able to identify and suppress noise sources in an extremely efficient and accurate manner. The silicon is deployed in commercial handsets by LG, Pantech and Sharp, among others.


The latest round brings the company's total funding amount to date to $60 million. Investors include New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Tallwood Venture Capital, Vulcan Capital and VentureTech Alliance.
http://www.audience.com

Read More

Alcatel-Lucent Supplies Optical Transport Net in Azerbaijan

Alcatel-Lucent is supplying a cross-country optical network to Delta Telecom of Azerbaijan. The deployment of the Alcatel-Lucent optical solution will start in the country's capital, Baku, and will then extend to the major links connecting Azerbaijan with neighboring countries. Specifically, Alcatel-Lucent will supply its Optical Multi-Service Node (OMSN) systems and 1678 Metro Core Connect (MCC) for traffic aggregation and mobile backhaul, along with the 1626 Light Manager (LM) for long-haul traffic transmission. The companies said this network modernization will help Delta Telecom to strengthen its leading position as a major transit data provider between the Caucasus region, Central Asia the Middle East, Europe and China.
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
http://delta-telecom.net

Read More

ARRIS and OpenTV Partner on Localized Advertising Technology

ARRIS and OpenTV will present a joint demonstration of their next generation linear television ad platform at next week's NCTA Cable Show in Washington, D.C. The companies said their collaboration breaks new ground because this will be the first time that the SCTE-130 standard, which provides a common framework for the development of advanced advertising services, is applied to linear advertising. The demonstration couples OpenTV's new real-time Ad Decision Service (ADS), OpenTV's EclipsePlus campaign management solution, and ARRIS' linear Ad Management System (ConvergeMedia SkyVision ADM 1.0). The solution provides the ability to identify national ad breaks, do real-time localized ad substitutions based on geographic market data, as well as accommodate last minute schedule shifts, as might be required during live events.


"Advanced digital ad insertion systems like ARRIS replaced 3/4-inch tape machines and analog switching more than a decade ago, but the techniques for conveying schedules from traffic systems to those advertising video servers have not changed in more than 20 years," said Paul Woidke, OpenTV's Senior Vice President and General Manager , Advanced Advertising. "Current systems do not allow for live program shifts and identify only the local breaks made available to cable operators in their markets. Through this next generation platform, and by applying the SCTE-130 standard, ARRIS and OpenTV have established a highly dynamic, real-time interface that will bring greater flexibility to the ad decision process and increase the geographic relevance of national ads."http://www.opentv.com
http://www.arrisi.com

Read More