Devicescape Membership Passes One Million User Milestone

Devicescape Software has passed the one million user milestone for its Easy Wi-Fi software.




The company said its rapid growth was due in large part to signed contracts with leading OEMs and service providers as well as industry trends driving demand for Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Also noted among Devices cape's 2008 successes are new product releases and a foray into the iTunes App Store with its Easy Wi-Fi application for iPhone and the iPod touch.


A look toward 2009 reveals that Devicescape will continue selling into the broader Wi-Fi-enabled-device market including handsets, PCs and other enterprise and consumer devices, which In-Stat estimates will grow from 294 million devices
today to 1 billion by 2012.
http://www.devicescape.com

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Italtel Supplies Softswitch for Cable&Wireless Rollout

Italtel has been selected as prime supplier to expand Cable & Wireless Europe, Asia & US (EAUS)'s Voice Transit Evolution (VTE) infrastructure, a Next Generation Network (NGN) deployment.

Specifically, VTE will use an Italtel open softswitch platform and third party Media Gateways to transform Cable & Wireless' legacy voice network with a new all-IP-Telephony core. The rollout expands the capacity of Cable & Wireless' TDM voice networks while providing for seamless integration amongst all of Cable & Wireless' existing and next generation voice platforms. VTE will allow Cable & Wireless to migrate its legacy TDM access switches over to all-IP switches incrementally over time, on an as-needed basis. Financial terms were not disclosed.


VTE is based on the Italtel i-SSW softswitch platform as its core element. Thanks to fully standardized protocols, Italtel's solution interworks with third party Media Gateways, for scalability, flexibility, operational cost reduction, and complete interoperability with the current voice network.
http://www.cw.com
http://www.cw.com

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Sorrento Unveils 10G Optical Ethernet Transport on a Card

Sorrento Networks introduced a 10 Gigabit Optical Ethernet Transport (OET) line card, which enables network operators to transport and manage multiple Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) circuits on the same line card. Sorrento's new OET line card offers built-in layer 2 controls that can be switched on to enable customers to control Ethernet traffic and offer more capabilities in their infrastructure. Additionally, this line card allows users to set up a 10G "superstructure" of existing ring optical systems that dramatically increases bandwidth capacity and gives them the ability to support additional data services.




Additional product features include:

• A built-in layer 2 switch that enables add, drop, mux, pass-through and ROADM-like functionality, which can be manipulated by the customer to be turned on or off as needed



• Dual 10G line-side support for sub-50ms protection and internal pass-through



• FEC-enabled 100-km line-side distances



• Fully pluggable architecture with flexible SFP-based clients and XFP-based line-side



• Remote provisioning and management that eliminates truck rolls

"By adding a new layer of intelligence to WDM technology, we are providing our customers with end-to-end Gigabit Ethernet and taking them to the next level in bandwidth capacity in the most cost-conscious and efficient way possible," said Jim Nevelle, CEO, Sorrento Networks.


Sorrento noted that transporting multiple Ethernet circuits over multiple node WDM systems has historically required an optical multiplexer coupled with a layer 2 switch. This architecture can be costly due to the amount of equipment involved and the length of time to market. Sorrento's OET line card collapses multiple pieces of equipment into one WDM line card that offers multiplexing, electrical ROADM-like functionality, switching and protection, thereby greatly reducing capital expenditures and improving efficiency for all Ethernet transport applications. Sorrento's first OET line card is compatible with Sorrento's GigaMux 1600/3200 optical transport system.
http://www.sorrentonet.com

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Ericsson Wins WCDMA/HSPA Contract with P&T in Luxembourg

P&TLuxembourg (P&T) has selected Ericsson to replace its existing nationwide WCDMA/HSPA access network.

Under the six-year agreement, Ericsson will supply a WCDMA access network including HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access) functionality. This will improve the performance of LUXGSM's mobile broadband services and enable peak speeds of up to 7.2Mbps. The contract also covers network deployment and integration, as well as support services. This is the first contract Ericsson has been awarded by the incumbent operator, P&TLuxembourg. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.ericsson.com

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China's Guangzhou Digital Media Launches Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV

Guangzhou Digital Media Group has formally launched Zhujiang Digital

, a connected TV service powered by the Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV platform. Microsoft said this the first Mediaroom-enabled TV service to launch in China and the first time Mediaroom has been delivered over a cable network anywhere in the world.

The new service, available to residents in the Guangzhou region of China, also includes the first deployment of the Mediaroom Anytime feature set, which will take time-shifted TV to the next level in China. From launch, the Mediaroom-powered service will include the following key features:

• High-definition content for live, recorded and on-demand TV



• Mediaroom Anytime, which can be used to access previously aired shows from the Interactive Program Guide immediately restart currently airing programs without any preplanning or prior DVR recording



• Video-on-demand features enabling users to view shows whenever they want

Microsoft noted that other Mediaroom customers include AT&T, BT and Deutsche Telekom, which together deliver connected TV services to nearly 2.5 million subscriber homes worldwide.
http://www.gzcatv.nethttp://www.microsoft.com/mediaroom

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Nortel Unveils New Ethernet Switches

Nortel unveiled its Ethernet Routing Switch 5600 family, offering up to 18 times the stacking performance, up to twice the capacity, and up to seven-times the resiliency of the stackable switches from its primary competitors.


The five models in the Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 5600 family, which are suitable for deployment in the data center, as well as in the edge, distribution and core layers of the network, are stack-compatible with the existing ERS 5500 switches. The new models all come with integrated with 10 Gigabit uplink capacity. The 5600 also includes a model with support for up to 96 Gigabit power over Ethernet ports.




The Ethernet Routing Switch 5600 family offers a per-unit stacking capacity of 144 Gbps per switch and a total stacking backplane of 1.152 Tbps for a stack of eight units. Each of these stacked units provides at least two 10GbE XFP ports for high-performance
uplinks to the core or aggregation layers in the network. ERS 5698 models further provide high-density economical GbE connectivity with the added flexibility of up to 6 SFP ports per switch for gigabit fiber connections.


Nortel further said its Ethernet Routing Switch 5600s can also act as a virtual switch cluster to other ERS 2500, 4500 or even third party access switches using Nortel's switch clustering (SMLT) technology. ERS 5600s in this configuration can provide up to 800 ports and over 2.3 Terabits of performance while enabling full use of all switches and links across the network.


Advanced security features include Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) snooping, Dynamic Address Resolution Protocol inspection, IP Source Guard and IGMP snooping.


The Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 5600 portfolio is generally available now.
http://www.nortel.com

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Dell'Oro: Economic Downturn to Impede WiMAX Time to Market Advantage Over LTE

Worldwide mobile WiMAX infrastructure revenues nearly quadrupled in the third quarter of 2008 (the most recent quarter with available market information) over the third quarter of 2007, according to a recently published report by Dell'Oro Group.


"With LTE still a couple of years away, WiMAX has, in fact, become the first next generation technology with commercial service," commented Scott Siegler, Senior Analyst of Mobile Infrastructure research at Dell'Oro Group. "Mobile WiMAX revenues were very strong in the third quarter of last year, and we anticipate revenue for the fourth quarter to set another record. However, as we look into 2009, we expect the WiMAX market to be hit rather hard by the economic downturn. Building out brand new networks from scratch requires tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars of capital. Compounding the tightening in the credit markets, the increasing cost of capital and the decrease in demand for broadband data as consumer spending weakens, we anticipate many network build outs will be put on hold or delayed into 2010. With initial LTE rollouts coming in the 2010 to 2011 timeframe, these delays will shorten the time to market advantage WiMAX currently has over LTE," Siegler continued.


The report also shows that the top four Mobile WiMAX vendors in the quarter -- Samsung, Motorola, Alcatel-Lucent and Alvarion -- represented nearly 90 percent of the total market.
http://www.DellOro.com

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Motorola Upgrades its Multi-Media Messaging Service Center

Motorola's newly upgraded Multi-Media Messaging Service Center is now delivering commercial service, providing enhanced mobile media experiences for customers of a leading wireless operator in the U.S. Motorola's MMSC enables media mobility by delivering high quality multi-media messaging service composed of audio, text, pictures and video between different devices, technologies and operators, all over a high availability, carrier grade platform. The MMSC provides transcoding for delivery of personalized, on-demand services and content. In addition, the new MMSC incorporates advanced capabilities that facilitate seamless integration with increasingly popular applications such as mobile advertising, social networking and simplified management of user generated content.


"We've been using Motorola's current platform technology on our EV-DO Rev A network to give our customers the best multimedia messaging experience on America's most reliable network," said Dave Hammond, network vice president, Verizon Wireless. "The new MMSC supports the additional performance requirements derived from new drivers such as larger message sizes coming from high resolution cameras and videos, increased number of inter-carrier connections and value added service providers. It also provides more capacity across our network, giving us a more cost efficient way to meet our customers' demands for high-quality multimedia experiences."


http://www.motorola.com/

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Motorola's Enterprise Mobility Offers Mobile Solutions Retailers

Motorola's Enterprise Mobility business announced new retail solutions featuring advanced data capture, mobile payment, voice and wireless security capabilities for helping shop owners operate their businesses. According to a recent Motorola study, 23 percent of shoppers reported that they were unable to purchase everything they needed or wanted in stores this holiday season. Motorola believes that empowering store associates with the enterprise mobility tools they need to get the job done quickly and efficiently builds customer loyalty and can boost sales - especially during peak shopping times.




Motorola's new products include:

• DS9808 digital imager scanner, can be used in both hands-free mode for rapid scanning of multiple items and in handheld mode for scanning items as far away as 18" that may be too heavy or bulky to be lifted on the counter.



• Total Enterprise Access and Mobility (TEAM) Express solution, provides sales associates with virtually instant push-to-talk capability between different types of devices, including voice-capable Motorola mobile computers, bar code scanners, TEAM VoWLAN smartphones and Motorola two-way radios. It leverages WLAN and uses a server-less architecture.



• PCI-compliant DCR-7X00-100R mobile payment module, which mobilizes the point-of-sale and addresses a key challenge for retail and hospitality establishments - to more quickly respond to and complete customers' credit, debit and loyalty card transactions. By providing access to banking and customer relationship management (CRM) systems, businesses can create a mobile point of sale (MPOS) solution that is ideal for applications such as line-busting in retail stores and car rental agencies and table side payment at hospitality establishments

http://www.motorola.com/

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Crossbeam Systems Claims 56% Annual Revenue Growth

Crossbeam Systems, a privately-held company that supplies next-generation security platforms for high-performance networks, said it achieved record annual revenue growth of 56% in 2008. Crossbeam cited a number of factors, including its global expansion, significant partner and product developments, record sales and profitability, and the continued development of its X-Series network security platform. Crossbeam continued to grow its customer base in 2008 with 49 new deployments, including Baylor University, Bouygues Telecom, Celcom Malaysia, Del Monte Foods, John Hancock Financial, Schneider International, Temple University, T-Mobile and U.S. Bancorp. 2008 also showed a continued expansion of Crossbeam deployments at existing customers such as AT&T, BT, CheckFree, now part of Fiserv, Fujitsu, CIBC, Cox Communications, Ecritel, Federal Express, Library of Congress, Novartis, Orange UK, Queensland Police Department, Telefonica and Vodafone Italia. http://www.crossbeam.com

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SingTel Builds its International IP VPN Market Share

Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel)

claims that its international IP VPN service has captured the leading market share in Asia Pacific, excluding Japan (APEJ), according to figures from IDC. SingTel's MPLS-based IP VPN service provides coverage in more than 65 destinations, including major Asian, European and US cities.
http://www.ipvpn.asiahttp://www.singtel.com

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Verizon and CBS Reach Program Carriage Agreements

Verizon announced a long-term content agreement with CBS Corporation covering programming distribution to Verizon's television and wireless customers. Under the new agreement, Verizon has secured Mobile rights for full episodes of several top-rated CBS Entertainment and News programs, including shows from prime-time, daytime and the Number One news program, "60 Minutes."




Adding full episodes builds on the CBS content already available to Verizon Wireless V CAST subscribers. The expanded agreements also provide national video-on-demand rights for programs in both standard and high definition format, including such leading shows as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "NCIS," "Survivor," and "Numb3rs," as well as video-on-demand rights for local news, also in SD and HD.
http://www.verizon.com

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Sonus Reaches Agreement with Major Shareholder

Sonus Networks and Legatum Capital Limited, Sonus' largest stockholder which currently owns approximately 65 million shares, or 25 percent of Sonus common stock, announced an agreement to add two new independent members to Sonus' Board of Directors. The directors will be designated by Legatum, subject to the terms of the agreement.


Sonus Networks also announced a number of structural changes to its Board, including separating the roles of chairman and chief executive officer.
http://www.sonusnet.com/

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European Commission Approves Partial Broadband Deregulation in Portugal

The European Commission approved the Portuguese telecoms regulator's proposal to deregulate some parts of the wholesale broadband market, covering around 61% of all Portuguese broadband lines.


The regulator ANACOM's (Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações) proposal targets regions where structural competition problems persist. The Commission also called for effective regulation in regions where competition problems persist.
Specifically, the deregulation targets wholesale broadband access markets -- where operators allow other operators to offer competing services over their network -- in some regions. Since these networks are hugely expensive to replicate, alternative operators that want to offer retail broadband services to consumers usually need access to wholesale broadband ('bitstream access'), together with access to the local loop (the wires or radio links carrying fixed phone lines). EU telecoms rules require national regulators to ensure incumbents provide access to their networks, so that consumers can choose between broadband providers and benefit from a competitive market that brings better services and prices. The ANACOM proposal concerns areas where there are at least three operators and a high number of households with access to the cable network, mainly densely populated urban areas like Lisbon or Porto. Regulation making sure that new entrants can compete will be maintained in all other areas.
http://www.europa.eu

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TeliaSonera to Cut 2,900 Jobs in Sweden, Finland

TeliaSonera announced cost reductions in its Swedish and Finnish operations

that are expected to result in annual gross savings of approximately SEK 5 billion compared to the cost base of 2007. These measures will result in a reduction of approximately 2,900 employees, of whom two thirds in Sweden. Notice has been given to 1,200 employees in Sweden.


TeliaSonera said the cuts are necessary to reduced its structural costs than competitors and to be able to continue shifting the product mix to mobility- and IP-based services.
http://www.teliasonera.com

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