Lightower Selects Juniper for IP/MPLS

Lightower Fiber Networks, a leading digital fiber network and broadband service provider in the northeast United States, has expanded its network with Juniper Networks MX Series Ethernet Services Routers. Based on lab tests performed in conjunction with Juniper, Lightower estimates that the use of optimized IP/MPLS in its Carrier Ethernet networks will provide transit times measurably faster than other approaches such as pure Layer 2, while also providing superior traffic management and resiliency. Fast transit times, recovery and high availability are crucial for Lightower customers, such as financial institutions, when network downtime or lags can result in significant expense or lost business. In addition, Lightower is using the virtualization capabilities of the MX Series to maintain separation between different types of services running on the same router, enabling convergence of network services and functionality, while maintaining the appropriate levels of administrative separation.

http://www.lightower.com
http://www.juniper.net

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Korea's Hyosung ITX Deploys Juniper Ethernet Services Router

Hyosung ITX, a major Korean business solution provider, has deployed Juniper Networks' MX Series Ethernet Services Routers to support its content deliver network (CDN), enables the streaming of high-quality video, smooth downloads for online games and maintenance software, and the caching of other high-bandwidth content. To manage content effectively, Hyosung ITX operates six server farms nationwide and employs data mirroring techniques to route data via the fastest and most reliable path from server to user. The network is using Juniper's MX960 and MX480 routers. Additionally, the unique firewall capabilities within the MX Series' JUNOS Software helps protect Hyosung ITX from network threats including Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.juniper.net

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Ceragon Posts Q1 Revenues of $43.9 Million, Down 7%

Ceragon Networks, a supplier of high-capacity LTE ready wireless backhaul solutions, reported Q1 2009 revenues of $43.9 million, down 7% from $47.2 million for the first quarter of 2008 and down 23% from $56.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. Net income (GAAP) was $0.2 million or $0.01 per basic and diluted share, compared to net income of $4.3 million in the first quarter of 2008, or $0.12 per basic share and $0.11 per diluted share.


"Underlying long term growth drivers remain in place and we are encouraged by improving demand from expansion of GSM networks in India to accommodate record subscriber growth as well as signs of improving demand in North America ," said Ira Palti, President and CEO of Ceragon. "At the same time, we are still cautious about the near term outlook due to poor visibility, lengthening sales cycles, and customers' continuing focus on retaining cash. In this environment, our emphasis will continue to be on controlling costs and remaining as flexible as possible in order to react quickly, while preserving our capability to respond effectively when the pace of orders picks up." http://www.ceragon.com

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Tellme to Provide "One Button" Voice Access in Windows Mobile 6.5

Microsoft's Tellme service will provide "one-button" access for Windows Mobile 6.5 phones due out this fall. The new service puts many of the most popular phone functions behind a single button. Windows phone users just press the side button of their phone to do the following:

• Send a text by saying "text" to open a text box, then speak the text message and say "send" to send it to anyone in their contact list



• Initiate a call simply by saying "call" and then the name of anyone in their contact list



• Search the Web with Microsoft Live Search by speaking your request, such as "weather in San Francisco, California," "pizza in Kansas City," "movies" or "Mother's Day gift ideas".

http://www.tellme.com
http://www.microsoft.com

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Microsoft's Tellme Advances its Voice-in-the-Cloud Platform

Microsoft's Tellme group announced three core speech and network innovations that advance its platform for cloud-based voice services. These advancements include the rollout of a VoIP carrier service that reduces customer transport costs, advanced speech services that improve automation of customer service calls, and a new "voice font" technology that delivers a more natural text-to-speech experience. Because Tellme operates as an on-demand service, the new capabilities are immediately available to enterprises across Tellme's platform.


Customer phone inquiries represents a multimillion-dollar expense for many Fortune 1000 companies, with telecom being one of the largest technology costs. The companies said that by using Global Crossing's VoIP service, enterprises can extend their VoIP strategy to customer service calls and eliminate transfer fees, lowering the average per-minute cost 60 percent per call and reducing transfer fees by 100 percent.


The new speech services, which are a result of collaboration between Tellme and Microsoft's Speech Components Group,
are also expected to advance natural user interfaces across other Microsoft products. The Tellme service lets telephone callers use their voice to run queries and access specific information. The service currently handles billions of calls every year and is used by more than 40 million people every month. Tellme provided Microsoft with tuning data from its billions and billions of calls. This is being used to develop new acoustic models, phonetic dictionaries and grammar products that increase the accuracy of every response. The teams built an "online adaptation" capability in which the system can adapt to a caller's acoustic patterns within the first three seconds of speaking. These new platform features make it possible to get the right answer to the caller more often.


In addition, Tellme is now using these technologies to power its mobile services, including the forthcoming Windows Mobile 6.5 application.
http://www.tellme.com
http://www.microsoft.com

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QLogic Acquires NetXen for 10GigE Datacenter Silicon

QLogic, a supplier of high performance network infrastructure, has acquired NetXen, a start-up specializing in 10 Gigabit Ethernet networking chips for enterprise datacenters for approximately $21 million in cash.


QLogic said the deal provides it with complementary networking products and intellectual property. The acquisition further expands QLogic's expertise in strategic areas of technology and enables the company to better address a wider range of emerging customer requirements for converged networks.
http://www.qlogic.com
http://www.netxen.com

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NetLogic to Acquire IDT's Search Engine Assets

NetLogic Microsystems agreed to acquire certain assets associated with Integrated Device Technology Inc.'s (IDT) network search engine products for $90 million, plus the costs of inventory on hand. The acquisition includes IDT's search accelerator, network search engine and route accelerator product families and related patents and intellectual property.


NetLogic said these products and technologies will complement and further expand its existing portfolio of knowledge-based processors, NETLite processors and network search engines, and will further strengthen the relationships with NetLogic Microsystems' customer base.
http://www.netlogicmicro.com

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