Monday, May 25, 2009

China Telecom Selects Nokia Siemens Networks for 3G Video Streaming

Close on the heels of its 3G service launch, China Telecommunications is rolling out a high end 3G CDMA EVDO (Evolution, Data Optimized) Video Streaming Service delivered by Nokia Siemens Networks. The centralized 3G CDMA EVDO video streaming platform supports nationwide diversified audio/video format, with quality that is at least 50% higher than the previous 2G solution.


"As the main supplier of China Telecom's video streaming service platform, we are very proud to provide unique and compelling 3G video services in the region," added Zhang Tong, Vice President of Nokia Siemens Networks Greater China Region. "Our flexible and secure streaming control capability ensures service stability and an improved user experience. What's more, given our previous deployment experience, we are ideally positioned to adhere to China Telecom's launch schedule."http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

Covad Wireless Expands in California -- up to 45 Mbps Services

Covad Wireless has expanded its Southern California wireless broadband coverage for businesses in Ventura County by adding a new base station that offers broadband speeds up to 45 Mbps. This coverage expansion follows Covad Wireless' recent deployment of a new high-capacity fiber backbone in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. The company has deployed over 1.5 Gbps in new fiber capacity this past year in California alone, an indicator of customers' growing bandwidth demand.
http://www.covadwireless.com

ITU-T G.hn Advances on the Standards Track -- BT Joins HomeGrid Forum

The ITU-T has achieved another milestone in the progress of G.hn - the proposed unified standard that supports home networking over multiple wires (power lines, phone lines, and coaxial) -- has cleared another milestone. This month, the ITU-T progressed the new draft for G.hn and adopted as "Baseline Text" significant portions of the Data Link Layer (DLL).


The HomeGrid Forum, the trade group that promotes the G.hn standardization efforts, said that having the key elements of the DLL as Baseline Text also means that the G.hn group is on track to meet its goal of achieving Consent for the complete G.hn standard during 2009.


Stable Baseline Text for the DLL -- coupled with the December 2008 Consented Network Architecture and Physical Layer for G.hn -- further enables silicon vendors to progress their product development. To date, three silicon vendors and one silicon intellectual property vendor have announced their intention to develop products for the new G.hn standard.


Key elements of the G.hn DLL that reached Baseline Text within the ITU-T are:

  • A Time-Division Multiple Access (TDMA) Media Access Control (MAC), which provides guaranteed bandwidth and low latency for applications that have strict Quality of Service (QoS)
    requirements, such as IPTV. G.hn's MAC also includes support for multiple priority levels, to ensure that an application, such as peer-to-peer file transfers, do not impact the performance of
    higher-priority applications like IPTV, VoIP, or online gaming.


  • A Logical Link Control (LLC) sub-layer that ensures delivery of data over home electrical wiring. G.hn's LLC employs an advanced selective ARQ (Automatic Retransmission Request)
    protocol that automatically re-transmits data affected by noise and provides error-free end-to-end Ethernet services to any G.hn device on the network connected to power lines, phone lines, or
    coaxial cables.


  • A procedure for efficient aggregation of multiple Ethernet messages over a single MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU). This significantly increases network throughput to support applications such
    as High-Definition IPTV that have large bandwidth requirements. G.hn specifies line data rates up to 1 Gbps, significantly higher than current generation wired networking technologies.


  • State-of-the-art security based on AES (Advanced Encryption Standard - FIPS-PUB-197) and CCM (Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code - NIST-SP-900-38C).


The functional areas of the DLL that are now adopted as Baseline Text ensure that G.hn can support applications with strict QoS requirements (such as high-definition video), and that G.hn can be used in
products for the service provider, consumer electronics, and PC markets.


"The United Nations' ITU-T continues to make rapid progress towards a single unified standard for delivering multimedia content around the home," said Matthew Theall, president of the HomeGrid
Forum. "Additionally, this next-generation standard has been actively driven by some of the world's leading service providers, consumer electronics manufacturers and PC companies."

In addition, the HomeGrid Forum announced that BT joined the organization and its Board of Directors.


"Today we provide customers everything from voice calling to advanced video on demand offerings. BT supports the G.hn standard as we believe it will enable us to enhance our customers' experience relating to the services
we offer - connecting customers more effectively with content," said Bob Bissell, chief customer environment strategist at BT, and HomeGrid Forum board member.
http://www.HomeGridForum.org

Orange Business Deploys Alcatel-Lucent IP/MPLS in France

Orange Business Services has deployed a new IP/MPLS backbone transit network in France. This national deployment, which was made in 2008 and during the first quarter of 2009 expands Orange Business Services' portfolio of premium business services offered across the country. The upgraded core network consolidates multiple platforms and strengthens the Orange Business Service delivery of premium business services, including Ethernet, IP virtual private networks and advanced voice over IP services, with the reliability and quality of service that businesses require. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.orange-business.com
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

Orange and Alcatel-Lucent Partner on e-Health Initiatives

Orange and Alcatel-Lucent have signed a cooperation agreement to address the healthcare challenges in Europe and emerging markets. The two companies will develop and jointly deliver the next wave of innovative solutions enabling e-Health and enhanced assisted living with a focus on better serving patients and the elderly, increasing the efficiency of business processes for healthcare professionals, and reducing the cost of healthcare delivery. The companies have numerous common references, such as the Polyclinique de Picardie.


Orange currently provides solutions such as « Connected Hospitals » that simplify the work of medical teams by allowing access to patient information at the hospital and improving patient comfort. Similar solutions are also provided at the doctor's office through solution for remote follow-up, online appointment booking, and services. This set of services, developed through Orange Labs' skills and innovative capabilities, also enables patients to be monitored from the comfort of their homes instead of being hospitalized.


Alcatel-Lucent supplies its solutions to the heathcare providers - allowing them to improve patient care by eliminating information silos and, through its Telecare solutions, allow improved care of patients at home who suffer from chronic diseases. Leveraging a strong capacity for innovation through its Bell Labs research arm, Alcatel--Lucent is continuing to invest in the development of innovative healthcare solutions with partners such as the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre (UPMC) in the U.S. by putting the network in the core of the heath organization in order to facilitate access to quality care, safely, and allowing healthcare professionals to benefit from telemedicine contributions for their medical practice.
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
http://www.orange-business.com

China Mobile Selects ST-Ericsson for TD-SCDMA

China Mobile selected ST-Ericsson, the 50/50 joint venture between Ericsson and STMicroelectronics, to develop a new low-cost platform for affordable TD-SCDMA devices for China.

Under the deal, ST-Ericsson will also support customers to develop high-end mobile phones, based on existing and new platforms such as the T7210. With the contract, ST-Ericsson confirms its position as a major technology partner for China Mobile for the development of TD-SCDMA.


ST-Ericsson's T7210 mobile platform supports TD-SCDMA dual-band in 2010-2025MHz/1880-1920MHz frequencies, and has successfully completed handovers of voice and high-speed data services in order to operate optimally in Chinese dual-band network environments. The company's T3G technology has also powered a number of industry firsts in TD-SCDMA, such as:

  • The world's first ASIC based TD-SCDMA system level call achieved in 2004

  • The world's first international TD-SCDMA call in 2004

  • The world's first R.4 (384Kbps) commercial TD-SCDMA dual-mode Samsung phone, powered by T3G's chipset in 2005.


In China's TD-SCDMA deployment plans, the core operating frequency band 2010-2025MHz will be used for the construction of a nationwide network offering voice and low-speed data services, while the 1880-1920MHz band will be used for high-speed data services over TD-HSDPA/HSUPA/HSPA+.
http://www.stericsson.com

Nortel's Next Gen UC Solution First To Achieve JITC-Certification

Nortel's Application Server 5300 (AS 5300), the newest element of the company's Unified Communications Solution (UC), has passed a rigorous test regimen administered by the U.S. Joint Interoperability Test Command. Nortel said this JITC certification makes the solution the first secure, next-generation UC platform to attain Approved Product Listing (APL) certification from the Department of Defense (DOD).


Nortel's Application Server 5300 is a Session Initiated Protocol (SIP)-based UC software solution that provides secure productivity, mobility, conferencing, messaging, personalization, video and collaborative applications. These applications can function as stand alone UC solutions or work together within an organization's legacy voice and data infrastructure - transforming voice networks into true multimedia solutions. DOD's APL status for the AS 5300 solution makes it the first assured services SIP-compliant integrated VoIP/UC platform to achieve certification for purchase by both DOD and civilian government agencies.


The AS 5300 is targeted for the US federal market, The highly-scalable, carrier-grade (99.999 percent uptime) solution operates on commercial, off-the-shelf hardware. In addition to the DOD's recent JITC certification, AS 5300 is government compliant for Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and also meets the Department of Defense PBX1 designation. It provides a secure UC experience via secure signaling and media encryption for the Defense Switched Networks, acts as the interface into the DOD ARTS Network and serves as the foundation for migrating other vendor legacy networks to Nortel UC solutions. The next evolution of the Application Server 5300 will provide both Multi-Function Soft Switch (MFSS) and Local Session Controller (LSC) capability within the Department of Defense Unified Capabilities Architecture.
http://www.nortelgov.com

Kabel BW Selects Nortel and Camiant for Softswitch Solution

Kabel Baden-Württemberg, one of the leading cable network operators in Germany with 2.3 million customers, has selected Nortel's CS 2000 , IP Multimedia Softswitch and Camiant's PacketCable Multimedia policy server to upgrade its infrastructure. Kabel BW plans to supplement traditional voice services with video telephony, interactive gaming and multimedia messaging applications that will give users new methods to communicate with colleagues and friends, even if they are using other networks. SIP is replacing the NCS protocol at Kabel BW as the basis for voice and multimedia communication.


Nortel notes that Kabel BW is one of the first cable network operators in the world to upgrade its network to conform to the SIP and Packet Cable Multimedia (PCMM) standard. PCMM replaces the previous Network Call Signalling (NCS) protocol in cable networks, and makes high-quality bandwidth management for multimedia services possible.


Packet Cable Multimedia (PCMM) is a standard which is based on Internet Protocol (IP) technology and facilitates numerous multimedia services such as IP telephony, multimedia conferences and interactive gaming. The PCMM standard is implemented on Nortel's Communication Server (CS) 2000 , a carrier grade, VoIP Softswitch that is used by MSOs around the world. Nortel's CS 2000 was the first call server to support the PacketCable Multimedia standard.


Nortel and longstanding partner Camiant have achieved a substantial technological lead by developing this PCMM solution using Nortel's Communication Server 2000 in combination with Camiant's Policy Management Server.


Combined with the Adaptive Application Engine SIP software, the Nortel CS 2000 enables very simple and innovative services allowing consumers to easily add phone lines in the house or enhance their phone line with multimedia applications such as video telephony, multi-party conferencing, collaboration and media sharing features. Services offered include secure federated instant messaging, instant file transfer, web push, co-browsing, buddy lists with presence and whiteboarding. The solution also includes Nortel's Personal Agent: A web based self-service line management application that allows users to manage features like do-not-disturb, find me & follow me (set of rules that define how and in which device a call will reach the subscriber depending on caller ID, time of day, day of week, presence status, etc.), click-to-call web services and much more.
http://www.camiant.com
http://www.nortel.com

TPACK Announces FPGA-based OTN Mapper Family

TPACK introduced a family of OTN mappers targeting Optical Transport applications (e.g. MSPPs, MetroWDM, P-OTN and Carrier Ethernet Transport).


TPACK said its P-OCKET devices are suited for both new OTN cross connect systems as well as traditional Muxponder-based systems, and will support line rates from 2.5G (OTU1) to 100G (OTU4). P-OCKET supports efficient and transparent mapping of any client (packet or TDM) into OTN including GE into ODU0 and STM-1/4, OC-3/12 into subrate ODU1 containers. http://www.tpack.com

Level 3 Supplies CDN in Czech Republic

Level 3 Communications is providing content delivery network (CDN) services to Internet BillBoard, a Czech Republic-based company. Level 3's CDN improves online video and flash content delivery for advertising networks, BillBoard and BB Elements, in Eastern European countries, including the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Russia. Level 3's intelligent traffic management technology routes advertising content from the nearest CDN server location to improve video and flash content delivery. These capabilities also provide Internet BillBoard with a single system to distribute advertising content across multiple markets with more consistent quality while unifying operations management.
http://www.level3.com

Virgin Media Selects Motorola's DOCSIS 3.0 I-CMTS

Virgin Media has deployed the Motorola CMTS solution in the UK.

Currently delivering broadband speeds of up to 50 megabits per second, and capable of speeds up to 200 megabits per second, Virgin Media is the first service provider to deliver ultra fast broadband speeds in the UK. Specifically, Virgin Media selected the Motorola BSR 64000 Integrated-CMTS (I-CMTS) solution with TX32 decoupled downstream modules to support market-leading broadband speeds and take advantage of next-generation cable broadband standards such as DOCSIS 3.0 and channel bonding. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.motorola.com

Telia Stofa Selects Motorola to Drive EuroDOCSIS 3.0

Telia Stofa, part of the TeliaSonera telecommunications group, has selected Motorola's SB6120e SURFboard EuroDOCSIS 3.0 cable modem to provide ultra-broadband, high-bandwidth data and multimedia services to customers throughout Denmark. The services will be up to four times faster than DOCSIS 2.0.
http://www.motorola.com

Motorola Debuts Euro Cable Headend for HD

Motorola launched a new HD cable headend solution for the European market.

The solution delivers rate-shaping flexibility needed to simplify the deployment of HD channels in the cable network, especially as cable operators begin or expand their HD services with video on demand (VoD), network digital video recorders or time-shifted TV. New to the platform is support for the DVB SimulCrypt Conditional Access standard, as well as full integration with DataMiner, Skyline's multi-vendor network management platform. Motorola's solution comprises the following components:

  • APEX1000 - a high density EdgeQAM that supports SimulCrypt-compliant conditional access


  • REM1000 - a Redundant Edge Matrix delivering optimized system availability via APEX1000 redundancy


  • New CAP1000 2.0 - CherryPicker Application Platform with MPEG4 and MPEG2 rate shaping.
http://www.motorola.com

Dell'Oro: Optical Transport Market Declines While Asia-Pac Grows 30%

The worldwide optical market declined 11 percent year-over-year led by a sharp contraction in the North American and EMEA regions that was slightly offset by an almost 30 percent growth in the Asia Pacific region, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group. Asia Pacific was the largest market for optical equipment in the first quarter of 2009, an event that last occurred six years ago.


"The two countries that contributed to the strong growth in Asia Pacific were China and India as one is building a network to support 3G mobile services and the other deployed the equipment required to support the high number of new mobile phone subscribers," said Jimmy Yu, Director of Optical Transport research at Dell'Oro Group. "This dynamic shift in optical deployment to Asia Pacific had a number of effects including a movement towards SONET/SDH from DWDM, and a reallocation in the vendor landscape where vendors supplying China and India such as ECI Telecom, Huawei, Tejas and ZTE, have gained share and revenue compared to a year ago," Yu added.

The vendors with leading market share in the quarter were Huawei, Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel, and Fujitsu. Huawei was the lead worldwide vendor in the quarter with a market share gain of 8 percentage points above that in the first quarter last year.


See video highlights of this report:


1. What were some of your key findings in the 1Q09 Optical Report?


2. What's driving growth in Asia Pacific?


3. How has the growth in Asia Pacific affected the vendors?


4. Has your 2009 forecast changed?






http://www.delloro.com