Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Wiretapping Lawsuits Dismissed in Court

A federal judge dismissed dozens of lawsuits over illegal domestic surveillance of American citizens approved by the Bush Administration, ruling that telecommunications companies had immunity from liability under the controversial FISA Amendments Act (FISAAA). The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which had filed the lawsuits, vowed to appeal the decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that FISAAA is unconstitutional. At stake was a potential billions of dollars in damages which the plaintiffs had sought from AT&T and other major carriers for tapping Internet traffic of U.S. citizens without a warrant. Lawyers now representing the Obama administration had continued to seek dismissal of the lawsuits on the same grounds that the cooperation of the carriers was vital to national security.
http://www.eff.org

Alcatel-Lucent Supplies VDSL2 for China's Guangdong Telecom

Guangdong Telecom, a subsidiary of China Telecom, selected Alcatel-Lucent to roll out a VDSL2 network in Guangdong Province. Guangdong Telecom is the first carrier to deploy a VDSL2 network solution in China. Specifically, Alcatel-Lucent will deliver a VDSL2 solution based on its 7302 Intelligent Services Access Manager (ISAM), part of Alcatel-Lucent's ISAM family. Financial terms were not disclosed.


The contract was secured through Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell.
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

Femto Forum and WiMAX Forum Collaborate on WiMAX Femtocells

The Femto Forum and the WiMAX Forum have agreed to collaborate on the development of WiMAX Femtocell Access Point (WFAP) specifications that will address topics such as end-to-end QoS, provisioning, network entry and authentication, power optimization, and mobility management. The specifications will also support for emergency services, lawful intercept, and location-based services.
http://www.wimaxforum.org

2009 Mobile Asia Congress Scheduled for November in Hong Kong

The 2009 Mobile Asia Congress will be held 18-19 November 2009 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Under the banner "Inspiring the Mobile Future", the 2009 Mobile Asia Congress will bring together the leadership of Asian mobile operators and key players in the broader mobile ecosystem in an exclusive forum for sharing the visions and strategies that will shape the mobile future.


The Call for Papers for speaking opportunities at the 2009 Mobile Asia Congress is now open.
http://www.mobileasiacongress.com

Oclaro and Newport to Exchange Strategic Photonic Assets

Oclaro (the new company formed through the recent merger of Bookham and Avanex) announced a definitive agreement with Newport to swap several strategic assets.


Under the deal, Newport will acquire the New Focus business of Oclaro's Advanced Photonics Solutions division in exchange for the Newport Spectra Physics high power laser diodes business. Oclaro will also receive $3 million in cash proceeds which is expected to fund the substantial portion of related transition and integration costs.


Oclaro said the exchange enables it to expand its High Power Laser Diode portfolio with a deeper expertise in systems and packaging to target higher value solutions in new markets. Upon closing, Oclaro is positioned to become the largest merchant supplier to the high power laser diodes market. This portfolio has the potential to yield gross margins of 40% or better.


The agreement includes a 4-year supply agreement whereby Oclaro will be sole source supplier of diodes to Newport Spectra Physics for a one year period followed by majority allotment for the next three years. Oclaro will purchase the operating assets of the Spectra Physics Tucson, Arizona facility, as well as the intellectual property of the diodes business, while Newport retains all obligations under the facility lease.
http://www.oclaro.com

Verizon Business Launches Cloud-Based "Computing as a Service"

Verizon Business introduced an on-demand, "cloud-based" Computing as a Service (CaaS) solution designed to help businesses and government agencies take advantage of cloud (IP-based) computing .


The service - which leverages Verizon's global IP infrastructure and data centers - enables mid-market and larger companies to use a Web-based portal to employ computing resources in the quantities and duration dictated by their business needs. As a result, businesses pay for the resources used and avoid having to build out for peak capacity requirements by buying new equipment and adding staff. CaaS allows companies to do internal charge-backs for resources consumed by individual departments or business units and provides a foundation for IT expansion. CaaS can be used for either Web-based or corporate applications running over Verizon's public IP network or its MPLS-based private network, Private IP.


Customers have access to a real-time, self-service portal that lets them dynamically provision and manage physical and virtual servers, network devices, storage, and backup services. The portal is accessed through the Verizon Enterprise Center, a one-stop resource for customers to manage all of their Verizon services.


Verizon Business said it has built strong security features into its CaaS offering. These include secure connections to customer-provisioned resources, as well as multi-tiered network with virtual firewall and an audit trail for all changes. Customers can also opt for a third tier of optional, add-on security services including identity and access management, host intrusion detection, application vulnerability assessment, network application assessment and professional security services.


"Our new best-in-class solution offers enterprises an unbeatable combination of IT resources and professional services to help them rethink how they use computing resources to advance their business," said Nancy Gofus, Verizon senior vice president - global product development. "With Verizon CaaS, we are ushering in a new era of computing; one that offers enterprises security, resiliency and scalability on demand with a whole new level of flexibility and a low cost structure."http://www.verizonbusiness.com/us/itsolutions

AT&T Small Business Wireless-Wired Bundle for $100

AT&T introduced a bundled offer targeted at small businesses that includes wireless, wired and high speed Internet services, starting at less than $100 a month.

The "All for Less" bundle is now available to qualifying small business customers (one to four lines in a single location) across AT&T's 22-state footprint. The services, which come on one consolidated bill, include:http://www.att.com/onwardsmallbusiness

MobiTV Surpasses Seven Million Subscribers

MobiTV now has more than seven million subscribers for its mobile content service. MobiTV is now available on more than 350 handsets across 20 carrier networks, including Sprint, AT&T and Alltel in the U.S.


"We are clearly seeing an increase in mobile television consumption," said Charlie Nooney, Chairman and CEO, MobiTV. "With the addition of two million new subscribers in less than six months, MobiTV continues to expand its lead in the mobile media market by providing new, personal, relevant and immediate content to our viewers. We are about to hit the tipping point for mobile media, one that will move it from a novelty to the mainstream."http://www.mobitv.com

Global Crossing Upgrades Network Capacity

Global Crossing is significantly expanding capacity on its Mid-Atlantic Crossing (MAC), South American Crossing (SAC) and Pan American Crossing (PAC) undersea fiber-optic cable systems to meet growing demand for converged services.The company is adding capacity to its MAC and SAC subsea systems. Upgrades to the MAC, targeted for the third quarter of this year, include adding capacity on all routes between New York, St. Croix, and Florida.


Upgrades to SAC will include adding capacity across all system segments, including the Trans-Andean Crossing (TAC), and the crossing among Panama, Venezuela and the Virgin Islands. These upgrades will be ready for service on a phased schedule during the third and fourth quarters of this year.


In addition, an upgrade of the PAC, between Fort Amador, Panama, and Grover Beach, California, also is under way and is targeted for service in the fourth quarter of this year. The PAC connects the United States' west coast to Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama.


During the first half of 2009, Global Crossing also will complete upgrades to the southern route of its Atlantic Crossing 1 (AC-1) undersea fiber-optic cable system, adding capacity between New York City and the United Kingdom. The company is on schedule to complete upgrades to Atlantic Crossing 1 North, which connects Brookhaven, New York, to Germany and the Netherlands. The company announced in January that it planned to add 600 Gigabits per second (Gbps) of transport capacity to the AC-1 Northern and Southern routes.


"The investments we are making are in response to the continued demand Global Crossing is experiencing across our global network," said John Legere, Global Crossing's CEO. "We are increasing capacity on our undersea systems to accommodate our enterprise, carrier and service provider customers' requirements for IP connectivity and transport services, such as video over IP, social media and content delivery networks."http://www.globalcrossing.com

BT Completes Inter-Company Cisco TelePresence Call

BT completed its first exchange-to-exchange intercompany Cisco TelePresence meeting with a call between a global retail provider and Kraft on the BT Global Video Exchange. BT said that completing the call between differing exchange networks demonstrates the feasibility of intercompany Cisco TelePresence services.


BT Global Video Exchange is a service that allows Cisco TelePresence connections between companies, driving more use and a faster return on investment. http://www.bt.com/conferencing