NTT DOCOMO Selects Stoke's Mobile Gateway

NTT DOCOMO has selected Stoke's mobile broadband access gateway to deliver a new commercial service.

Details on this new service have not yet been announced. Stoke's gateway will be delivered by Net One Systems Co., Ltd., Japan's leading networking and systems integration provider. The systems will be in service in 2009. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Stoke said its Session Exchange 3000 (SSX-3000) will allow NTT DOCOMO to provide improved service and expand accessibility for users. The solution will enhance NTT DOCOMO's ability to manage the increasing mobile broadband traffic on their RAN and backhaul infrastructure.


Stokes' SSX-3000 is a high density gateway ATCA-based platform designed to provide stateful management of tens of thousands of secure subscriber sessions over multiple access types. It scales to deliver 16 Gbps throughput and up to 240k active IPSec sessions. It performs L4-L7 traffic classification, encryption & decryption, policy enforcement, QoS and accounting at line rates.


Vikash Varma, president and chief executive officer at Stoke, added, "Stoke's products have been built on the all-IP based architecture for the mobile broadband market. The decision by NTT DOCOMO marks a huge endorsement of the SSX-3000 as the gateway of top-tier carriers' choice."http://www.stoke.com

• Stoke is based in Santa Clara, California.



• In April 2009, Stoke announced $15 million in Series D funding, bringing the company's total funding to date to more than $65 million. The financing for the first time includes investment by Net One Systems Co. Ltd, Japan's leading networking and systems integration provider. Also included in this round are existing investors Reliance Technology Ventures Limited (RTVL), the corporate venture capital arm of the Reliance ADA Group, DAG Ventures, Integral Capital Partners, Pilot House Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.



• Stoke is headed by Vikash Varma, who previously was President - Worldwide Sales, Marketing & Field Operations at CloudShield Technologies.

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Ciena Powers Telehouse's new Paris Data Center

Telehouse Europe has selected Ciena's CN 4200 FlexSelect Advanced Services Platform for the new Telehouse 3 data storage facility in Magny-les-Hameaux near Paris.


Established in 1988 and owned by Japanese service provider KDDI, Telehouse Europe offers data center facilities and connectivity, providing a secure and resilient platform for mission critical IT systems, to more than 800 customers, from small start-ups to multinationals across a wide range of industries. Telehouse's new French facility already counts 15,000 square meters of building space, and is planned to become the largest data center in France. Ciena's CN 4200 is deployed in a point-to-point optical network with protection routes, seamlessly connecting Telehouse 3 with the Voltaire facility in central Paris. Once operational, the new Telehouse facility immediately began providing Fibre Channel and Ethernet services for customers, with the latter spanning from 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps.
http://www.ciena.com
http://www.telehouse.net

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Ixia Announces Corporate Restructuring and Job Cuts

Ixia announced a company-wide restructuring initiative expected to produce annual cost savings of approximately $6 million. The restructuring plan includes a reduction of staffing. Approximately 75 to 80 positions will be eliminated through this restructuring, which represents a 9 to 10% reduction in Ixia's worldwide work force. The company will also write down approximately $1 to $2 million of slow moving and impaired inventory in the second quarter.


Ixia also reiterated its revenue guidance of $35 million to $40 million for the second quarter of 2009. Excluding the impact of the restructuring expenses and of the inventory write-down and other non-cash charges, the company expects non-GAAP earnings to be in a range of a loss of $0.02 per share to earnings of $0.03 per diluted share. On a GAAP basis, including all of these charges, we expect to report a loss in a range of $0.05 to $0.10 per share.
http://www.ixiacom.com

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Sprint Offers Femtocell for Wholesale Partners

Sprint has begun offering a femtocell solution to its wholesale partners.


A femtocell functions like a mini cell tower. It provides improved wireless coverage up to 5,000 square feet by creating a CDMA network signal within the customer's home or small office. The service works with any Sprint phone and requires an existing Internet broadband connection to carry the call back to the main Sprint network.


Sprint said that when compared to unlicensed spectrum solutions (e.g., typical public WiFi network solutions), the femtocell offers more reliable performance and less interference. Furthermore, a femtocell allows wireline and cable partners to add wireless to their portfolio, which is especially important as "cord cutting" continues to spike in tough economic times.
http://www.sprint.com

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Toshiba Launches New DECT Cordless Telephone with 7X Range

Toshiba America Information Systems introduced its next-generation digital DECT cordless telephone for the Toshiba Strata CIX family of VoIP business communication systems. The new Toshiba DECT cordless telephone offers up to seven times the range of other cordless telephones. Key features include:

• Up to seven times the range of other cordless telephones


• Ability to use up to six repeaters per base station for an extended range of up to 1,000 feet in open areas


• Compatibility with Toshiba DKT2000, DKT3000, or DP5000 series desk telephones, including simultaneous ring


• Access to advanced features on the Strata CIX VoIP system
  
• Integration into existing Toshiba Strata CIX VoIP systems


• Two-line LCD with 24-character display, plus one line for icons


• Dedicated talk, redial, hold, message, cnf/Trn, Menu/Mute, and Speaker keys


• Four programmable keys plus four speed-dial keys


• Ringer and handset volume control


• Auto Standby and Auto Talk


• Secure Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM) voice code combination

http://www.toshiba.com

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FLO TV Set to Expand Nationwide Network Following This Week's DTV Transition

Qualcomm's FLO TV subsidiary, which supplies a live mobile TV service, is poised to expand its service nationwide following the DTV transition on June 12, which frees up broadband spectrum for FLO TV's dedicated network.


FLO TV will expand into 39 new markets, offering its service to an additional 60 million customers with a total reach of more than 100 major markets and more than 200 million potential consumers nationwide by the end of 2009. This will complete FLO TV's creation of the only dedicated, linear, live mobile TV network, allowing consumers to access broadcast-quality news, sports and entertainment on their mobile devices.


Fifteen new markets will go live immediately following the DTV transition on June 12, bringing service to major markets such as Boston, Houston, Miami and San Francisco, while others will follow throughout the year. In addition to adding new markets, immediately upon the transition, FLO TV also will expand service in existing markets including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC.
http://www.flotv.com

• In January, FLO TV announced that it has teamed with Audiovox, the marketer of automotive entertainment systems, to be the exclusive supplier of in-vehicle units that will work with a car's existing video viewing equipment to enable passengers to watch FLO TV in their cars. In addition, Audiovox also will produce the only FLO TV-ready overhead drop down video as well as head rest systems units in the market. Continued cooperation with leading companies will ensure that FLO TV is available to consumers across multiple platforms in conjunction with the expansion in service coverage.

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Dr. Paul Liao to Head CableLabs

Dr. Paul Liao has been chosen to serve as the next President and CEO of CableLabs. Liao replaces Dr. Richard R. Green, who has led the laboratory since September 1988. Green announced in September 2008 that he would retire as CEO of CableLabs when his contract expires in December 2009.


Dr. Liao most recently served as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for the Panasonic Corporation of North America and has led Panasonic's technology direction and R&D in North America. Prior to joining Panasonic, he held a number of positions at Bell Communications Research, Inc. (Bellcore) and Bell Laboratories. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University and is a recipient of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Millennium Medal.
http://www.cablelabs.com

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AT&T Enhances Its Managed Telepresence With Multi-point Encryption

AT&T announced a set of security enhancements to its telepresence service. Users will now be able to conduct meetings that are encrypted for business and security reasons, share videos and control who joins a call.


Specifically, AT&T now offers encryption between Cisco TelePresence endpoints in point-to-point or multi-point business to business meetings. Users of the AT&T Business Exchange can establish encrypted connections with the intercompany-enabled Cisco TelePresence endpoints deployed worldwide. The encryption status for all rooms is indicated on-screen at the start of a call and on the phone at all times, providing meeting participants with real-time status.
http://www.att.com/telepresence

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Alcatel-Lucent Supplies Mobile Backhaul for Florida's FPL FiberNet

FPL FiberNet is deploying Alcatel-Lucent's packet optical transport solution for mobile backhaul. The deployment includes key elements of Alcatel-Lucent's Mobile Evolution Transport Architecture (META) solution, including the 1850 Transport Service Switch (TSS) for aggregating and transporting multiple types of traffic - from SONET to Ethernet to packet.


FPL FiberNet serves telecom companies, wireless carriers, Internet service providers, enterprise and government customers in Florida through its fiber-optic network.


"As the market moves from optical services to more packet-based services, FPL FiberNet is strategically investing in equipment that allows us to have a seamless transition to all-IP," said Carmen Perez, President of FPL FiberNet.

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/metahttp://www.FPLGroup.com

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Microsoft Certifies Interoute's SIP for Office Services

Microsoft has certified Interoute as the first European service provider to supply Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking for Microsoft Office. Enterprises can now use Interoute One to make free computer to computer calls. Businesses can also avoid international roaming charges on all other calls.


Microsoft's certification of Interoute One means Interoute's customers can benefit from full Microsoft OCS R2 support. Interoute is also offering a free trial of outbound calling to OCS customers.
http://www.interouteone.com

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Ericsson Publishes Energy Metrics for Edge Gear

Ericsson published a set of new metrics for measuring the energy efficiency of edge networking platforms. The company calculates that its network IP edge and metro platforms deliver the industry's lowest energy consumption based on these metrics.


Ericsson said that with energy usage accounting for up to 50 percent of an operator's operating expenses, energy costs continuing to rise, and IP technology delivering new bandwidth-intensive services to an ever-growing number of fixed and mobile subscribers, service providers need greater insight into how specific platforms use energy and where to find efficiencies without impacting service.


Unlike previous energy efficiency guidelines for network gear that measured Watts-per-GigE-port, Ericsson's new metrics provide a means to calculate energy usage granularly by subscriber and circuit.


The new metrics are the latest sustainability effort from Ericsson, which in 2008 committed to providing up to a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions per subscriber across its product portfolio within five years. In addition to the focus on the IP edge and metro Ethernet, Ericsson has reported significant reductions in energy usage for its WCDMA radio base stations (an 80 percent improvement in energy efficiency from 2001 to 2008), for its mobile softswitch solution (60 percent more efficiency per subscriber), and for site power management.


Ericsson commissioned Iometrix to test and verify the results of the SmartEdge Multi Service Edge Router and SM 480 metro Ethernet platform using the new metrics. Iometrix reported both platforms became more efficient the higher the subscriber or circuit load.


For the IP edge, Iometrix tested the power needed to deliver multimedia-enabled subscriber services for varying traffic loads for up to 256,000 subscribers. The SmartEdge delivered 5.16 mWatts per subscriber. That represents a 70 percent to 92 percent power savings per subscriber, Ericsson said. Meanwhile, results for the metro found that the SM 480 delivered 5.375mWatts per circuit per Virtual Leased Line for up to 256,000 subscribers, a power savings of 72 to 77 percent per circuit compared to data from competitors, Ericsson said.



The Iometrix test results are in line with the Telecommunications Energy Efficiency Ratio (TEER) methodology and standards set by ATIS, an industry standards body providing technical and operations standards for information, entertainment and communications technologies. As a member of ATIS, Ericsson has supported the creation of energy efficiency standard measurement methods and metrics. The TEER calculation for the Ericsson SmartEdge for 256,000 subscribers is 196 subscribers per watt (5.0 milliwatts per subscriber). The TEER calculation for the Ericsson SM 480 is 193 circuits per watt (5.2 milliwatts per circuit).


"IP Edge and metro Ethernet networks are measured in large part by subscriber and circuit densities and the efficiency with which services can be created and delivered," said Simon Williams, SVP Strategy, Products, Marketing for Ericsson Packet Networks. "Metrics that build linkages between service creation and energy consumption are inherently more pragmatic in helping carriers optimize their networks for maximum service delivery and efficiency."http://www.ericsson.com

• In 2008, Ericsson set its first Group-level carbon footprint target, aiming for a 40 percent reduction over five years, and starting with a 10 percent reduction in 2009. Initiatives include reducing its own energy-consumption, improving the energy efficiency of both GSM and WCDMA radio base stations as well as other products, and encouraging the use of communications to accelerate the shift from physical to virtual infrastructure and services, contributing to the creation of a low-carbon economy.
  
  
  Carl-Henric Svanberg says: "During 2008, our technology has been used around the globe to reduce energy consumption and the corresponding CO2 emissions, demonstrating our firm belief that telecommunications is both an essential part of the equation in solving global climate change and critical to the development of more carbon-lean societies.
  
  
  "At the same time, we have shown that our technology has the power to change lives. We have played a crucial role in bringing telecommunications to the poorest of the poor in sub-Saharan Africa, by harnessing the power of telecommunications as a tool for accessing basic services and information and improving people's lives."
  
  
  The 44-page report also includes details on the performance of Ericsson's risk-based approach to monitoring compliance with its Supplier Code of Conduct. The Code ensures that suppliers understand and meet Ericsson's requirements for environmental and social standards, and reflects the company's commitment to being an agent of change.

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Nepalese Provider Selects Ekinops for DWDM

Subisu CableNet Pvt. Ltd., a fast-growing service provider in Nepal, has launched a major network expansion throughout the country, using optical transport equipment from Ekinops. The Ekinops 360 platform is at the heart of the new Subisu optical network, which features regional DWDM, multi-protocol aggregation, and transport over optical fiber. Currently, the network links five cities via four segments and Subisu has plans to expand the network to additional cities later this year.
http://www.ekinops.nethttp://www.subisu.net.np

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