Lebanon's OGERO Picks Zhone for Network Access

OGERO, the incumbent telecommunications operator of the government of Lebanon has named Zhone Technologies as its preferred IP access equipment provider. OGERO selected Zhone equipment to support several major projects which include public Wi-Fi access throughout the capital city of Beirut, and ADSL2+, EFM and VDSL2 deployments nationwide. Financial terms were not disclosed.

As the national incumbent in Lebanon, OGERO has already successfully rolled out services to over 75 percent of the country's DSL subscriber base using Zhone's MALC multi-service access platforms (MSAPs) and 8800 IP DSLAMs.

SkyZhone, Zhone's metro Wi-Fi solution, enables OGERO to leverage their existing copper infrastructure and Zhone management system (ZMS) which significantly reduces cost of provisioning and operations. SkyZhone is the only metro Wi-Fi system to provide integrated DSL backhaul and line powering coupled with an 802.11n, all-MIMO antenna architecture.
http://www.zhone.com

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VeriSign to Sell Messaging Business to Syniverse for $175 Million

VeriSign agreed to sell its Messaging Business to Syniverse Holdings (NYSE: SVR) for $175 million in cash. The business has an annual revenue run-rate of approximately $140 million over the last 12 months. The business unit has approximately 300 employees, of which 100 are based in India.

The deal combines Syniverse's NEXT Advanced Messaging Hub and messaging services with with four of VeriSign's operator and enterprise messaging solutions:

• Inter-Carrier Gateway enables operators to deliver inter-carrier person-to-person SMS and MMS messages across geographies and technologies.


• PictureMail -- provides an MMS platform with core components that include a hosted MMS service center (MMSC) for MMS routing, handset photo applications, a social networking interface, and photo storage and sharing capabilities.


• Premium Messaging Gateway -- manages delivery of "off-portal" or third-party content to subscribers.


• Mobile Enterprise Solutions -- enables businesses to send time- and event-based messages or alerts via voice, text message or email to customers, employees or partners, and allows operators to offer their high-value customers a broader array of services, including enterprise and mobile financial services.

"As mobile messaging volumes continue to experience double-digit growth, Syniverse will have the scale, reach and capabilities needed to provide mobile operators -- large or small -- with greater vendor choice and faster time to market for the services subscribers demand. Ultimately, the mobile consumer will benefit from more messaging services and applications," stated Tony Holcombe, President and CEO, Syniverse.


"Even under challenging economic conditions, we have continued to execute on our divestiture strategy through aligning with buyers with complementary strengths," said Mark McLaughlin, president and CEO of VeriSign. "We are pleased to continue making progress on our divestiture program with this latest agreement with Syniverse."http://www.verisign.com
http://www.syniverse.com

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Alloptic's RFoG Deployed in St. Kitts

The Cable of St. Kitts has selected Alloptic's RFoG equipment to upgrade its network and extend its advanced broadband service offerings to customers on St. Kitts.

The Cable provides cable television, voice and data services to homes and businesses on St. Kitts.

Two high end developments on St. Kitts are now leveraging The Cable's fiber-based broadband services, demonstrating how both FTTx and advanced Smart Home applications add value to their properties. At Sundance Ridge for example, the model home showcases advanced home automation via the ability to completely monitor and control all of the electrically-connected items in the house including remotely opening and closing of hurricane shutters.
"While St. Kitts primary industry is tourism, there is still great demand for high end communication services by both full time citizens and by visitors, many of whom expect and rely on access to high speed, high quality connections to the rest of the world," said The Cable's General Manager, Bill Ewing. "The Cable prides itself in providing not only traditional video, but also in providing exceptional voice, data, and specialized communications services."http://www.alloptic.com

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Vietnam's VTN selects Alcatel-Lucent for Network Transformation

Vietnam Telecom National (VTN), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vietnam Posts & Telecommunications Corporation Group (VNPT), selected Alcatel-Lucent to provide its IP and optical solutions . Under the contracts, Alcatel-Lucent will provide its IP/MPLS solutions, including the 7750 Service Router(SR) and the 5620 Service Aware Manager (SAM).

Alcatel-Lucent will also supply its 1850 Transport Service Switch (1850 TSS) and 1830 Photonic Service Switch (1830 PSS). Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

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Dell'Oro: Router Market Rebounds in Q2

The worldwide service provider router market rebounded from the dismal first quarter performance with a solid 9 percent increase in the second quarter of 2009, according to a newly published report by Dell'Oro Group. Stronger demand in North America and the Asia Pacific region was largely responsible for the market growth. Router manufacturers Tellabs, Cisco, and Alcatel-Lucent led the resurgence with double-digit growth rates.

"What we saw in the second quarter was that service providers had a bit more confidence in the economic outlook and were much more willing to make capital investments," said Shin Umeda, Vice President at Dell'Oro Group. "We are not out of the woods yet, but it does look like the first quarter was the low-point in this downturn," added Umeda.
http://www.delloro.com

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Blue Coat's Revenue Rises 13% YOY to $116 Million

Blue Coat Systems reported net revenue of $116 million for its first fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2009, an increase of 13% compared with net revenue of $103 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2009, and an increase of 2% compared with net revenue of $114 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009.

On a GAAP basis, the company reported net income of $4 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, in the first quarter of fiscal 2010, compared with net loss of $6 million, or $(0.15) per share, in the first quarter of fiscal 2009, and net loss of $3 million, or $(0.09) per share, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009.

"Blue Coat delivered solid quarterly results in a challenging economic environment," said Brian NeSmith, president and chief executive officer, Blue Coat Systems. "In the first quarter, our revenue and non-GAAP EPS performance met our expectations, and we experienced good cash generation. Importantly, we improved non-GAAP operating profitability, as driving better leverage in our business model continues to be a strategic initiative for Blue Coat in 2010."http://www.bluecoat.com

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Verizon Business Offer IP-Enabled Automated Speech Recognition

Verizon Business is now offering its speech services in an IP-enabled version. Customers are now able to run their speech services on the Verizon's Hosted IP Interactive Voice Response (IVR) platform, as an alternative or in addition to its traditional Hosted IVR platform. Customers can choose to have Verizon Business host the services, manage them, or simply provide customer premises equipment.

Verizon Business' IP IVR service, together with VoIP Inbound, enables customers to efficiently manage and route inbound calls, with the flexibility to deliver customer calls to either traditional or IP-based contact centers.
http://www.verizonbusiness.com

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Yahoo! Implements GIPS Codec for Messenger Video Calling

Release 10 of Yahoo! Messenger implements Global IP Solutions' GIPS VideoEngine to enable new high-quality video calling. Since early 2006, GIPS has provided the underlying voice technology for Yahoo! Messenger, allowing friends, family and colleagues to communicate. Now with the addition of the video calling feature, everyone on Yahoo! Messenger can enjoy video calls enabled by GIPS VideoEngine for superior sound, picture quality and user experience.

"With the launch of Yahoo! Messenger 10, we're allowing people to instantly communicate with friends and family around the world through new interactive and social features like video calls," said Dave Merriwether, senior director of Yahoo! Messenger.
http://messenger.yahoo.com/winbetahttp://www.gipscorp.com

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Verizon Provides FiOS Customers with Service Management App

Verizon is now providing its FiOS customers with direct access to an application that performs many of the same setup, management and troubleshooting functions that previously required assistance from a help desk representative. Back-office systems and information resources have been integrated to create a tool that operates with point-and-click simplicity to perform functions like configuring a new PC to work on a home Wi-Fi network, setting up e-mail accounts, and automatically fixing Internet access or video problems.

The Verizon In-Home Agent leverages the unique capabilities of the Verizon FiOS network to provide help with support issues -- within a single application -- for Verizon FiOS customers. The home network connects the PC, broadband home router, set-top box and TV in FiOS-enabled homes and links to various Verizon operating systems and information resources.

In addition to the In-Home Agent, Verizon also has introduced a series of "quick codes" on the TV screen that, when utilized, can quickly identify and resolve a customer's FiOS TV problems or subscribe on the spot to many video options. For example, customers who get a "channel not available" or other on-screen message are given instructions on how to restore or establish service: They dial a toll-free number, enter a four-digit code, both of which appear on the screen, and the networked systems can either authorize service on the channel or provide instructions for subscription or restore the channel by cross-checking the customer's account.

Later this year, subscribers will be able to initiate the support inquiries and solutions by just pressing a button on the FiOS TV's remote control, eliminating the need to make a phone call.
http://www.verizon.com

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Tellabs 7100 Optical Transport Selected to Support U.S. Army Base Modernization

General Dynamics, a prime contractor for the U.S. Army's Infrastructure Modernization (IMOD) program, selected Tellabs Government Systems to deliver a secure, highly reliable optical transport network between Army bases in Texas and New Mexico. Specifically, General Dynamics will deploy the Tellabs 7100 Optical Transport System between White Sands Missile Range and the Fort Bliss Range Complex. The contiguous bases form the largest military installation in the United States, encompassing almost 3,200 square miles. The JITC-certified Tellabs 7100 system converges advanced optical networking and services layer technologies onto one seamless platform. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.tellabs.com

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AT&T Expands Wi-Fi Footprint to 125,000 Hotspots

AT&T announced the addition of nearly 25,000 new Wi-Fi hotspots in countries across Europe and in China. The new locations bring the total of worldwide hotspots available to AT&T users to 125,000, representing a nearly 30 percent expansion of its global Wi-Fi footprint since the beginning of the year.

The additional hotspots will enable AT&T Remote Access enterprise customers to connect to their corporate networks from more locations across Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Croatia, the Netherlands, the UK and China. These locations include a variety of popular coffee shops, bookstores, hotels, airports, restaurants and convention centers. The new China hotspots are already activated, and the additional European hotspots will be activated over the next 45 days.


AT&T noted that during Q2 it handled nearly 15 million Wi-Fi connections to its U.S. Network. With approximately 25.6 million connections during the first half of 2009, AT&T Wi-Fi connections had already surpassed the 20 million connections seen in all of 2008.

Additionally, AT&T announced new features that are planned for the AT&T Global Network Client -- the remote access software that creates a gateway for Wi-Fi users to establish a highly-secure, virtual private network (VPN) connection to their corporate enterprises. The enhancements will include support for Windows 7, support for connecting to VPNs using Ipv6, a single installation package for all supported languages (English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish), and improved support for persons with certain visual disabilities.
http://www.att.com

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AT&T Delivers 3G for Sony's Reader Daily Edition

Sony introduced a new Reader Daily Edition featuring built-in 3G mobile access in the U.S. to the Sony's eBook store via AT&T's network. Users will be able to browse, purchase and download books as well as select newspapers and magazines without paying monthly network access fees or transaction charges for the basic wireless connectivity. Users still have the option to side load personal documents or content from other compatible sites via USB.

Sony's new Reader Daily Edition features a seven-inch wide, touch screen display that provides navigation and reading in portrait or landscape orientation. In portrait mode, about 30-35 lines of text are visible, making the experience very similar to that of a printed paperback book. It has enough internal memory to hold more than one thousand standard eBooks and expansion slots for memory cards to hold even more. It will sell for about $399.
http://news.sel.sony.com/en

• Sprint provides wireless connectivity for Amazon.com's Kindle reader.

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Dell Offers Storage Arrays with 10 Gigabit Ethernet

Dell announced new high-speed storage and networking options with 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) connectivity. Dell expects availability of these additions next month:

• 10Gb iSCSI -- UltraFlex Modular I/O on the CX4 arrays allows customers to add additional ports when needed. Since the arrays are dual-mode, supporting 8Gb and 4Gb Fibre Channel and 10Gb and 1Gb iSCSI ports, customers can choose the interconnect that best suits their needs. Adding 10Gb iSCSI enables customers to affordably consolidate stranded servers onto an existing SAN, support more virtual servers and aggregate multiple 1Gb iSCSI connections to fewer 10Gb ones.



• Virtualization-aware Navisphere management software -- helps simplify storage in virtual environments with automation that has the potential to drastically reduce reporting time. Navisphere enhancements for virtualized environments provides automatic discovery of virtual machines and VMWare ESX servers, end-to-end virtual-to-physical machine mapping, and advanced search for instant virtual machine discovery.



• Drive spin down has been added as a standard feature of the CX4 series arrays, further enhancing the ability of the CX4 to help reduce power and cooling requirements.

http://www.dell.com

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