BLOCKBUSTER Deploys Widevine for Internet Movie Service

Widevine announced a deal to supply its DRM and video optimization for the BLOCKBUSTER On Demand Service, which enable U.S. customers to browse and rent movie titles directly through an connected device such as Samsung's Blu-ray players and televisions.Widevine said its multiplatform, multiformat DRM solution enables Blockbuster to deliver content to any device, in any format for the widest audience possible. Its video optimization tools are optimized for content streamed over the Internet. This includes instant startups, no buffering and trick...

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Russia's Yota Builds Mobile WiMAX Network in Nicaragua

Yota, which operates mobile WiMAX networks in Moscow, ST. Petersburg and other Russian cities, is also deploying mobile WiMAX in Managua, Nicaragua. The Yota network was rolled out in record time - in three months since the beginning of construction.In July 2009, the public international tender for 2.5-2.7 GHz spectrum was announced in order to provide the whole territory of Nicaragua with communications services based upon the Mobile WiMAX standard....

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Comcast Launches On Demand Online Fancast Service

Comcast announced nationwide availability of its Fancast XFINITY TV online service in in beta at no additional cost to customers. The new service gives customers an "anytime anywhere" entertainment experience -- at home and on-the-go - and expands the video content customers can watch online by giving them quick and easy access to thousands of hours of cable TV shows, movies and independently produced content. Both Comcast customers and non-Comcast...

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Sandvine and Optenet Develop Network-based Parental Controls

Sandvine and Optenet announced a strategic partnership to launch optimized parental controls for broadband subscribers worldwide. The integrated solution leverages OpenNet's content filtering and threat analysis technology and Sandvine's application- and subscriber-awareness platform.The companies said their joint solution provides real-time classification of Web content, with the capability for subscribers to configure preferences at an individual...

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HDBaseT Alliance Targets Whole-home Video Distribution

A new cross-industry HDBaseT Alliance has been established to promote and standardize "HDBaseT" technology for whole-home distribution of uncompressed HD multimedia content. Founding members of the group include LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Valens Semiconductor.HDBaseT aims to provide a way to connect TVs and other display equipment with entertainment devices, such as a Blu-ray DVD player, for in-home converged...

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SK Telecom Selects Alcatel-Lucent's Packet Optical Transport

SK Telecom, which serves over 24 million mobile subscribers in Korea, awarded a new contract to Alcatel-Lucent to deploy a mobile backhaul network and assist SK Telecom's Packet Transport System (PTS) business in its network evolution.Alcatel-Lucent will deploy its 1850 Transport Service Switch (TSS) implementing innovative features like T-MPLS with alignment with MPLS-TP, to optimize traffic transport and aggregation from the base stations to the...

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Hibernia Acquires MediaXstream for HD Video Transport

Hibernia Atlantic, which operates a trans-Atlantic undersea cable system, has acquired MediaXstream Inc., a provider of transport and managed network services for the media production and broadcast industries. MediaXstream is currently operational in 20 major markets in the U.S. and Europe, serving the increasingly growing demand for High Definition video networking and production services by TV and film production, sports, news, mobile content and...

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Silver Spring Networks Raises $100 Million for Smart Grid solutions

Silver Spring Networks, a start-up based in Redwood City, California, announced the closing of a $100 million preferred equity round to support its development of new smart grid applications. The investment round was led by institutional investors and included existing investors Google Ventures, Foundation Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Northgate Capital. Silver Spring provides the hardware, software and services that allow utilities...

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Verizon Wireless Adds Free Access at Thousands of Wi-Fi Hotspots

Verizon Wireless has begun offering its mobile broadband customers with access to thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots at no additional charge. Verizon Wi-Fi is available in locations across the United States, including airports, bookstores, coffee shops, hotels and other public locations. The service is also available at locations in Canada and Mexico, so customers can reduce data roaming charges in those countries when connected to a Verizon Wi-Fi hotspot....

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Broadcom Supports IEEE P802.3az Energy Saving Silicon

Broadcom announced a range of new silicon devices that support the Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) IEEE P802.3az draft standard, including new Ethernet controller and physical layer (PHY) device solutions.The IEEE P802.3az specification provides for energy savings at the PHY level when the network link is idle. Network infrastructure components can take advantage of power savings when the network stack experiences periods of inactivity, starting with both sides of the media access controller (MAC)/PHY interface, when a port is in EEE mode. On top...

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Optimum Lightpath Builds Ethernet Services with Tellabs

Optimum Lightpath is working with Tellabs to build its next-generation optical network in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. The network will support a variety of aggregated Ethernet services and optical wavelength services, along with integrated time division multiplexing (TDM) and packet switching features. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.tellabs....

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AT&T Wins MEF Carrier Ethernet Service Provider Award

AT&T was awarded a 2009 MEF Carrier Ethernet Service Provider award for the Best Service Portfolio. http://www.att.com http://www.metroethernetforum.o...

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IBM Selected for SmartGrid Pilot in Australia

IBM has been selected by Australian energy provider Western Power as the systems integration and project management partner for its SmartGrid-Advanced Meter Infrastructure pilot program. Specifically, IBM will build a roadmap for the design and implementation of an intelligent network, comprising smart meters and a communications backbone that will enable Western Power to deliver more reliable, sustainable and cost effective energy solutions to homes and businesses in the south-west of Western Australia. http://www.ibm....

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BBN Wins Army Contract for Network Science Research Center

Raytheon BBN Technologies was awarded an $81 million contract by the Army Research Laboratory to create a collaborative technology alliance in network science.Under the five-year contract, Raytheon BBN Technologies will pursue fundamental research in network science to identify the commonalities that apply to diverse kinds of networks.The ARL Network Science Collaborative Technology Alliance will examine communication, information, and social and cognitive networks and will include leading researchers from all of these disciplines. The effort...

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