Aricent Releases Data Center Ethernet Software

Aricent announced a new release of its Intelligent Switching Solution (ISS) specifically tailored for building Data Center Ethernet equipment. Aricent's ISS is a licensable, pre-packaged software framework that jumpstarts the development and integration of advanced switching products, and has been selected by more than 60 networking and telecom equipment manufacturers worldwide.


The new ISS release includes functions essential to delivering Ethernet in the Data Center including Priority Flow Control (PFC), Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS), congestion notification and Data Center Bridging Extensions (DCBX). Additional features targeted for the Data Center include VRF, hot-standby for OSPF and PIM, graceful restart, IS-IS integration, and enhancements to private VLAN, ACL, MLDv2, MSDP and IPv6. These capabilities, available in a licensable pre-packaged framework, represent another industry first for Aricent. ISS' Data Center features are compliant with multiple IEEE specifications, including 802.1Qbb, 802.1Qaz and 802.1QAu.


Aricent said its new Data Center feature additions are targeted at networking equipment manufacturers building products in the data center and storage markets. The company offers ISS packages for a variety of applications, from top-of-rack and end-of-row Data Center switches, to simple managed Ethernet switches to industrial Ethernet platforms, from Layer 3 switches with comprehensive routing capabilities, to metro Ethernet/carrier Ethernet applications, such as cellular/mobile backhaul, optical aggregation, DSLAMs, GPON switches, and (Multi Service Access Nodes) MSANs. http://www.aricent.com

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Xelerated Samples 100 Gbps Network Processor

Xelerated has begun sampling its HX family of network processor units (NPUs), which can process 100 Gbps of Ethernet traffic at wirespeed for any packet size. The silicon is aimed at a new generation Carrier Ethernet switches and routers.


Xelerated's HX family of NPUs integrate Ethernet MACs, programmable switching and advanced traffic management for the delivery of fine-granular Quality of Service (QoS). They also feature Xelerated's Dataflow packet processing architecture for wirespeed deterministic performance with programmability. The silicon architecture uses a single pipeline of hundreds of processor cores specifically designed for packet processing that can be programmed to perform any type of operations on the packets.


Xelerated said its latest NPU crosses the 100 Gbps performance threshold. The company is also making available a range of software and tools, including its reference design kit (RDK), software development tools, and data plane software. This includes a Metro Ethernet Application (MEA) data plane software that provides simultaneous support for Ethernet, PB, PBB, VPLS, IP, MPLS and OAM traffic with strict wirespeed guarantees. The software is provided in source code to allow for system vendor customization.
http://www.xelerated.com
http://www.xelerated.com/en/product-overview/

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Dell to Acquire Scalent for Data Center Software

Dell agreed to acquire Scalent, a private company that provides data center software, for an undisclosed sum.


Scalent, which is based in Palo Alto, California, brings an open, software-based approach to managing virtual infrastructure. Its software automates the end-to-end provisioning of server images, networks, and storage access in a coordinated manner. The company was founded in 2003.


Dell plans to integrate Scalent technology into its Advanced Infrastructure Manager (AIM) solution, which enables a single administrator to dynamically allocate compute, storage and network resources for physical and virtual application workloads. It enables dynamic deployment and repurposing of infrastructure without the need for physical server, cable or storage area network changes.
http://www.dell.com
http://www.scalent.com

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Juniper Invests in ADVA Optical

ADVA Optical Networking will issue 551,471 ordinary shares to Juniper Networks in exchange for an investment of US$3.0 million. The companies said they will evaluate the potential for jointly marketing and selling next-generation IP-based transport solutions to service providers to help reduce network complexity and costs.

http://www.advaoptical.com

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SingTel Deploys Juniper EX4200 Ethernet Switches

Singapore Telecommunications has deployed Juniper Networks' EX4200 Ethernet Switches at points-of-presence (POP) across the region for supporting its MEF-certified Carrier Ethernet suite, which includes international services such as ConnectPlus Ethernet Line (E-Line), ConnectPlus Ethernet Virtual Private Network (E-VPN), ConnectPlus Ethernet Virtual Private Line (E-VPL) and local services such as MetroEthernet and Meg@POP suite of Ethernet services including E-VPN and E-VPL. In addition to deploying the Junos OS across the EX switches, SingTel also deploys Juniper Networks M Series Multiservice Edge Routers in its POPs. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.juniper.net

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Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom Lab Tests LTE with Ericsson

Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom Laboratories and Ericsson demonstrated indoor and outdoor LTE mobility tests, application services as well as CHT-TL's in-house developed LTE Simulator. The LTE trial network was implemented by Ericsson at the end of last year as part of Chunghwa Telecommunications Laboratories' effort to support the Networked Communications Program (NCP) Project.


The trial focused on feature testing IP-based LTE-EPC, MIMO, LTE-EPC network performance verification, and displaying how to use LTE-EPC for various IMS-based applications and mobile broadband applications.


The companies said they have achieved smooth performance for LTE in HD streaming. The tests also showed optimized network efficiency with high speed transmission rates and minimal delay.


In addition, it demonstrated outstanding performance in FTP high speed data transmission in both the fixed and the mobile environment with on-the-move speeds of 60 and 90 kilometers per hour, as well as a seamless handover among base stations.
http://www.ericsson.com

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Ericsson Academy Launches Online

Ericsson launched an online Academy for sharing knowledge about networking technology with students, partners, suppliers and customers. The Academy was launched within Ericsson in November 2009 for its 80,000 employees. Online materials include tutorials, technical snapshots and webinarshttp://www.ericsson.com/ourportfolio/ericsson-academy

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NSN and Nokia Test LTE in 800 MHz Digital Dividend Spectrum

Nokia Siemens Networks and Nokia conducted the first end-to-end LTE data call with Nokia Siemens Networks' commercial equipment on the 800 MHz frequency band. The tests, conducted at NSN's LTE Center of Competence in Espoo, Finland, follow the company's commencement of production of LTE-ready Flexi Multiradio Base Stations for the 800 MHz band in April this year, and complement earlier tests with Nokia on the 2100 MHz and 2600 MHz bands.


During the test, the two companies demonstrated the end-to-end interoperability of Nokia Siemens Networks' LTE network infrastructure with Nokia's LTE-capable multi-mode multi-band Internet Modem RD-3. Infrastructure from Nokia Siemens Networks includes its Single RAN, featuring the Flexi Multiradio Base Station, the Evolved Packet Core comprising Flexi NS (Network Server) and Flexi NG (Network Gateway), and standard-compliant software.


Nokia Siemens Networks expects that LTE in the 800MHz will be attractive due to its propagation capabilities, which makes its suitable for deployment even in rural areas.


The 800 MHz spectrum, which is popularly known as the Digital Dividend, is becoming available as terrestrial TV moves from analog to digital broadcasting.


"These tests are part of a larger campaign which includes various customer trials and demonstrations to make LTE on 800 MHz commercially viable by this summer," added Reino Tammela, head of LTE business line, Nokia Siemens Networks. "Right after the first Digital Dividend spectrum was assigned to operators in the spectrum auction in Germany in May, it was important that standard compliant LTE network products and LTE user devices for this band become commercially available. This will enable successful rapid LTE network rollouts allowing end users to experience high speed and high quality mobile broadband services in rural areas with a large variety of terminals."http://www.nsn.com
http://www.nokia.com

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GSA: Rapid Shift to HSPA+ is Happening, 80 Operators Confirmed with LTE

3G/WCDMA is now commercially available on 357 networks in 148 countries, according to the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), and nearly all of these mobile operators have implemented a High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) upgrade. The number of networks operators expressing a commitment to HSPA network upgrades is even higher -- 401 in 154 countries.


Some additional statistics from the GSA:

• The majority of HSPA networks, currently 58%, support a peak data rate of 7.2 Mbps or higher on the downlink.



• Almost 1 in 5 networks have deployed HSPA Evolution (HSPA+) technology. Sixty-three HSPA+ networks are launched in 35 countries. Of these, 53 commercial HSPA+ networks support a peak downlink data speed of 21 Mbps, 7 commercial HSPA+ networks support a peak downlink data speed of 28 Mbps, and 3 commercial HSPA+ networks support a peak downlink data speed of 42 Mbps.



• GSA anticipates that 95-100 HSPA+ systems will be commercially launched by end 2010.



• Several operators have confirmed plans for further network evolution steps to support 42 Mbps and 84 Mbps peak on the downlink.



• One third of HSPA operators have commercially introduced HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access). A total of 118 operators have launched HSUPA in 60 countries, with a further 8 networks currently deploying the technology in an additional 4 markets. Forty-one HSUPA systems support a peak uplink data rate of 5.8 Mbps, and 2 networks have confirmed the capability to support 11.5 Mbps peak.



• Last month, GSA confirmed that 110 operators in 48 countries are investing in LTE, comprising 80 firm network deployment commitments and 30 additional pre-commitments technology trials and study programs.



• GSA anticipates that up to 22 LTE networks will be in service by end 2010, and at least 45 are expected to be in service by end 2012.

Alan Hadden, President of GSA said: "The rapid shift to HSPA+ which is occurring will ensure its position as a mainstream technology this year, enabling operators all over the world to deliver higher data capacities and a compelling mobile broadband experience in fast expanding and highly competitive markets."http://www.gsacom.com

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Ericsson Conducts First LTE TDD trials in India

Ericsson demonstrated an LTE data call using the 2.3GHz band in a technology trial showcase in India. The LTE trial, which is a milestone for LTE TDD in India, was performed at the Experience Centre, Ericsson Forum, in Gurgaon, India.
http://www.ericsson.com

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Infonetics: North American Voice Revenues, including Mobile, Declined 5% in 2009

The decline of traditional fixed-line voice service and the rise of broadband access, video, and mobile data is speeding up, according to a new report from Infonetics on Residential Voice, Data, and Video Services in North America. Some highlights of the report:

• The residential services market in North America, which comprises voice, video, and Internet access services, held steady during the economic downturn, maintaining $240 billion in 2009



• Service provider revenue from voice services (including VoIP and mobile voice) decreased 5% in 2009, while broadband access and video service revenue increased 5% and 6%, respectively



• Infonetics Research forecasts the North American residential voice, video and Internet access services market to grow to $271 billion by 2014



• Broadband access is the true growth engine for residential services, with annual revenue for North American service providers expected to grow at a 13% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2009 to 2014, driven by both fixed and mobile broadband solutions



• In 2009, 70% of all North American voice subscribers were mobile; by 2014, that number will grow as an increasing number of consumers go mobile-only



• 55% of all residential mobile subscribers in North America are customers of either AT&T or Verizon



• The battle between cable operators and satellite providers for video services continues, with the dominating cable operators losing some revenue market share to satellite (DBS) and telco IPTV providers in 2009



• Comcast leads in North American residential video service revenue share, and DirecTV and Dish Network jumped ahead of Time Warner Cable in 2009



• Video services represent significant future revenue for service providers, but it comes at a high cost of programming and lower margins than voice services.

http://www.infonetics.com

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Motorola Outlines Separation Plans

In an S.E.C. filing, Motorola outlined its plans to separate its Mobile Devices and Home businesses from its Enterprise Mobility Solutions and Networks businesses. The separation will be accomplished through a series of transactions in which the assets, liabilities and operations of the Mobile Devices and Home businesses on a global basis will be transferred to a new company called Motorola SpinCo.


Motorola's Board of Directors cited several benefits for the separation, including:

• Strategic Focus. Allow each independent company to design and implement corporate strategies and
  policies that are based on the industries that it serves.



• Management Focus. Allow management of each independent company to concentrate that company's resources wholly on its particular markets, customers and core business opportunities. Motorola SpinCo will focus on the convergence of mobility, media and the Internet with new devices, applications and services for consumers in their home or on the go. Motorola Inc. will focus on enterprise systems, products and related services, and on its wireless networks and related telecommunication customers.



• Access to Capital. Remove the need for the businesses to compete internally for capital.



• Strategic Flexibility. Each company would gain flexibility to make acquisitions and form partnerships and alliances in its target markets, unencumbered by considerations of the potential impact on the businesses of the other company.



• Investor Choice. Provide investors in each company with a more targeted investment opportunity.

The filing details the recently financial performance of Motorola SpinCo and notes several risk factors for investors, including the losses for Motorola's mobile handset business in recent years, and the potentially negative impact on Motorola's set-top box sales to cable operators from possible changes in FCC regulation regarding set-top box functionality.http://investor.motorola.com/

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Fujitsu FLASHWAVE 4500 Clears Energy Efficiency Metric

Fujitsu's FLASHWAVE 4500 MSPP has met energy efficiency standards under the Telecommunications Energy Efficiency Ratio (TEER) metric released by ATIS.


The TEER standard provides a comprehensive methodology for measuring and reporting energy consumption as well as quantifying a network component's ratio of work performed to energy consumed.


Fujitsu noted that several of the nation's largest telecom service providers are currently using the ATIS TEER metric as a basis for evaluating network equipment under their procurement processes.http://us.fujitsu.com/telecom

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Microsoft Drops Kin Phones Two Months After Launch

Microsoft discontinued its recently launched "Kin" mobile phones due to poor demand. Microsoft said it intends to redeploy employees on the Kin team to its Windows Phone 7 project. Verizon Wireless was offering the two Microsoft Kin phones. The first Windows Phone 7 devices will be available by holiday 2010 under labels from other manufacturers.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/KIN/

• In 2008, Microsoft acquired Danger, a Palo Alto, California-based developed of mobile phone for the youth market. Danger was best known for its Sidekick device, which is marketed by T-Mobile.

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China Telecom Shanghai Activates Juniper TX Matrix Plus

China Telecom has deployed its Juniper Networks' multi-chassis routing system in a production environment of its Shanghai network.


The Juniper Networks TX Matrix Plus interconnects T1600 Core Routers, providing the core of its super metro area network in Shanghai and supporting Expo 2010, which is taking place in the city.


China Telecom has 3.5 million Shanghai broadband customers, including 1.2 million IPTV subscribers, and had been using Juniper Networks TX Matrix with three T640 Core Routers within its network there since 2006.


The Juniper Networks TX Matrix Plus system underwent certification testing at China Telecom's Academy of Science & Technology in Guangzhou during the middle of 2009. And in October Juniper successfully staged a stringent proof-of-concept in Shanghai, leading to the decision to deploy the TX Matrix Plus by the end of the Q1 2010.


The systems are currently connected to network links -- including OC768, OC192, OC48, 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet ports.


Juniper said China Telecom can scale its Shanghai core network as needed with addition of more line cards -- including Juniper Networks' new 100 Gigabit Ethernet interface.
http://www.juniper.net

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European Commission Launches Net Neutrality Consultation

The European Commission has launched a consultation on net neutrality covering such issues as whether Internet providers should be allowed to adopt certain traffic management practices, such as prioritizing one kind of Internet traffic over another.


The EC will examine whether such traffic management practices may create problems and have unfair effects for users, and whether the level of competition between different Internet service providers and the transparency requirements of the new telecom framework may be sufficient to avoid potential problems by allowing consumers' choice.


The consultation will feed into a Commission report on net neutrality, which should be presented by the end of this year. All interested parties -- service and content providers, consumers, businesses and researchers -- are invited to respond to the consultation by 30 September 2010.
http://wwww.europa.eu

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Zayo to Acquire American Fiber Systems

Zayo Group agreed to acquire American Fiber Systems Holding Corporation (AFS), a leading provider of metropolitan fiber network and telecom services. Financial terms were not disclosed.


AFS, which is based in Rochester, NY, operates over 800 route miles of unique, fiber-rich network in 6 new metropolitan markets -- Boise, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, Reno and Salt Lake City. In addition, AFS enhances Zayo's fiber depth and footprint with approximately 400 additional route miles in Atlanta (a Zayo market pending the close of AGL Networks), Cleveland and Minneapolis. Atlanta, Boise and Las Vegas are particularly strong markets for AFS, representing nearly 75% of its revenue base.


Zayo noted that the AFS customer base is weighted towards the carrier, wireless and other wholesale segments, similar to the sales and marketing approach of the Zayo Bandwidth business unit.


"The addition of AFS's markets significantly increases the geographic scope of the bandwidth infrastructure services that Zayo offers to its customers," said Dan Caruso, President and CEO of Zayo Group. AFS will be the 15th acquisition by Zayo Group since its inception in 2007.
http://www.zayo.com
http://www.afsnetworks.com/

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Cisco Delivers Hosted Collaboration Solution for Service Providers

Cisco released a Hosted Collaboration solution that enables Service Providers to deliver Cisco applications via the cloud using an "as a service" model.


Specifically, the Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution gives service providers and integrators the ability to deploy multiple collaboration applications on one server in a virtualized environment and then host those applications for multiple client organizations. The solution is designed to be run from partner data centers.

Applications available as part of the Hosted Collaboration solution include: Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco Unified Contact Center, Cisco Unified Mobility, Cisco Unified Presence, Cisco Unity Connection, and Cisco WebEx Meeting Center (hosted by Cisco).

Cisco is also providing professional services to enable partners to deploy the Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution in an "as a service" model. The company cited deployments or trials with a number of major players, including Verizon Business and Orange.
http://www.cisco.com

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Cisco Expands Data Center 3.0 Strategy with FabricPath Routing

Cisco expanded its Data Center 3.0 strategy for transforming information delivery in physical and virtualized environments.
Cisco's data center and virtualization vision combines unified fabric and unified computing in the data center. The key innovation in its 3.0 architecture is a new Cisco "FabricPath" technology that increases network scalability, resource agility, asset efficiency, and performance in the data center. The company is also rolling out enhancements for its Nexus and Catalyst data center switching platforms, Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) extensions, and new Cisco services.

The announcement was made at the Cisco Live! conference in Las Vegas. Webcast materials are online.


Cisco FabricPath, which is based on the emerging Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) standard, is a Cisco NX-OS feature designed to bring the stability and performance of routing to Layer 2 in the data center. Cisco said its FabricPath approach resolves the shortcomings of Ethernet in large data centers, such as complications from using Spanning Tree Protocol. The fundamental difference between FabricPath and classical Ethernet is that with FabricPath, the frame is always forwarded in the core using a known destination address. Each frame traversing the core is encapsulated with a FabricPath header, which consists of routable source and destination addresses. Upon reaching the remote switch, the frame is deencapsulated and delivered in its original Ethernet format.



Cisco will deliver its FabricPath Switching System as integrated, validated hardware + software to build massively scalable domains. It is based on the FabricPath feature of NX-OS and FabricPath-capable hardware, such as new Nexus 7000 with F-Series I/O modules. This new module for the Nexus 7000 will offer 32 ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity with supports for Data Center Bridging and TRILL standards. Support for Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) will be enabled in the near future through a software upgrade.


Other data center announcements from Cisco include:

• Cisco WAAS -- WAN acceleration can now be deployed in the branch office as an on-demand service direct from select models of the Cisco Integrated Services Router (ISR) G2.



• New Cisco Catalyst 4948E switch -- featuring microburst protection for predictable latency, plus automation and visibility. The switch also supports wire-speed IPv6, in addition to auto-provisioning and smart call-home features.



• New Cisco Cloud Enablement services: including strategy, planning, design, and implementation, help customers successfully transition the data center to a cloud infrastructure to quickly realize the benefits of a cloud operational model.



• Cisco Intelligent Automation Solutions: Cisco is also introducing Cisco Intelligent Automation for IT Services, including new versions of the Tidal Enterprise Scheduler and Tidal Enterprise Orchestrator products that provide real-time IT process orchestration and batch automation to simplify data center management and increase operational efficiency and performance.



• Cisco Validated Design guides: Cisco validated design guides serve as blueprints for ready-to-deploy IT across a variety of domains, including Cisco Virtualized Multi-Tenant Data Center (VMDC) solutions for private cloud design.

http://www.cisco.com30093

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Vodafone Portugal Selects NSN's Service Broker

Vodafone Portugal has selected Nokia Siemens Networks' Service Broker to enable the seamless convergence of legacy circuit-switched services, such as Personnel Greeting Voice services, with IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services. NSN's Service Broker technology, based on an OpenCloud platform and integrated into the operator's existing IMS and intelligent network (IN) systems, is expected to substantially cut the time and cost of launching new services. It will also allow Vodafone Portugal to offer new real-time services without the need to adapt other network elements, enabling continuity with established systems such as charging and billing.

"As a service provider, we are committed to offering our customers innovative services and the ultimate communication experience, so they can live richer lives while on the move," says Jorge Bento, director of intelligent network, services and platforms at Vodafone Portugal.
http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
http://www.vodafone.pt

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Portugal Blocks Telefonica's Bid for Vivo Stake

The government of Portugal acted to block the proposed sale of Portugal Telecom's stake in Vivo, the Brazilian mobile operator, to Telefónica S.A. The Portuguese government remains a special "golden" shareholder in Portugal Telecom and opposed Telefónica's bid for strategic reasons. The moves follows several bid increases from Telefónica, which reported had pushed the offer up to EUR 7.15 billion.
http://www.telefonica.com
http://www.telecom.pt

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Procera Cites First Deployments of PacketLogic

Procera Networks announced the first shipments of its PacketLogic PL8720 platform, a two rack unit (2RU) 10 Gbps deep packet inspection (DPI) appliance for providing awareness, analysis, and control over network traffic. The new PacketLogic PL8720 is designed for networks transitioning from GE (gigabit Ethernet) to 10GE links. It offers up to eight 10GE or sixteen 10GE DPI ports.
http://www.proceranetworks.com

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Ooma's iPhone App Offloads AT&T Voice Minutes

Ooma, which offers residential voice service in the U.S. using a freemium model, released an iPhone app that
lets Ooma customers make domestic and international calls over any Wi-Fi or 3G network while tapping into their Ooma account rather than using AT&T voice minutes. Ooma leverages its own "PureVoice" codec to reduce bandwidth usage by 60%. For international calls, Ooma calculates this will save customers up to 90%.
http://www.ooma.com

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MobileAccess Teams With Cisco on Wi-Fi + Cellular Solution

MobileAccess, which supplies enterprise wireless solutions, is working with Cisco to deliver a solution that enables reliable, in-building cellular coverage over an organization's existing LAN infrastructure.


The solution integrates MobileAccessVE with the Cisco Unified Wireless Network by sending cellular RF signals over CAT-5/6 Ethernet LAN infrastructure for 2G, 3G and 4G services, without affecting wired or wireless LAN traffic. This approach lets enterprises maximize the ROI on existing network investments by using their LAN to deliver cellular connectivity. The joint solution is being deployed by MIT.


MobileAccess is headquartered in Vienna, Virginia.
http://www.mobileaccess.com

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Ericsson's Acquisition of Nortel's stake of LG-Nortel Completed

Ericsson completed its acquisition of Nortel's majority shareholding (50%+1 share) in LG-Nortel, the joint venture of LG Electronics and Nortel Networks, for $242 million in cash.

The deal significantly expands Ericsson's position in Korea, which is one of the 10 largest telecom markets in the world with advanced end-user demand for new services.


The joint venture, which was established in 2005 through the contribution by LG Electronics of its telecommunications systems business and by Nortel of its Korean distribution business, focuses on large scale telecommunications systems such as WCDMA, CDMA and LTE for telecom service providers in Korea as well as enterprise products and services. In 2009, LG-Nortel generated approximately USD 650 million of sales and had 1,300 employees. The joint venture includes important contracts with Korean operators such as KT, LG Telecom and SK Telecom.
http://www.ericsson.com

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EC: Roaming Prices Falling but Competition Still Not strong

The cap on the maximum price consumers in the European Union pay for roamed voice calls fell from €0.46 to €0.43 per minute (excluding VAT) as of 1 July 2009 and will decrease further to €0.39 per minute as of 1 July 2010. The capped-price of a text message fell by almost 60% to €0.11 as of 1 July 2009. The prices that operators charge each other for data roaming will drop from €1 to €0.80 per MegaByte uploaded or downloaded as of July 2010.


The European Commission credits its legislation in part for the lower prices but said that strong competition has yet to emerge to drive prices lower. In the Commission's view, EU rules give operators plenty of margin to offer more attractive roaming tariffs below the regulatory limits. Ultimately the difference between roaming and national tariffs should approach zero by 2015, in line with the objectives of the Digital Agenda for Europe
http://www.europa.eu

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Google Sees Data Center Efficiency in 40 Gbps InfiniBand

Network engineers from Google have proposed an energy proportional data center based on a unique Butterfly Topology architecture built with 40 Gbps InfiniBand switches and adapters. The proposal was made during a recent presentation at the ACM IEEE International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA) and a related paper on the topic has been posted online.


The Google paper proposes several ways to design a high-performance datacenter network whose power consumption is more proportional to the amount of traffic it is moving. The authors find that a flattened butterfly topology itself is inherently more power efficient than the other commonly proposed topologies.


Mellanox Technologies, which supplies InfiniBand solutions, said the proposal for a high-performance enterprise data center built on InfiniBand is a logical step for this technology.http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1815961.1816004

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Pareto Launches Cloud-based Branch Office Networking Service

Pareto Networks, a start-up based in Sunnyvale, California unveiled a cloud-based service aimed at simplifying branch office network deployment and operations.


Pareto's service uses a low-cost CPE device to securely tunnel all branch office traffic to its hosted platform in the cloud, where security and management policies are enforced. The solution eliminates the various firewall, IPS, routing and other appliances typically deployed at each branch office. The cloud-based application provides centralized control over an enterprises network and security policies, and provides visibility of critical network performance metrics across all branch offices that are enabled with the service. Enterprise data centers would also be tied into the Pareto cloud by means of a separate appliance.


Pareto's fully redundant cloud services platform is distributed globally with multiple data centers across the U.S., as well as in Europe and Singapore. Pareto also provides military-grade encryption and multiple layers of its own security to further guarantee the availability, dependability and integrity of the distributed network.


Pareto is offering an annual subscription starting at $228 per site, which includes all hardware, support, maintenance and future feature upgrades.


The company said a key advantage of its solution is that a branch office network can be set-up in minutes. Pareto customers can link other network and security applications to their distributed network via Pareto Cloud Services.


Pareto has also formed partnerships with other cloud-based security-as-a service operator, including OpenDNS, VeriSign and McAfee.
http://www.paretonetworks.com

• Pareto Networks was founded by Matthew Palmer (CEO) and Carl Mower (VP of Engineering). Until September 2007, Palmer was Vice President of Enterprise Planning and Operations at Juniper Networks. Matt came to Juniper via the Netscreen acquisition in 2004. Mower previously worked at DuPont, Digital, Cabletron, Nortel, SmartPipes, Symbol, and Blue Coat.

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Alcatel-Lucent acquires ProgrammableWeb, Extending its Application Enablement Strategy

Alcatel-Lucent has acquired ProgrammableWeb, a leading online repository for Web APIs (application programming interfaces) used by application developers to build web, mobile, and other connected applications. Financial terms were not disclosed.

ProgrammableWeb maintains a its repository of over 2,000 Web APIs which are regularly accessed by a community of hundreds of thousands of developers. The APIs and mash-ups available for download from the site extend across a wide range of possible applications, such as search result APIs, GoogleMap mash-ups, messaging APIs, etc.


Alcatel-Lucent said its acquisition of ProgrammableWeb will help bring together an ecosystem of service providers, enterprises, and developers to drive the creation of unique applications today and in the new world of broadband mobile through LTE. The acquisition opens an important new channel to partner with the Web developer community -- a dialog it has started with its Open API Service and Developer Platform. It also gives Alcatel-Lucent access to general API usage patterns, allowing it to build highly relevant API bundles for its Open API Service.


ProgrammableWeb's API monitoring services, API trial services, and automated API updates will be integrated into Alcatel-Lucent's Developer Platform. In addition, Alcatel-Lucent will be able to share its developer resources, such as its dashboard that helps developers track application monetization, with ProgrammableWeb's developer community.


"If you look at any organization that launches an API, you quickly realize that the one thing the most successful APIs have in common is a vibrant developer ecosystem," said Laura Merling, vice president of Alcatel-Lucent's global developer strategy. "Our goal is to protect the uniqueness and independence of ProgrammableWeb as an API repository and developer resource, while adding beneficial technologies and service provider relationships to the mix for everyone's benefit."http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
http://www.programmableweb.com

• In March 2010, Alcatel-Lucent released its first API (Application Programming Interfaces) bundles that blend service provider and third party application capabilities to enable the faster creation of new applications. Alcatel-Lucent's goal with these API bundles is to enable a new revenue share model to transform service provider networks into an application development platform by unlocking network resources and functionality -- similar to what smartphones and apps stores did for the device world.
  
  
  The company's first vertical API bundles include three social bundles supporting the creation of new mashups in social gaming, advertising and virtual goods markets. Collectively, the APIs included are SMS, advertising, location, virtual goods, credit card and billing. The initial delivery of these API bundles targets the 14+ million developers worldwide and the two fastest growing and increasingly profitable applications markets today: mobile advertising and virtual goods.
  
  
  Earlier this year, Alcatel-Lucent introduced its cloud-based developer platform, which leverages the Application Exposure Suite to build, test, manage and distribute applications across networks, including television, broadband Internet and mobile.
  
  
  With the release of the APIs, Alcatel-Lucent also announced a new business and application modeling tool that allows developers to get the most out of their applications. This new functionality helps developers and service providers improve the potential for the success of services they are introducing and helps them better manage the overall business of their applications.
  
  
  "The business model benefits everyone across the value chain. Whereas service providers did not share in an application's revenue before, they now gain new sources of revenue from ad network or virtual goods applications. They can invest that income back into their network, which in turn supports new services innovation," said Johnson Agogbua, head of Application Enablement solutions for Alcatel-Lucent.

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Cisco Unveils Energy Management Tools for Utilities, Consumers, Businesses

Cisco introduced a Home Energy Management Solution that features a Home Energy Controller along with Cisco Energy Management Services that, when provided by utilities to their customers, are designed to help consumers securely and reliably gain insight into, and easier control over, their energy use.


The Cisco Home Energy Controller (CGH-100) is a countertop touch screen display that tracks and controls real-time household, historic and individual appliance consumption. Devices that communicate with the Home Energy Controller could include thermostats, intelligent sockets and, ultimately, smart appliances like refrigerators and water heaters. The Home Energy Controller coordinates the variety of networks in the home and supports associated networking protocols, such as ZigBee, Wi-Fi and Encoder Receiver Technology (ERT.


On the network side, Cisco is launching hosted Energy Management Services, which utilities can use to manage data from thousands of homes while integrating with their back-end applications. These complement Cisco's existing service offerings to help utilities plan, build and run a converged communications infrastructure for automating the Connected Grid. Cisco cited an initial deployment with Duke Energy, with which Cisco has a strategic collaboration to advance Smart Grid technology.


In addition, Cisco announced key updates to its Smart Connected Buildings portfolio, including the new Cisco Network Building Mediator Manager 6300, which enables centralized management of Smart Connected Buildings across global enterprise operations, and the new Cisco Network Building Mediator 3.1, which provides the platform for linking multiple disparate building automation systems and protocols over Internet Protocol and for allowing greater integration and visibility of energy flows across real estate and information technology.
http://www.cisco.com

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Mexican Students Win Cisco's $250K Global I-Prize Innovation Prize

A team of five university students from Mexico were awarded Cisco's second I-Prize competition, an open, global innovation contest developed to encourage collaboration among entrepreneurs and help identify new potential billion-dollar business ideas for Cisco. The winners receive a cash prize of $250,000.


The students from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) developed the concept of a "Life Account" that combines social networking with the "Internet of Things" to help bridge user activities in the physical and virtual world to create one view of the users "life".
http://www.cisco.com/web/solutions/iprize/index.html

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Avaya and HP Expand Enterprise Collaboration

As part of a three-year strategic agreement, Avaya and HP are adding elements of Avaya's Unified Communications and Contact Center products to the HP Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C) services portfolio for enterprises. This solution set is to be sold and delivered by HP. Specifically, HP is offering Avaya Aura Unified Communications architecture and applications, Avaya Contact Center applications and Avaya's range of end-user client applications and endpoints as part of HP UC&C Lifecycle Services.
http://www.avaya.com
http://www.hp.com

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Hulu Plus Priced at $9.99 per Month

Hulu unveiled plans to offer an ad-supported subscription Internet TV streaming service that aggregates content from more than 100 providers across broadcast networks, major studios and independent content creators.
Hulu Plus will offer full current season runs of hit TV programs from ABC, FOX and NBC across multiple Web-connected devices, in HD, for $9.99 a month.


The content will be viewable on PCs and Macs as well as on Apple's iPad and iPhone, and select 2010 Samsung Blu-ray players, Blu-ray Home Theater systems, and TVs through Samsung Apps, in up to 720p high-definition resolution. Hulu Plus will also be coming soon to the PlayStation3 (PS3) computer entertainment system.
http://www.hulu.com

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Cisco Debuts Android Business Collaboration Tablet

Cisco introduced a mobile collaboration business tablet that runs its Cisco collaboration and communication applications, including HD video.


Cisco Cius is an Android-based tablet designed for full telepresence interoperability, HD video streaming and real-time video, multi-party conferencing, email, messaging, browsing, and the ability to produce, edit and share content stored locally or centrally in the cloud.


Some highlights:

• The tablet is offered with an optional HD audio station equipped with a telephone handset speakerphone, HD DisplayPort and USB ports.



• The tablet features a front-mounted 720p HD camera at 30 frames per second; a seven inch, high-resolution widescreen super VGA touch-target display for real-time and streamed video, and single-button TelePresence interoperability.



• The tablet has a 5-megapixel rear facing camera that can transmit streaming VGA quality video and capture still images, and dual noise-canceling microphones for audio conferencing.



• An on-board accelerometer readily orients applications for viewing in portrait or landscape modes



• Support for 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi for enterprise campus mobility and 3G cellular services when off-campus. 4G services will be available at a later date. Bluetooth and Micro-USB means users can work untethered and share data with a PC.



• A detachable and serviceable battery offers eight hours life under normal usage.



• Integration with the suite of Cisco collaboration applications including Cisco Quad, Cisco Show and Share, Cisco WebEx Connect, Cisco WebEx Meeting Center, Cisco Presence, and interoperability with Cisco TelePresence.



• Cisco Cius is supported by Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

http://

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Deutsche Telekom Deploys Ixia for High-density 10 GE Testing

Deutsche Telekom AG will migrate to Ixia's newly announced NGY high-density 10 GE testing solution. Specifically, DT is using IxN2X to perform layer 2-3 testing of their network backbone under high traffic conditions, as well as to scale up traffic levels to see how the network performs under stressful load conditions.


Specifically, DT is using IxN2X to perform layer 2-3 testing of their network backbone under high traffic conditions, as well as to scale up traffic levels to see how the network performs under stressful load conditions. Ixia's NGY emulates internet-scale routing topologies and traffic profiles, proving that DT's network scales successfully without degradation in performance.

The just-released NGY is the next generation of Ixia's IxYukon load module family and offers complete layer 2-7 packet generation, routing emulation, and application testing. NGY modules, in conjunction with an XM12 chassis, provide up to 96 10 GE ports of testing power.
http://www.ixiacom.com

• In April 2010, Ixia demonstrated its new NGY high-density 10GE load module running on its recently acquired IxN2X platform. This provides a high-density 10GE traffic generation solution with layer 2-7 packet generation, routing emulation, and application testing functionality. The new NGY 10GE hardware uses the same field-proven architecture as Ixia's legacy IxYukon load modules.
  Ixia said this combination of the N2X line and Ixia hardware reinforces its commitment to preserve the IxN2X roadmap.

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AT&T Teams with CURRENT Group to offer Smart Grid to North American Utilities

AT&T signed a new agreement with CURRENT Group, a leading provider of distribution Smart Grid solutions, to deliver grid optimization solutions to North American utilities.



CURRENT's solutions includes intelligent sensors and analytical software that monitor distribution grid performance; its OpenGrid utility element management system; and its System Optimization and Reliability analytical software solutions.


AT&T offers a suite of M2M pricing plans designed specifically for the smart grid market.


"Our new relationship with CURRENT will help utilities move from their traditional distribution infrastructure into a truly smart grid model that provides centralized real-time data collection and analysis - without touching the end customer and without relying on meters," said Michael Antieri, President, Advanced Enterprise Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions.
http://www.currentgroup.com
http://www.att.com/utilities

• In February 2010, the CURRENT Group announced a partnership with Verizon to provide a real-time, IP-based solution for analysis communications between electric companies and sensors deployed on their networks. The two companies will leverage their core capabilities to deliver a joint smart grid solution. Verizon will provide the underlying wireless and IP network services, managed network and security services, and advanced IT security consulting services to help electric companies identify and mitigate risks to critical cyber assets, including data, applications, IT systems and networks.

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HP Strengthens Security for Data Centers

HP announced new high-performance security solutions for both physical and virtual environments as part of its "FlexFabric" data center networking fabric for a Converged Infrastructure.


The HP TippingPoint Secure Virtualization Framework (SVF) is a suite of products designed to help prevent network threats from impacting virtualized environments. The TippingPoint Virtual Controller (vController), the first product introduced under the SVF, extends TippingPoint security protection from physical to virtual networks by routing it through an HP TippingPoint N-Platform Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) appliance. The vController prevents security attacks by inspecting all VM traffic as it moves through the network -- either between VMs or from VMs to traditional servers.


HP also has expanded its security product line with the introduction of the new HP TippingPoint Reputation Digital Vaccine service (Rep DV). Rep DV ensures that customer-deployed IPS solutions have the most current and accurate list of malicious or suspicious websites and blocks traffic to or from these sites automatically.
HP also announced a new Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) module for the HP A5820 data center switch, which converges storage and network top-of-rack switches as well as dedicated server and storage network adapters to dramatically reduce connectivity complexity at the server edge.
http://www.hp.com/go/NewHPNetworkingSolutions

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Equinix to Build $65 Million Exchange in Sydney

Equinix announced plans to build its third International Business Exchange (IBX) in Sydney, Australia. The new IBX data center, called SY3, will have a total capacity for more than 3,000 cabinet equivalents when all of the phases are fully built out. The $65 million first phase of the SY3 IBX data center will add 1,000 cabinets and is targeted for opening during the second quarter of 2011. http://www.equinix.com

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Deutsche Telekom Deploys Ixia for High-density 10 GE Testing

Deutsche Telekom AG will migrate to Ixia's newly announced NGY high-density 10 GE testing solution. Specifically, DT is using IxN2X to perform layer 2-3 testing of their network backbone under high traffic conditions, as well as to scale up traffic levels to see how the network performs under stressful load conditions.


Specifically, DT is using IxN2X to perform layer 2-3 testing of their network backbone under high traffic conditions, as well as to scale up traffic levels to see how the network performs under stressful load conditions. Ixia's NGY emulates internet-scale routing topologies and traffic profiles, proving that DT's network scales successfully without degradation in performance.

The just-released NGY is the next generation of Ixia's IxYukon load module family and offers complete layer 2-7 packet generation, routing emulation, and application testing. NGY modules, in conjunction with an XM12 chassis, provide up to 96 10 GE ports of testing power.
http://www.ixiacom.com

• In April 2010, Ixia demonstrated its new NGY high-density 10GE load module running on its recently acquired IxN2X platform. This provides a high-density 10GE traffic generation solution with layer 2-7 packet generation, routing emulation, and application testing functionality. The new NGY 10GE hardware uses the same field-proven architecture as Ixia's legacy IxYukon load modules.
  Ixia said this combination of the N2X line and Ixia hardware reinforces its commitment to preserve the IxN2X roadmap.

Read More

AT&T Teams with CURRENT Group to offer Smart Grid to North American Utilities

AT&T signed a new agreement with CURRENT Group, a leading provider of distribution Smart Grid solutions, to deliver grid optimization solutions to North American utilities.



CURRENT's solutions includes intelligent sensors and analytical software that monitor distribution grid performance; its OpenGrid utility element management system; and its System Optimization and Reliability analytical software solutions.


AT&T offers a suite of M2M pricing plans designed specifically for the smart grid market.


"Our new relationship with CURRENT will help utilities move from their traditional distribution infrastructure into a truly smart grid model that provides centralized real-time data collection and analysis - without touching the end customer and without relying on meters," said Michael Antieri, President, Advanced Enterprise Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions.
http://www.currentgroup.com
http://www.att.com/utilities

• In February 2010, the CURRENT Group announced a partnership with Verizon to provide a real-time, IP-based solution for analysis communications between electric companies and sensors deployed on their networks. The two companies will leverage their core capabilities to deliver a joint smart grid solution. Verizon will provide the underlying wireless and IP network services, managed network and security services, and advanced IT security consulting services to help electric companies identify and mitigate risks to critical cyber assets, including data, applications, IT systems and networks.

Read More

HP Strengthens Security for Data Centers

HP announced new high-performance security solutions for both physical and virtual environments as part of its "FlexFabric" data center networking fabric for a Converged Infrastructure.


The HP TippingPoint Secure Virtualization Framework (SVF) is a suite of products designed to help prevent network threats from impacting virtualized environments. The TippingPoint Virtual Controller (vController), the first product introduced under the SVF, extends TippingPoint security protection from physical to virtual networks by routing it through an HP TippingPoint N-Platform Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) appliance. The vController prevents security attacks by inspecting all VM traffic as it moves through the network -- either between VMs or from VMs to traditional servers.


HP also has expanded its security product line with the introduction of the new HP TippingPoint Reputation Digital Vaccine service (Rep DV). Rep DV ensures that customer-deployed IPS solutions have the most current and accurate list of malicious or suspicious websites and blocks traffic to or from these sites automatically.
HP also announced a new Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) module for the HP A5820 data center switch, which converges storage and network top-of-rack switches as well as dedicated server and storage network adapters to dramatically reduce connectivity complexity at the server edge.
http://www.hp.com/go/NewHPNetworkingSolutions

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Equinix to Build $65 Million Exchange in Sydney

Equinix announced plans to build its third International Business Exchange (IBX) in Sydney, Australia. The new IBX data center, called SY3, will have a total capacity for more than 3,000 cabinet equivalents when all of the phases are fully built out. The $65 million first phase of the SY3 IBX data center will add 1,000 cabinets and is targeted for opening during the second quarter of 2011. http://www.equinix.com

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UNH-IOL Begins Energy Efficient Ethernet Testing

The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) has begun offering third-party testing of Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE), or IEEE 802.3az, which enables network devices to enter a low power idle mode when not transmitting data, drastically reducing energy requirements.

In compliance with the IEEE 802.3az Task Force's current draft standard, the UNH-IOL's EEE testing service allows member companies to assess the interoperability of devices before the standard is finalized, providing the opportunity to have market-ready equipment available as soon as the standard is approved.

"The standard is expected to be completed by 2011 and products that support the current draft of the standard are now being released," said Jeff Lapak, senior engineer for the UNH-IOL. "Energy efficiency is top of mind with our member companies and their customers so the pre-testing process will allow them to be able to deliver new solutions in the quickest possible timeframe."http://www.iol.unh.edu

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Novatel Rolls Out LTE Embedded Modules

Novatel Wireless introduced three LTE embedded modules for use in portable devices. The modules provide enhanced GPS/GNAA capabilities, allowing users to retrieve position data for navigation and location-based applications. Additional key features include Novaspeed, which provides higher throughput via proprietary network traffic prioritization, and Novatel Wireless' Connection Manager - Mobilink 3 - supporting Windows 7, Vista, XP and Mac. A rich set of APIs is also available to developers through the software development kit. The solutions are powered by Qualcomm's MDM9200 and MDM9600 multi-mode 3G/LTE chipsets.
*

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AT&T Boosts 3G in NYC with 805 MHz Carriers

AT&T has completed an upgrade of its 3G network in Manhattan as well as the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.


The network enhancement includes the addition of new 850 MHz carriers to more efficiently manage available spectrum and increase 3G capacity. The additions have been applied to nearly all cell sites in Manhattan and in other areas as needed throughout the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn.


The company said its internal metrics already has tracked two consecutive quarters of voice quality improvements in New York. In Manhattan, quality improved 47 percent quarter over quarter.
http://www.att.com

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TI Delivers SuperSpeed USB 3.0 transceiver -- 5.0-Gbps

Texas Instruments introduced the first SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) transceiver, which is capable of 5.0-Gbps data transfers.


The device, which TI claims offer receiver sensitivity that is twice as good as required by the USB 3.0 specification, is a 5 Gbps USB 3.0 physical layer transceiver that operates from a single crystal or external reference clock with selectable frequencies from 20, 25, 30 and 40 MHz.


"End users are demanding the ability to store huge photo and high-definition video files on their portable consumer devices with ease and speed," said Steve Anderson, senior vice president over TI's High-Performance Analog business unit. http://www.ti.com

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Aviat Networks Appoints New CEO

Aviat Networks appointed Chuck Kissner as its new CEO, following the resignation of Harald J. Braun. Kissner has been serving as the company's Chairman of the Board of Directors and will be based at its headquarters location in Santa Clara, California. He previously served as CEO of Stratex Networks, Inc., a predecessor of Aviat Networks, from July 1995 through May 2000, again from October 2001 to May 2006 and also was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Stratex from August 1996 through 2006.


"I am very excited about the opportunity to lead Aviat Networks and rebuild shareholder value," said Kissner. "We have an excellent market opportunity, a strong customer base, great technology and talented employees. Our challenges are to optimize our business model, accelerate innovation and improve the speed and effectiveness of our initiatives."


Coincident with the appointment of Mr. Kissner as Chairman and CEO, the Board has appointed Dr. James C. Stoffel as Lead Independent Director.
http://www.aviatnetworks.com

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Cruzio Deploys Exalt Microwave Backhaul Systems

Cruzio, a wireless and wireline Internet service provider in Santa Cruz County, California has deployed Exalt Communications' microwave backhaul systems to upgrade the capacity of its wireless backbone network and to back up its fiber network. The Exalt systems enable a full duplex, 1 Gbps Ethernet transport capability to drive Cruzio's wireless Internet access business on both sides of the Santa Cruz Mountains.


Working directly with Exalt, Cruzio has deployed Exalt systems that use the 18 GHz, 23 GHz, and 5 GHz frequencies to reliably deliver Ethernet traffic over distances exceeding 20 miles. Each microwave link carries at least 100 Mbps full-duplex Ethernet today, and this can be expanded up to 1 Gbps full duplex per link via Exalt capacity aggregation as other parts of the network are upgraded to handle the new capacity.
http://www.exaltcom.com

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President Obama Commits to Opening 500 MHz of Spectrum

As called for in the FCC's National Broadband Plan announced earlier this year, President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum committing the federal government to make available 500 MHz of federal and commercial spectrum available to new mobile broadband usage over the next 10 years.


Th effort, which will nearly double the amount of commercial spectrum currently available for commercial use, is expected to result new rounds of spectrum auctions.


Specifically, the Administration is announcing a four-point plan:


1. Identify and plan for the release of 500 MHz of spectrum. The first step is to initiate the administrative process for identifying spectrum that can be repurposed. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), in collaboration with the FCC, will make available 500 MHz of federal and nonfederal spectrum over the next 10 years, suitable for both mobile and fixed wireless broadband use. A fast-track process will determine whether any spectrum can be identified by October 1, 2010, that could be made available within five years for exclusive or shared use. The federal government will also create a publicly available inventory of the spectrum currently used by government and commercial users on a separate track from the NTIA and FCC processes to make spectrum available for new uses.


2. Provide the tools needed to effectively reallocate spectrum. Under current law, the Federal agencies whose spectrum is reallocated are reimbursed for the costs of relocating systems to retain comparable capabilities. The President is seeking broader tools that would give Federal agencies upfront planning and research funds and allow agencies to use a portion of the proceeds to enhance state-of-the-art communications.


3. Enable spectrum to be put to its highest value uses. The majority of the new spectrum will be auctioned off for licensed mobile broadband. Some spectrum will be made available for free for unlicensed use by technology startups, small businesses and others that benefit from the low barriers to entry and fast time to market. In addition, the NTIA, in consultation with Federal research agencies, will work to facilitate R&D that explores innovative spectrum-sharing technologies.


4. Use the auction proceeds to promote public safety, job-creating infrastructure investment and deficit reduction. The Administration has no official estimate of the auction revenues from this plan. The actual amount will depend on effective implementation and additional design details, but based on past auctions, many analysts believe the revenue potential could reach in the tens of billions of dollars, including revenue from spectrum that is currently cleared and set to be auctioned by the FCC.


Grant Seiffert, President of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), commented: "TIA applauds President Obama for recognizing the urgent need to make large bands of spectrum available for mobile communications devices. This decision will create hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans while improving U.S. technological competitiveness. The spectrum will enable the mobile industry to meet the demand for high-speed wireless applications, and will help drive the U.S. economy, both near-term and long-term."http://www.whitehouse.gov

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Hughes Telematics Selects Force10

Hughes Telematics has selected Force10 Networks' C-Series resilient switches and S-Series Ethernet access switches to provide 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) core and top-of-rack network services for its next-generation telematics architecture. HTI's platform delivers interconnectivity between multiple content providers, call centers and hardware platforms through two-way, wireless telematics services.
http://www.force10networks.com

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Crossbeam Adds Sophos to List of Security Partners

Crossbeam Systems has added Sophos to its list of security vendors whose software is certified to run on its X-Series platform. Crossbeam's X-Series platform customers now have the ability to run Sophos's email security gateway software, Sophos PureMessage, to proactively protect users against the growing volume and sophistication of spam, malware, phishing, and other email-borne threats. Existing Crossbeam partners include Check Point, IBM, Imperva, Sourcefire, Trend Micro, and Websense.
http://www.crossbeam.com
http://www.sophos.com

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Alpheus Communications Deploys Hatteras

Alpheus Communications is deploying Hatteras Networks' HN6100 Multi- Service platform for Ethernet service delivery via Ethernet-Over-Copper (EoC) and Ethernet-Over-Time-Division Multiplexing (EoTDM) infrastructures.


Alpheus is pursuing an "Ethernet Everywhere" strategy across Texas. The carrier has over 5,700 miles of Texas fiber, colocations in more than 85% of the AT&T central offices in six of the largest cities in Texas (Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Houston and San Antonio), and hundreds of other on-net access points in the primary commercial districts. Alpheus delivers gigabit Ethernet, metro network transport, co-location, and point-to-point business services.


Hatteras' HN6100 is a modular, multi-service platform enabling Ethernet service delivery over any media, via any port or slot, from a single chassis. The 40 Gbps HN6100 is a two-rack-unit Ethernet switching platform that delivers Ethernet-over-Copper, Ethernet-over-TDM and Hatteras' PWE3-plus (native TDM & Ethernet for Mobile Backhaul). Line card options include 16 port EFM, 16 port T1/E1, 3 port DS3 (Clear & Channelized). For EFM, the HN6100 is capable of 32-pair bonding, which could deliver up to a 480 Mbps pipe (15 Mbps per pair X 32 pair bonding). The same HN6100 multi-service chassis will also support Ethernet over Fiber in the future.
http://www.hatterasnetworks.com
http://www.alpheuscommunications.com

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Sprint Introduces its Second 3G/WiMAX Android Phone

Sprint introduced its second 4G-capable handset -- the Samsung Epic 4G, a Galaxy S smartphone and Samsung Mobile's first 4G Android-powered device. Key capabilities include:

• 3G/4G capability


• 4G data speeds (WiMAX) - peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1 Mbps; average download speeds of 3-6 Mbps


• 3G data speeds (EVDO Rev A.) - peak download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds of 600 kbps-1.4 Mbps


• Samsung 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird Application Processor


• 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive display with pinch-to-zoom


• Google full HTML browser


• Android 2.1, with access to more than 50,000 apps on Android Market


• Simultaneous voice and data capability in 4G and Wi-Fi coverage areas


• Google mobile services including Google Search, Google Maps, Google Talk, Gmail, YouTube , and syncs with Google Calendar


• Visual voicemail


• 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability - connects up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices


• Dual camera: 5 MP camera/camcorder with autofocus, Power LED flash and 3x digital zoom for HD video (720p) recording for capture and playback on an HD television and front facing VGA camera for video chat and more


• Qik video application for video chat service and live video sharing


• High-quality video streaming and downloads at 3G and 4G data speeds


• Bluetooth® 2.1 with A2DP Stereo and EDR


• Built-in WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n


• Digital compass, six-axis motion sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, GPS


• Expandable memory: 16 GB microSD card included; supports up to 32 GB

Sprint will announce pricing and availability in the coming months.
http://www.sprint.com/epic4g

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FIFA.COM Reports Traffic Spike

FIFA.com, the official website for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, reported huge traffic spikes on its website are tournament play reached the Final 16 stage. On June 23, FIFA.com delivered a total of more than 410 million page views. 126 million of them occurred shortly after the match between England and Slovenia ended between 5pm and 6pm local time in South Africa, when data requests from visitors reached more than one million a second.


The numbers were expected to increase even further over the weekend and as the tournament progresses.


FIFA.com estimates that the average internet user is now clocking up 55 minutes per day - that's a combined 28.4 hours over the 31 days of the tournament -- looking for World Cup news, statistics and video, and interacting with other fans on social networking sites such as Twitter.


A survey of European Internet users found that German fans spend the most time online, clocking up 76 minutes per day, followed by the Spanish (65 minutes) and the Swiss (61 minutes). UK-based fans average 44 minutes per day.


The survey of 5,000 people across Europe also revealed that, at the start of the tournament, over two-thirds of Europeans (71%) were planning to watch TV or go online to follow all key matches - whether involving their own team or not -- while over one-quarter (27%, comprising 38% of men and 17% of women) were planning to watch at least half of all games, regardless of their own team's success.
http://www.FIFA.com

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South Africa's Telkom Sets Sights on Mobile, CEO to Step Down

Citing a continued slide in traditional voice revenue and growing competition, Telkom, South Africa's incumbent operator, reasserted its plan of restructuring into three business units.


"Our strategy seeking to re-position the Telkom Group is imperative given the tough operating environment. Similar to the strategies of other leading operators in the world, we are focusing on growing other revenue streams -- data centre operation, mobile and Africa -- to compensate for the decline in fixed voice revenues. We are improving our execution in current growth markets, such as broadband and wholesale, and are taking actions to defend our consumer and enterprise markets," said Group CEO Reuben September.


Earlier this month, Reuben September announced his intention to retire from his position and resign his directorship at the expiry of his contract in November 2010.


Some operational notes for the 2010 financial year:

• There was a 9.3% decrease in Telkom SA's voice traffic revenue.



• Telkom is preparing to launch a mobile offering. A roaming agreement with MTN will cover services such as voice, 2G and 3G data, MMS and USSD on a national basis. Telkom will also offer a full international roaming agreement at launch. Initially, prepaid, post-paid and hybrid voice and data services will be offered and these will be provided by a unified 2G and 3G voice and data network.



• Telkom has already ordered 2,000 base stations which are in the process of being constructed in the first year. The company plans to have 40% population coverage at launch which will be grown as required over five years. Full national coverage will be provided through the roaming agreement with MTN.



• Telkom launched a new "cybernest" data centre operation in November 2009.



• The new Telkom Management Services (TMS) has been created to provide consultancy services to telecommunications operators in Africa in order to improve their performance by providing network, IT, vendor and funding strategies, hands-on management and technical expertise best suited to meet their challenges.
  TMS is currently exploring opportunities in Malawi, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Angola, Ghana, Uganda, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland.



• Telkom's capital expenditure was R5.4 billion for the year ended 31 March 2010. This was down 44.2% from the R9.6 billion spent in the 2009 financial year. As a result, normalized free cash flow improved significantly to R5.5 billion.



• Interconnection revenue increased 25.1% to R2,608 million. From February 2010, there was a reduction in the peak mobile interconnect rate from 125 cents to 89 cents, with off-peak mobile rates remaining unchanged at 77 cents.



• With regard to broadband and data revenue, ADSL subscribers increased by 18.1% (compared to 31 March 2009) and Do Broadband subscribers have increased 25.4%. Broadband penetration as a percentage of post-paid lines equals 19%.



• In addition, total data revenue increased 7.1%, data connectivity services increased by 3.7%, leased line revenue increased 8.1% and Internet access and related services revenue increased 12.9%. Furthermore, managed data network services revenue increased 15.9% -- this includes an increase of 16.3% in satellite services revenue and a 15.9% increase in VPN services revenue.



• With reference to Telkom International, Telkom's equity stake in the Nigerian Multi-Links operation remains a major concern as EBITDA losses of R659 million were reported, a 191.6% increase from the loss of R226 million reported at the corresponding period last year. This was largely attributable to trading conditions in Nigeria, tough local economic conditions, pricing pressures and the short-term strategy previously in place to reduce inventories and acquire subscribers.



• During the 2009/10 financial year, Multi-Links' deployed additional packet based mobile switching centres increasing the available capacity from 2 800,000 to 4,000,000 subscribers; rolled out an additional 373 base transceiver stations to 878, increasing total radio capacity (Rf) from 1,800,000 to 3,100,000 subscribers on 706 tower sites, 340 of which are Multi-Links owned and the remaining are co-located.



• Multi-links also added 2,962 kilometers of optic fibre (1,822 MLTL owned and 1,140 Swop) resulting in a total to 6,673 km (4,639 Multi-Links owned and 2,034 swop). Its DWDM network has been extended to 39 cities.

http://www.telkom.co.za

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Russia's MTS and Comstar to Merge

Comstar-UTS, the leading fixed-line telecommunications company in Moscow, and Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), a leading mobile operator across Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, are planning a merger that will create the largest integrated telecommunications provider in Russia and the CIS.


Under the deal, 0.825 MTS ordinary shares would be exchanged for one Comstar Ordinary Share. The implied price represents a 13.1% Premium to the three month volume weighted average trading price of the Comstar GDR.


MTS currently owns 61.97% of Comstar (64.03% excluding treasury shares) and consolidates Comstar in its financial results. As a result of the statutory merger, Comstar will be subsumed into MTS and will cease to exist as a separate legal entity.


The companies said a full consolidation of Comstar into MTS is strategically important because it would facilitate the full integration of MTS's and Comstar's subscriber bases and enable the cross-selling and bundling of broadband and television services to MTS's customers. There are also operational synergies and cost savings across the combined entity.


Mikhail Shamolin, President and Chief Executive Officer of MTS, commented: "We believe that the merger of MTS and Comstar is attractive for our shareholders because it will accelerate the delivery of our "3i" strategic goal of realizing growth through increasing customer value, by providing our customers with a broad, innovative and integrated offering of mobile and fixed line telephony, high-speed internet access and pay-TV services. The merger will enable the full integration of the Comstar and MTS customer bases and the provision of bundled service offerings across Russia, which we believe will further enhance our combined competitive position."http://www.mtsgsm.com
http://www.comstar-uts.com

• Including its subsidiaries, the MTS Group services over 103.5 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia and Belarus, a region that boasts a total population of more than 230 million.



• Comstar-UTS provides voice, data, television and other value-added services to residential and corporate subscribers and operators, using its extensive backbone network and exclusive last mile access to 96% of Moscow households. The Company also offers communications services in 82 cities in the Russian regions, Armenia and Ukraine. Comstar had 3.6 million residential subscribers including 860 thousand residential broadband internet subscribers in Moscow, as well as 2.6 million regional and international residential subscribers, including 426 thousand residential broadband internet subscribers and 2.0 million residential pay-TV subscribers at the end of the first quarter of 2010.

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Duke Energy Forms Joint Venture to Grow Communications Business

Duke Energy Corp., Alinda Capital Partners and DukeNet Communications LLC today announced the formation of a joint venture to grow DukeNet. An affiliate of Alinda will acquire 50 percent of the ownership interests in DukeNet from an affiliate of Duke Energy in exchange for $137 million in cash. Duke Energy, through it affiliate, will continue to own the remaining 50 percent in DukeNet.


The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2010.


DukeNet is one of the largest wholesale fiber-based carriers in the Southeastern U.S. It operates more than 5,300 miles of fiber network. http://www.dukenet.com

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France's Covage Deploys Ericsson's GPON

Covage, a French network operator, has selected Ericsson to roll out an FTTH infrastructure to local and regional governments and estate owners. Ericsson will provide Covage with active and passive equipment for its fiber-optic networks as well as associated operator support services. The first deployment in Angoulême, France is already underway. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Covage is an open access network operator, acting as the single point of contact for local and regional governments and property management agencies. Initially focused on the enterprise market, Covage has now made its open access network available to residential users.


The first deployment is planned for a property management company in the city of Angoulême in south-west France in July 2010.


"Covage's choice centers on the Ericsson EDA 1500 -- the high-density all-IP GPON platform that efficiently manages fiber-optic networks and the traffic volumes associated with the explosion of broadband, IPTV and other multimedia services as well as enterprise services. The solution also comprises SmartEdge IP routers from Ericsson, which have already been adopted by several operators in France," says Franck Bouetard, President of Ericsson France.
http://www.ericsson.com

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Parks Associates Forecasts NAS Revenues to Exceed $4.4B in 2014

DVRs and video downloads will push the storage needs of U.S. broadband households to almost one terabyte by 2014, creating a parallel rise in the market for file backup and storage solutions, according to international research firm Parks Associates.


The firm's new report Consumer Storage Opportunities finds almost 50% of households are performing regular backups, including external storage, flash drives, and online backup, up from only 35% in 2006.
http://www.parksassociates.com

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IPeak Awarded Patent for Packet Protection

IPeak Networks, a start-up based in Ottawa, was awarded a U.S. patent in connection with its "IPQ" (Internet Performance and Quality) packet protection technology designed for video conferencing, telepresence, and virtualized computing markets.


Matthew Williams, IPeak Networks founder and chief technology officer, is the author of the patent and inventor of the IPQ technology.


IPeak Networks implements the patented methods in a full line of IPQ appliance products for video conferencing and telepresence applications: IPQ VC2, IPQ Presence, and IPQ Concentrator. An optimized version of the same IP packet protection engine is also found in the company's new line of software clients and virtual machines developed for the terminal services, server-based computing, and virtual desktop infrastructure markets. Additional patents are pending.


http://www.ipeaknetworks.com

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Public Mobile Launches Service in Montreal

Public Mobile's Montreal network went live on 25-June-2010. The company has no contracts and no credit checks and offers two unlimited voice and texting plans.


"We want to give the people of Montreal an economical option," said Alek Krstajic, Chief Executive Officer of Public Mobile. Added Krstajic, "For the first time, people in Montreal can have a cell phone with unlimited talk and text at a predictable price. Whether they are calling friends and family locally, or in other parts of Canada, the United States, or overseas, Public Mobile's plans are all unlimited, which means customers will never be surprised by price, no matter how much they talk or text."


Public Mobile stores began opening in Montreal on March 18th, 2010. There are now 31 stores open in Montreal with a total of 74 Public Mobile stores open in Toronto and Montreal.


Public Mobile's plans:

• $24/mo. Unlimited talk


• $40/mo. Unlimited talk and text


• $5/mo. Unlimited Canadian long distance


• $10/mo. Unlimited Canadian and U.S. long distance

http://www.publicmobile.ca

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Vopium Raises $16.5 Million for Mobile Alternative Skype

Vopium, a start-up based in Copenhagen, Denmark, has raised US$16.5 million from an Indian investor to support its efforts to launch a mobile alternative to Skype. The Indian investor, Raghuvinder Kataria, along with his own investment company are underwriting the funding.


Vopium, which is headed by Tanveer Sharif, was originally intended for immigrants to Denmark who were looking for cheap telephony solutions to get in contact with family and friends in distant countries. The company's target has since been expanded to all people and companies who want to make cheap international phone calls. The mobile client software enables users to make very cheap calls, e.g. from Denmark to the US for only $0.02 per minute.


The company claims one million users have already installed Vopium on their mobile phone and 250,000 users in 49 countries are using the solution.
http://www.vopium.com

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