Russia's Uralsvyazinform Tests Huawei's Gear

Huawei will supply a test IMS network for Russia's Uralsvyazinform, a universal communication provider and subsidiary of Svyazinvest. The IMS solution has a packet-switched network as its core and implements transmission of different types of traffic (voice, multimedia, and video).


"This IMS project, implemented in cooperation with Uralsvyazinform, is the largest project of this kind ever to be implemented in Russia and CIS. We are proud of the confidence put in our company by OJSC , Uralsvyazinvest. Successful implementation of this project will mark a new stage in the transition of operators to convergent services," said Wang Kexiang, president of Huawei Russia.
http://www.huawei.com

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Alcatel-Lucent Expands GPON ONT portfolio

Alcatel-Lucent added eight new models to its portfolio of GPON-based optical network terminals (ONTs). ONTs are located at end-users' premises and convert optical signals back into electrical voice, video or data. The rollout includes indoor models with integrated residential gateway and Wi-Fi features.


In addition, Alcatel-Lucent noted that it has now shipped its one millionth ONT.
http://www.alcatel-lucent.comhttp://

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France Telecom-Orange Tops 193 Million Connections, up 5.7%

France Telecom reported 2009 revenues of EUR 45.944 billion, down 1.8% on a comparable basis (EUR 50.952 billion including the UK). Organic cash flow reached EUR 8.35 billion, better than the announced objective. Revenues (excluding the United Kingdom) were EUR 11.540 billion in the 4th quarter of 2009, a decrease of 3.3% on a comparable basis and 5.8% on an historical basis. Including the United Kingdom, consolidated revenues were 12.808 billion euros, a 3.0% decline versus the 4th quarter of 2008 on a comparable basis.


Incoming CEO Stéphane Richard stated ""I would first like to thank Didier Lombard for leading the Group's transformation from being a national monopoly to a robust multi-national group that can boast more than 190 million customers and 180,000 employees in 32 countries, all while keeping a tight reign on its financial
performance. It is an outstanding group blessed with many excellent qualities, even as it faces a crisis of confidence in France. We are working to recenter the business to provide a renewed outlook for the Group as a whole. This new project, which will be announced before the summer, aims to reposition both customers and employees firmly at the heart of the executive management's priorities in a way that balances economic performance with social considerations while retaining our leadership position in innovation. This is the exciting task that lies ahead for me and the new management team."


Some notes from the financial report:

• For the year, France Telecom posted an increase in the overall customer base of 5.7% year on year (192.7 million customers at 31 December 2009).



• There was a 8.8% growth in the mobile customer base (132.6 million customers).



• There was a 4.1% rise in ADSL broadband subscribers (13.5 million customers) and very rapid growth of digital TV, with 3.2 million subscribers at 31 December 2009 for a year-on-year increase of 53%.



• The group's capital expenditure reached EUR 5.3 billion, for a CAPEX rate of 11.5% of revenues. This compares with CAPEX of EUR 6.3 billion in 2008 (13.4% of revenues) on a comparable basis. CAPEX for the 4th quarter was significantly higher than the average level for the first three quarters of the year, in line with seasonal trends seen in previous years.



• The MVNO customer base in Europe rose 25% to 4.0 million customers at 31 December 2009 (including 2.4
  million customers in France), compared with 3.2 million customers a year earlier (including 1.8 million
  customers in France).



• ADSL broadband services continued to grow, reaching 13.5 million customers at 31 December 2009, a year-on-year
  increase of 4.1%. Broadband usage rose sharply.



• At 31 December 2009, there were: 3.2 million digital TV (IPTV and satellite) subscribers, a 53% increase in one year; 7.6 million Voice over IP subscribers, a year-on-year increase of 17%; and 8.8 million Livebox subscribers, a 12% increase in one year.

http://www.francetelecom.comhttp://

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Deutsche Telekom's 2009 Revenue Hits EUR 64.6 Billion

Deutsche Telekom's revenue for 2009 increased 4.8 percent to EUR 64.6 billion compared with 2008, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) grew 6.2 percent to EUR 20.7 billion. This resulted in an adjusted EBITDA margin of 32.0 percent, up from 31.6 percent the previous year. The increase in profitability is even more marked in the fourth quarter of 2009: while revenue increased 0.6 percent year-on-year, adjusted EBITDA rose by 8.6 percent.


Adjusted net profit totaled EUR 3.4 billion, 1.1 percent below the prior-year figure. In unadjusted terms, net profit was considerably lower than the previous year at EUR 0.4 billion. This was mainly attributable to impairment losses of EUR 2.3 billion recognized on goodwill in the United Kingdom and Southeastern Europe.


"After a bumpy start, we rounded 2009 off with good results," said René Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom. "Cost discipline was key to getting through economically challenging times. However, we did not save at the expense of the future, but continued to invest heavily."


Some notes from the financial report:

• Free cash flow was on target at EUR 7.0 billion for the full year, a mere 0.9 percent down on the 2008 level.



• The Group's cash capex in 2009 totaled EUR 9.2 billion, an increase of 5.7 percent year-on-year.



• For DT's fixed network in Germany, line losses and the reduction in call charges resulted in an expected revenue decline of 5.3 percent compared with 2008. At the same time, adjusted EBITDA decreased by just 2.4 percent.



• The number of line losses decreased to 417,000 in the fourth quarter, the lowest in any quarter since the end of 2005. In the full year, 2.1 million line losses were recorded, almost 17 percent less than in 2008.



• In Germany, the company has a DSL net market share of just over 45 percent.



• Revenues for the German mobile business increased by 0.5 percent to EUR 8.1 billion in the full year 2009.



• At year-end, Deutsche Telekom served 17.2 million mobile contract customers in Germany, up 1.1 percent compared with the end of 2008.



• T-Mobile USA was under intensified competitive pressure and as a consequence posted a 1.6-percent decline in revenue to USD 21.5 billion compared with 2008 and a decrease in adjusted EBITDA of 4.5 percent to USD 5.9 billion.



• The number of T-Mobile USA customers rose by one million in 2009, totaling 33.8 million at the end of the year. Having lost 77,000 customers in the third quarter, T-Mobile USA returned to growth in the fourth quarter with 371,000 net additions.



• T-Mobile USA's said it surpassed 3G build-out targets in 2009 and now covers a population of 205 million. The entire 3G network was also upgraded with the HSPA standard and now supports data transmission rates of up to 7.2Mbps. Average data revenue per customer was USD 10.20 in the fourth quarter, which is more than 22 percent of total revenue per customer. A year ago, this figure was still below 19 percent. Total data revenue increased by 35 percent to USD 598 million in the fourth quarter compared with the same period in 2008. For the full year 2009, T-Mobile USA's data revenue totaled USD 2.2 billion, up 37 percent on 2008.



• DT's Europe segment recorded a revenue decrease of 11.6 percent and a decline in adjusted EBITDA of 13.0 percent over the full year on account of these influences.



• In the Netherlands, T-Mobile successfully completed the integration of Orange Nederland.



• In Poland, PTC finished the year successfully on the whole despite the major negative effects of the economic crisis. The EBITDA margin for the full year increased slightly year-on-year to 35.1 percent.



• Following the inclusion of the OTE group effective February of this year, the segment recorded a year-on-year revenue increase of around EUR 1.4 billion to EUR 2.6 billion in the fourth quarter. Adjusted EBITDA rose by EUR 0.5 billion to EUR 0.9 billion. Over the full year, revenue totaled EUR 9.7 billion, up EUR 5.0 billion year-on-year. Adjusted EBITDA was EUR 3.8 billion during the same period, increasing EUR 1.8 billion compared with the prior year.

http://www.telekom.de

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Virgin Media Selects Brightcove Platform for Online Video

Virgin Media has selected Brightcove to support short-form video content across Virginmedia.com. Virgin Media offers a range of online news, sports, music and entertainment content and will use the Brightcove platform to publish and distribute high quality, advertising-supported video across its website.
http://www.brightcove.comhttp://

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Novatel Wireless Completes 18Mbps WiMAX Call With MiFi

Novatel Wireless reported throughput of 18Mbps in over-the-air testing of its new MiFi Intelligent Mobile Hotspot prototype based on 4G-WiMAX. The device can support theoretical peak throughput speeds exceeding 30Mbps downlink and 10Mbps uplink in a 10 MHz channel.


"Novatel Wireless is pleased to support the growing 4G ecosystem and the evolution of next-generation communications with this milestone WiMAX call," said Rob Hadley, CMO, Novatel Wireless. "The combination of our intelligent software platform on MiFi with 4G speeds from Beceem's high-performance 4G-WiMAX chips will open up new opportunities for the growing number of initiatives involving 4G mobile broadband applications and services."
http://www.novatelwireless.comhttp://

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Novatel Wireless to Use Qualcomm Wearable Mobile Device Modules

Novatel Wireless completed a technology transfer with Qualcomm of two Qualcomm Wearable Mobile Device module designs, enabling the expansion of Novatel Wireless' portfolio of embedded machine to machine (M2M) and consumer electronic (CE) devices.


The Qualcomm Wearable Mobile Device 1X and 1X EV-DO Rev. A are modules that support integrated GPS, accelerometer and Bluetooth technologies. With data and voice support for 1X and 1X EV-DO Rev. A networks, a standardized USB 2.0 interface and defined APIs and development kit, the modules provide unprecedented functionality and streamlined 3G connectivity for M2M and CE devices.
http://www.novatelwireless.comhttp://

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BT Offers Video Conf Interoperability between Cisco, Polycom and TANDBERG

BT Conferencing now offers interoperability between the video conferencing systems of the three top manufacturers of video conferencing equipment: Cisco, Polycom and TANDBERG, as part of the company's managed service offering, BT One Source. BT One Source includes Engage Meeting Manager, BT's universal customer interface that allows customers to operate different manufacturers' products, creating a seamless, automated customer experience. BT customers can use Engage Meeting Manager to initiate a video call between Cisco TelePresence systems and traditional TANDBERG and Polycom video systems with a simple point and click.


Aaron McCormack, CEO of BT Conferencing, said: "BT has successfully deployed this interoperability service for several large multi-national customers, enabling them to use a mixture of different endpoints in a video meeting. We also currently operate this service within BT's internal video estate. Our goal is to help our customers maximize their investments in video technology by allowing them to collaborate with partners, suppliers, customers and others around the globe."http://www.btplc.comhttp://

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Sonus Reports Q4 Revenue of $68.7 Million, Net Income

Sonus Networks reported revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 of $68.7 million, compared to $56.2 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2009 and revenue from continuing operations of $89.5 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008. The company's net income on a GAAP basis for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 was $10.3 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $3.4 million, or $0.01 per share, for the third quarter of fiscal 2009, and a loss from continuing operations of $99.5 million, or $0.37 per share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008.


"We are pleased with the progress we made over the past year to successfully re-engineer the Company," said Richard Nottenburg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sonus Networks. "Despite the challenges we and others in our industry faced in 2009, we ended the year profitable on a non-GAAP basis, with a strong balance sheet, more efficient cost structure and substantial operating leverage. As we accelerate our product innovation initiatives, I am confident Sonus is well positioned to capitalize on new growth opportunities to drive future profitability and success."http://www.sonusnet.comhttp://

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Virgin Media to Launch 100 Mbps Broadband in UK

Virgin Media will begin rolling out a 100 Mbps broadband service, the fastest available commercial product in the UK, by the end of 2010.


Virgin Media also announced plans to extend its 200 Mbps pilot to Coventry where it will look to recruit hundreds of customers to test the internet with this supercharged speed. The 200Mb pilot, which began in May 2009 in Kent, has been focusing on future technologies and applications, such as home teleconferencing and downloading HD programmes on-demand, which are likely to require fast speeds.


Virgin Media's chief executive officer, Neil Berkett, said:"There is nothing we can't do with our fibre optic cable network, and the upcoming launch of our flagship 100Mb service will give our customers the ultimate broadband experience. Just as we led the way by launching the UK's first ever next generation service, we want to keep giving our customers the very best broadband available, by investing in technological innovation and transforming the experience they have when they are online. The launch of Virgin Media's 100Mb service will be a historic moment and will mean the UK will be comparable to other leading broadband nations."


Virgin Media has 4.1 million broadband customers, with most on cable broadband, and currently offers 10Mb, 20Mb and 50Mb services.
http://www.virginmedia.comhttp://

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Samsung Readies Broadband HDTVs with Embedded Skype

Samsung Electronics Co. is preparing to launch new LED 7000 and 8000 series high-definition televisions featuring embedded Skype software. This will allow Skype users to make video and voice calls through the TVs. Consumers who connect the TVs to the Internet can easily attach a FREETALK TV Camera for Samsung provided by In Store Solutions (ISS). Voice calls will use Skype's SILK audio codec, which enables super-wideband audio quality. The first models are already shipping in Korea. Worldwide shipments are slated for the first half of 2010.


Skype said the debut of the new Samsung televisions reinforces its commitment to making its video and voice calling capabilities available on a full range of Internet-connected devices.
http://www.skype.com

• Televisions with built-in Skype software were first introduced at the International Consumer Electronics Show in January 2010.

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Telekom Austria Secures IPTV Service with NDS

NDS and Telekom Austria have extended their relationship to secure the operators IPTV service. Specifically, NDS will integrate its VideoGuard encryption technology with the new platform to ensure that the operator's service remains uncompromised.


NDS has provided the security for Telekom Austria's IPTV service since 2005.
http://www.nds.com
http://www.telekomaustria.com

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Solera Appoints Paul Kraus as VP of Engineering

Solera Networks, which specializes in network forensics, has appointed Paul Kraus as Vice President of Engineering. Prior to joining Solera Networks, he led product engineering for Omniture Inc., an Adobe company and a leader in online business optimization software. http://www.soleranetworks.comhttp://

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France Telecom-Orange Announces Executive Committee

Stéphane Richard, the incoming CEO of France Telecom-Orange, announced key executive appointments for the Group's Executive Committee. It will consist of 15 members and will take office on 6th April. Stéphane Richard will also continue in his role as Head of Operations in France.
http://www.francetelecom.com/en_EN/press/press_releases/cp100225en2.jsp

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