Sunday, June 6, 2010

GSA: 22 LTE networks Expected in Service This Year

The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) predicts that 22 LTE networks will be in commercial service by end 2010. TeliaSonera was the first to launch a commercial LTE service in December 2009.


The GSA said 80 operators have made firm commitments to deploy LTE networks in 33 countries (compared to 64 network commitments identified two months ago). LTE networks are now being installed or planned for commercial service in Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, The Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, UAE, USA, and Uzbekistan.


Governments in Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands have all completed auctions of spectrum in recent weeks including 2.6 GHz, which is targeted for LTE systems. Germany has also completed Europe's first auction of 800 MHz (digital dividend) spectrum in which the winning operators also plan to deploy LTE systems. Further auctions of spectrum suitable for LTE are anticipated in the coming months.


The GSA report notes that in addition to the well established commitment to new 2.6 GHz and digital dividend spectrum (800 MHz in Europe, 700 MHz in the Americas) for LTE, a number of operators are considering deploying LTE in the 1800 MHz band.
http://www.gsacom.com

Tele2 Appoints Ericsson Exec as CEO

Tele2 AB has appointed Mats Granryd as President and CEO. Mats is currently the head of Northern Europe and Central Asia for Ericsson. He previously led the North West Europe, India, CDMA and North Africa units and the global customer accounts for Vodafone and Bharti. Before joining Ericsson he was a management consultant in telecom strategies at ARRIGO and Andersen. Mats holds an MSc from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
http://www.tele2.com

Alcatel-Lucent Appoints VP of Business and IT Transformation

Robin Dargue has been appointed Executive Vice-President of Business and Information Technology Transformation at Alcatel-Lucent. In this newly-created position, Robin will be responsible for accelerating the company's transformation through transforming IS/IT and the enterprise architecture, while coordinating the execution of key corporate transformation programs.


Robin joins Alcatel-Lucent from the British Royal Mail where he served as CIO and Technology Director, in charge of a vast IT based transformation program. At British Royal Mail, he oversaw the implementation of 30,000 handheld devices supported by the UK's largest Wi-Fi network, and the introduction of a number of new technology-led products and services for customers, while executing the modernization of the organisation technology assets.
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

MRV Supplies Optical Transport for Santa Monica, California

The City of Santa Monica, California, has deployed MRV Communications' optical transport, network demarcation and network management products as part of its municipal network serving its business community.


Santa Monica City Net is a 10 Gbps fiber optic network that provides the opportunity to integrate data, voice and video, and efficiently manage data exchanges with business partners. The City provides access direct to local businesses through Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that service Santa Monica.


Santa Monica City Net is based on MRV's LambdaDriver WDM optical transport system, OptiSwitch 9124 (OS9124) packet optical aggregation units and OptiSwitch 912 (OS912) multi-port demarcation platform, all managed and provisioned by the company's Pro-Vision software.


MRV LambdaDriver units were installed to connect Santa Monica businesses with Los Angeles' premiere data center with more than 160 ISPs and one of the major hub sites in Santa Monica. OS912 units were also installed at multi-tenant buildings throughout Santa Monica and OS9124 units were installed to aggregate data from those buildings.
http://www.mrv.com

ZTE Debuts Commercial TD-LTE Base Stations

ZTE announced commercial availability of two TD-LTE base stations: BBU- B8300 and RRU- R8962.


ZTE's B8300 TD-LTE base station is based on ZTE's SDR unified platform and can be upgraded from TD-SCDMA mode to TD-LTE or TD/TD-LTE dual mode. The R8962 TD-LTE base station supports two channels with 20W transmission power each. Product features include multi-mode functions of TD/TD-LTE, as well as multi-band 2.3/2.6 GHz and multi-scenario indoor/outdoor applications.


ZTE noted that it has now deployed more than 250 thousand SDR base stations across the globe, including in mainland China, Hong Kong, India and Chile. The company constructed a TD-LTE network for the Shanghai World Expo Press Center, and the company's 2G/3G dual-mode base station built upon the SDR platform was nominated for a GSMA Global Mobile Award in 2009.
http://www.zte.com.cn

Level 3 Launches New Vyvx Local Switching Services

Level 3 Communications is now enabling its Vyvx customers to transmit - or "switch" - video feeds between two local loops within a single market. Broadcasters can now get access to Level 3's extensive national Vyvx footprint of coverage and a cost-effective alternative for local switching services. Level 3 said its value proposition now includes:

  • An extensive footprint -- At its launch, new local switching rates will be available in more than 50 markets.


  • HD support -- Level 3's Vyvx network will support HD loops in a number of markets starting the first day of launch, with support for both 1.5 Gbps and 3 Gbps. These services will initially be available in a dozen markets, including New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Miami, with more cities added in the coming year.


  • International reach -- The same local switching rates apply in all U.S. markets, as well as London.


  • Loop flexibility -- With Level 3, there are no access restrictions. Unlike other providers that require access to be procured through them, customers using Level 3's Local Switching service will have the option to procure their own loops or buy through Level 3 Vyvx.
http://www.level3.com

Apple's FaceTime Promises Open Standards

The FaceTime
video calling application in the upcoming iPhone 4 initially will run only over Wi-Fi networks. It will also be limited to video calls between new iPhones. However, in his keynote presentation, Steve Jobs said FaceTime will be based on standards, including h.264, AAC, SIP, STUN, TURN, ICE, RTP, SRTP. The company is expected to take FaceTime to industry standards bodies as a proposed open standard.
http://www.apple.com

Empirix Acquires Mutina for Monitoring Surveillance Tech

Empirix has acquired privately held Mutina Technology S.p.A., which specializes in monitoring surveillance and analysis technologies for Mobile Broadband (MBB), Next Generation Networks (NGN), SS7/Sigtran Signaling, VoD/IPTV, and IP Core for Telecom and Enterprise Networks. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Mutina, which is based in Modena, Italy, designs and manufactures portable protocol and service analyzers, probes for high performance IP monitoring of telecom and Data Networks, NIC products for OEM, and active testing systems for quality of service in IP environments.


Expirix said the acquisition expands its product line for the monitoring of mobile networks and extends the company's presence in EMEA and Asia Pacific.


Specifically, the combination of Empirix's Hammer XMS solution for IMS, VoIP and SS7 networks with the IPXPlorer system from Mutina provides a solution for mobile broadband, video and data.


Empirix and Mutina bring a common architectural approach to the monitoring challenges of mobile and fixed networks. Both companies deploy software and custom hardware designed for high bandwidth IP with the flexibility of supporting legacy SS7/C7 signaling. The combined technology offers hardware platforms capable of monitoring up to 40GB of traffic per probe, providing real time analysis of IP services, user payload and network impairments.


"As service providers move quickly towards LTE networks, there is a need to monitor increasingly large amounts of voice, video, and data across all access networks," said John D'Anna, CEO of Empirix.


Empirix is privately held and headquartered in Bedford, MA.
http://www.empirix.com
http://www.mutinatechnology.com

NTT's "Kazaspot" Combines Mobile Marketing with "Osaifu-Keitai" Mobile Wallet

NTT Communications is introducing a software-as-a-service (SaaS) mobile-marketing solution that enables stores to engage consumers via mobile phones embedded with contactless IC chips, known as Osaifu-Keitai ("mobile wallet") in Japan.


"Kazaspot," which combines the Japanese words for waving and spot, comprises dedicated reader/writer data terminals installed in physical stores and connected to servers at NTT Com's secure, robust data center.


Consumers simply wave their mobile wallets over the terminals to download basic data that enables them to participate in mobile Web-based surveys, loyalty programs, gift lotteries and other customer programs. The customer's mobile phone becomes the user interface. The system works with mobile-wallet phones from NTT DOCOMO, au and SoftBank Mobile.


NTT Com said its new Biz Marketing Kazaspot will allow enterprises to flexibly customize solutions and integrate them with not only existing services, but even vending machines and digital signage. A variety of reader/writer terminals are available to suit specific types of solutions.


The carrier noted that there are now more than 60 million mobile wallets in Japan being used for electronic money, rapid transit payments, identification, etc.
http://www.ntt.co.jp

Calient Expands Sales Staff, Sees Opportunity in 100G Switching

Calient Networks, which supplies optical switching based on 3D MEMS technology, has expanded its sales force with the addition of four new sales executives. The Santa Barbara, California based company said it sees opportunity for its optical switches as network evolve to 100G.


New members of the Calient team include:

O.J. Johnston, who joins Calient as its new global solutions leader. Prior to joining the Calient team, Johnston held various positions at Glimmerglass Networks and Cisco Systems.


John Reynolds, who will oversee the company's business development for data center and OEM partners. Reynolds' past sales experience includes positions at Infinera and Ciena.


Bill Stephenson, who will be responsible for Calient's business development for service providers. Prior to joining Calient, Stephenson held various positions at Ciena and Nortel.


Glenn Stern, who joins the company as its new government practice leader. Stern comes from FORTINET, where he served as director of federal business development. Stern previously served as a National Account Manager for AT&T for ADTRAN.
http://www.calient.net

Dell'Oro: Service Provider Edge Router Market Share

Vendor market shares of the Service Provider Edge Router market encountered several changes during the first quarter of 2010. According to a newly published report by Dell'Oro Group, Cisco Systems recorded a share gain of almost 5 percentage points to extend its leading position to 47 percent. Juniper Networks recaptured the number two ranking from Alcatel-Lucent, a position that Alcatel-Lucent had held for the previous three quarters. Tellabs jumped two spots from sixth to fourth as sales of its edge routers surged to record levels.


"As the Service Provider Edge Router market recovers this year, a number of variables is affecting the vendors' performance," said Shin Umeda, Vice President at Dell'Oro Group. "For example, Cisco is benefiting from its large, global customer base and new product cycles, while Tellabs, a much smaller company, is seeing strong demand for its products in wireless networks," added Umeda.
http://www.delloro.com

Ozmo Devices Raises $10 Million for Wi-Fi PAN

Ozmo Devices, a start-up based in Palo Alto, California, raised $10.8 million in Series D funding for its low-power Wi-Fi Personal Area Network (Wi-Fi PAN) solutions. Ozmo Devices' chipset enables low-power wireless peripherals like mice and headsets.


Atlantic Bridge Ventures led the round with participation of existing investors Granite Ventures and Intel Capital. Brian Long, partner at Atlantic Bridge, will join the Board of Directors.
http://www.ozmodevices.com
  • Earlier this year, Ozmo Devices namded Bill McLean as president and CEO.