City of Curitiba Gets LTE-Connected Bus Information

The city of Curitiba in southern Brazil is the first in the world to implement a new LTE-based public transportation solution. Mobile broadband is being used to track the movement of public buses throughout the city. Curitiba's 3.2 million citizens can benefit from the Electronic Ticketing and Fleet Management Systems solution, which provides a wide range of information about the city's bus fleet.
http://www.ericsson.com/news/110117_buses_in_brazil_244188811_c

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Verizon Changes Accounting for Pensions Resulting in $600M Charge

Verizon Communications adopted a new method of accounting for pensions and other post-employment benefits that recognizes gains and losses in the year they are incurred, rather than amortizing them over time. Under the new method, annual adjustments will be made to reflect actual return on pension plan assets, changes in discount rates and differences from other actuarial assumptions. The impact of this accounting change will result in cumulative pre-tax charges of $600 million for full-year 2010. Verizon said there is no impact on cash flow or pension funding requirements as a result of this change, and there is no change to its pension obligations.
http://www.verizon.com

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China Mobile Added 61.7 Million Subscribers in 2010

China Mobile ended 2010 with 584,017,000 subscribers, up by 61,734,000 for the year. This compares to 522,283,000 subscribers on 31-Dec-2009. For 2009, China Mobile added 65,033,000 subscribers.
http://www.chinamobileltd.com

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Ericsson Case Study: Telstra's Optical Transport Network

Telstra's network spans Australia with some 35,000 optical SDH transport elements carrying all traffic types from the access to the core, according to a newly published customer case study from Ericsson. Telstra also operates over 28.000 km of next generation DWDM equipment (Ericsson's MHL3000) connecting all major centers with scalability from 10Gbs to 40Gbs per channel.http://www.ericsson.com/article/telstra_1595655399_c

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Kazakhtelecom Deploys GPON with Alcatel-Lucent

Kazakhtelecom is upgrading its existing DSL network with GPON in the capital city of Astana. Kazakhtelecom will use the new network to provide advanced broadband services such as IPTV, video on demand (VoD) and high-speed Internet access to residential and business customers. Alcatel-Lucent has deployed its GPON-based 7342 Intelligent Services Access Manager Fiber-to-the-User (ISAM FTTU), the related 5520 Access Management System (AMS), as well as a series of indoor and multi-dwelling unit (MDU) optical network terminals (ONTs) - which are located at end-users' premises and convert optical signals back into electrical voice, video or data. Alcatel-Lucent also provided Kazakhtelecom with its comprehensive professional services expertise - including civil works, installation, integration, testing, commissioning, maintenance as well as training.http://www.alcatel-lucent.com http://www.telecom.kz

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Satellite Broadband Ireland to Offer Tooway via KA-SAT

Satellite Broadband Ireland (SBI) will sell broadband services delivered by Eutelsat's KA-SAT under a 3-year contract. Eutelsat's Tooway satellite broadband service offers download speeds of up to 10 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 4 Mbps. SBI will start to deliver the service in Ireland and plans to expand across Europe.



Eutelsat's KA-SAT satellite was launched in December 2010 and is on track to enter into full commercial service in May 2011. KA-SAT's approach is based on next-generation two-way wireless Ka-band spotbeam technology.



"To build an inclusive digital environment in Ireland, it is vital that broadband is accessible to as many of the 367,000 rural homes as possible," said Kevin Ryan, SBI Chief Executive. "As a result of this partnership with Eutelsat, our customers will be guaranteed access to the fastest and most reliable satellite broadband service at the lowest possible price, with all packages competitively priced." Ryan continued by stating that "We are the only satellite data provider in Ireland giving an Irish IP address as standard, which is vital for accessing websites such as RTE iPlayer. This unique contract also consolidates SBI's position as the premier provider of satellite broadband services to homes and businesses in Ireland and, along with an additional EUR1m investment in our own services and facilities, will allow us to expand into additional territories across Europe, such as the UK."http://www.satellitebroadbandireland.iehttp://www.eutelsat.com

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NTT Proposes Lower Optical Subscriber Line Interconnection Charges

NTT applied to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications for authorization to change its interconnection charges for optical subscriber lines. Interconnection charges have been calculated based on the interconnection accounting of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010. NTT East and NTT West are both proposing fee reductions over the coming years.http://www.ntt.co.jp

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