TeliaSonera Launches New Looks Across its 18 Divisions

TeliaSonera launched a new purple logo and branding that will be used across its 18 global brands: Netcom and NextGenTel (Norway), Telia (Denmark), Telia (Sweden), Sonera (Finland), EMT and Elion (Estonia), Omnitel (Lithuania), TeliaSonera, TeliaSonera Finans and TeliaSonera International Carrier, Kcell (Kazakhstan), Geocell (Georgia), Ncell (Nepal), Tcell (Tajikistan), Azercell (Azerbaijan), Moldcell (Moldova), and Ucell (Uzbekistan).


"The purple colour differentiates us as we will be the only operator on the international telecoms scene using it. I personally like the colour very much as we can 'own' it, and it is modern, warm and unique in many ways," says Cecilia Edström, Head of Group Communications, TeliaSonera.


In addition, TeliaSonera lowered data roaming prices for customers in the Nordic and Baltic countries by approximately 90 percent. With the new prices, a customer surfing on a mobile phone pays SEK 29 for 20 MB per day.
http://www.teliasonera.com

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Korea's LG UPLUS Picks Ericsson for LTE

LG U+, a Korean wireless service provider, has selected Ericsson for its LTE commercial service network. The deployment will be able to support the existing CDMA and 4G LTE mobile service concurrently.


Ericsson will be responsible for building LTE network in Seoul and will supply Evolved Packet Core network, LTE base stations and optical repeaters for access and transmission. The project will start in May this year and be completed in 2012.


LG-Ericsson is Ericsson's local presence in Korea.
http://www.ericsson.com

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Fon Tops Four Million Wi-Fi Hotspots

There are now over four million Fon hotspots available to users worldwide. The number has grown by 30% since the beginning of the year.


"Four million hotspots is an amazing figure and proof that the Fon model works. Together with the spike we are seeing–one million new hotspots this year alone–the Fon network is achieving the footprint and rapid growth we have dreamed of," said Martin Varsavsky, Fon CEO and founder.


Fon's partners include BT, MTS Russia, SFR France, SoftBank Japan and ZON Portugal.
http://www.fon.com

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Alcatel-Lucent Teams with Polaris Wireless and Thales Alenia for Positioning Solutions

Alcatel-Lucent is partnering with Polaris Wireless and Thales Alenia Space to offer an advanced solution for mobile device geographic positioning.



The Alcatel-Lucent Positioning Solution (ALPS) utilizes a range of technologies to support Location Based Services (LBS), public safety, emergency services, and other applications that rely on accurate location information.



Polaris Wireless provides a highly-accurate, software based location solution capable of locating mobile devices across all air interfaces and all environments, including urban areas and indoors.



Thales Alenia Space is also a key partner and a worldwide player in satellite navigation systems and provide ubiquitous Located Based Solutions with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) assistance with data quality, dynamic location technique selection and hybridization, along with a strong availability for highly reliable applications.http://www.alcatel-lucent.com http://www.polariswireless.com

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BT Revenue Slides 3%, Profits Up

BT reported quarterly revenue of £5,055m, down 6% compared to year earlier, while adjusted EBITDA increased by 3% to £1,551m. Total group operating costs were reduced by 8% to £4,367m, as the company continued to trim expenses. Revenue for the full fiscal year ended 31-March-2011 was £20,076m, in line with the company's published outlook.



"We have consolidated our position as the leading provider of broadband in the UK with our highest quarterly share of DSL broadband net additions for eight years. BT Global Services order intake was up 10% at 7.3bn pounds Sterling and it has turned cash flow positive a year ahead of plan. Openreach saw growth in its copper line base in the year, reversing historic trends. Our roll out of super-fast broadband is one of the most rapid in the world, passing an average of 80,000 additional premises each week and we have plans to roughly double the speed of our fibre-to-the-cabinet based service in 2012," stated Ian Livingston, Chief Executive.http://www.btplc.com

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Rambus to Acquire Cryptography Research for $342 Million

Rambus agreed to acquire privately-held Cryptography Research, Inc. (CRI), which specializes in semiconductor security, for an aggregate of $342.5 million comprised of $167.5 million in cash, approximately 6.4 million shares of Rambus stock, and $50 million payable to CRI employees in cash or stock over three years.



CRI holds numerous patents for content protection, network security, anti-counterfeiting and financial services.
Over five billion semiconductor products secured by CRI's technology are made under license annually. CRI's licensees include leading semiconductor, electronics and services companies such as Atmel, Infineon, Microsoft, NXP, Raytheon, Renesas, Samsung, STMicroelectronics, Toshiba, and Visa.



CRI, which is based in San Francisco, is led by internationally renowned cryptographer and scientist Paul Kocher, whose accomplishments include helping author the SSL 3.0 standard, discovering differential power analysis (DPA), as well as developing techniques for securing electronic systems against DPA attacks.



DPA attacks involve monitoring the fluctuating electrical power consumption of a target device and then using advanced statistical methods to derive cryptographic keys and other secrets. With CRI's DPA countermeasures, electronic systems and security devices, such as smart cards, are protected from DPA attacks.http://www.rambus.com http://www.cryptography.com

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White House Pitches National Cyber Security Plan

The Obama Administration outlined a national cybersecurity legislative proposal aimed building a public/private partnership in securing critical infrastructure while protecting civil liberties and privacy. The proposal seeks to provide the government with better tools to detect and prevent cyber attacks on federal networks, power grids, water systems, and other critical "wired" systems.



Under the proposal, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will implement intrusion detection and prevention systems to address such attacks. It would also establish a framework for protecting privacy and civil liberties by requiring new oversight, reporting requirements, and annual certification to ensure that cybersecurity technologies are used for their intended purpose and nothing more.



Some specifics of the plan:



National Data Breach Reporting. There would be a national law that requiring businesses to notify consumers when a data breach occurs with the potential for identity theft. The national law would supersede the 47 different state laws currently in effect.



Penalties for Computer Criminals. The proposal would apply the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to cyber crimes, providing stronger measures against criminal organizations involved in cyber attacks.



Voluntary Government Assistance to Industry, States, and Local Government. Clarifies the assistance that DHS can provide to other government agencies and businesses that are under cyber attack.



Voluntary Information Sharing by Industry, States and Local Government. Provides immunity to industry, states and local governments when sharing cybersecurity information with DHS.



Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Plans. Requires DHS to work with industry to identify the core critical-infrastructure operators and to prioritize the most important cyber threats and vulnerabilities for those operators. Critical infrastructure operators would develop their own frameworks for addressing cyber threats. Then, each critical-infrastructure operator would have a third-party, commercial auditor assess its cybersecurity risk mitigation plans. Operators who are already required to report to the Security and Exchange Commission would also have to certify that their plans are sufficient.



DHS Authority. The proposal makes permanent DHS's authority to oversee intrusion prevention systems for all Federal Executive Branch civilian computers. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) implement these systems on behalf of DHS, blocking attacks against government computers. The Attorney General currently reviews and provides immunity for those ISPs, as necessary, to provide that service, and the proposal streamlines that process.



Data Centers. The proposal prevents states from requiring companies to build their data centers in that state for delivering cloud services to the government, except where expressly authorized by federal law.http://

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Russia's RASCOM Selects Ciena for Coherent 40G

Russia's RASCOM will deploy Ciena's 40G coherent optical technology in its international network. The network will offer a seamless upgrade path to 100G as bandwidth requirements dictate.



RASCOM's optical network connects key routes from Moscow - Saint-Petersburg - Russian-Finnish Border - Helsinki - Stockholm. The carrier claims to transport approximately 50 percent of Russia's cross-border Internet traffic. RASCOM's existing network, based on widespread deployment of Ciena's coherent 40G technology, connects Moscow to Stockholm through sites in St. Petersburg and Helsinki. This new link extends that network to Frankfurt through Copenhagen – a key data traffic route.http://www.ciena.com

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