Monday, August 8, 2011

ZTE Report Rising Sales, Declining Profits

ZTE reported 1H2011 revenue of RMB 37.3 billion for the first half of 2011, up 21.5% over the first half of 2010. Total profit was RMB 1.27 billion, down 8.7% compared to the same period last year.


In its domestic Chinese market, ZTE reported domestic business revenue of RMB 16.5 billion, representing a year-on-year growth of 6.9% and accounting for 44.3% of its operating revenue.


ZTE's revenue from international markets increased by 36.4 per cent year-on-year to RMB 20.81 billion, accounting for 55.7 per cent of the company's operating revenue.


ZTE's gross profit margin for the reporting period was 29.76%, down 3.69 percentage points from the 33.45% reported for the same period last year.


Revenues from handset sales as a percentage of its total operating revenue increased from 25.35%
for the same period last year to 30.03%.


ZTE shipped 60 million terminal products, including 35 million smartphones in the first six months of the year. This is a 400% increase year-on-year in smart terminal sales. Consequently, operating revenue for the company's handset products as a percentage of total operating revenue increased to 30.0 per cent from 25.4 per cent in the same period last year. Overall gross profit margin for handset products declined to 19.6% from 22.7% previously.


Looking ahead, ZTE said it expects domestic carriers to increase their CAPEX spending in the second half of the year.
http://www.zte.com.cn

CENX Supports LightSquared LTE Rollout

CENX announced further expansion of its 4G-LTE wireless backhaul platform, including support of LightSquared's forthcoming wholesale LTE network.


CENX said it is ready to assist wireless operators implementing LTE who require ubiquitous Ethernet backhaul, which means integrating multiple access providers across a region. The CENX Ethernet exchange and wireless backhaul platform offers support systems for monitoring backhaul and SLAs that are Ethernet ready.


"Our decision to work with CENX was based on their unparalleled expertise in Carrier Ethernet and its exchange services," said LightSquared Chief Network Officer Doug Smith. "CENX's advanced OSS will help ensure LightSquared delivers a best-in-class integrated 4G-LTE wireless broadband and satellite network."


"Efficiently delivering the bandwidth required in the wireless backhaul space is the single biggest challenge in the industry; Carrier Ethernet, with its Multi-Class of Service capability, can break the bandwidth logjam and drive the lowest cost per bit and higher profitability," said Nan Chen, President of CENX. "We are proud to be supporting LightSquared's development of its industry changing network."http://www.cenx.com

ADTRAN Acquires Bluesocket

ADTRAN has acquired Bluesocket, a privately held company in Burlington, Mass., that supplies virtual wireless LAN solutions. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Bluesocket enables virtual control of WLANs via identity-based QoS and fairness algorithms that are appolied at the access point. Tightly integrated security modules offer robust and scalable NAC, Guest Access, AAA and WIDS capabilities.

The Bluesocket team and product portfolio will be incorporated into ADTRAN's Enterprise Networks Division.

ADTRAN said that combining its enterprise networks portfolio and Bluesocket's innovative solutions will result in a carrier-class, seamless wireless/wireline end-to-end voice, data, video and mobility solution with virtual control.
http://www.adtran.com

DISH Loses 135,000 Subs in Q2 -- Base Now at 14.056 Million

DISH Network's net subscribers decreased by approximately 135,000 during the second quarter, and the company ended June 30, 2011, with approximately 14.056 million subscribers.


Financially, revenue totaled $3.59 billion for the quarter ended June 30, 2011, a 13.3 percent increase compared with $3.17 billion for the corresponding period in 2010. Net income attributable to common shareholders totaled $335 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2011, a 30.3 percent increase compared with $257 million during the same period last year. http://www.dishnetwork.com/

Malaysia's Maxis Goes 100G with Alcatel-Lucent

Maxis Berhad, Malaysia's leading integrated communications service provider, has deployed Alcatel-Lucent's 100G optical coherent technology in its core transmission network.


Maxis operates its optical fibre network, covering over 10,000 km of fibre infrastructure, within Peninsular Malaysia with part of the fibre infrastructure delivered through collaborative sharing and swapping.

Alcatel-Lucent noted that Maxis' optical backbone network is the first 100G single carrier with optical coherent technology system commercially deployed in Asia-Pacific. http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

Sunrise Telecom Adds T1 and SHDSL.bis to Test Platform

Sunrise Telecom has enhanced its RxT Platform with the addition of Dual T1 and SHDSL.bis test modules.


The Dual T1 Module (RxT 2080) is designed to assist field technicians with the new installation, routine maintenance, and troubleshooting of T1 and DS1 problems in the network. The Dual T1 Module is suited for everything from wireless backhaul, call center, and integrated voice and data service installation and maintenance. The module offers a full suite of tools for testing T1 circuits including pulse mask analysis, frequency and signal level measurement, error detection, alarm monitoring, voice frequency, and loopback control.


The new SHDSL.bis module (RxT 2600) represents an effective option for connecting towers which are too distant to run fiber. Additionally, many operators have turned to SHDSL.bis to deliver carrier-grade Ethernet services to small and medium businesses over the existing copper infrastructure. The SHDSL.bis module for the RxT Platform addresses key test requirements for the installation of business class services and mobile backhaul deployed over an SHDSL access network. Both legacy ITU-T SHDSL and enhanced SHDSL.bis technologies are supported for one to four copper pairs.


Sunrise Telecom also highlighted the ability of its ruggedized, hand-held test platform to optimize work flows of field technicians. The solution speeds the installation, verification and troubleshooting of 2G and 3G backhaul circuits as well as 4G/LTE backhaul services. Sunrise Telecom's mobile backhaul solution now includes the RXT-2600 SHDSL.bis, RXT-2080 Dual T1, RxT-2270 E1, RxT-2380 SONET/SDH, RxT-2500 1GE, and RxT-5000 10GE modules, which are all available today through the company's worldwide distribution channels.


"We continue to add new capability to the RxT platform at an aggressive pace, in keeping with our customers' desire to fully equip and enable a growing force of "super techs" in the field," said Bahaa Moukadam. "Outfitting field personnel capable of deploying and maintaining both new and legacy network technologies with a single, robust test platform is the key to increasing productivity for our customers who are rolling out new services." http://www.sunrisetelecom.com

Nokia Siemens Networks Expands in India

Nokia Siemens Networks, is expanding its Chennai (Oragadam) manufacturing facility from 35,000 to 55,000 square meters, and increasing the number of product lines to 33. The company, which now ranks as India's largest international telecom infrastructure manufacturer, plans to export approximately 37% of the facility's production across the Asia Pacific. The expansion will also enable the company to manufacture and distribute new multiradio and LTE products, among other equipment such as GSM and LTE-ready 3G base stations and its FlexiPacket radio. The manufacturing facility will offer energy-efficient equipment to reduce the carbon footprint of new network deployments. It has already started the production of innovative Flexi Multiradio Antenna System, which forms part of Nokia Siemens Networks' Liquid Radio architecture. http://www.nsn.com

FCC Approves Order Adding 650 MHz of Spectrum for Microwave Backhaul

The FCC voted to remove certain regulatory barriers to make 650 MHz of additional spectrum available for Fixed
Service (FS) use and provide additional flexibility to enable FS licensees to reduce operational costs,
increase reliability, and facilitate the use of wireless backhaul in rural areas with wider channel bandwidths in the 6 and 11 GHz bands.


"Today, we implement another key recommendation of our National Broadband Plan by
unleashing additional spectrum to help drive our economy. We do so by removing regulatory barriers to
efficient spectrum use and rapid broadband build-out. Today's Order is a trifecta: It's another important step in our spectrum agenda, recognizing the powerful role that wireless communications can play in economic revitalization. It's another important step in our Broadband Acceleration Initiative, recognizing the importance to job creation of accelerating broadband build-out and reducing its costs. And it's another important step in our regulatory reform agenda, recognizing our ongoing commitment to remove or reform outdated regulations," stated FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.


Specifically, the FCC order includes the following actions:


Permits FS Operations in Certain BAS and CARS Frequencies: The FCC will now allow FS operators to share the 6875-7125 MHz and 12700-13100 MHz bands currently used for Fixed and Mobile Broadcast Auxiliary Service (BAS) and Cable TV Relay Service (CARS). The order eliminates regulatory impediments to permit FS operations in rural areas where the band is not currently licensed to TV mobile pickup stations used in newsgathering operations and
adopt rules to protect BAS and CARS operations. This action will make 650 megahertz of additional backhaul spectrum available in rural areas where the band is not currently licensed to TV mobile pickup stations used in newsgathering operations.


Eliminates Final Link Rule: The FCC will grant broadcasters greater access to microwave spectrum by eliminating the "final link" rule that prohibits broadcasters from using FS stations as the final radiofrequency (RF) link in the chain of distribution of program material to broadcast stations.


Permits Adaptive Modulation: The Part 101 rules contain a minimum payload capacity rule, 47 CFR § 101.141(a)(3), intended to ensure that FS links are operated efficiently. The new order will permit temporary operations below the minimum capacity under certain circumstances, which will enable FS links to maintain critical communications during periods of fading.


Declines to Permit "Auxiliary" Fixed Stations: The FCC declines to permit FS licensees to coordinate and deploy "auxiliary" links, which would effectively allow point-to-multipoint operations under the point-to-point rules.

The full order is posted online. http://www.fcc.gov

Pangaea Networks Partners with Ciena for Metro Ethernet in New York

Ciena announced a partnership with Pangaea Networks, which delivers flat-rate Ethernet access to more than 2,700 enterprise buildings and interconnectivity to nearly all of the New York and New Jersey metro area data center and colocation facilities. Pangaea has selected Ciena's 3960 Service Delivery Switch, a next-generation Ethernet access system that delivers premium business Ethernet services via fiber or copper connections, to serve as the foundation of its metro network backbone architecture. http://www.ciena.com