Motorola Solutions Completes Phase 1 Public Safety LTE Tests

Motorola Solutions completed all sections of the Public Safety Communications Research Program (PSCR) LTE Demonstration Network Test Plan, Phase 1 in Boulder, Colorado.

Motorola supplied LTE infrastructure equipment, user devices and public safety applications to validate proper operation of the system.

Two additional testing phases remain: Phase 2 System and Node Level Testing, and Phase 3 Advanced Features, Conformance, Interoperability and Roaming Testing. Motorola is installing a Public Safety LTE core now and integrating other necessary equipment at the NIST Colorado facility in early 2012 to facilitate optimal Phase 2 and Phase 3 testing.

Motorola previously announced the first commercial release of standards-based LTE technology to public safety, with shipments beginning on Nov. 11, 2011. As Motorola continues to deploy LTE networks nationwide, participation with PSCR in their testing of Public Safety LTE equipment will continue as prescribed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to help ensure interoperability between various LTE deployments using the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) block of spectrum. http://portal.motorolasolutions.com/portal/site/NGPS

 

Read More

CommScope Develops Copper-Alternative Grounding Wire to Deter Theft

CommScope introduced a copper-alternative grounding wire designed to deter copper theft and lower maintenance costs for telecoms and data applications.


CommScope said its GroundSmart Copper Clad Steel solution is designed for use in subsurface grounding grids, as well as inside and outside plant bonding applications. It is an electrical conductor that has copper metallurgically bonded to a solid steel core. The wire is capable of dispersing fault currents and lightning strikes. It also offers a lower total cost of ownership compared to pure copper. In addition, it can be jacketed with a polyethylene coating and printed to disguise and distinguish the wire from solid copper.


“Companies trying to protect their copper infrastructure have been going to extreme measures to deter theft, many of which are neither successful nor cost effective," said Doug Wells, vice president, Outside Plant Solutions, Broadband, CommScope. “Companies have increased security around their plants, going as far as laser etching their cables so they can be traced when they are stolen. Others have coated cables with a special liquid that leaves a stain detectable under ultraviolet light. Despite efforts like these, thieves continue to steal copper because of its rising value. The result is costly damage to networks and growing service disruptions.
http://www.commscope.com

• BT's Openreach division has been deploying an invisible, "SmartWater" forensic ink in its cabling across the UK as a deterrence to metal thieves. Driven by the recent surge in scrap copper prices, metal theft is a growing problem.
  
  BT's Metal Theft Taskforce is using the SmartWater as a means to tag anyone tampering with its lines. SmartWater is a forensic marking liquid that is unique to a particular location. It will be used to mark the outer shell and inner core of Openreach cable, along with tools and other equipment. This will allow police to irrefutably identify where any stolen items have come from. Any thieves who target Openreach property face being sprayed with the liquid. The system is also interconnected with GPS.

Read More

Samsung to Add Verizon FiOS TV App to Smart TVs and Smart Blu-ray Players

Samsung will be the first consumer electronics manufacturer to commercially introduce a Verizon FiOS TV App to its line of Smart TVs and Smart Blu-ray Players in 2012. The app will allow Verizon FiOS TV subscribers to instantly access 26 live TV channels, including HD channels, directly through the subscribers' connected Samsung Smart TV or Smart Blu-ray Player. No additional hardware is required. Users will also have access to more than 10,000 video-on-demand titles available through Verizon Flex View – the company's anytime, anywhere on-demand entertainment service for TVs, PCs, tablets and smartphones.


"Our companies are squarely focused on two objectives: adding tangible value and excitement to our customers' entertainment experience," said Eric Anderson, vice president of content and product solutions, Samsung Electronics America. "By combining our respective capabilities and technologies, we are advancing our goals to transform entertainment throughout the home."http://www.samsung.com

Read More

Ofcom Proposes Auction of 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz Spectrum this Year

Ofcom set out a number of new proposals for making 4G mobile spectrum available in the UK. Plans call for the auction of ‘digital dividend’ spectrum in the 800MHz band along with higher frequency airwaves in the 2.6GHz band at the end of 2012.


Among the proposals, Ofcom is considering revising or dropping a special condition that is attached to one of the 800MHz licences, obliging the holder to roll out a 4G network to 95% of the UK population. Given the Government's plans to invest £150m to boost mobile coverage in those areas with no coverage, Ofcom now believes that the special condition can be strengthened in one of two ways. The first option is to increase the obligation to 98% of the UK by population. However, the second and potentially more effective option, is to require that one 800MHz operator provides 4G coverage that not only matches existing 2G coverage but also extends into mobile ‘not spot’ areas of the UK where the £150m will provide infrastructure capable of supporting 4G coverage.

In another proposal, Ofcom is considering ways to help ensure that there are at least four national wholesalers of mobile services.

Ofcom is also proposing to reserve some spectrum in the 2.6GHz band to be shared by a group of companies that might be considered a new entrant - for instance, mobile networks for student campuses, hospitals or commercial offices, which operate on short-range frequencies serving a small area.http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/2012/01/proposals-to-extend-4g-mobile-coverage

Read More

Ericsson Sharpens its IPR Focus

Ericsson announced a reorganization of its Licensing and Patent Development department with the focus on further monetizing its IPR assets. Ericsson's Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Kasim Alfalahi, who currently reports to Ericsson's CTO within Group Function Technology and Portfolio Management, will report directly to President and CEO Hans Vestberg.


Ericsson hold 27,000 granted patents that cover a wide range of technologies, from wireless access (2G, 3G and 4G) to WLAN and the whole Information and Communications Technology (ICT) value chain. The company notes that it is already a net receiver of royalties and has signed more than 90 license agreements. With new devices and other industries entering the world of connectivity, Ericsson targets to grow its IPR revenues above the SEK 4.6 billion net revenue generated in 2010, as stated at the company's Capital Markets Day on November 9, 2011.
http://www.ericsson.com

Read More

Ericsson Completes Telcordia Acquisition

Ericsson completed its previously announced acquisition of Telcordia for US$1.5 billion in cash. Telcordia is now part of the Ericsson Group and its approximately 2,600 skilled employees have joined Ericsson.


Telcordia was previously owned by Providence Equity Partners and Warburg Pincus.


"The addition of Telcordia's skilled people and knowledge, a good multi vendor product portfolio and an important customer base in North America, complement Ericsson's already established position in the OSS/BSS space," stated Per Borgklint, Head of Ericsson's business unit Multimedia.
http://www.ericsson.com
http://www.telcordia.com

• Telcordia, which is headquartered in Piscataway, New Jersey, generated revenues of US$739 million during the last fiscal year. The company supplies mobile, broadband and enterprise software and services. Its portfolio includes Next Generation OSS — with a focus on planning & engineering, fulfillment, and service assurance -- as well as Service Delivery & Charging software for mobile operators. Telcordia also serves as a global administrator of industry interconnection directories and registries, helping carriers to find, route, connect and interact for high-value voice and data services.



• The deal was first announced on 14-June-2011

Read More

Telenor and Verizon Sign Global Wholesale Deal

Telenor will begin reselling Verizon Global Wholesale's international Private IP under a new agreement announced by the firms.


Telenor will be able to provide its customers in Norway with a single point of contact for global communications that run over Verizon's network,
In addition, by linking into Verizon's MPLS network, Telenor will also be able to offer its customers enhanced communications services on a global scale.

"This collaboration with Telenor is a great example of how Verizon is helping its wholesale customers expand their global reach and gain control over capital expenses while maximizing their capabilities," said Mike Millegan, president of Verizon Global Wholesale. "We look forward to working with Telenor to help expand its global customer base."http://www.verizon.com
http://www.telenor.com

Read More

Deutsche Telekom Signs Backhaul Deal with Telefónica Germany

Deutsche Telekom has reached a network infrastructure agreement with Telefónica Germany.


Under the long-term deal, Telekom connect up to 2,000 of Telefónica’s points of concentration via fibre optics in the next few years. This will allow the O2 mobile network to transmit data at even greater speeds and higher capacity. The first connections to telecom masts are expected in Q2 2012. The data of the UMTS and LTE stations at points of concentration will be connected via Telekom into the O2 core network.


“The agreement with Telekom gives us the chance to operate cost-efficiently, quickly and flexibly in the rapidly growing market for mobile data�?, says Telefónica Germany CEO René Schuster. “So we can offer the best quality in one of the most high-tech mobile networks in Europe.�? Niek Jan van Damme, Telekom board member responsible for German business, points out: “To be able to exploit synergies in broadband expansion, network operators have to work together. And Telekom is willing to do that�?.http:// www.telekom.com

Read More

Global Broadband Lines Top 581 Million

Approximately 17.4 million broadband lines were deployed during Q3 2011, bringing the global total to 581.3 million, a quarterly increase of 3.08% - and an annual growth rate of 12.89%, according to figures prepared for the Broadband Forum by Point Topic. The quarter witnessed the strongest growth since 2009, thanks largely to continued rollouts in China.


"These are very healthy figures for Q3 and they demonstrate the ongoing strength of the broadband market," commented Robin Mersh, CEO of the Broadband Forum. "We are especially pleased to see the trend in fiber technologies beginning to take off. Our G-PON certification program, launched in Q3 and with first certifications already in place, has been very widely welcomed and this is an indication that the market is ready for much further growth in this area."


Some highlights:

FTTx is gaining ground but DSL remains the dominant technology.


Both FTTH and FTTx/hybrid technologies, showed the largest growth with over 8% overall, compared to 2.2% for cable modems and 2% for DSL.

FTTx added just under 19 million lines in Q3 2011 - this is more than double the number in the same period last year.

FTTx now accounts for 16% of the global broadband market - fast catching up with cable's 19.5%.


China topped 152 million broadband subscribers, up from 126 million a year earlier.


IPTV subscribers grew by 6.06% in the third quarter of 2011 and now total 54.4 million globally.


France remains the top country for IPTV, but China will soon surpass it in total number of IPTV subscribers. http://www.broadband-forum.orghttp://www.point-topic.com

Read More