Amazon Web Services Adds Storage Gateway

Amazon Web Services introduced a new option for enterprises to securely upload data to the AWS cloud.


The AWS Storage Gateway connects an on-premises software appliance with cloud-based storage for seamless integration between on-premises IT environments and AWS storage infrastructure. The service provides low-latency performance by maintaining data in on-premises storage hardware while asynchronously uploading data to AWS, where it is encrypted and securely stored in the Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3).


Pricing for the AWS Storage Gateway is $125/month per installed gateway and comes with a 60 day free trial. Snapshot storage pricing starts at only $0.14 per gigabyte per month.


“With the AWS Storage Gateway, we’re providing businesses yet another way to easily take advantage of AWS’s secure, scalable and cost-effective cloud storage for use with their on-premises applications�?
“With the AWS Storage Gateway, we’re providing businesses yet another way to easily take advantage of AWS’s secure, scalable and cost-effective cloud storage for use with their on-premises applications,�? said Alyssa Henry, General Manager of AWS Storage Services. “The AWS Storage Gateway works with your existing applications using a standard iSCSI interface, securely transfers your data to AWS over SSL, and stores data encrypted at rest in Amazon S3.�?http://aws.amazon.com/storagegateway

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TE Connectivity Posts Slower Communication Sales

TE Connectivity reported quarterly sales of $3.3 billion. Earnings per share from continuing operations (GAAP EPS) were $0.59 for the quarter and adjusted EPS were $0.66. Included in the GAAP EPS were $0.03 per share of restructuring and other charges, $0.01 per share of acquisition-related charges and $0.04 per share of tax items. Free cash flow was $85 million for the quarter.


"The first quarter was a slow start to our fiscal year due to lower-than-expected demand in our Communications and Industrial Solutions segment and our Telecom Networks business. This more than offset continued strength in our Transportation Solutions segment," said TE Connectivity Chief Executive Officer Tom Lynch. "http://www.te.com

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Motorola Solutions Sees Strong Q4

Motorola Solutions posted Q4 revenue of $2.3 billion, up 5 percent from a year ago. GAAP operating earnings in the fourth quarter of 2011 were $276 million or 12 percent of sales, compared to $272 million or 12 percent of sales in the fourth quarter of 2010.


Government sales in Q4 totaled $1.5 billion, up 6 percent from a year ago, while enterprise sales were $753 million, up 3 percent from a year ago.


“Our record fourth quarter capped a very strong and exciting year for our company,�? said Greg Brown, chairman and CEO of Motorola Solutions. “We streamlined and strengthened our portfolio, grew operating earnings more than five times revenue growth, expanded operating margins, generated strong cash flow and prioritized return of capital to our shareholders.�?http://www.motorola.com

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Polaris Wireless Builds Momentum for its Wireless Location

Polaris Wireless, which specializes in high-accuracy, software-based wireless location solutions, reported a major increase in sales bookings in 2011. The sales momentum includes several significant customer contracts, for multi-million dollar deployments of the Polaris Wireless Altus and OmniLocate location surveillance product suite. The deals represent a major increase in Polaris Wireless’ international business, in areas that are increasingly vital to the global efforts against crime and terrorism.


The privately-held company said more than twenty U.S. wireless carriers, six managed services partners, and fourteen international deployments now rely on its location solutions to enable emergency call applications, lawful and mass location surveillance, and other location-based services.


"In 2011, with best-in-class, field proven products, Polaris Wireless accelerated its efforts at becoming the leading provider of high-accuracy wireless location solutions for mission critical applications," said Manlio Allegra, president, CEO and co-founder of Polaris Wireless. "We have surpassed the competition and enlisted leading global companies as partners, providing a strong base from which we will continue growing in 2012 and beyond."http://www.polariswireless.com

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CableLabs Announces DOCSIS-Supported EPON Qualification

CableLabs has introduced an equipment qualification program for its DOCSIS Provisioning of EPON (DPoE) project, with an aim to facilitate accelerated development of devices that support the delivery of business communications services using Ethernet Passive Optical Network.


CableLabs said its DPoE Qualification Program allows equipment makers to certify that their technology and devices are compliant with CableLabs DPoE version 1.0 specifications, which describe a common approach for using DOCSIS back-office provisioning processes to deliver business data services over EPON access networks. The DPoE specifications were published in February 2011.


"Having devices qualified by CableLabs promises to encourage widespread deployment of this new technology and lower costs to both cable operators and business customers by leveraging the proven provisioning capabilities of DOCSIS," said Nomi Bergman, President of Bright House Networks.
http://www.cablelabs.com

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Huawei Acquires Photonics R&D Lab in the UK

Huawei has acquired the Centre for Integrated Photonics Ltd (CIP), a photonics research laboratory, from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA). Financial terms were not disclosed.


CIP, which is based in Ipswich, specialises in hybrid integration, combining materially different components on a single platform to create innovative photonic devices.


CIP will form the core of the new Huawei UK R&D centre, part of Huawei’s global R&D network.

 
"As a world-leading ICT solutions provider, Huawei aims to build up its business in global markets and will continue to increase investment in the UK, reaffirming its commitment to customers, suppliers and business partners,’’ said Victor Zhang, CEO of Huawei UK. “Currently, Huawei has six research facilities in Europe. I’m confident that CIP’s strong research abilities and its talented staff will further extend our European research presence to the UK, a key and important market to the company."http://www.huawei.com
http://www.ciphotonics.com

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Everything Everywhere and BT Wholesale Extend LTE Trial

Everything Everywhere and BT Wholesale have expanded their LTE trial in Cornwall, UK. The trial has seen the two companies collaborate to provide wireless broadband to 180 customers living in and around St. Newlyn East in Cornwall since October 2011. The extension until the end of June 2012 has been granted by Ofcom to enable the companies to continue to investigate the application of 4G LTE in rural areas.


The LTE trialists are currently achieving an average download speed of 7 Mbps.


Olaf Swantee, CEO, Everything Everywhere, said: “The rollout of 4G will help drive economic growth and create jobs across the UK by making the economy more competitive, by enabling businesses to be more productive, and by allowing consumers to benefit from the latest mobile innovations. This trial has been key in investigating ways to rapidly bring 4G LTE to Britain, and Ofcom is helping us do the groundwork to accelerate the UK from laggard to leader.�?http://everythingeverywhere.com

• In December 2011, Everything Everywhere, the joint venture that operates the networks for T-Mobile (UK) and Orange (UK), outlined plans to invest more than £1.5bn+ over the next three years to upgrade its infrastructure and set the stage for LTE. Capex will see double digit growth in 2012 network investment compared to 2011.
  
  
  The plans will bring tighter integration of the T-Mobile and Orange mobile networks. Everything Everywhere said it is in the final stages of “the big switch on�?. In the next few week, Orange and T-Mobile customers will be able to use 2G and 3G signals from either of the networks and benefit from fast data speeds in more places. In the first half of 2012, Everything Everywhere will further improve the cross-network signal sharing by enabling Orange and T-Mobile customers’ devices to automatically select the stronger signal from either network if their own signal is weak.

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Netflix Delivered 2 Billion Streaming Hours in Q4

Netflix delivered over 2 billion hours of streaming video in Q4 2011, which is approximately 30 hours per member per month on average. The company had 21.67 million streaming subscriptions as of the end of 2011, of which 1.86 million were international streaming subscribers.
http://www.netflix.com

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Ericsson Reports Slower Network Sales in Q4 2011

While 2011 was a year of strong sales overall, Ericsson reported lower sales in Q4 2011 due to the failed AT&T + T-Mobile USA merger in North America and more cautious operator spending in markets worldwide.


“Group sales in the quarter were flat year-over-year and grew 15% sequentially, which is weaker than normal in the fourth quarter. The sequential growth is mainly driven by a strong development of 32% in Global Services, while Networks sales were weak, up only 2%. The sales development in Networks is mainly related to North America and Russia, where the trend continued from the third quarter with slower operator spending after a period of high investments in capacity. In addition, we saw some increased operator cautiousness during the quarter due to uncertainties such as economic development and political unrest in some countries," stated Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson.


Some highlights from Ericsson's investor presentation:


Sales in the quarter amounted to SEK 63.7 (62.8) b., was up 1% year-over-year and 15% sequentially. Sales for comparable units, adjusted for currency exchange rate effects and hedging, increased 6% year-over-year. The sequential increase is mainly related to strong growth in services.


Net income decreased year-over-year to SEK 1.5 (4.4) b. due to lower sales volumes in networks, lower gross
margin and losses related to Sony Ericsson. Sequentially net income decreased from SEK 3.8 b to 1.5 b. mainly
due to lower gross margin and losses related to Sony Ericsson.


Gross margin in the quarter was down year-over-year to 30.2% (36.6%), and down from 35.0% sequentially.


In 2011, sales amounted to SEK 226.9 (203.3) b., up 12%, driven by strong demand for mobile broadband along
with network rollout services. Sales in 2011 for comparable units, adjusted for currency exchange rate effects and
hedging, increased 19%.


In the fourth quarter, Ericsson’s share in earnings of joint ventures, before tax, was SEK -1.9 (-0.3) b., compared to SEK -0.6 b. in the third quarter 2011 due to significantly lower result in Sony Ericsson.


Networks


Networks sales in the quarter were SEK 33.3 (36.4) b., a decline of -9% year-over-year and up 2% sequentially. Ericsson cited slower sales in North America and Russia. North America, down -27% sequentially, was impacted by operator consolidation, technology shift from CDMA to LTE as well as a slower pace after a period of high operator
investments in network capacity.


During Q4, Ericsson shipped its first RBS6000 base station with CDMA functionality. It also began shipments of its new IP Edge router, Smart Service Router SSR 8020, and its new Antenna Integrated Radio unit (AIR).


Global Services


Global Services sales in the quarter were SEK 27.0 (22.9) b., an increase of 18% year-over-year and 32%
sequentially. In 2011, Global Services sales increased 5% to SEK 83.9 (80.1) b., driven by network rollout,
consulting and systems integration.


Professional Services sales were SEK 18.1 (16.7) b. in the quarter, up 8% year-over-year and 23% sequentially.


Managed Services sales increased by 13% year-over-year to SEK 6.0 (5.4) b. and 14% sequentially, mainly driven
by India and Latin America.


Network Rollout sales amounted to SEK 8.9 (6.2) b. in the quarter, an increase of 44% year-over-year and
56% sequentially, driven by high volumes of network modernization in Europe and coverage projects in other
regions.


Multimedia


Multimedia sales in the quarter decreased -2% year-over-year and increased 33% sequentially. The acquisition of Telcordia has just been completed.


Joint Ventures


For Q4 2011, ST-Ericsson’s sales were flat sequentially at US$409 million, down 29% year-over-year. ST-Ericsson is currently in a shift from legacy to new products. Ericsson noted that in light of the tough business environment, ST-Ericsson’s recently appointed CEO is reviewing the company’s strategic plan and financial prospects.


Sony Ericsson reported a net loss of US$207 million, reflecting intense competition, price erosion and restructuring charges. The quarter was also impacted by unfavorable macro economic conditions and effects from the flooding in Thailand. Sony is buying out Ericsson's share in this joint venture.

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