Microsoft Designs New Office for the Cloud

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer introduced the next version of Office saying that the suite has been completely-re-designed for the cloud and social interaction.

Specifically, the new Office is available as a cloud-based subscription service. Office saves documents to SkyDrive by default, so content is always available across the user's tablet, PC and phone. As subscribers, consumers automatically get future upgrades in addition to cloud services including Skype world minutes and extra SkyDrive storage. Subscribers receive multiple installs for everyone in the family and across their devices.

Microsoft has also incorporated Yammer, which delivers a secure, private social network for businesses. Yammer offers integration with SharePoint and Microsoft Dynamics.

In addition, Office is adding a People Card, which provides an integrated view of contacts in each application. The People Card includes presence information complete with pictures, status updates, contact information and activity feeds from Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.

"We are taking bold steps at Microsoft,” Ballmer said at the press conference in San Francisco. “The new, modern Office will deliver unparalleled productivity and flexibility for both consumers and business customers. It is a cloud service and will fully light-up when paired with Windows 8." http://www.microsoft.com 

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NTT DOCOMO Collaborates with China’s Baidu

NTT DOCOMO has invested US$22.5 million -- equivalent to 20 percent ownership -- in Baidu Yi Xin Network Technology, its joint venture with the Chinese language Internet search provider.

The companies will jointly provide value-added services and digital content for mobile phones in mainland China. Baidu Yi Xin is the content platform provider for mobile phones.

Starting in August, Baidu Yi Xin plans to provide content from Japan on its platform. This will include social games, e-commerce and other Web services, as well as Japan-made content localized for the Chinese market. http://www.nttdocomo.com 

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euNetworks Activates London-Dublin Capacity with Sea Fibre Networks

euNetworks has activated an 8.8 Tbps capable fibre based network from London to Dublin, completing the meshing of the carrier's 13 operational fibre based city networks into a single optical domain.

euNetworks has developed an end-to-end fully redundant and owned network. Connecting Dublin into a national network across the United Kingdom including Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol and onwards to London, this network has been designed with the ability to provide optimal paths and diverse routing. euNetworks can deliver 10G, 40G and 100G over its DWDM platform.

The new capacity is delivered over Sea Fibre Networks' CeltixConnect cable, which at 136 kilometres is the shortest sub-sea network linking Ireland and the United Kingdom. http://www.seafibrenetworks.com 

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Australia's NBN Sets FTTH Target for Towns with 1,000 Premises or More

NBN Co, which is building Australia’s national broadband network, lowered its target for areas that will receive FTTH rather than high-speed fixed wireless broadband.

NBN Co said it plans to install fibre in towns of 1,000 premises or more, or to some towns with as few as 500 premises where the town is located on an NBN fibre transit link. Previously, it was expected that fibre would be deployed in towns with a population of 1,000 or more (not premises).

The change is expected to lower the overall costs of the project as many smaller towns across the country will not receive fibre.

The National Broadband Network aims to reach 93% of premises by fibre, and the remaining seven percent via fixed wireless or satellite. http://www.nbnco.com.au 

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Infonetics: Mobile Services to Hit $976 Billion by 2016

Infonetics Research is predicting that the mobile services market worldwide will grow to $976 billion by 2016, with the bulk of the growth coming from mobile broadband services.

The firm's latest 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE) Services and Subscribers: Voice, SMS/MMS, and Broadband report, which tracks operator subscribers and revenue derived from pre-paid and post-paid mobile broadband data, voice, and messaging services, finds that mobile broadband subscribers will grow from 15% to nearly 40% of all mobile subscribers between 2011 and 2016.

“The mobile world is undeniably shifting from voice to data, as mobile operators migrate as many subscribers as they can to data service plans and smartphones. Already in North America and Asia Pacific, mobile operators derive over 40% of their mobile revenue from mobile broadband and messaging. But, while mobile broadband is no doubt the fastest growing revenue stream for operators, mobile messaging and voice aren’t dead just yet, not by a long shot,” notes Stéphane Téral, Infonetics Research’s principal analyst for mobile infrastructure and carrier economics.

Téral adds: “The prophecies of doom for mobile operators’ SMS/MMS cash cow are being overplayed. Despite the popularity of over-the-top messaging applications like Apple’s iMessage and WhatsApp, our data shows SMS growing every year from 2012 to 2016, delivering a cumulative $1 trillion in operator revenue during those 5 years. And over that same period, voice revenue will decline only slightly, still making up a sizable chunk of operator revenues.”

Some other highlights:

• On a global basis, Infonetics expects operators to see a 6% increase overall in revenue from mobile voice, mobile broadband, and mobile messaging services in 2012
• The highest growth in 2012 will come from Asia Pacific and Latin America, while the EMEA region is expected to see a slight decline due to cutthroat competition and economic turmoil
• Mobile data (text messaging, multimedia messaging, and mobile broadband) service revenue rose in every region in 2011, driven by an increase in smartphone usage At more than a quarter trillion dollars in 2011, Asia Pacific generates the largest portion of mobile service revenue
• Voice revenue dipped 0.8% worldwide in 2011, despite the growing use of voice services in China.

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Raytheon Develops MORPHINATOR Network Technology

The U.S. Army's Communications, Electronics, Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) has awarded a $3.1 million contract to Raytheon to develop technology for Morphing Network Assets to Restrict Adversarial Reconnaissance (MORPHINATOR). The aim is to dynamically modifying aspects and configurations of networks, hosts and applications in a manner that is undetectable and unpredictable by an adversary but still manageable for network administrators. MORPHINATOR is designed to be used in conjunction with other existing security devices to provide an active defense approach to information assurance.


Raytheon said the use cyber maneuvering techniques could thwart potential attackers in high-threat environments.


"The intent of cyber maneuver is to place computer network defense technology into a proactive state, thereby shifting the advantage away from the attacker," said Jack Donnelly, director of Trusted Network Systems for Raytheon's Network Centric Systems business. "By constantly changing the characteristics of the networks it resides on, MOPRHINATOR provides a more robust and trusted networking solution."

http://www.raytheon.com

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Malaysian Operators Agree to LTE Infrastructure Sharing

Maxis , Malaysia's leading integrated communications service provider, and REDtone, a broadband service provider, signed an infrastructure and spectrum sharing agreement.


The deal paves the way to faster LTE roll out across Malaysia. Both Maxis and REDtone are looking to launch their 4G LTE services early next year in selected areas of the Klang Valley, with other regions to follow closely thereafter.


Maxis Chief Executive Officer, Sandip Das said, “We have been at the forefront of promoting networks to be shared as we have recently commissioned active network sharing on 3G with U Mobile. Data networks are onerous and have to be built carefully. The demand for data is not disputed, but the inflection point is some time away. Sharing will get REDtone up and running quickly and also fetch adequate returns on our investments, besides conserving spends at a national industry level. We are looking to set a new benchmark in data service quality as this will help us design a more effective infrastructure."


"The network sharing and alliance agreement with Maxis is a significant development for REDtone as we build on our broadband business. It will help to address REDtone’s rollout obligation to cover 50% of the country’s population," said REDtone Managing Director Dato’ Wei Chuan Beng. “For REDtone to comply with the 50% rollout requirement, our capex would have been RM390 million as is stated in our detailed business plan (DBP). However, this has been mostly replaced by riding on Maxis’ existing infrastructure and leasing the necessary capacity from Maxis,” added Dato’ Wei.


Maxis noted that it has invested RM3.7 billion in capex in the past three years resulting in 95% 2G and 81% high speed 3G coverage of the population. Maxis now has 3,400 of its 5,200 3G sites enabled with 42Mbps capability, and has also built the capability for efficient LTE rollout.

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