DOCOMO Readies VoLTE Launch in Japan

NTT DOCOMO is preparing to launch Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) in its home market in late June -- the first such launch in Japan.

Four smartphones and two tablets in DOCOMO's summer lineup will become compatible with the new service after a software update scheduled in or after late June.

The carrier said its VoLTE service will newly enable users to receive Area Mail disaster-information notifications while making VoLTE voice/video calls. Also, users will be able to experience data rate of up to 150 Mbps during VoLTE voice calls.

DOCOMO's new VoLTE service will require a subscription to Xi. Existing Xi billing plans, packet flat-rate services, discounts and dialing charges will be applicable to VoLTE voice calls, including the new Kake-hodai & Pake-aeru billing plans for flat-rate voice and data, as well as data sharing with family members.

Packet communication charges for VoLTE video calls will be offered free of charge until September 2015, after which video calls will incur both voice and packet communication charges.

https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2014/0514_00.html
https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/xi/index.html

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IBM Wins 7-Year, $600M Contract with NiSource for Hybrid Cloud

NiSource, a Fortune 500 company engaged in natural gas transmission, storage and distribution, awarded a seven-year agreement valued at $600 million to IBM to continue providing a broad range of IT services, including the creation and management of a hybrid cloud computing environment.

Under the contract, IBM will help NiSource implement a hybrid IT model using SoftLayer, an IBM Company, as well as a private, secure cloud powered by traditional infrastructure.

"NiSource is a powerful example of how companies today are turning to the cloud as a competitive lever for their business,” said Philip Guido, General Manager, IBM Global Technology Services, North America. “Embracing the cloud not only provides a better way to integrate hybrid IT systems, it enables companies to forge new pathways to innovation and improve services by applying technologies such as analytics across their enterprise,” he said.

http://www.ibm.com

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Hibernia Upgrades Trans-Atlantic Cable to 100G with Ciena

Hibernia Networks is deploying Ciena's Programmable GeoMesh solution on its Trans-Atlantic cable system to enable rapid service provisioning.

The deployment includes Ciena’s GeoMesh submarine solution, including the 6500 Packet-Optical Platform, WaveLogic coherent optics and full ROADM. Together, these components lay the foundation for an OP network architecture that will enable Hibernia to scale and react quickly to address changing trans-Atlantic traffic patterns. Hibernia will also leverage Ciena’s OneConnect Intelligent Control Planeplatform, which provides seamless end-to-end service provisioning and creation.

Hibernia Networks owns and operates a global network connecting North America, Europe and Asia. Hibernia offers over 200 network Points of Presence (PoPs) in 89 markets and 25 countries. Its services include IP transit, CDN, carrier Ethernet, Spectrum and others. Its network provides service to global investment banks, content delivery networks (CDN), broadcasters, cloud services, enterprises, international PTTs and ISPs. Hibernia also provides low-latency routes to 31 different financial exchanges around the globe through its Global Financial Network (GFN).

As part of the new relationship with Ciena, Hibernia has also joined Ciena’s BizConnect partner program, which includes joint marketing, training and technical support to penetrate new customers and industries in North America and Europe.

http://www.ciena.com

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SEACOM to Deploy Infinera on Terrestrial Network

SEACOM has deployed the Infinera DTN-X platform across its terrestrial network providing services to the African continent. The Infinera Intelligent Transport Network, featuring the DTN-X packet optical transport networking platform, enables SEACOM to differentiate its services and manage costs as it scales network capabilities.

SEACOM owns and operates a high-capacity international network consisting of multiple submarine cable systems connecting Africa to Europe, Asia and the Middle East. SEACOM's submarine and terrestrial networks, stretching across 17,000 km, enable connectivity solutions that give carriers, network operators, and service providers the ability to expand and grow their operations across Africa and beyond.

Infinera said its platform provides SEACOM with the only commercially available single-card 500 Gbps FlexCoherent super-channel solution, which is based on Infinera's widely deployed photonic integrated circuits. These 500 Gbps super-channels enable SEACOM to scale to terabits of transmission capacity, integrating DWDM optical transmission in a single platform that is capable of supporting up to 12 terabits per second of non-blocking OTN switching as their traffic requirements grow in the future.

http://www.infinera.com/j7/servlet/NewsItem?newsItemID=402
http://www.seacom.mu

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AT&T Will Add LTE-Connected Cars to Mobile Share Plans

Starting later this year, AT&T will allow customers to add selected connected cars to their existing Mobile Share Value plans for as low as an additional $10 per month. Essentially, the cost for connecting a GM car will be the same as a tablet, $10 a month when added to a Mobile Share Value plan.

OnStar will usher in a new generation of connected vehicles next month, starting with the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu and followed by more than 30 other Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles by the end of the year.

http://about.att.com/newsroom/att_mobile_share_coming_to_your_connected_car.html

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Ixia Advances Network Visibility with Application Intelligence

Ixia introduced an Application and Threat Intelligence (ATI) Processor that extends its network visibility architecture. The goal is to provide real-time information about users and applications in any format – raw packets, filtered packets or metadata.

The Ixia ATI Processor is a 48 x 10GE interface card that can be used within an Ixia Net Tool Optimizer (NTO) 7300 network packet broker (NPB).   The solution integrates technology that Ixia gained through its acquisiong of BreakingPoint with the network visibility platform developed by Anue, which Ixia also acquired.

Ixia said its ATI Processor is able to leverage distinct Application Fingerprints, along with a patent pending dynamic identification capability, to help network managers gain a complete view of their networks. By combining rich contextual information such as geo-location of application usage, handset or device type, operating system and browser type, the ATI Processor helps to identify suspicious activity such as unauthorized BYOD usage or business connections from untrusted locations.

http://www.ixiacom.com/products/network_visibility/nto_7300/ati-processor/index.php

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CenturyLink Offers DDoS Mitigation Appliance

CenturyLink will begin selling a network appliance for on-site, distributed denial of service (DDoS) mitigation that is integrated with CenturyLink's network of global, network-based scrubbing system.

CenturyLink said its DDoS Mitigation Service analyzes traffic 24/7 and diverts and scrubs potentially malicious packets. The solution protects environments whether they are accessed via CenturyLink’s network, one of CenturyLink’s more than 55 data centers, customer premises or a third-party data center or network.

“DDoS attacks continue to evolve, becoming more sophisticated in scale and complexity and resulting in greater downtime for organizations,” said Chris Richter, vice president, managed security products and services, at CenturyLink Technology Solutions. “We designed our DDoS service to enable global protection through multiple cleansing centers around the world and flexible commercial terms. With the integration of a network-based solution with an on-site appliance, we can further serve businesses that require always-on mitigation and deliver protection for multiple third-party networks while providing full visibility and reporting across all of their networks.”

http://www.centurylinktechnology.com/security

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Norwest Venture Partners Raises $1.2 Billion

Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), a global, multi-stage venture and growth equity investment firm, announced a new fund with $1.2 billion.

The new Norwest Venture Partners XII fund bring NVP's total capital and commitments to approximately $5 billion

In 2013, more than 11 of the firm’s portfolio companies experienced liquidity events. NVP has invested in nearly 550 companies since inception, and currently has over 120 active companies across its venture and growth equity portfolio, including Adaptive Insights, Apigee, BlueJeans Network, CareCloud, Clarus Marketing Group, Gilt Groupe, Health Catalyst, Intersect ENT, Lending Club, Lumosity, MobileIron, Skybox Imaging, Spotify, Turn and Yatra.

“A key strategy for success at NVP is investment diversification. We invest across multiple sectors, stages and geographies, all with a team approach that enables our portfolio companies to tap into the breadth and depth of our expertise,” said Promod Haque, senior managing partner at Norwest Venture Partners. “The closing of NVP XII will enable us to expand our focus in the enterprise IT, consumer Internet, healthcare, consumer products and services sectors and grow our presence in thriving entrepreneurial hubs. We look forward to working closely with passionate and talented entrepreneurs to build the next wave of successful companies.”

http://www.nvp.com/

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AT&T's Top Suppliers: Amdocs, EMC, Fujitsu, Samsung

AT&T named eight companies as its top vendors over the past year: Amdocs, CEB, EMC, FleishmanHillard, Fujitsu Network Communications, KGP Companies, MasTec Network Solutions, and Samsung Telecommunications America.

Our suppliers play a vital role in helping us deliver the great products and services that our customers have come to expect from AT&T,” said Tim Harden, President of AT&T Supply Chain and Fleet Operations. “We acknowledge our most strategic suppliers by awarding those that have stood out in providing value and exceeding expectations with the AT&T Supplier Award.”

http://about.att.com/story/att_honors_suppliers_for_outstanding_performance.html

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