Microsoft SQL Slammer Worm Disrupts Internet Traffic

A quickly spreading worm attacked Microsoft SQL servers beginning at 0530 GMT on Saturday, significantly disrupting Internet traffic. Although the "Slammer" worm did not carry a destructive payload and only attacked vulnerable Microsoft SQL servers, ISPs reported a dramatic increase in network traffic and associated problems with latency and packet loss. South Korea appeared to have been the hardest hit by the worm, where the networks of Korea Telecom, Hanaro and Dacoom were significantly degraded during the attack. Microsoft said servers running the latest Service Pack 3 for Sequel 2000 were unaffected. Microsoft advised administrators to install the latest patch immediately. Network equipment manufacturers, including Cisco Systems, posted technical advisories warning that the vulnerability potentially could affect other network systems that run on Microsoft operating systems with unpatched versions of SQL Server 2000. Such systems could include IP call managers, converged communications servers, email servers and broadband service managers.
http://www.cert.orghttp://www.cisco.com

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Key3Media Sells Voice-on-Net (VON) Conference Back to Pulver.com

Key3Media has sold its Voice on the Net (VON) conference events back to pulver.com. It originally purchased the industry event from pulver.com in September 2001. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.key3media.com

• Spring 2003 VON will be taking place March 31st - April 3rd in San Jose. The conference focuses on the convergence of the telecom and Internet industries. http://pulver.com/von

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Level 3 Gains Court Approval for Acquisition of Genuity

A bankruptcy court approved Level 3 Communications' planned acquisition of Genuity. The deal is expected to close in February. In addition, Genuity announced plans to reduce its employee headcount by 700 to 800 from its current 2,300-person work force.
http://www.genuity.com
http://www.level3.com

• In November, Level 3 Communications agreed to acquire substantially all of Genuity's assets and operations for $242 million. The acquisition requires Genuity to file for Chapter 11 protection and then to gain the approval of the bankruptcy court. Other qualified bidders could have submitted better offers for the assets during the court process.

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Marconi Reports Slightly Lower Sales, Progress in its Restructuring

Marconi said that despite slightly lower sales revenues during the last fiscal quarter its key financial performance measures improved. Based on preliminary data, the company's core sales for the period ending 31-December-2002 were £456 million, a sequential decline of 5%. Marconi also noted continued progress and some delays in its ongoing financial restructuring, which it now anticipates will be implemented in April. Some other highlights:

• Marconi's 10 largest customers during the quarter were (alphabetical order): BellSouth, BT, Ericsson, Metro City Carriers, Telecom Italia, Telkom South Africa, UK Government, US Federal Government, Verizon and Vodafone Group. In aggregate, these customers accounted for 46% of core sales (previous quarter: ten largest customers equaled 48%). BT remains Marconi's largest customer and accounted for 19% of core sales in the quarter (same as previous quarter).
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  As of the end of December 2002, Marconi had just over 16,000 employees, down by approximately 3,000 since the end of September 2002. The company plans to eliminate a further 1,400 positions in the coming months. Once it has achieved its targeted cost structure, Marconi expects to employ around 14,000 people.

As of the end of December 2002, Marconi's net debt amounted to £2.8 billion, comprised of £3.9 billion of gross financial debt offset by £1.1 billion in cash.http://www.marconi.com

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STMicroelectronics Offers High-output Op Amps for xDSL

STMicroelectronics introduced a pair of wide-band operational amplifiers that have the high output current necessary for driving xDSL line interfaces and multiple video lines. The devices can be configured for differentially to drive signals in telecommunication systems using multiple carriers.
http://www.st.com

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Korea Telecom Tests ArrayComm's Wireless Broadband System

KT (Korea Telecom) completed the first phase of tests of ArrayCom's i-BURST broadband wireless system. ArrayComm uses spatial processing software and smart antennas to deliver data rates of up to 40 Mbps per cell, which could be shared between many simultaneous users at user data rates in excess of 1 Mbps in a fully loaded system. The South Korean field trials, which took place over several months, measured the system's data speed, range, scalability, capacity, and interoperability with Wi-Fi services. KT is planning a new wireless Internet business in the 2.3 GHz frequency band to complement its wireless LAN-based Nespot service. Technical achievements in the trials included proven, consistent individual data rates of 1 Mbps and 10 Mbps of total throughput in only 2.5 MHz of spectrum. KT and ArrayComm also showed seamless handoff between wireless LAN "Wi-Fi" coverage and wide area i-BURST coverage, as well as smooth interoperability with KT's Nespot VoIP commercial service. The next phase of testing will evaluate the i-BURST system's service capabilities using multiple cell sites in a dense urban environment.
http://www.arraycomm.com

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Cisco Systems to Acquire Okena for Network Security Software

Cisco Systems agreed to acquire Okena, a network security start-up based in Waltham, Massachusetts, for approximately $154 million in Cisco common stock. Okena's network security software provides threat protection for desktop and server computing systems by intercepting all operating system, file system, configuration, registry, and network requests, preventing malicious activity from occurring. The behavior-based security software aggregates and extends multiple endpoint security functions, such as Host-based Intrusion Detection (HIDS), distributed firewall, malicious code protection and operating system lockdown. The software is complementary to desktop anti-virus software. Cisco said the acquisition enhances its security portfolio of network-integrated solutions and appliances for Virtual Private Networks (VPN), firewalling, intrusion protection, and security management. Okena has 52 employees.
http://www.okena.com

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European Regulators Meet to Set EU Telecom Agenda for 2003

The European Regulators Group (ERG) met in Amsterdam last week to set the 2003 agenda for telecom legislation within the European Commission. Priority will be given to those issues related to the new regulatory framework that needs to be transposed into national laws by the end of July 2003. The ERG said the implementation of effective competition for local services is a clear priority. Other top items on the work agenda include:

• Termination tariffs for mobile traffic
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  International roaming policies for mobile service
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  Broadband access -- the ERG intends to carry out a comparison of the regulatory policies at the national level and decide whether a common perspective/practice/initiative would be necessary and possible..
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  Unbundling the local loop -- the ERG noted that while there has been improvement in the regulatory situation in EU member states, it needs to continue to monitor effective implementation of ULL and will react to any needs in the market place. Special attention will be drawn to the application of cost-orientation and the principle of non-discrimination in that respect.
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  Leased Lines or wholesale lines for competitive carriers -- prices and delivery times of leased lines, including interconnection leased lines, are recurrent issues at the EU level. The European Commission as well as Industry and Users associations, have focused a major part of their work on this area. During 2002, many regulators have adopted regulatory measures to ensure proper wholesale offers for leased lines, in some cases including interconnection of leased lines, in the reference interconnection offers. Service level agreements and penalties in case of delays in deliveries have also been adopted. ERG will monitor effective application of adopted measures and assess non-discrimination and cost-orientation.
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  Telecom accounting -- the ERG will examine the various accounting methods applied across Europe and develop a common policy if needed.
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  Universal service, network security and continuity of operations: -- Several cases across the EU have shown that continuity and security is of the utmost importance for consumers, as well as for competing operators. On a national level, different approaches exist to handle this issue. The European Commission has asked the ERG to analyze these different approaches and advise the Commission on a standard procedure to be applied in these circumstances.
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  Infrastructure Sharing and Spectrum Trading -- issues regarding network infrastructure and spectrum sharing amongst operators (notably for UMTS-networks).
• http://europa.eu.int

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Alcatel Optronics Launches SDH/SONET DWDM Receiver

Alcatel Optronics introduced a new SDH/ SONET DWDM 2R receiver for metro and long haul networks. The Alcatel 1926 SDH Rx 2R is a 2R (Re-amplification/Re-shaping) receiver that contains an in-house detector integrated with a preamplifier ASIC. It operates at rates from 100 Mbps to 2.7 Gbps and complies with the STM-16/OC-48 transmitter and receiver multi-source agreement.
http://www.alcatel.com

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Wind River and Motion Media Develop Internet Videophone

Wind River supplied its VxWorks real time operating system for an Internet videophone developed by UK-based Motion Media Technology. The companies said the new IP-based videophone has more processing power than a PC, and will initially support data rates of between 128 kbps and 2 Mbps, extending to 10 Mbps in the future. The processing power reduces the delays normally associated with compressing, transmitting and decompressing video and audio streams. Motion Media claims its device can set-up video calls in only ten seconds, taking less time than making a 384K ISDN call where the typical call set-up time is around 30 seconds. The videophone is compatible with other H.323-based videoconferencing equipment, multi-point conferencing systems and network hardware like gateways and gatekeepers.
http://www.windriver.com
http://www.motion-media.com/

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Mexico's Iusacell Launches CDMA2000 1X Voice/Data Service with Lucent

Grupo Iusacell launched the first CDMA2000 1X voice and data network in Mexico. Lucent Technologies delivered a CDMA2000 1X network upgrade that significantly increased the voice capacity of the network while enabling data access at speeds of up to 144 kbps. Lucent upgraded Iusacell's existing Lucent-supplied base stations with CDMA2000 1X channel cards and software, and also provided software upgrades for Iusacell's mobile switching centers. It also supplied its NavisRadius authentication, authorization and accounting server.
http://www.lucent.com
http://www.iusacell.com.mx/

• Grupo Iusacell is a subsidiary of Verizon Communications. In November 2002, Iusacell retained Morgan Stanley in an effort to restructure its existing debt.

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India's VSNL to Deploy Alcatel 1000 MM Switching Systems

Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL), an Indian service provider, will deploy Alcatel 1000 MM switching systems and associated network management solutions. In the first phase, Alcatel's switching systems will be deployed in seven locations across the country, enabling 60,000 additional trunk lines, thereby doubling the existing capacity of its network. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.alcatel.com

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PMC-Sierra Reports Q4 Revenue of $52.6 million, Cost Cuts

PMC-Sierra announced net revenues of $52.6 million and a pro forma net loss per share of $0.06 for the fourth quarter of 2002. Net revenues decreased 12% compared to $59.6 million recorded in the preceding quarter but increased 11% compared to Q4 2001. PMC-Sierra is undertaking a corporate restructuring that will reduce its employee headcount by 16%. The company had 1,099 employees at the end of 2002. PMC-Sierra said it planned to increase its investments in enterprise, storage, MIPS-based processors, and system-on-a-chip design capabilities.
http://www.pmc-sierra.com

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Agere Reports Flat Revenues and Flat Outlook for 2003

Agere Systems reported quarterly revenue of $436 million, down 2% compared with revenues of $445 million in the year-ago quarter and down from $491 million in the preceding quarter. The reported net loss for the December quarter was $146 million or $0.09 per share. Agere said its major restructuring efforts are either completed or well underway. The company has now completed the disposition of its optoelectronic components business. The outlook for the current quarter is also for flat revenues. For fiscal year 2003, the Agere expects revenues to be about $1.85 billion, consistent with the guidance provided in October.
http://www.agere.com

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Nortel Networks Says Business has Stabilized, Expensing of Stock Options to Begin

Nortel Networks said its overall revenues were up sequentially across all of its lines of business and geographic regions during Q4. The company said its fundamental business model has stabilized and that it ended the year with a cash balance of approximately US$4.1 billion. It expects to achieve pro forma profitability by Q2 2003. Nortel also expects to have 36,000 employees at the end of Q1 2003 and believes its series of staff reductions is nearing an end. Overall, Q4 revenues from continuing operations were US$2.52 billion, compared to US$3.46 billion in the same period in 2001. There was a net loss for Q4 of US$248 million, or US$0.06 per common share. As for its outlook in 2003, Nortel Networks expects the overall telecommunications equipment market to be down modestly compared to 2002. In addition, Nortel Network has adopted a policy of fair value accounting for stock options. As a result, all stock option grants in 2003 and beyond will be expensed over the stock option vesting period based on the fair value at the date the options are granted.
http://www.nortelnetworks.com

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Broadcom Reports Sixth Quarter of Revenue Growth

Broadcom reported its sixth consecutive quarter of revenue growth. Net revenue for Q4 2002 was $295.9 million, up 2.1% over the previous quarter and up 30.5% from Q4 2001. Net loss for the quarter (GAAP) was $1.76 billion, or $6.40 per share. Pro forma non-GAAP net loss for the fourth quarter of 2002 was $6.6 million, or $.02 per share. The GAAP results included a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $1.24 billion. Broadcom also recorded restructuring charges of $87.8 million to cover the costs of reduction of facilities and employee severance arrangements.
http://www.broadcom.com

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Broadcom Announces Resignation of Nicholas as CEO

Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III resigned his positions as President and CEO of Broadcom. He agreed to serve out his current term as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors. After more than a decade at Broadcom, Nicholas said he would take time off to attend to serious family matters. He also noted that Broadcom had weathered "the worst economic downturn in the history of our industry." Alan E. "Lanny" Ross, the company's current COO, will assume Nicholas' positions until a permanent replacement is named.

In addition, Broadcom named four new vice presidents to serve as general managers. The appointments include three vice presidents whose businesses address distinct market segments, plus a new vice president to lead the company's Broadband Communications Business Unit. The appointments are:

Client Server Networking Business Unit, Thomas F. Lagatta
Network Infrastructure Business Unit, Robert A. Rango
Switching and Security Business Unit, Ford G. Tamer
Broadband Communications Business Unit, Daniel A. Marottahttp://www.broadcom.com

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MFN Sells Single Phoenix Conduit to AGL Networks

Metromedia Fiber Network sold a single conduit in portions of its Phoenix, Arizona network to AGL Networks. A remaining conduit will stay under the ownership and operation of MFN and the company will continue it business of leasing dark fiber to enterprise and carrier customers. MFN said that despite the sale, it remains the only licensed dark fiber provider in the Phoenix area. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.mfn.com

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MFN Sells its Operations in France and the Netherlands

Metromedia Fiber Network (MFN) has sold its operations in France and the Netherlands to management buyout teams, and its metropolitan fiber network in four Dutch cities to Global Voice Network Limited. MFN and its Dutch subsidiary will retain ownership of the IP network and continue to provide IP services to the management buy-out teams for resale to their customers, as well as to the Company's global customers with a presence in France and the Netherlands. Financial terms were not disclosed. As part of its ongoing European strategy, MFN will continue to operate its data centers in London, Frankfurt and Vienna, and its metropolitan area networks in London and Germany.
http://www.mfn.com

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Vonage Signs its 10,000th Digital Telephone Subscriber

Vonage, a provider of digital telephone service, signed on its 10,000th customer. Vonage said it has completed over seven million calls across its SIP network since launching the service ten months ago. The service connects standard telephones via a broadband connection. Several flat rate pricing plans are offered.
http://www.vonage.com

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