NEC Develops Phone with Digital TV Receiver

NEC showed a mobile phone equipped with a receiver for terrestrial broadcasts of digital TV. The prototype phone, which is based on NEC's W-CDMA silicon, uses the same antenna for digital TV broadcasting, UHF tuning and OFDM. In Japan, terrestrial digital TV broadcasting service will commence from December 2003 in major metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka districts.
http://www.nec.co.jp/press/en/0307/1001.html

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Motorola Invests in Appairent Tech. for UltraWideband

Motorola Ventures, the venture capital arm of Motorola, has made a strategic investment in Appairent Technologies, a developer of wireless multimedia semiconductors based in Rochester, New York. Appairent Technologies was spun out from Eastman Kodak Company in January 2002. The company is working on embedded high-speed radio systems that take advantage of the IEEE 802.15.3 standard and work underway in Task Group 3a to enable wireless multimedia communication in consumer electronic and PC products. The strategic relationship with Motorola centers around the development of an ultrawideband (UWB) product by leveraging Appairent's market leadership position in IEEE 802.15.3 Medium Access Control (MAC) development and Motorola's leading UWB radio platform development. In addition, Appairent Technologies has received an investment from the Monroe Fund, which is managed by the Trillium Group. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.appairent.com

• In May 2003, Appairent Technologies demonstrated its IEEE 802.15.3 standard Transpairent radio development system technology at an industry conference. The company claims the Transpairent Radio is the first IEEE 802.15.3 compatible radio transceiver system. The device consists of an RF and digital/baseband IC and all the external components needed to implement a standardized IEEE 802.15.3-compatible radio transceiver system. It supports power management features and transmits data up to 100 meters. Applications could include residential gateways, DVD players, TVs, set-top boxes, audio systems and digital still cameras and digital camcorders.



• Dr. Robert F. Heile, the CTO of Appairent Technologies, serves as the Chairman of the newly formed IEEE 802.15.3a Task Group.



• In February, the FCC issued new rules to allow commercial use of UWB radios in 7500MHz of spectrum between 3.1GHz and 10.6GHz. Shortly following this ruling, the IEEE formed a standards committee, 802.15.3a, which is in the process of developing a standard specification for UWB for use in Personal Area Networks (PANs).



• A new WiMedia Alliance has been organized to guarantee interoperability between various manufacturers much the same way that the WiFi Alliance does for 802.11 wireless LAN. http://www.wimedia.org

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Vonage Adds Call Hunting to Broadband Service

Vonage introduced a Call Hunt feature for residential and business subscribers with multiple Vonage lines. Call hunting transfers the caller to another line in the account if the subscriber is on the phone. The call can be routed to another Vonage phone in the same residence or office, or to one on the other side of the globe. Customers can program up to 10 Vonage phone lines and can select the sequence of lines for the call to ring, or "hunt" through.
http://www.vonage.com

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Global Crossing Creditors Insist on Singapore Deal Only

The official committee of unsecured creditors in the Global Crossing Chapter 11 bankruptcy case issued a public statement reaffirming its support for the reorganization plan under which Singapore Technologies Telemedia will acquire a majority stake in the company. The Creditors' Committee said it remains optimistic that the transaction will be approved on a timely basis by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and other federal regulatory authorities. The creditors also insist that only the Singapore bid could deliver a maximum value for the distressed company. The creditors believe that even to consider bids from XO Communications or IDT Corporation would carry multiple execution and timing risks that would inject substantial delay into Global Crossing's efforts to emerge from bankruptcy.

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Verizon Must Rehire Laid Off Workers in New York

A court appointed arbitrator ruled that Verizon Communications must rehire 2,312 workers that it laid-off in December 2002 because the cutbacks were not permitted under the labor agreement between the company and its union, the Communications Workers of America. There are 1,129 employees who were laid off in other states, and those layoffs are pending arbitration in those states.


In response, Verizon said it would abide by the ruling but that the decision does not change the difficult business conditions facing the company -- the same conditions it blames for the layoffs. Verizon also said that the unions will have to balance these job security issues with the changing conditions in the telecommunications industry during the contract negotiations that are currently underway.


The Communications Workers of America hailed the ruling as very welcome news for thousands of workers and their families. The union noted that the existing labor contract stipulates that Verizon can't lay off workers for reasons of "process change" having to do with technology or various business changes, and that layoffs can only take place as a result of special conditions caused by "external events."http://www.verizon.com
http://www.cwa-union.org

• In June 2003, the Communications Workers of America and Verizon began negotiations on a new labor contract. The CWA represents some 60,000 employees at Verizon Communications. In a press statement at the time, CWA President Morton Bahr pointed out that Verizon brought in revenues of $67.6 billion and reported profits of $4.1 billion in 2002, despite the telecom slump. While the U.S. productivity rate grew 5.9% between 2000-2002, in that same period, Verizon's productivity, measured in revenue per employee, grew 14.9%. In addition to the preservation of quality jobs and access to jobs in the new growth areas of the company, the CWA is calling on Verizon for improvements in pensions and a wage increase that accounts for the workers' increased productivity.



• At the end of Q1 2003, Verizon had 227,000 employees , down from 245,000 at the same point last year.

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Singapore's StarHub Selects Thompson for Video Hub

StarHub, Singapore's only cable TV operator, selected Thompson to provide professional equipment and integration services to enable StarHub to convert its nearly 400,000 cable TV subscribers to digital in the year ahead. The $16 million deal includes the installation of a full range of Grass Valley router, router control and modular products from Thomson as well as Nextream encoders and multiplexing technology, also from Thomson. Additionally, StarHub has appointed Thomson Broadcast & Media Solutions as the prime contractor and overall systems integrator of its digital cable Services facility, which will augment StarHub's $600 million broadband network.
http://www.thomson.net

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VocalData Secures $12.5 Million for Hosted IP Telephony Apps

VocalData, a start-up headquartered in Richardson, Texas, secured $12.5 million in Series C funding for its development of hosted IP telephony services. VocalData's flagship VOISS is a feature-rich, standards-based voice application server that enables service providers to supply businesses with IP Centrex, hosted PBX, VoIP VPN, and enhanced services such as conferencing and unified messaging. The company plans to use the new funding to expand existing sales efforts, build up additional international distribution channels, and strengthen customer-engineering support. The new round was led by Austin Ventures and included existing investors Trinity Ventures, Seed Capital Partners L.P., Hickory Ventures, and JP Morgan Partners. VocalData has raised $60 million in funding to date.
http://www.vocaldata.com

• VocalData claims more than 35,000 VOISS lines are currently in service.

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Cypress Samples Highest-Density Sync SRAMs

Cypress Semiconductor began sampling the highest-density synchronous SRAMs produced so far. The 72-Mbit, six-transistor (6T) devices, supporting standard synchronous and NoBL (No Bus Latency) architectures, are designed for high-data-throughput, low-latency applications, including switching, routing, basestations and data storage. Cypress said the new SRAMs deliver data five to seven times faster than competing high-speed DRAMshttp://www.cypress.com

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City Telecom (Hong Kong) to Launch Pay-TV Service

City Telecom (Hong Kong) announced plans to provide pay-TV services over its existing fixed network. In the initial stage of launch, the new service will offer 10 to 20 program channels. The company aims to expand the network coverage to 300,000 to 500,000 households. As of May 2003, City Telecom was serving 232,000 customers, reaching 530 commercial buildings, and passing some 1.2 million homes.


City Telecom has been deploying a network based on metro Ethernet over fiber or CAT5E copper wire. It launched commercial telephone services in March 2003. In the residential market, the Group currently offers broadband Internet and local telephony services.
http://www.ctihk.com

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FCC Adopts Homeland Security Initiatives

The FCC has established an Office of Homeland Security within its Enforcement Bureau to focus on the nation's emergency preparedness issues. The Office of Homeland Security will also be responsible for rules relating to the Emergency Alert System and will oversee operation of the FCC's 24-hour Communications and Crisis Management Center and its Emergency Operations Center, functions that are currently handled in the Enforcement Bureau's Technical and Public Safety Division. James A. Dailey, a 31-year FCC veteran, has been named Director of the Office.


The two main objectives of the FCC's Homeland Security Action Plan are:

• to strengthen measures for protecting the nation's communications infrastructure and facilitate rapid service restoration after disruption. This includes promoting the best practices of the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (NRIC).
• 
  
  to promote access to effective communications services by public safety, public health, and other emergency personnel. This includes further work on the E911 initiative, resolving interference issues for public safety systems in the 800 MHz band, permitting dedicated short-range communications at 5.9 GHz for intelligent transportation systems, and other work on Cognitive Radio Technologies.

http://www.fcc.gov

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Bell Canada to Provide Wi-Fi on Trains

Bell Canada is extending its AccessZone Wi-Fi hotspot pilot service to select VIA Rail train cars. The pilot program will provide free Wi-Fi for VIA 1 passengers traveling between Montreal and Toronto. The mobile WLAN connectivity is supported by combined satellite and wireless coverage from Bell Mobility's 1X network to the train. The network will provide connections that are similar to or better than dial-up connection speeds. Bell Canada is also providing hotspots in Dorval Train Station, Toronto's Union Station and Montreal's Central Station.
http://www.bce.ca

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ITXC Signs Russian Partner for IP Telephony

ITXC and Baltic Communications Limited (BCL), an IP-based service provider in Russia, signed an agreement for bilateral exchange of international voice traffic to and from Russia over ITXC.net. As part of ITXC's global expansion plan, the company opened a new sales office in Moscow in May 2003.
http://www.itxc.net

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China Telecom awards Commercial Circuit-to-Packet Contract to Alcatel

Shanghai Telecom, a subsidiary of China Telecom, awarded a contract to Alcatel Shanghai Bell to supply a packet telephony solution for the heart of its future network. The solution includes the Alcatel Softswitch, the Alcatel Media Gateway, and the Alcatel Litespan Multi-service Access Gateway, accompanied by the Alcatel Open Services Platform with applications such as the personal communication assistant and video conferencing. The contract also encompasses an integrated network management system and a series of application servers and CPE devices. When completed by the end of this year, Shanghai Telecom will be able to provide fully integrated voice, data and multimedia services via ADSL and Ethernet to broadband and residential customers. The contract follows an extensive trial of the Alcatel NGN solution over the past year. The deal represents China Telecom's first commercial NGN contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.alcatel.com
http://www.chinatelecom.com.cn/english/

• Earlier this month, China Telecom awarded contracts to Alcatel to supply equipment for 920,000 new DSL lines. Under the contracts, Alcatel will provide the DSL lines to China Telecom subsidiaries in 18 provinces and municipalities in southern China including Shanghai, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Fujian and Anhui by the end of the year. The installation includes the Alcatel 7300 Advanced Services Access Manager (ASAM) and the 5523 Alcatel ADSL Workstation (AWS) Element Management System. China Telecom is already using Alcatel equipment in its existing DSL network.
• 
  
  In May, China Telecom awarded a multimillion dollar contract to Alcatel Shanghai Bell for the construction of a new 10 Gbps DWDM network linking western and southern China.
• 
  
  In November 2002, Alcatel Shanghai Bell announced two major switching and transmission contacts with China Telecom. First, China Telecom will use Alcatel 1000 switching solutions and signaling transfer point equipment to span the two municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, and eight provinces: Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong and Shanxi. This will enable inter-network transactions between China Telecom and other service providers. Second, China Telecom will install the Alcatel 1641 SX Multiservice Metro Gateway, an SDH multi-service cross-connect system, in the cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongming and Shantou.
• 
  
  In May 2002, Alcatel completed the integration of its key operations in China with Shanghai Bell. The new Alcatel Shanghai Bell, which is the first foreign-invested company limited by shares (CLS) in China's telecommunications sector, was expected to achieve about $2 billion in sales in its first year of operation, as well as more than $1 billion of exports within the first three years. Alcatel holds 50 percent plus one share in the company, with Chinese entities holding the remaining shares.

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Municipal Utility Deploys Motorola's Canopy Wireless

The East Bay Municipal Utility District, which is the water utility serving Oakland, California and adjacent communities, is deploying Motorola's Canopy wireless broadband technology to monitor data at its pumping plants, reservoirs, dams, water treatment plants and other sites. The wireless WAN backbone has over 20 point-to-point links utilizing Canopy's 5.7 GHz 20 Mbps backhaul equipment. Some of the links extend over 35 miles. The utility plans to add access points at many East Bay locations and subscriber modules at over 200 remote sites.
http://www.motorola.com

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CIENA Enhances Long-haul Optical Transport

CIENA announced several enhancements for its CoreStream long-haul DWDM transport platform, including:

• 1 GbE and 10GbE support -- enabling direct interconnection at full line rates between core routers across long-haul and ultra long-haul distances. Ethernet interfaces are expected to be significantly cheaper than TDM interfaces. Product availability is expected by the end of the year. Pricing was not disclosed.
• 
  
  tunable transceivers (lasers) -- which would reduce sparing costs on optical backbones by 90% while simplifying management with remote dynamic provisioning. CoreStream's tunable transceivers are scheduled for release this summer.
• 
  
  next-generation integrated line amplifiers (ILAs) -- which would provide cost savings by using a single amplifier for all applications, reducing the number of circuit packs to maintain and spare by 50%. The new ILAs also support transient suppression, a technique that allows the system to recover more quickly in the event of a transient caused by a fiber cut or network failure. Commercial release is expected this summer.

CIENA's CoreStream DWDM offers both 50GHz and 25GHz channel spacing. With 25GHz channel spacing, the platform could support 192 10G wavelengths in the C-band alone.
http://www.ciena.com

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Verizon Deploys Sonus for Select LD VoIP Expansion

Verizon Communications has deployed Sonus' voice infrastructure solutions to support long distance services in select markets. Specifically, Verizon is using Sonus' GSX9000 Open Services Switch, the Insignus Softswitch and Sonus Insight Management System. Verizon is currently carrying live traffic on the Sonus platform in one location, and plans to expand to additional U.S. markets. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.sonusnet.com

• In a conference call, Sonus described the contract as a significant milestone in the development of the packet voice market.

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Sonus Reports Q2 Revenue of $21.4 Million

Sonus Networks reported Q2 revenue of $21.4 million compared with $16.0 million for Q1 2003 and $21.3 million for Q2 2002. Net loss for Q2 was $3.2 million or $0.01 per share. The company said it was pleased with the 33% sequential rise in revenue, attributing the results to better performance across all areas of its business.
http://www.sonusnet.com

• Qwest and Global Crossing each represented over 10% of Sonus' quarterly revenues
• 
  
  3 RBOCs are now customers, as are PTTs Deutsche Telecom and NTT
• 
  
  Sonus has 27 customers worldwide with deployments in 20 countries
• 
  
  More than 5 billion minutes of voice traffic per month is carried by Sonus systems
• 
  
  Sonus expects 15% revenue growth in Q3 2003

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Teknovus Debuts Ethernet PON System-on-a-Chip

Teknovus, a start-up based in Petaluma, California, introduced its family of gigabit Ethernet PON (EPON) chips for FTTH and FTTB networks. Teknovus said its design supports advanced EPON functionality such as dynamic bandwidth allocation, traffic shaping, SLA management, and service provisioning. The company is currently shipping an EPON System Development Kit, allowing vendors to begin software development, system design and testing. The development kit provides OLT and ONU chip evaluation boards, firmware and documentation.
http://www.teknovus.com

• In June 2002, Teknovus closed $5 million in first round venture financing for development of broadband access semiconductors. The round of financing followed a $1-million seed investment from NEC Electronics. Additional investors included Partech International and U.S. Venture Partners. The company was established in January 2002.
• 
  
  Teknovus is headed by Gerry Pesavento, who previously was Founder/CEO/VP R&D of Alloptic, an optical access network company, and an executive at DiCon Fiberoptics. Its technical team also includes Ed Boyd, previously Vice President of Advanced Technology in charge of ASIC development for Terawave, and JC Kuo, also a founder and the CTO of Alloptic.

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Juniper Reports Q2 Revenue of $165 M, up 41% over Last Year

Juniper Networks reported Q2 revenue of $165.1 million, compared with $117.0 million for the same period last year, an increase of 41%. Revenues in Q1 of this year were $157.2 million. GAAP net income for Q2 was $13.6 million or $0.03 per share, compared with a GAAP net income of $6.2 million or $0.02 per share in Q2 of 2002. The company described the quarter as "strong," and said it was encouraged by both the broadband momentum around the world as well as its sound financial footing in the industry.
http://www.juniper.net

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Deutsche Telekom Begins Testing 40 Gbps Optical Network with Siemens

Deutsche Telekom began testing a purely optical transmission network operating at rates up to 40 Gbps. Siemens is a partner in the field trial. The WDM network operates along a route almost 1,000 kilometers in length and uses flexible optical add-drop-multiplexers. The testing by Deutsche Telekom will also include the use of wavelength converters (transponders) which operate with tunable-laser technology.
http://www.siemens.com

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