Overture Networks Introduces Edge Platform

Overture Networks, a start-up based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina introduced a network edge platform designed for carrier Ethernet and TDM services. Like Overture's flagship ISG 5000 platform, the new ISG 2200 is a packet-based multi-service access platform for Ethernet-based private line, high-speed Internet access, virtual private LAN service (VPLS) and legacy T1/E1 voice/data/video. In addition to Ethernet services and transport, key features of the platform include "TDM pseudowire" and "Frame Relay pseudowire" capabilities over fiber rings. It also supports legacy OC-3, OC-12 and NxDS3 transport.


Overture's ISG 5000 provides four slots for either legacy or Ethernet interfaces. The platform has been installed in over 100 locations so far. The new ISG 2200 offers one interface slot. http://www.overturenetworks.com

• Movaz Networks resells Overture's platform as its RAYedge Multi-Service Access Platform for aggregation of Ethernet and TDM electrical services onto a variety of uplinks including OC12, Gigabit Ethernet and CWDM wavelengths. Overture also has a resale agreement with NEC Japan.



• Overture Networks is headed by Jeff Reedy, who formerly served as VP of Engineering at Larscom. The company has raised $18 million in two rounds of venture funding.

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Cable & Wireless Selects LayerOne to Maintain U.S. Links

Cable and Wireless plc will maintain its U.S. and international connections via an international point of presence (POP) with LayerOne. Cable & Wireless, which announced its intention to exit the U.S. domestic market last year, is also using LayerOne's services to maintain certain traffic flows to and from the United States and other international markets. LayerOne operates International Gateway POPs in Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. http://www.layerone.com

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SiGe Semiconductor Targets Cellular and Wi-Fi Modules

SiGe Semiconductor announced a product roadmap to build chip-scale RF front-end modules for multi-mode, dual-band Wi-Fi systems, and cellular handsets compliant to the GSM, CDMA, CDMA2000, GPRS and EDGE standards. Using its silicon germanium technology, the Ottawa-based company plans to build the world's smallest GSM RF front-end, and the industry's highest performance module for dual-band, multi-mode 802.11a/b/g WLAN systems. The roadmap also includes chip-scale solutions for 802.11b/g WLAN systems, quad-band CDMA handsets, and dual-mode GSM/WCDMA and GSM/CDMA2000 handsets. The front-end modules will integrate all of the RF circuitry required between the transceiver and the antenna, including the power amplifiers, power detectors, filters, switches, matching and bias components. http://www.sige.com

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Atheros Introduces Single-Chip 802.11g Solution

Atheros Communications introduced a single-chip 802.11g WLAN solution that integrates a Media Access Controller (MAC), baseband processor, and 2.4 GHz radio in a low-cost CMOS package. The new chip represents the company's third-generation 802.11g silicon. It was preceded by a three-chip solution launched in February 2003, and a two-chip solution launched in June 2003. Like the earlier designs, the new chip uses a multi-phase approach to signal processing, which extends the battery life of mobile devices by controlling the power of different sections of the wireless device according to the level of system and network activity. Atheros said this technique allows the chip to consume up to 98% less power than multi-chip WLAN solutions on the market today. It has the same range and throughput as the preceding Atheros multi-chip 802.11g solution. Pricing is $12 in 10,000 volumes. http://www.atheros.com

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Foundry Adds 40-port GigE Module to Switching Line

Foundry Networks released a new 40-port high density Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) fiber module and introduced two new modules for its flagship, terabit-capacity BigIron MG8 and NetIron 40G switches. The BigIron MG8 is Foundry's non-blocking 1.28 Tbps switch for enterprise applications requiring high-density Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE). The NetIron 40G is Foundry's non-blocking 1.28 Tbps Ethernet router designed for service providers. Foundry is introducing the following new modules for each switch to complement the currently shipping 4-port 10GbE (with XENPAK optics) and 40-port fiber-based GbE (with SFP Small Form Factor Pluggable Optics) modules:

• 40-port 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet over Copper with RJ45 interfaces


• 2-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet with XENPAK optics

http://www.foundrynetworks.com

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Occam and Minerva Test IP TV

SureWest Communications, a provider of advanced communications products and services in the Sacramento, California region, has selected and successfully tested a combined IP television delivery platform from Occam Networks and Minerva Networks.


Minerva provides IP television headend equipment and middleware, as well as consulting and integration services. Occam offers an IP-based loop carrier platform that delivers both traditional and packetized broadband services from a single access network. Minerva is a member of the Occam Packet Access Network (OPAN) alliance. http://www.occamnetworks.comhttp://www.minervanetworks.com

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AMCC Offers Quad SONET/SDH Phys for System "Face-lifts"

Applied Micro Circuits Corp. (AMCC) introduced two new quad SONET/SDH physical layer devices designed for new high density line cards as well as the remodeling of legacy line cards. For reworking earlier system designs, the new quad OC3/12 SONET/SDH 8-bit transceiver requires only that customers update the optical front-end of the design, while the rest of the system, such as the framers, pointer-processors and software, can remain intact.


The first device (S1213) operates in either SONET/SDH OC-12 or OC-3 with a CDR feature, and can also be provisioned to support a combination of OC-3 and OC-12 data for individual channels. Features including diagnostic loopback, line loopback, serial clock loop timing and parallel loop back modes. It also provides customers with maximum flexibility and efficiency when adding new components to legacy systems.


The second device (S1212) consists of four CDR modules, all of which can run independently at the OC-12 or OC-3 data rate. It can also be provisioned to mix and match OC-3 and OC-12 data streams within the same device and configured in MII mode or non-MII mode. http://www.amcc.com

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voiceglo Deploys Acme Packet Session Border Controllers

voiceglo, a provider of consumer and business VoIP services based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is using Acme Packet's Net-Net session border controllers for both hosted IP service delivery and peering to IP-based PSTN termination networks. The Net-Net session border controllers enable voiceglo to interconnect with other IP networks. http://www.acmepacket.com

• voiceglo was founded by Michael Egan and Edward Cespedes. Egan is the Founder and former CEO of Alamo Rent A Car, which he directed to become one of the nation's largest car rental firms before selling it to Republic Industries. Cespedes is a former investment banker with JP Morgan and also serves as President of theglobe.com and voiceglo.

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Slovenian Carrier Selects Juniper for TV-over-ADSL

SiOL, the leading Slovenian ISP, has deployed Juniper Networks' M-series routing platforms and E- series broadband aggregation platforms with the Juniper Networks SDX service deployment system to offer new advanced IP services such as broadband TV over ADSL.


Smart Com, Juniper Networks' partner in the Slovenian market, serves as systems integrator. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.juniper.net

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Orthogon Extends its Broadband Wireless to 130 km

Orthogon Systems, a start-up based in Ashburton, UK introduced a new wireless Ethernet bridge with high-gain external antennae that enable the system to span greater distances, even over large bodies of water, and overcome more challenging obstacles in its path. The company said its new OS-Gemini C product with external antennae provides a 400x increase in signal gain over its existing OS-Gemini I product (integrated antennae), connecting distances of up to 130 km (81 miles).


Orthogon noted that sending wireless signals across water has long posed seemingly insurmountable challenges. Called the ducting effect, the marine layer over water causes radio waves to bend, either sending the radio wave up into space or down into the water, ending the connection. With its combination of antennas and Orthogon's Multi-beam Space Time Coding technology, the OS-Gemini C mitigates the ducting effect of water.


Genesis Wireless, a wireless ISP and system integrator in Minnesota, is using the new OS-Gemini C for a wireless broadband link spanning 32 km (20 miles) downhill and over rivers with trees and large plateaus obstructing line-of-sight. The connection runs at 99.999% availability, with an average throughput of 28 Mbps, according to the company. http://www.orthogonsystems.com

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Boingo Wireless Adds First Wi-Fi Mesh Roaming Partner

Boingo Wireless signed a roaming agreement with Verge Wireless, which operates Wi-Fi mesh networks in key cities in the southern U.S. The agreement is the first for Boingo with a broadband Wi-Fi mesh- networking operator. An example of Verge's mesh network capabilities is its recent announcement of New Orleans' first mesh network in the Warehouse District. The company has also deployed service in Baton Rouge, LA. http://www.boingo.comhttp://www.vergewireless.com

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Canada's Allstream Launches Ethernet Private Line Service

Allstream (formerly AT&T Canada) introduced an Ethernet Private Line service that provides up to 1 Gbps connectivity within and between Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. The Ethernet Private Line is carried over a private connection on Allstream's optical network. Allstream said its new service is designed for applications such as server aggregation, synchronous database mirroring, VoIP, corporate data centre connectivity, multi-campus workgroups and data warehousing. The carrier will offer a 99.999% uptime availability option. Additional services to be rolled out shortly include Storage Area Network (SAN) channel service, Gigabit Internet, and High Bandwidth VLAN service. http://www.allstream.com

• Allstream has 29 CLEC networks and has some 537,940 access lines in service. Its fiber network spans some 18,800 kms across Canada.

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AFC Launches Marketing Campaign Focused on "Pure-Play Access"

AFC launched a marketing and advertising campaign to articulate the company's strategy as a "Pure-Play Access" supplier . The "AFC-The Acronym for Access" campaign touts the company's heritage in voice and broadband solutions and highlights the importance of the access portion of the network as the primary arena for differentiation and competition among carriers. Marketing initiatives include a redesigned web site and advertising. http://www.afc.com

• Earlier this month, AFC agreed to acquire Marconi's North American Access (NAA) business for $240 million in cash. Marconi NAA's major products include a fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) platform and DLCs. The acquisition would also provide AFC with a greater ability to penetrate major RBOC accounts. Notably, Marconi's fiber-to-the-curb platform is deployed extensively at BellSouth, which has been pursuing a fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) architecture since 1995. Nearly one million homes have been fiber-passed out of a market of 14 million homes in BellSouth territory. Meanwhile, AFC's fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) solution was recently selected by Verizon.

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Hammerhead Secures $25M for Next Gen Edge Migration Switch

Hammerhead Systems, a start-up based in Mountain View, California, raised $25 million in Series B financing, bringing its total funding to $43 million. Hammerhead Systems is developing a next generation "edge migration switch" to help service providers transition Frame Relay/ATM services to an MPLS backbone. Hammerhead's platform is currently in trials with a Tier 1 RBOC and a leading U.S.-based network service provider. Product details have not yet been announced.


Pequot Ventures led the round with new equity participation and Pequot General Partner Greg Rossmann joins Hammerhead's board of directors. All first round VCs participated including Mayfield, Foundation Capital, and Enterprise Partners.


"We're initially targeting the sweet-spot of corporate data services -- the $20 billion Frame Relay/ATM market -- which represents the carriers' most profitable data services as well as the primary method for transporting mission critical applications among the Fortune 1000," said Joe Sigrist, Hammerhead's President and CEO. http://www.hammerheadsystems.com

• Hammerhead Systems was founded in January of 2002 by Rob Keil and John Yu. Keil previously served as VP of Marketing at optical networking start-up Zaffire, and before that spent 5 years working with the original StrataCom/Cisco engineering group. Dr. Yu previously was Director of Network Architecture at Zaffire and is credited as co-author of 10 IETF/OIF drafts on GMPLS and Optical UNI. Prior to Zaffire, Yu spent 4 years as the Principal Data Services Architect for SBC/PacBell's Frame Relay, ATM and ADSL service deployments.



• Hammerhead is headed by Joe Sigrist, who previously served as President of Lucent Technologies' Edge Access Systems division. Prior to the Lucent acquisition of Ascend, Joe was the Vice President of Product Management for Ascend's remote access business.

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Telstra Launches DVD Delivery Service by Mail

Telstra introduced a new "fetchmemovies" service that enables Australians to browse through an online catalog of more than 8,000 titles and then have the DVD delivered by the convential postal service. As DVDs are returned, more are mailed out.


Telstra said the DVD rental service helps it build marketing relationships with strategic partners. Telstra will source content from a variety of Australia's largest distributors including Warner Home Video, Fox Home Entertainment, Paramount, Columbia Tristar, Universal, AV Channel, Shock/Kaleidoscope, Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Roadshow. http://www.telstra.com

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Telstra Connects 500,000th broadband customer

Telstra activated its 500,000th ADSL customer. Over 1,000 of Telstra's central office exchanges in Australia have now been ADSL enabled. Telstra has set a target of one million broadband subscribers by the end of 2005 and $1 billion in revenue from broadband by the end of 2006http://www.telstra.com

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BT's ADSL Rollout Reaches 1,000 Central Offices

BT has now equipped over 1,000 of its central office exchanges with ADSL. More than 85% of UK homes and businesses can now get ADSL and this figure is expected to reach 90% by the summer. Since July 2002, BT has relied on a "trigger" scheme whereby a certain number of requests for broadband in a given community causes the company to install the required DSL equipment in the local exchange. More than 700,000 of these service requests have been received since July 2002.


On 23-January-2004, Prime Minister Tony Blair visited his local telephone exchange today to see it being upgraded for high speed broadband internet services. http://www.bt.com

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Time Warner Telecom Acquires Enron Net in Oregon

Time Warner Telecom was the successful bidder to acquire the fiber assets of Enron Broadband Services in the Portland, Oregon area. The asset purchase extends the Time Warner Telecom local fiber network to 158 route miles in Portland and the neighboring communities of Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, and Vancouver, Washington. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.twtelecom.com

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Savvis to Acquire Cable & Wireless America

SAVVIS Communications was the winning bidder in a court-supervised sale of the network assets of Cable & Wireless USA and Cable & Wireless Internet Services (together CWA). Under the deal SAVVIS will acquire substantially all of the CWA assets for $155 million in cash and assume liabilities of approximately $12.4 million, subject to certain regulatory approvals. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Phoenix, Arizona approved the proposed sale on 23-Jan-2004.


SAVVIS was chosen as the winner among seven bidders at a two-day auction concluded on 22-Jan-2004, by CWA's financial advisor, The Blackstone Group.


SAVVIS' shareholders Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and Constellation Ventures, a Bear Stearns asset management fund, have committed to finance the purchase price and provide ongoing funding to support the acquired assets. In addition, SAVVIS has entered into a Letter of Intent with Du Pont Fabros Interests pursuant to which SAVVIS will sell its rights to acquire five of the CWA data centers to DuPont for $52 million, and to leaseback those data centers for 15 years.


SAVVIS said its purchase includes substantially all of CWA's assets:

• a Tier 1 IP Network, serving more than 2,000 enterprise customers, with a footprint encompassing 27% of all Internet routes and providing a range of IP network services from public Internet to private lines



• a comprehensive Hosting Service business with more than 1,000 enterprise customers, 15 data centers, a Fortune 500 focus, and a complete range of managed hosting, consulting and infrastructure services.

SAVVIS said the deal would make it one of the world's largest IP/hosting infrastructure providers. The acquired assets will add over 5,000 customers and the combined entity is currently projected to have annualized revenues of approximately $700 million by year end 2004. http://www.cwusa.comhttp://www.savvis.net

• On 08-Dec-2003, CWA announced that it had agreed to an asset sale with Gores Technology Group. As part of the deal, CWA filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. Qualifying bidders then had an opportunity to submit higher and better offers for CWA's evaluation through a court-supervised competitive bidding process.

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ATS and Verio Offer IPv6 Capabilities to Government Customers

Advanced Technology Systems, Inc. (ATS) and Verio began offering an IPv6 Gateway Service in the U.S. targeted at federal, state, and local government agencies through the General Services Administration's (GSA) Millennia Lite Contract Vehicle. Additionally, ATS is offering new bundled communications products and services, called ATS PowerHouse Hosting Solutions for government clients.


The IPv6 offering from ATS and Verio currently delivers service on the NTT/VERIO Global IPv6 Backbone network to customers in North America, as well as many countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia, as well as in Europe, including Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Spain. NTT Com currently provides IPv6 to approximately 500 customers around the globe. http://www.atsva.comhttp://www.verio.com

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