Time Warner Selects Scientific-Atlanta / Tropic Networks ROADMs

Scientific-Atlanta and Tropic Networks were selected to provide Time Warner Cable's Portland, Maine division with reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) transport nodes for its core DWDM network and related support services. ROADMS enable the operator to quickly and remotely modify network topology to optimize bandwidth use. Time Warner Cable expects to rollout its first fully managed and fully reconfigurable network in Portland during Q2. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Time Warner Cable Portland will be using Tropic's WT-24000 optical transport platform, TROPX software suite and Wavelength Tracker, advanced optical layer management technology. The managed ROADM solution will provide Time Warner with dual homing master head-end protection for a protected VOD network designed to deliver uninterrupted service to its customers. In addition, the new architecture will support Time Warner's existing commercial services. The WT-24000's flexible architecture further provides Time Warner with the ability to create a fully converged network infrastructure as new services can be deployed onto this platform as they become available.
http://www.tropicnetworks.com
http://www.scientificatlanta.com

• Last month, Tropic Networks announced a partnership under which Scientific-Atlanta will resell and support its intelligent wavelength transport platform to cable operators. Under the terms of the OEM agreement, Scientific-Atlanta will have sales, distribution and support rights for the Tropic-developed family of intelligent optical transport products for the MSO market.



• Tropic Networks, which is based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, developed a Reconfigurable OADM (ROADM) that enables service providers to remotely reconfigure add and drop capacity at each node. Tropic's system features an advanced optical layer management technology called "Wavelength Tracker".



• In July 2004, Alcatel made an equity investment in Tropic Networks, a start-up offering metro-area optical networking gear. In addition to the financial investment, Alcatel also entered into a global agreement to market and distribute Tropic Networks products and technology. Financial terms were not disclosed.



• Tropic Networks was founded in May 2000 by Kevin Rankin, formerly co-founder of the Broadband Copper Access division at Newbridge Networks; Dr. Dan Oprea, former senior architect at Nortel Networks and Mitel; Dave Coomber, former assistant VP of xDSL at Newbridge Networks; and Ben Bacque, co-founder of the Broadband Copper Access division at Newbridge Networks.

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FCC Denies SBC's Petition on IP Services

The FCC denied a petition from SBC Communications requesting that Title II common carrier regulations not be applied to IP services. The petition was denied on procedural grounds rather than as a matter of policy.


In February 2004, SBC filed a petition asking the FCC to forbear from applying Title II common carrier regulation to IP Platform Services, which it defined as "those services that enable any customer to send or receive communications in IP format over an IP platform, and the IP platforms on which those services are provided."


In this ruling, the FCC reasoned that it would be inappropriate to grant SBC's petition because it asks the FCC to forbear from enforcing requirements that may not even apply to the facilities and services in question. The FCC has not yet decided the extent to which IP-enabled services are covered by Title II and its implementing rules. Therefore, the FCC cannot "forbear" from applying rules have not yet been defined.


In a statement, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the issues presented by this petition are important ones that require the Commission's attention. "Accordingly, in order to accomplish what will be one of the Commission's core priorities -- promoting the deployment of new packetized networks throughout the nation -- we should move forward to address the creation of a level-playing field for the provision of advanced services by similarly situated service providers. The removal of legacy regulations should spur investment and the deployment of new packetized networks and facilities that will bring new broadband services to all Americans throughout the nation."http://www.fcc.gov

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Tellabs Enhances its 8800 Multiservice Router

Tellabs released a "ServiceAssured" upgrade for its IP/MPLS-based Tellabs 8800 multi-service router (MSR). A key enhancement is the ability to maintain all control and data path connectivity during system maintenance and software upgrades. For example, end-user Virtual Private Networks connections, as well as routing protocols, will operate normally during a system software upgrade with the Tellabs 8800 MSR. This ensures that software-related maintenance upgrades will cause no disruption to service provider networks.
http://www.tellabs.com

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EC Endorses Public Funding for Municipal Fiber Network in France

The European Commission ruled that public co-funding of an open broadband infrastructure in Limousin, France does not constitute "state aid" and should go forward. The project has a total budget of EUR 85 million and will be co-financed by EU funds as a public/private partnership. Selected through a public procurement procedure, the concession holder will provide various wholesale services to retail operators but not services to end users. Retail operators will be allowed to lease dark fiber on a non-discriminatory basis to offer services.


The EC noted that Limousin consists mainly of rural and remote areas, and that access to broadband services offered by existing market operators in Limousin is insufficient to meet the population's essential needs. The EC had already made a similar ruling in November 2004 in case in the Pyrénées Atlantiques region.http://europa.eu.int/

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QUALCOMM's 4GV Codec Increases Capacity Up to 40%

QUALCOMM announced its Fourth-Generation Vocoder (4GV) offering CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO operators the flexibility to make network adjustments that prioritize voice quality and network capacity.


QUALCOMM said the new 4GV vocoder was specifically designed to leverage 1xEV-DO Rev. A, increasing the overall quality of end-to-end services for delay-sensitive applications such as VoIP. It supports both circuit-switched and packet-switched voice networks in a combined core. QUALCOMM claims it can increase capacity by up to 40% in narrowband networks compared to current vocoder solutions. It could also be used in wideband networks to offer superior voice quality enhancements, or in VoIP deployments to deliver better voice quality due to its QoS support.


QUALCOMM plans to support the 4GV solution in QUALCOMM's Mobile Station Modem (MSM) CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO chipsets, which also support the current vocoder solution. The company said wireless operators can realize even greater capacity improvements -- up to double the capacity of today's networks -- by deploying 4GV in conjunction with receive diversity technology.
http://www.qualcomm.com/

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Sprint and Intel Team on WiMax

Sprint and Intel agreed to engage in joint efforts to advance the development of 802.16e WiMAX mobile technology. The companies will collaborate on technical specifications, perform equipment trials and conduct interoperability testing to examine possible next-generation wide-area wireless broadband devices and services.


"Our relationship with Intel will help validate requirements, drive key ecosystem development needs, formulate network strategies and define the potential for advanced wireless services adoption," explained Oliver Valente, chief technology officer and vice president -- Technology Development, Sprint. Sprint is fostering a number of strategic partnerships and investigating multiple technologies in support of future wireless interactive multimedia services that would be considered for deployment in the 2.5 GHz band of spectrum. WiMAX is one of the technologies Sprint is investigating for these services.
http://www.sprint.com/http://www.intel.com/pressroom

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UTStarcom Reports Q1, Warns on Sales in China

UTStarcom reported Q1 net sales of $901.8 million, an increase of 44.9% over net sales of $622.3 million reported in Q1 of 2004.


The UTStarcom Personal Communications Division, formerly Audiovox Communications, which was acquired in November 2004, contributed $315.6 million of sales in the quarter and the Company recorded $268.6 million of sales related to contracts with Japan Telecom, which were awarded last summer.


First quarter gross profit margin was 26.4% of sales as compared to gross profit margin of 28.3 percent of sales in the first quarter of 2004. Gross profit margin for the Company excluding the Personal Communications Division was 38.3% of sales. Gross profit margin for the Personal Communications Division business was 4.3% of sales.


GAAP net income for the first quarter of 2005 was $38.0 million, or $0.29 diluted earnings per share.


The company said nearly 75% percent of total revenue in Q1 came from outside of China, compared to approximately 9% at the same time last year. UTStarcom also warned that this year's decline in its PAS business in China will be more significant than it had initially expected due to the maturation of the market and uncertainty around timing of 3G license awards. The company now expects the decline to be in the range of 40 to 50% from 2004 revenue levels of approximately U.S. $2.0 billion, rather than its originally anticipated decrease of 30%. http://www.utstarcom.com

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Yahoo! Announces Major Content Partners for its Video Search

Yahoo! announced general availability of its Video Search, enabling Internet users to more easily find online video content. Yahoo! Video Search, which uses the company's media crawling and ranking technology, indexes content from across the Web and includes new content from partners such as Buena Vista Pictures, CBS News, CMT, Discovery Communications, MTV, Reuters, Scripps Networks (Home & Garden Television, The Food Network), VH1 and others.


Yahoo! is also forming partnerships with other video content sources. A relationship with TVEyes, enables Yahoo! to search within Bloomberg video broadcasts and direct links to the relevant portion of the broadcast. Other partnerships include Internet Broadcasting Systems (national network of local news), IFILM, The One Network, and Stupid Videos.


Yahoo! Video Search also provides users with integrated access to video content from the Yahoo! network by including movie trailers from Yahoo! Movies, music videos from Yahoo! Music, the #1 place on the web for music video content, and exclusive video from The Apprentice, including the full confessionals from fired contestants, and The Contender, including the full boxing match from each episode.


Yahoo! is supporting Media Really Simple Syndication (Media RSS) a self-publishing specification that enables publishers to promote audio and video content.


"We're delighted to be working with Yahoo! on a project that takes the video entertainment experience to the next level," said Jason Hirschhorn, senior vice president of digital music and media, MTV Networks Music Group. "Yahoo! Video Search caters directly to MTV Networks' global network and fan base, so users have the ability to access our content in an even more customizable way."http://video.search.yahoo.comhttp://search.yahoo.com/mrss/mrss

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ECI Reports 35% Revenue Growth in Q1

ECI Telecom reported Q1 revenue of $145 million, a 35% increase from $108 million in Q1 2004 and a 4% increase from $140 million in Q4 2004. This marks the seventh consecutive quarterly increase in revenues for the company. Net income for Q1 reached $10.4 million, or $0.09 per share.


Commenting on the results, Doron Inbar, President and CEO said "The Broadband Access Division's continued growth and profitability are due primarily to our European customers' increasing focus on delivering revenue-generating services such as TV over DSL and video on demand (VOD), which will enable them to attract new customers as well as increase customer loyalty and average revenue per user (ARPU)... Our Optical Networks Division maintained its strong growth, with advanced emerging markets such as Russia and Asia Pacific countries continuing to deploy new networks to meet increasing customer demand. With the increased momentum in deploying 3G networks, cellular backhaul continues to be a major growth driver for this Division."


Revenues for the Broadband Access Division increased to $63 million in the quarter, up 31% from a year ago and compared to $60 million last quarter. Operating income for the Division reached $8.5 million, compared to $3.3 million in the first quarter of 2004.


Revenues for the Optical Networks Division increased 47% from a year ago and reached $77 million for the quarter, compared to $72 million in the fourth quarter of 2004. The Division continued to improve its profitability, reaching an operating income of $4.9 million for the quarter, compared with a $3 million loss in the first quarter of 2004.
http://www.ecitele.com.

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Covad Signs Access Agreement with SBC, AT&T

Covad Communications reached an agreement with SBC Communications and AT&T under which it would help the combined entity extend IP-based services to out-of-region consumers and businesses. The deal is effective upon completion of the SBC and AT&T merger.


AT&T entered into a long-term commercial agreement with Covad on Jan. 1, 2002, buying high-speed Internet access services for resale. SBC entered into an agreement for similar services with Covad on Nov. 12, 2001. This new commercial agreement, along with the current contracts, would continue past the completion of the SBC-AT&T merger.


SBC and Covad also signed a separate commercial agreement that covers the provision of line-sharing over copper and remote-terminal facilities in SBC's territory for a four-year period. Line-sharing allows communications providers like Covad to deploy high-speed DSL broadband on the same line customers use for their voice phone services.


SBC said the deal demonstrates its commitment to promoting "vigorous competition" in the telecommunications industry and that the deal makes it a more effective out-of-region competitor.
http://www.covad.com
http://www.sbc.com

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Ambric Names Howard Bubb as CEO

Ambric, a start-up based in Beaverton, Oregon, named Howard Bubb as CEO and chairman of its board. Ambric is developing a new type of programmable IC platform that it says will help electronics companies accelerate time to market for their products while also slashing system development costs. The company is in stealth mode.


Howard Bubb is a former vice president of Intel Corporation and general manager of Intel's Communication Infrastructure Group. He joined Intel from Dialogic Corporation where he was president and CEO. http://www.ambric.com

• In September 2004, Ambric announced a $10.4 million Series A funding round, co-led by ComVentures and OVP Venture Partners.

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Korea's Dacom Deploys Turin Multi-Service Transport Switch

Korea's second largest communications service provider, Dacom, selected Turin Networks' Traverse Multi-Service Transport Switch platform for a new nationwide network. Dacom is transitioning from a 2.5 Gbps backbone to 10 Gbps. The carrier commissioned CommVerge Solutions to provide the solution for their Leased Line Network. CommVerge will be providing Dacom with Turin's Traverse 1600, a multiservice transport switch that unifies carrier-grade Ethernet, SDH and SONET switching capabilities. Financial terms were not disclosed.http://turinnetworks.com
http://www.dacom.net

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Bluetooth SIG and UWB Align Efforts for Ad Hoc Connections

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) agreed to align its long-term roadmap with developers of Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. The goal is to work towards an architecture that allows devices to take advantage of UWB data rates for scenarios that require high speed. Bluetooth would maintain backward compatibly with existing devices on the market and future products not requiring the higher data rate.


"The Bluetooth SIG's intention to employ UWB in their next generation products is a very positive step in allowing consumers to connect seamlessly between PCs, phones and consumer electronics equipment. This is an extremely positive move," said Stephen Wood, UWB technology strategist, Intel.
http://www.bluetooth.com/

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Speakeasy Tests WiMAX from Seattle's Space Needle

Speakeasy will begin beaming a WiMAX-class service from the Space Needle and other buildings in downtown Seattle in what is described as the largest, high-density, point-to-multipoint broadband wireless service in a major U.S. city. Speakeasy, which has formed strategic relationships with Intel and Alvarion to test WiMAX, said it chose Seattle as the first site for its WiMAX-class deployment because of Seattle's challenging combination of weather, terrain, bodies of water, and dense building skyline. The service uses Alvarion's base station and end user hardware. The network will feature overlapping base stations to provide higher throughput per subscriber and greater dependability.


Speakeasy is currently taking customer orders and expects to bring customers online in early June. Business rates begin at $500 per month for a 3 Mbps connection and $800 per month for a 6 Mbps connection. The bandwidth can be partitioned into reserved uplink and downlink allotments.
http://www.speakeasy.net/business/wimax/

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NetCentrex Hires VP of Marketing and VP of Operations

Netcentrex announced the appointments of Erik Larsson as Vice President of worldwide Marketing and Jack Cavelier as Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining Netcentrex, Erik Larsson ran a marketing consulting business where he created and implemented marketing initiatives for both early-stage and established high-tech companies. Prior to that, he served as vice president of marketing at Integra, a Paris-based web hosting and professional services firm which became part of the Genuity / Level 3 organization in Europe. Jack Cavelier has over 25 years' experience in the high-tech industry, both at telecom equipment manufacturers and IT services companies including Schneider, CS, and NEC Computers Europe.
http://www.netcentrex.net

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Marconi and Trade Union Discuss Job Cuts

Following BT's decision not to select Marconi for its 21CN project, Marconi opened a dialogue with its trade unions as it considers the question of job cuts. Marconi currently has about 4,000 UK employees and 10,000 employees worldwide. A decision on job cuts and redundancies is expected within the next week.
http://www.marconi.com

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Bell Canada Accelerates FTTN Rollout

In its Q1 financial report, Bell Canada said it was accelerating its fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) rollout. During the first three months of the year, Bell Canada provisioned 386 additional neighborhood fiber nodes, more than all of 2004, for a total of 762. The new access network will support all future services from the company.


Other highlights of the report include:

• Sympatico high-speed Internet added 128,000 customers in Q1, its strongest quarterly increase in the last three years. The high-speed subscriber base increased to over 1.9 million by the end of the quarter, up by approximately 24% over Q1 2004. Subscriptions to Value-Added Services (VAS) such as MSN Premium, Security Services and Home Networking grew by 142,000 - more than double the number a year ago.



• Bell Canada's ExpressVu video service added 29,000 subscribers, giving it 1.5 million in total.



• Consumer segment revenues grew by 1.7%, year over year, to $1.9 billion.



• The company introduced its first consumer VoIP service during Q1.



• Bell Canada reported Q1 revenues of $4.9 billion, up 4.8% and EBITDA of $1.9 billion, up 5.1% when compared to the same period last year. Operating income increased by 5.4% year over year to reach $1.1 billion. Earnings per share (EPS) were $0.51.

http://www.bce.ca

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Telution Integrates its Order Management with Microsoft Customer Care Framework

Telution has integrated its COMX Order Management software with Microsoft Customer Care Framework (CCF). The combined solution will provide cable and telecommunications clients a more advanced approach to order handling and customer interaction management associated with complex services bundles, including IP-based services.


Telution said that by deploying its COMX Order Management suite alongside Microsoft's CCF solution, service providers could gain a consolidated view of all customer care applications. Additionally, service providers receive an order capture, handling, and assurance tool that improves the speed and accuracy of order entry and order workflow management for complex combinations of voice, video, and data services. http://www.telution.com

• Based on Microsoft .NET technology and Web services architecture, Microsoft Customer Care Framework integrates with existing customer relationship management (CRM) systems, operations support systems (OSS) and business support systems (BSS). It works in conjunction with a suite of products, including Microsoft BizTalk Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Windows Server and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET.

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Verizon Signs NFL Network for FiOS TV

Verizon signed a programming-distribution agreement with NFL Network for its upcoming FiOS TV service. Also included are NFL Network in HD and NFL on Demand, the network's video-on-demand programming. Financial terms were not disclosed.


NFL Network is the first 24-hour, year-round television network dedicated to the National Football League and the sport of football. It was launched 18 months ago.


Verizon said it is close to finalizing agreements with several other major content-partners.
http://www.verizon.com
http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork

• Verizon previously announced agreements with NBC Universal Cable, Starz Entertainment Group, Showtime Networks, A&E Television Networks and Discovery Networks, GolTV, Gospel Music Channel, Soundtrack Channel, MavTV and Varsity TV.

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SIRIUS 4 Satellite to Launch in 2007 with 54 Transponders

Nordic Satellite AB, which owns and operates satellites in the SIRIUS system serving Europe, has contracted with International Launch Services (ILS) to launch its next generation SIRIUS 4 satellite in Q2 2007.


The high-powered SIRIUS 4 spacecraft, which will feature 52 Ku-band transponders, as well as a 2-transponder Ka-band payload, is currently being built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS). The first mission of SIRIUS 4 will be to provide replacement capacity for NSAB's existing SIRIUS 2 and SIRIUS 3 satellites in the Nordic and Baltic markets as well as to enhance coverage in Eastern Europe and Russia. This mission is supported by 46 active Ku-band transponders in the BSS and FSS frequency bands. As a second mission SIRIUS 4 will provide one wide-beam Ka-band transponder for interactive applications in Scandinavia and the Baltic States. The third mission of SIRIUS 4 will be to provide a sub-Saharan Africa beam complementing existing (ASTRA 2B) or upcoming (ASTRA 4A) African coverage within the SES GLOBAL fleet. This mission will be supported by a payload consisting of 6 active Ku-band transponders and an additional Ka-band transponder for inter-connections between Africa and Europe.
http://www.nsab-sirius.com

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