Verizon Moves to Widespread GPON Deployments

Verizon announced that it is moving ahead with widespread deployment of GPON technology. Technicians are now installing FiOS with the GPON electronics, thereby increasing the potential line-rate bandwidth on the Verizon fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network by four times downstream to the customer and eight times upstream back to the network. The new equipment is being used in communities where Verizon is building FTTP

for the first time. These states where Verizon began initial deployment of G-PON are: California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Texas.

Verizon previously has been deploying BPON (broadband passive optical network) technology.http://www.verizon.com/

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CableLabs Unveils “tru2way�? brand

CableLabs unveiled a new "tru2way" brand to succeed use of the term "OpenCable Platform" as it applies to the marketing and branding of the interactive video platform for consumers and in retail markets.

The tru2way technology enables consumers to access two-way digital cable programming without the need for a cable operator-supplied set-top box and is capable of supporting all cable services now delivered to devices currently leased to consumers as well as future services written to the tru2way technology. Major cable operators have committed to deploy support for the tru2way platform in service areas covering more than 90 million U.S. homes by the end of 2008.


CableLabs said it will license the brand to cable companies, cable programmers, and consumer electronics manufacturers that will deliver, create or build devices to access tru2way applications and services. The industry group expects most cable companies to advertise, use, and support the tru2way technology. Use of the mark on devices capable of receiving such services is strictly voluntary for manufacturers.


Tru2way technology is built into televisions, set-top boxes, and other devices enabling cable companies and other interactive television service and application developers to "write" interactive applications such as games once and see them run successfully on any cable television system that supports the specification.http://www.tru2way.com

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SoonR Raises $9.5 Million for Mobile/Desktop Synch

SoonR, a start-up based in Campbell, California with offices in Denmark, closed a $9.5 million Series B funding round for its mobile platform.


SoonR's platform aims to bridge the computer desktop and mobile worlds by enabling users to access, back up and share files on their desktop computer while on the go, right from their mobile phone or Internet-enabled device -- and even when the computer is turned off. Documents created in a number of applications, such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, appear as they would on a computer screen and Outlook calendars and email are easily accessed. Data on the user's computer is continuously backed up, allowing it to easily be restored should the computer be lost or stolen.


SoonR is now offering 100MB of free "AnyTime" space on its secured servers. The company has also expanded its integration with Microsoft Outlook. The new personal folder view and ability to sort (by date or sender) make SoonR even easier to navigate and saves users extra "click through" and loading time.


The funding round was led by Cisco. Previous investors Intel Capital and Clearstone Venture Partners also participated in the round. Total investment in the two-year old company now stands at $15.5 million.http://www.soonr.com

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Tropos Appoints New CEO -- Metro Wireless Mesh

Tropos Networks, a supplier of metro-scale broadband wireless mesh networks, has appointed Tom Ayers as its new President and CEO, replacing Ron Sege who will continue to serve as an advisor to the company. Ayers most recently was Senior Vice President of Field Operations at Blue Coat Systems. Prior to Blue Coat, he led sales organizations for the McAfee Security division of Network Associates. Before that, he improved revenue growth and profitability at Sequent Computer Systems. He also served as Vice President of Sales for Amdahl's worldwide professional services and multi-vendor maintenance organizations.


Tropos said that during the past six months alone, Tropos has experienced a 40% growth in the number of users on networks monitored by the company.http://www.tropos.com

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Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom Deploys T640 Core Routers

Chunghwa Telecom, the incumbent operator in Taiwan, is building a unified IP core network with Juniper Networks T-series core routers to underpin its fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) strategy and support its entire suite of advanced services, including fixed line, Internet access, and mobile telecommunications services. Juniper said the single IP core will help Chunghwa Telecom to reduce operational costs and to rapidly launch new access technologies and revenue-generating services including VoIP; 2G, 2.5G and 3G mobile; Fiber to the Building (FTTB); IP VPN; Video-on-Demand and high-density broadband aggregation. Financial terms were not disclosed.http://www.juniper,net

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Mintera Ships First 40 Gbps DWDM DPSK Module

Mintera announced the first commercial shipment of a 40 Gbps DWDM DPSK transceiver module. The December 2007 shipment was made to a new European customer. Mintera said it has several new customers for the MI 4000XM for their next-generation 40 Gbps line cards.


Mintera's Adaptive-DPSK technology enables 40 Gbps transport on 50GHz channel-spaced systems and transmission over agile ROADM networks without compromising critical ULH reach. The unit conforms to the industry standard footprint and is compliant to ITU-T G.693 for Optical Interfaces and OIF SFI-5 standards. Incorporating an electrical Mux/Demux for compatibility with any 40 Gbps framer, the module has a 300-pin MSA connector with support for the appropriate I2C commands.


"This shipment signals the beginning of an inflection point for the industry with the first delivery of a new generation of 40 Gbps DWDM modules," said Mintera President and CEO Terry Unter.http://www.mintera.com

• In October of 2007, Mintera and JDSU announced a partnership to provide a complete 40 gigabits per second (40G) solution set to the telecom industry.

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BT and Cisco to Supply 20,000 IP Phones to University of Cambridge

BT and Cisco announced a multi-million pound deal with the University of Cambridge deliver approximately 20,000 IP telephony handsets to the University over the next 18 months, replacing the existing system. The solution will incorportate Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.0. BT and Cisco are working with the University's IT Consultancy partner, PTS Consulting.http://www.cisco.com

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Asia Netcom and Pacific Internet Merge, Forming Pacnet

Asia Netcom and Pacific Internet have merged to form a new company, Pacnet.

The key asset behind Pacnet is its EAC-C2C cable infrastructure, a 36,800 km submarine cable network that can carry up to 10.24 Tbps of capacity, of which only 240 Gbps is currently lit. The Hong Kong-based company offers a range of services from home ADSL, to MPLS-IPVPN services for global multinational corporations and wholesale capacity for carriers.http://www.asianetcom.com

• In August 2006, China Netcom Group completed the sale of its Asia Netcom to an Investor Group led by Ashmore Investment Management Limited, Spinnaker Capital Limited and Clearwater Capital Partners.

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Emerson Closes Acquisition of Motorola's Embedded Communications Computing

Emerson Network Power completed its previously announced acquisition of Motorola's Embedded Communications Computing group, which focused on AdvancedTCA (ATCA), MicroTCA, CompactPCI and VMEbus solutions.


The deal was first announced in September 2007 for $350 million in cash. Motorola's ECC business supplies embedded computing products and services to communication infrastructure and equipment manufacturers in telecommunications, medical imaging, defense and aerospace and industrial automation. Based in Tempe, Arizona, Motorola's ECC business has approximately 1,100 employees. The business has driven open standards and pioneered technologies based upon them since it was formed in 1980. Motorola's ECC business, which had 2006 revenue of approximately $520 million..


"We believe the whole industry will benefit from this transaction -- from customers and prospects to partners, suppliers and industry organizations," said Earle Weaver, group vice president, Emerson, with the responsibility for the Embedded Computing business. "We intend to focus Emerson's considerable resources on developing advanced embedded computing technologies and delivering integrated, single-source solutions using our expertise to drive the adoption of common platforms that benefit this market. "http://www.emersonnetworkpowerembeddedcomputing.com

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Comcast Announces Project Infinity

In a keynote address at CES in Las Vegas, Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts unveiled "Project Infinity" -- a vision to give consumers the ability to watch any movie, television show, user generated content or other video that a producer wants to make available On Demand.
The initiative builds on the long-term trend of time-shifted viewing.


"Project Infinity plans to give consumers the best and most content they will find On Demand anywhere -- more HD, more sports, more movies, kids' programs and network TV," said Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast Corporation. "Project Infinity builds on our commitment to bring more content to people across all platforms at home and on the go, and we'll work with our partners, programmers and video producers to deliver on this vision."


Comcast said that as its On Demand library has expanded to offer more than 10,000 selections each month, viewership has grown dramatically, surpassing six billion views since 2003. Comcast customers now are selecting On Demand 100 times per second, with 275 million views monthly.


Comcast will support its plan for Project Infinity using its existing fiber network and national IP backbone. The company plans to create a system of library servers that will efficiently serve VOD content to consumers from several key locations across the country. This system would enable Comcast to offer exponentially more VOD content.


Comcast plans to expand its current HD lineup. By the end of the year, Comcast will make available more than 1,000 HD movies and TV shows every month, as well as the most popular television networks in HD as they debut.http://www.comcast.com

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Sprint Announces Xohm WiMAX Partners

A soft launch of Sprint's Xohm WiMAX service is currently underway with company employees in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., in preparation for commercial WiMAX service launch beginning later this year in select U.S. cities.


At CES in Las Vegas, Sprint announced new Xohm mobile Internet business agreements involving web portal services and WiMAX network access devices. The company also named an advertising agency of record to help launch the Xohm brand in the United States. Partners include:

• Amdocs, which has been awarded a multi-year agreement for software and services in support of the launch and operations of Xohm mobile Internet. This includes building and maintaining the Xohm Internet portal, customer relationship management, service activation and provisioning, and billing operations.



• SwapDrive , which is providing a hosted storage solution where Xohm subscribers can secure, organize, manage and access all their user-generated digital content though the Xohm portal from any device with a supported browser.



• eTelecare Global Solutions, which providing voice and e-support customer care services.



• McAfee, which will implement online security products for PCs used on the Xohm WiMAX network.



• OQO, which intends to embed WiMAX wireless capability in an ultra mobile PC (UMPC) in 2008.



• ASUSTek of Taiwan, which plans to produce a line of WiMAX-embedded devices for availability during 2008.



• Zyxel and chip supplier Sequans, which will produce a WiMAX modem subscriber device for mobile Internet data and voice services, which will debut with the launch of commercial Xohm service.



• Soho Square, which has been named advertising agency of record to help launch the Xohm brand in North America.

http://www.sprint.com

• In November 2007, Sprint Nextel and Clearwire terminated their agreement signed in July 2007 to jointly build a nationwide mobile broadband network using WiMAX technology and to promote the global development of WiMAX-based services. The partnership aimed at reducing the cost of network construction and at accelerating the rollout of a nationwide 4G service. The two companies said they could not resolve complexities associated with the deal and failed to reach final agreement on the terms of the transaction.

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Comcast Launches Web Video Site

Comcast Interactive Media (CIM) launched a website that enables users to watch, manage and find entertainment content.

The new site -- www.Fancast.com -- initially provides access to over 3,000 hours of streaming free, full-length content from networks - including CBS, NBC and Fox (provided by Hulu), MTV Networks and BET Networks - movie trailers, short videos and interviews. The site also features a "Watch it" tool will tell users where they can get it, on Fancast, on television, online, On Demand, on DVD or in the theater. Comcast plans to enhance the site with the ability to remotely program a customer's DVR.http://www.comcast.comhttp://www.fancast.com

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AT&T Notes Slower Consumer Spending

AT&T has experienced some slowdown in consumer spending -- most notably an increase in the number of disconnects for traditional phone lines for non-payments -- said company CEO Randall Stephenson speaking at Citigroup' Entertainment, Media and Telecom Conference in Phoenix.
However, the fundamentals of the business remain strong, said Stephenson, with all business units continuing to grow and the company has not updated its financial guidance. Stephenson said other indicators for communications, such as minutes of use or IP traffic volumes, continue to indicate robust growth.


A link to the webcast is available in the Investor Relations section of the company website.
http://www.att.com

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Nokia Siemens Networks Completes Acquisition of Atrica

Nokia Siemens Networks completed its previously announced acquisition of Atrica, a supplier of Carrier Ethernet solutions. The deal was first announced in October 2007.


Atrica's product suite consists of its A-8100 Carrier Ethernet Core Switch, its A-4100 Carrier Ethernet Aggregation Switch and its A-2100 Carrier Ethernet Edge Switch, as well as the Atrica Service Platform for Ethernet Networks (ASPEN), an integrated service provisioning and management system. Earlier this year, Atrica introduced its A-1180 Multi-port Carrier Ethernet Demarcation Device, which enables end-to-end service delivery across third-party networks - as well as Atrica-based networks - with QoS control for each individual service.


Atrica has over 40 customers including Orange Business Services, KVH and Optimum LightPath.


Atrica is a privately-held company with headquarters in Santa Clara, California and R&D in Israel. Atrica has approximately 180 employees.


Nokia Siemens Networks noted that it has more than 70 deployments worldwide that span the full spectrum of Carrier Ethernet applications (wireless backhaul, residential backhaul, business Ethernet services).http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

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BT Vision to Support Microsoft's Xbox 360

The BT Vision service will support Microsoft's Xbox 360 games and entertainment system. All BT broadband customers will have the opportunity to receive the HD gaming, television and movies through an Xbox 360 console or through their set-top box.


BT Vision, which is powered by the Microsoft Mediaroom Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) platform, plans to make this first-of-its-kind device and service offering available to customers in the middle of 2008. The service will be available to existing and future Xbox 360 console owners.http://www.bt.com/btvisionhttp://www.microsoft.com

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Zain Awards $1 Billion Contract to Nokia Siemens Networks for Mobile Rollout in Saudi Arabia

Nokia Siemens Networks announced a contract valued at approximately US$1 billion to roll out a state-of--the-art greenfield mobile network in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on behalf of Zain. Formerly known as the MTC Group, Zain is the leading telecommunications mobile provider in 22 countries across the Middle East and Africa and was recently awarded the third mobile telecommunications license for Saudi Arabia.


Under the terms of the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will provide to Zain in Saudi Arabia the latest 2G and 3G mobile network technologies, including HSDPA and HSUPA, based on the latest base station design and distributed architecture for both radio access and core networks according to the 3GPP release 4 standard. Nokia Siemens Networks said it will deliver a full turnkey solution, including managed services for five years from a dedicated local network operations center. The US$ 935 million turnkey contract also includes network planning, implementation, project management, systems integration, logistics management, multi-vendor maintenance, field services and network optimization for the base station sites. The company will also provide a wide range of operations and business support system (OSS/BSS) solutions that will help Zain reduce operating expenses and manage the network and service quality for its subscribers. Nokia Siemens Networks will also provide Zain with its convergent prepaid solution, charge@once select, for voice and data.


Nokia Siemens Networks is the sole supplier of Zain Saudi's core network, including the industry leading MSC Server mobile softswitch for cost-efficient voice and data services, as well as the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), which enables a wide range of rich communications services based on the Internet Protocol.http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.comhttp://www.zain.com

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Belkin Offers $99 Desktop Skype Phone

Belkin introduced its new Desktop Internet Phone for Skype, which allows you to make free Skype Internet calls without having to turn on your computer. The phone is priced at US$99.99 and plugs in via an Ethernet port. Some features include:

• Speaker, speed dial, call hold/release, call pickup/park, mute, redial, hold, call-timer display, and contact list


• Contact list supports over 500 sets of Skype and SkypeOut contacts


• Automatically logs into Skype after initial login


• Plugs into port on wired/wireless router or a live Ethernet port so you can immediately start making calls


• Supports inexpensive SkypeOut calls to landlines and mobiles anywhere in the world (requires purchase of Skype credit on Skype.com)
  
• Supports SkypeIn.

http://www.belkin.com

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Verizon Offers SMB Symmetrical FiOS at 20, 50 Mbps

Verizon has begun offering small- and medium-sized businesses symmetrical FiOS Internet connections at 20 Mbps. For those who want even faster download speeds, Verizon offers up to 50 Mbps download (with 20 Mbps upload).


In some states (Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island) small- and medium-sized business customers can subscribe to 20M/20M service with a dynamic IP address for $99.99 per month; or with a static IP address, the 20M/20M service is $139.99 per month -- both with a two-year term agreement. The fastest speed available in these states is now 50M/20M for $199.99 per month with a dynamic IP address, or $239.99 per month with a static IP address -- both with a two-year term agreement.


In other states (California, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington) small- and medium-sized business customers can subscribe to 15M/15M service with a dynamic IP address for $99.99 per month, or with a static IP address, the 15M/15M service is $139.99 per month both with a two- year term agreement. The fastest speed available -- 35M/5M with a dynamic IP address -- has been increased to 30M/15M for $199.99 per month, or $239.99 per month with a static IP address both with a two-year term agreement.http://www.verizon.com

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Verizon Expands FiOS TV Availability in California

Verizon has expanded the availability of its all-fiber- optic FiOS TV service in California, where it is now available to more than 500,000 households across the state. The company plans to expand the service to 1 million homes by the end of this year.


Verizon recently launched FiOS TV in additional Southern California cities -- including Downey, Santa Fe Springs, La Mirada and Norwalk -- and won approval from the Public Utilities Commission to offer the service in 34 more California communities as construction of the fiber-optic network proceeds. [Note: Lists of California cities served with FiOS TV and the new communities approved by the Public Utilities Commission appear at the end of this release.


Verizon started large-scale construction of its fiber network in California in 2004. Since then, the company has passed more than 800,000 households with its FiOS network in urban, suburban and rural areas throughout the state.
http://www.verizon.com/fiostv

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CopperGate's HomePNA 3.1 Chipset Promises 240 Gbps over In-home Wiring

CopperGate Communications introduced its "CopperStream" CG3210 chipset for home networking over existing coax and telephone wires. CopperGate said the new silicon supports a PHY data rates of up to 320 Mbps and up to 240 Mbps in user throughput. The chipset incorporates a complete ITU G.9954 compatible HomePNA 3.1 MAC and PHY as well as an Ethernet MAC and a RISC processor capable of running the entire HomePNA 3.1 protocol stack, providing remote management and diagnostics capabilities and full backward compatibility with CopperGate's previous products. The CG3210 is sampling to customers today.


"With millions of chipsets shipped, CopperGate has established the home networking standard for TelcoTV," said Gabi Hilevitz, CopperGate CEO. "The CG3210 adds valuable capabilities to the CopperStream product line which is being deployed today by both large and small service providers worldwide for the distribution of IP services within the home and MDUs."http://www.copper-gate.com

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