Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Sandvine Cites Customer Traction, Including a Top Ten U.S. MSO

Sandvine has won nine new service provider customers. Six of the customers are fixed line service providers and three are mobile network operators. Four of Sandvine's new service provider customers are based in North America, including one of the top ten cable operators in the United States and a North American tier-one DSL service provider with more than one million broadband subscribers. Three of the new customers come from the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) sales region, and one each from Caribbean and Latin America and Asia Pacific.


Two of Sandvine's new customers were won through strategic reseller partnerships with network equipment manufacturers.


Sandvine's network policy control solutions focus on protecting and improving the quality of experience on the Internet.
http://www.sandvine.com

Ericsson Builds Optical Transport in Costa Rica

Ericsson has signed a five-year contract with cable television operator CableTica to build and operate an optical transport network in Costa Rica specifically optimized to handle the needs of next-generation mobile networks.
Ericsson will also manage the new network. Financial terms were not disclosed.


The new, state-of-the-art optical network is based on Ericsson's MHL 3000 and OMS 1400 optical platforms. The network will enable CableTica to transport any kind of data -- including television, internet and mobile backhaul -- and also allow for future implementation of IPTV services. Further, CableTica will be able to offer services -- such as digital television, video-on-demand and data services -- in more areas of Costa Rica.


The deal, signaling the opening of Costa Rica's telecommunications market, is Ericsson's first cable television deal in Central America and Caribbean. CableTica is expected to launch the new service shortly.
http://www.ericsson.com
http://www.cabletica.com/

AT&T Authorized to Offer Managed Trusted IP Services to Govt

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has issued an Authority to Operate (ATO) to AT&T for implementation of Managed Trusted IP Services (MTIPS) under the Networx contract. AT&T is the first network operator to receive this authority. AT&T Government Solutions has disclosed MTIPS task orders with the Federal Trade Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.


Networx is a contract vehicle that allows AT&T to provide a full range of communications services to federal government agencies.


MTIPS is an offering under the Networx Universal and Enterprise contracts that allows federal agencies to connect to the Internet via secure IP portals in full compliance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) initiative.


"AT&T's cloud based approach to cybersecurity is the foundation for MTIPS," said Ed Amoroso, Chief Security Officer, AT&T. "We use the cloud to proactively detect and diffuse security threats at the 'street corner' as opposed to the 'front door' of a federal agency -- thereby minimizing the risk of a cyber attack. With AT&T's MTIPS solution, we can help agencies protect their network with the advance notice necessary to counter the threats."http://www.att.com
http://www.corp.att.com/gov/networx/product_services.html

Telx Launches Carrier Ethernet Exchange

Telx, which operates 15 carrier-grade interconnection, colocation and business exchange facilities across the U.S., is launching an Ethernet Exchange to bring together buyers and sellers of Ethernet services.


The Telx Ethernet Exchange platform is powered by the Cisco ASR 9000 router and Cisco Active Network Abstraction network management software. It will become available in seven strategic interconnection data centers over the next nine months with initial customers being part of a charter program in the third quarter of 2010. Service providers and enterprises will also receive professional consultation services to help ensure full Ethernet interoperability.


An automated customer portal allows users to establish new virtual connections in minutes and leverage robust reporting, which allows customers to see inventory and metrics to help run their business.


"The Telx Ethernet Exchange is a direct response to the needs within our Global Marketplace of customers, who have been limited to offering and supporting Ethernet services in markets where they have services deployed," said Eric Shepcaro, CEO of Telx. "Telx can now facilitate customers extending their Ethernet network reach, and being powered by the Cisco platform ensures we will provide a high-performance and feature-rich service to meet their needs."

In addition, Telx is partnering with Neutral Tandem, which provides tandem interconnection services to wireless, wireline, cable and broadband telephony companies, for its new Telx Ethernet Exchange. Neutral Tandem and Telx plan to connect their key Ethernet Exchange sites, helping customers to seamlessly interconnect their networks without complex, time consuming interconnection agreements, providing greater reach to their end customers. As such, Telx's Global Marketplace of service provider customers will be able to extend their geographic service regions by tapping directly into Telx's seven Ethernet Exchange locations as well as Neutral Tandem's planned 14 Ethernet eXchange locations nationwide.
http://www.telx.com
  • Neutral Tandem recently announced plans to launch 14 Ethernet eXchanges at the following locations: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.






Silicon Vendors Form Linaro to Promote Linux Devices

Leading siicon vendors, including ARM, Freescale Semiconductor, IBM, Samsung, ST-Ericsson and Texas Instruments, have formed a not-for-profit open source software engineering company called "Linaro" to promote open source innovation for the next wave of always-connected, always-on computing. Linaro's mission is to significantly simplify the process of bringing Linux-based consumer devices to market.


The founders said Linaro was formed "to increase investment in open source, address the challenges in developing products for sophisticated consumer markets and provide the support of a broad array of semiconductor products from multiple companies." By providing the common foundations of tools and software for other distributions and stacks to build upon, Linaro will enable greater operational efficiency for the electronics industry. The goal is to accelerate the abundance of new consumer products that use Linux-based distributions such as Android, LiMo, MeeGo, Ubuntu and webOS in conjunction with advanced semiconductor SoCs to provide the new features consumers desire at the lowest possible power consumption.


"The dramatic growth of open source software development can now be seen in internet-based, always-connected mobile and consumer products," said Tom Lantzsch, executive officer, Linaro. "Linaro will help accelerate this trend further by increasing investment on key open source projects and providing industry alignment with the community to deliver the best Linux-based products for the benefit of the consumer."


The company's first release is planned for November 2010 and will provide performance optimizations for SoCs based on the ARM Cortex™-A processor family.


In addition to ARM and IBM, four of the world's leading application processor companies, Freescale, Samsung, ST-Ericsson and Texas Instruments, will align open source engineering efforts within Linaro.
http://www.linaro.org

Nokia Siemens Networks Integrates TD-LTE into Mobile Portfolio

Nokia Siemens Networks is now including TD-LTE within its mobile portfolio of base stations and core networks. The company also showcased the industry's first concurrent TD-SCDMA and TD-LTE demo.



The co-existence of the two technologies is a significant step towards facilitating operators' transition to TD-LTE and was conducted on Nokia Siemens Networks' Flexi Multiradio Base Station.
Specifically, Nokia Siemens Networks' Single RAN solution supports LTE in the paired and unpaired spectrum on the same Flexi Multiradio Base Station. The TD-LTE variant is fully compliant with 3GPP Release 8 LTE specifications. In addition, the common platform ensures easy maintenance and rapid evolution to future standards such as LTE-Advanced.


NSN said the abundance of available unpaired spectrum in many countries across the world will enable operators to make a quick transition to TD-LTE mobile broadband.


"TD-LTE is an evolutionary path for 3G TD-SCDMA and WiMAX networks, as well as an option for operators around the world who have available unpaired spectrum. The shift from TD-SCDMA and WiMAX to TD-LTE, will be a gradual process, thereby making it important that the two technologies co-exist with each other," said Thorsten Robrecht, head of LTE product management, Nokia Siemens Networks. "This achievement marks a solid step towards seamless evolution to TD-LTE and will enable operators to quickly move to the technology."http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

ZTE Appoints Mr. Lixin Cheng as CEO of ZTE USA

ZTE USA has appointed Mr. Lixin Cheng to the role of President of the North American Region and CEO of ZTE USA. He replaces Mr. Jiang Xiangyang who has stepped down in order to spend more time with his family. Jiang will continue working with ZTE's management team operating out of their headquarters in Shenzhen, China.


Mr. Cheng sits on the Board of Directors of the World Trade Center in San Diego and most recently founded ALA Group, Inc. where he provided consulting services to help technology companies increase penetration in the U.S. market. Mr. Cheng served as President of then start-up Axesstel Inc., from 2004 to 2006,. Previously, Mr. Cheng also led the sales and supply team at Ericsson Panda Ltd in China from 1998 to 2001.
http://www.zte.com.cn

OIF Kicks Off 2 Projects Focused on 100G

The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) is starting two new 100G projects.


The first addresses the interoperable processing of Optical Transport Network (OTN) streams over a packet switch fabric. The convergence towards OTN as the primary transport protocol and the predominance of packet traffic lead to a need to switch ODUk/ODUflex in a Packet Fabric environment. The "OTN over Packet Fabric Protocol" project aims to develop a common protocol for switching ODUk/ODUflex data and timing through a packet fabric to ensure interoperability among framer and fabric devices. By defining a packetized ODUk/ODUflex format, true convergence is enabled as both packet and Constant Bit Rate (CBR) OTN signals can be switched by a common fabric within an Optical Transport Platform (OTP).


The second project addresses the important issue of thermal management at the faceplate of an optical communication system given the trend towards ever increasing port density coupled with the increased power consumption necessary to support higher data rates.



"The industry is seeing a trend toward converged packet optical transport as transport network rates increase to 40G/100G," said Dave Stauffer, of IBM and the OIF's Physical & Link Layer Working Group chair. "This leads to a growing need for interoperability between devices processing OTN clients and a converged OTP. A converged OTP may also lead to a more cost-effective approach."

In addition, the OIF's Physical Layer User Group will develop a white paper elaborating on the need and solutions to improve thermal management at the faceplate that support the trend of increasing power densities.
http://www.oiforum.com

France Surpasses 20 Million Broadband Subscriptions

As of 31 March 2010, there were 20.06 million high-speed and ultra high-speed internet subscriptions in France. The number of subscriptions increased about 370,000 over the quarter. Over one year, the growth was about 1.69 million (+9%). The number of gross sales is about 1.075 million over the quarter.


19.73 million of these subscriptions were high-speed subscriptions. The number of ADSL subscriptions (18.81 million at the end of the quarter) represented 95% of high-speed broadband subscriptions and increased by about 315,000 throughout the quarter.


As of 31 march 2010, the total base of ultra high-speed broadband subscribers in France was estimated to 330,000 (about 40,000 net adds over the quarter), all operators and all technologies combined, including:

  • 75,000 FTTH or FTTB subscribers. The total net adds (+5,000 over the quarter) is due to growth in FTTH subscriptions;

  • 255,000 other subscribers (hybrid fiber-coax solution) which increased of about 35,000 over the quarter.
http://www.arcep.fr/index.php?id=10471&L=1

Infinera cites Gains in Long Haul DWDM Market Share

According to Dell'Oro Group data, Infinera took a record 39% share in Q1 2010 in the North American long-haul DWDM market, its highest share ever and more than double the share of the number two vendor. Infinera has ranked first in revenue in the North American long-haul market for the past three years. Infinera's revenue in North America was up 54% to $76.0 million on a year-on-year basis, according to Infinera earnings reports. By contrast, the North America long-haul DWDM market was down 8% to $177.3 million on a year-on-year basis, according to Dell'Oro Group data. Infinera believes that its growth in this period was due to the gain in new customers as well as the successful performance of Infinera customers in the telecom marketplace. Infinera customers in North America include major coast-to-coast networks like Cox Communications, Global Crossing, Internet2, and XO Communications, as well as two large Internet content providers. In Q1, Infinera added five new customers to its roster.


The company also noted that according to Dell'Oro Group data, Infinera ranked second in the worldwide long-haul optical networking market in Q1, with a 15% share of long-haul DWDM revenue. Infinera global revenue grew by 44% to $95.8 million on a year-on-year basis, as reported in Infinera earnings reports. Over the same period, worldwide long-haul DWDM revenue rose by just 1.3% to $575.4 million, according to Dell'Oro Group data. In recent months, Infinera has broadened its geographical reach, winning leading Tier 1 service providers like NTT of Japan, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica International Wholesale Services, and OTEGLOBE, as well as fast-growing European carriers like COLT and Tiscali.
http://www.infinera.com

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Allot Lands $4.5 million Tier-1 Contract for Service Gateway

Allot Communications announced a contract valued at $4.5 million to supply its flagship Service Gateway to a Tier-1 fixed network operator (name not disclosed). This multi-site deployment is intended to initially handle more than 1 terabit of traffic.


Allot's SG-Sigma is a deep packet inspection (DPI) platform that integrates network intelligence, policy control, and revenue-generating services in a single platform. It facilitates value-added network and subscriber services , including TierManager, Quota Manager, NetPolicy Provisioner, CellWise, MediaSwift, WebSafe and ServiceProtector .
http://www.allot.com
  • Tests conducted in December 2009 by the Tolly Group confirmed that a single fully loaded SG-Sigma can deliver throughput of over 75 Gbps with less than 16 microsecond latency. According to Allot, performance can scale up to 360 Gbps with a clustered configuration of SG-Sigma platforms.

Stoke Validates Mobile Data Offload with Ixia

Stoke is using IxNetwork and Ixia hardware to demonstrate that its Stoke Session Exchange mobile broadband gateway device processes high volumes of Generic Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP) traffic quickly and accurately. GTP specifies a tunnel control and management protocol required for communications between network elements in 3G packet core networks and LTE evolved packet core networks.


The Stoke Session Exchange (SSX) is a highly reliable, high density gateway platform designed and developed to deliver a wide range of network gateway functions that meet the challenges of rapidly growing mobile broadband data services for 3G and LTE network deployments. Ixia's IxNetwork test solution enables Stoke to validate its ability to reliably process GTP for mobile data offload deployments today, while paving the way for expanding the SSX's role in LTE's evolved packet core tomorrow. Ixia's IxNetwork works with its test platform to transmit and receive control and data traffic to the device under test. It can simulate IPv4 and IPv6 traffic over millions of GTP tunnels while applying dynamic traffic profile control and real-time per-flow analysis across hundreds of test ports at full-line rate.
http://www.ixiacom.com

Ralink Intros 2x2 MIMO Dual-band 802.11n and Bluetooth Chipset

Ralink Technology introduced a chipset capable of simultaneous 300 Mbps 2x2 MIMO dual band 802.11n and Bluetooth 3.0+HS operation. The half MiniCard, which is designed for PCs, notebooks, netbooks and connected mobile devices, provides concurrent operation of dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth's highest performance modes. Peer-to-peer gaming, shared and tethered connections can now be initiated via Bluetooth 3.0+HS detection and setup while 2x2 MIMO 802.11n dual-band Wi-Fi boosts data rates to 300Mpbs. The company said its chipset eliminates interference by allowing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth components to coexist in the same band or to function in separate frequency bands. It dynamically adjusts WLAN and Bluetooth transmission parameters to reduce interference, maximize performance, and automatically adjust to the presence and operating characteristics of nearby Wi-Fi networks.


Ralink Technology also introduced its two next generation xDSL2+ 11n Wi-Fi IAD (Integrated Access Device) solutions/ The ADSL2+ and 802.11n CPE solution, which is applicable for ADSL single-port 1T1R/2T2R and four-port 1T1R/2T2R 802.11n Wi-Fi gateways, also supports a variety of peripherals via USB2.0 host interface to meet customer demand for digital home peripherals and applications such as connecting media server disk drives and optional 3G connections.
http://www.ralinktech.com
  • Earlier this year, Ralink Technology, a leading supplier of WiFi silicon solutions, acquired TrendChip Technologies Corporation, a leading supplier of DSL chipsets. Both companies are listed on the listed on Taiwan's TAIEX exchange.

Brocade Shows Three New Blades

Brocade unveiled three new blades for its flagship NetIron MLX Series and the Brocade DCX Backbone platforms.



The new Brocade 8×10G-M Series Blade for Carrier Ethernet networks and 8×10G-D Series Blade for the data center double the wire-speed 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) density for the NetIron MLX to 256 ports on a single chassis. The new Brocade 8×10G-M Series blade provides full IPv4/IPv6 functionality, MPLS, VPLS and 512K forwarding information base (FIB) capacity. The new Brocade 8×10G-D Series blade for the NetIron MLX also supports IPv4/IPv6 functionality with a FIB capacity of up to 256K IPv4 routes. The company said these blades also help deliver a 45 percent reduction in power and cooling over Brocade's current offering.


Brocade also unveiled the new 64-port 8 Gbps Fibre Channel blade for the Brocade DCX, enabling a density of up to 512 ports per chassis. The new blade increases port density by more than 33 percent to 512 ports per chassis.


The 8×10G-M Series for Carrier Ethernet customers is currently available with pricing starting at US$39,995. The 8×10G-D Series for data center customers will be available in mid 2010 and will start at US$27,995. The Brocade FC8-64 blade for SAN customers will be available through Brocade OEM and channel partners.
http://www.brocade.com

Ceragon Cuts Power Consumption with Latest Long Haul Radio

Ceragon Networks introduced the newest member of its FibeAir RFU (Radio Frequency Unit) solutions family -- a Green Mode RFU-HP model offering for 1 Gbps IP trunks. The new RFU-HP can reduce radio link power consumption by as much as 30% compared with existing solutions.



Ceragon said its Green Mode RFU-HP offers automatic control of both the power consumption as well as the transmission power, ensuring that no excess energy is used while the network operates in "steady state." Under fading conditions the power is automatically increased to compensate for signal loss and to ensure the link continues to meet the required performance level. Additional capabilities include:

  • Transmit power of up to 32dBm, both in split and all indoor configurations. The Green Mode RFU-HP feature also allows carriers to use smaller, less costly antennas without compromising the link's reach or performance.

  • High capacity -- Operating in any standard channel bandwidth up to 56 MHz, Green Mode RFU-HP delivers up to 500Mbps on a single channel, and up to 1Gbps using cross polarization Interference Canceller (XPIC).

  • All-outdoor Trunk IP Networks -- RFU-HP can be deployed in combination with Ceragon's FibeAir IP-10 solutions family in all-outdoor configurations.

  • Support for asymmetric transmission -- the RFU-HP can be used in asymmetric mode (higher bandwidths downstream, lower bandwidths upstream).

  • Adaptive Transmit Power & Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) -- Ensuring that each microwave radio is automatically optimized to provide the best performance under changing weather conditions. Adaptive transmit power is used to lower the signal output power when environmental conditions are good in order to reduce power consumption and network interference.
http://www.ceragon.com

AboveNet Launches Core Wave Services

AboveNet has expanded its Metro portfolio with the launch of Core Wave services, enabling 1Gbps and higher connectivity over a dedicated wavelength between key data centers and/or enterprise locations within a metro area.


AboveNet's Core Wave uses ROADMs (Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexers) on a metro fiber ring. The ROADMs provide dynamic wavelength Add/Drops and inter-ring connectivity with flexible traffic routing. The technology is scalable, with the ability to grow to 40G and 100G. Some of the features of Core Wave services include:

  • Multi-protocol capability: Ethernet, TDM, Storage and Video

  • Protection options and transparency advantages

  • Dedicated fiber access to enterprise locations

  • Faster turn-up of services

  • Space and power savings

  • Latency guarantee via AboveNet's Agility Guarantee program


Core Wave is currently available in the Washington DC and Los Angeles metro areas, with additional markets to be announced shortly.
http://www.abovenet.com

Tata Communications Opens Public TelePresence Room in Singapore

Tata Communications has opened a public Cisco Telepresence room at The Rendezvous Hotel in Singapore. The facility is located next to the Singapore Management University and in between the renowned shopping district, Orchard Road, and Singapore's economic hub, Raffles Place CBD. It is the latest addition to Tata Communications', and their community of partners', existing network of 13 public Telepresence rooms worldwide. An additional 25 new public Telepresence rooms are planned for 2010. Scheduled locations include Hong Kong and Malaysia.
http://www.cisco.com

NSN's New GSM base station + antenna Promises Double Capacity

Nokia Siemens Networks announced a new base station and antenna combination doubles GSM network capacity by improving spectrum efficiency and network performance.


The company said this new GSM base station allows network operators to increase capacity by up to 100% within their existing spectrum to support drastically increasing subscriber numbers and provide a better mobile experience.


The new GSM base station site offering - a combination of a compact base station and latest dual beam antennas - follows the launch of Nokia Siemens Networks' High-Performance Site Solution for WCDMA/HSPA/HSPA+ and Internet-HSPA (I-HSPA) networks last year. It enables a six-sector site, instead of the traditional three-sector site used in most network rollouts today, to improve network capacity and coverage. The new offering also increases the signaling capacity that is crucial to support applications like push email, Facebook, Twitter, etc for smartphone users and added subscriber base in the existing network resources.


"Our base station site innovation helps operators across the world to significantly increase their network coverage, and enhance customer experience and loyalty," said Prashant Agnihotri, head of Product Management for GSM/EDGE, Nokia Siemens Networks. "We are already deploying this technology in India, and it marks our commitment to constantly improve network efficiency. Our software increases network capacity and optimizes spectral efficiency in all markets where spectrum is scarce."http://www.nsn.com

Cisco Forecast: 4X Internet Traffic by 2014

Global Internet traffic will increase more than fourfold to 767 exabytes, or more than 3/4 of a Zettabyte, by 2014, according to the latest Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast issued by Cisco. This amount is 100 exabytes higher than the projected level in 2013, or an increase the equivalent of 10 times all the traffic traversing Internet Protocol networks in 2008.


Cisco said this growth in traffic will continue to be dominated by video, exceeding 91 percent of global consumer IP traffic by 2014 -- especially HDTV and 3DTV. By 2014, 3-D is forecast to comprise 4 percent of total consumer Internet video traffic, while HDTV will account for 38 percent. The total global audience for online video is expected to be over one billion by this date, and the sum of all forms of video (TV, VoD, Internet video, and peer-to-peer) will continue to exceed 91 percent of global consumer traffic.


Some other highlights:

  • Global file sharing traffic is projected to reach 11 exabytes per month in 2014, 22 percent CAGR from 2009-2014.


  • P2P will grow at a CAGR of 16 percent, while web-based and other file sharing will grow at CAGR of 47 percent from 2009-2014.


  • By 2014, global P2P traffic will be 17 percent of global consumer Internet traffic, down from 36 percent in 2009.


  • Global business IP Traffic is forecast to reach 7.7 exabytes per month in 2014, more than tripling from 2009-2014.


  • Business video conferencing is projected grow ten-fold over the forecast period, growing almost three times as fast as overall business IP traffic, at a CAGR of 57 percent from 2009-2014.


  • Web-based video conferencing is the fastest growing sub-category, growing 180-fold from 2009-2014 (183 percent CAGR from 2009-2014).


  • Global mobile data traffic will increase 39 times from 2009 to 2014.


  • By 2014, annual global mobile data traffic will reach 3.5 exabytes per month (or a run rate of more than 42 exabytes annually).


  • Consumer IP traffic is projected to grow faster than business: For 2009, consumer IP traffic represented 79 percent of monthly total global IP traffic and business IP traffic was 21 percent of monthly total global IP traffic. By 2014, consumer IP traffic (web surfing, instant messaging, user-generated videos, etc.) will represent 87 percent of monthly total global IP traffic; while business IP traffic (email, voice, Internet, HD and web-based video conferencing, etc.) will represent 13 percent of monthly total global IP traffic.
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2010/prod_060210.html

AT&T Updates Mobile Data Pricing, Eliminating Unlimited Plan

AT&T updated its mobile data pricing plans to eliminate the option of unlimited data, including for iPhone users, while lowering the monthly cost for the majority of users. Current smartphone customers are not required to switch to the new plans, but can choose to do so without a contract extension. AT&T is also providing unlimited access at no additional charge to more than 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots in the U.S. Customers can also use unlimited Wi-Fi at home, in the office or elsewhere if available.


The new AT&T plans are:

  • DataPlus. Provides 200 megabytes (MB) of data for $15 per month. This plan, which can save customers up to 50 percent off their wireless data charges. If customers exceed 200 MB in a monthly billing cycle, they will receive an additional 200 MB of data usage for $15 for use in the cycle. Currently, 65 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 200 MB of data per month on average.


  • DataPro. Provides 2 gigabytes (GB) of data for $25 per month. Should a customer exceed 2 GB during a billing cycle, they will receive an additional 1 GB of data for $10 for use in the cycle. Currently, 98 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 2 GB of data a month on average.


  • Tethering. Smartphone customers -- including iPhone customers -- who choose the DataPro plan have the option to add tethering for an additional $20 per month. Tethering lets customers use their smartphones as a modem to provide a broadband connection for laptop computers, netbooks or other computing devices. Tethering for iPhones will be available when Apple releases iPhone OS 4 this summer.


  • iPad. A new $25 per month 2 GB plan will replace the existing $29.99 unlimited plan. iPad customers will continue to pre-pay for their wireless data plan and no contract is required. Existing iPad customers who have the $29.99 per month unlimited plan can keep that plan or switch to the new $25 per month plan with 2 GB of data.


  • Customer Text Notifications On Data Usage. When customers begin to approach their monthly usage limit, AT&T will send three text notifications -- after they reach 65 percent, 90 percent and 100 percent of the threshold. Customers will also be sent emails if AT&T has their email address.
http://www.att.com