Cisco Releases a Bevy of New Catalyst Switch Features

Cisco announced a large set of new features for its Catalyst Switch and Integrated Services Router (ISR) portfolios. The new capabilities are especially aimed at increasing energy and IT efficiencies, while extending collaboration capabilities of the mobile workforce. Highlights of the announcement include:

Cisco Integrated Services Router

• Cisco 880 VDSL2 and 890 Series Integrated Services Routers: New small business routers offer faster broadband options (VDSL2) and enhanced performance with integrated security and wireless connectivity.



• Cisco 1861W Integrated Services Router: Aimed at small businesses, this voice router offers 802.11g wireless support to tighten the synergy between wired and wireless networks and increase throughput across both segments for greater mobility.



• Cisco 3G Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) for the ISR: Now supporting HSPA, Cisco 3G WWAN offers increased bandwidth and improved performance and management for network outage or disaster recovery for primary and backup applications.



• Singlewire Software offers Cisco Application Extension Platform solution: Singlewire Software is the most recent application developer partner to deliver a solution on the Cisco Application Extension Platformfor the ISR. Singlewire's InformaCast solution simultaneously sends an audio stream and/or text message to multiple IP phones, Atlas IP Speakers, the Desktop Notification System, and overhead paging systems.



• Cisco Unified Communications enhancements for mobility and collaboration: Cisco Unified SIP Proxy to reduce unified communications deployment costs; new voice signatures on the IP Security Network Module to make voice more secure; new mobility and video features on Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express; and new time card management capabilities on Cisco Unity Express to make branch employees just as productive and collaborative as those at headquarters.



• Support for Cisco EnergyWise on the ISR for greater energy savings: Cisco's price-reduced EtherSwitch modules now support the Cisco EnergyWise capability to help improve energy utilization in the local-area network.

Cisco Catalyst Switch Improvements

• Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series Supervisor 6L-E and Line Card: The Supervisor 6L-E provides customers with a high-performance, price-optimized, entry-level supervisor enabling rich-media collaboration, and increased energy and operational efficiency in the wiring closet. The Cisco Catalyst 4500 is the first modular switch in the industry to be power-over-Ethernet plus (PoEP) ready, and supports up to 30 watts. Its new 48-port 10/100/1000 line card enables 30-watt PoE support for next-generation high-power devices like videophones, dual-band wireless access points, building service devices and video surveillance cameras.



• Smart Call Home and EnergyWise for the Catalyst 4500 Series: Cisco has extended its location services Smart Call Home and EnergyWise to its Catalyst 4500 Series. Smart Call Home lowers operational costs and reduces downtime by allowing devices to detect many problems and notify Cisco support teams for resolution before network managers notice them.



• Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series innovations: Updates to the Catalyst 6500 Series increase flexibility and functionality in campus backbone deployments. Cisco Catalyst 6500 virtual switching system (VSS) and service module integration allow customers to deploy firewall, network analysis module (NAM), and wireless service modules in their VSS campus core, providing the highest scalability and reliability for backbone services. New NAM capabilities enhance application performance by providing critical visibility into voice applications, traffic analysis, and segmented Multiprotocol Label Switching networks.
  

http://www.cisco.com

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Ericsson Acquires Bizitek, a Turkish Integrator

Ericsson has acquired Bizitek, a leading Turkish systems integrator of business support systems. Financial terms were not disclosed. Ericsson said the deal adds strategic competence to its services portfolio in the area of business support systems for charging, provisioning, billing and customer relations management. Under the agreement, all of 116 employees will be transferred to Ericsson.
http://www.ericsson.com

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NSN: One Billion Users Connected by Mobile Softswitches

Nokia Siemens Networks' mobile softswitching (MSS) systems deployed by carriers worldwide are now serving over 1 billion subscribers. NSN's solution is used for 40% of mobile softswitching worldwide and for over a quarter of all connections in GSM networks. The milestone was reached in April, when the cumulative active subscriber capacity for MSS systems deployed by Nokia Siemens Networks surpassed 1 billion.




NSN said this figure is based on actual operational subscriber capacity according to customer traffic usage and represents the number of active subscribers that can be connected via the Nokia Siemens Networks MSS. The total MSS capacity -- including buffer capacity for daily mobility operations -- delivered by Nokia Siemens Networks is over 1.5 billion.


"These milestones are impressive indicators of how ubiquitous mobile connectivity has become," says Jürgen Walter, head of Converged Core, Nokia Siemens Networks. "Knowing that one billion people all around the world are daily connecting through our mobile softswitch solution illustrates the trust that our customers place in us to positively support their core business."


Deployed in over 230 operators' networks, Nokia Siemens Networks' mobile softswitching technology uses a "split architecture" that includes the Mobile Switching Center (MSC) Server and the Multimedia Gateway to reduce operating expenditures by as much as 70% in transmission, site, and operation and management costs. It also brings increased savings in power consumption.
http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

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Google Previews "Wave" Internet Protocol for Rich Collaboration

At a developer's conference in San Francisco, Google previewed a new online communications paradigm aimed at better integrating email, instant messaging, whiteboarding, wikis, blogging, Twitter and social networking. The forthcoming "Google Wave", which is now opened to developers, aims to provide a new form of Internet communication/collaboration built around the user's Inbox. Google will offer a Wave application to its own users while promoting the technology as a new Internet protocol. The project is led by Lars Rasmussen and his brother Jens Rasmussen, who previously developed location technology that became part of Google Maps.


Under the Google Wave paradigm, users participate in writing/editing/sharing "waves" of conversations that can be viewed in real-time or rewinded. The waves are actually a new form of hosted, multi-user XML documents that are stored on Wave Servers. A wave is identified by a globally unique wave id, which is a pair of a domain name and an id string. A new Federation Protocol is used for enabling the collaboration.


Google Wave is an HTML 5 application built on Google Web Toolkit. It includes a rich text editor and other functions like desktop drag-and-drop Users, for example, can simply drag a set of photos right into a wave. The Google Wave protocol is the underlying format for storing and the means of sharing waves, and includes the "live" concurrency control, which allows edits to be reflected instantly across users and services. The protocol is designed for open federation, such that anyone's Wave services can interoperate with each other and with the Google Wave service. More specifically, the Google Wave Federation Protocol is an open extension to XMPP core [RFC3920] protocol that enables near real-time communication between two wave servers.

As with Android and its Chrome browser, Google plans to make the Wave code open source. Google envisions that it will be one of many wave providers on the Internet. For ISPs, waves would become a supplementary service, like SMTP, FTP or IM.


Whitepapers on the Google Wave Architecture are online.
http://www.waveprotocol.orghttp://googleblog.blogspot.com/

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Level 3 Focuses on Middle-Mile Networks to Expand Rural Broadband

Level 3 Communications is building out "middle-mile" networks across North America to enable local and regional telecommunications providers to expand rural broadband access under the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.


Level 3 said its fiber network travels through many of the un-served and underserved communities targeted for improved broadband access. In these areas, Level 3 offers extended "on-net" services - services that tap into the Level 3 network at sites outside major metropolitan markets and thereby establish more direct network access to the worldwide Internet.

Extended on-net services enable both wireline and wireless providers to access the Level 3 network. These capabilities serve as a bridge or "middle-mile" network between larger high-speed Internet backbones, such as Level 3's, and local "last-mile" broadband providers, such as cable operators, rural telephone companies and wireless providers.

"Level 3 is focused on middle-mile network connections that leverage the expansive reach of our network across the country, particularly in rural areas," said Sureel Choksi, chief marketing officer for Level 3. "Solving the middle-mile problem is equally important as addressing last-mile issues to pave the way for ubiquitous rural broadband availability."http://www.Level3.com

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Nokia Research Center Opens Lab in Berkeley

Nokia has opened a new research laboratory in close proximity to the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) campus. The new lab is under the direction of Dr. John Shen who also heads Nokia Research Center, Palo Alto, California.


Nokia Research Center (NRC), now with six labs in eleven locations worldwide, collaborates with universities and other institutes to conduct leading-edge research. Working closely with UC Berkeley's research units, NRC Berkeley will explore innovations in many areas including parallel computing. Parallel computing research areas include accelerating the mobile web browser and runtime environments; increasing mobile device performance while lowering power consumption in both active and idle modes; and achieving seamless ubiquitous wireless connectivity and cross-domain interoperability.
http://research.nokia.com

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HDMI Version 1.4 Adds Ethernet, Audio Return Channel, 3D Capabilities

New capabilities are being built into the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) specification, including networking capabilities with Ethernet connectivity and an Audio Return Channel to enable upstream audio connections via the HDMI cable. Specifically, these enhancements will include:


HDMI Ethernet Channel -- the HDMI 1.4 specification will add a data channel to the HDMI cable and will enable high-speed bi-directional communication. Connected devices that include this feature will be able to send and receive data via 100 Mb/sec Ethernet, making them instantly ready for any IP-based application. The HDMI Ethernet Channel will allow an Internet-enabled HDMI device to share its Internet connection with other HDMI devices without the need for a separate Ethernet cable. The new feature will also provide the connection platform to allow HDMI-enabled devices to share content between devices.


Audio Return Channel -- the new specification will add an Audio Return Channel that will reduce the number of cables required to deliver audio upstream for processing and playback. In cases where HDTVs are directly receiving audio and video content, this new Audio Return Channel allows the HDTV to send the audio stream to the A/V receiver over the HDMI cable, eliminating the need for an extra cable.


3D Over HDMI The 1.4 version of the specification will define common 3D formats and resolutions for HDMI-enabled devices. The specification will standardize the input/output portion of the home 3D system and will specify up to dual-stream 1080p resolution.


4K x 2K Resolution Support: the new specification will enable HDMI devices to support high-definition (HD) resolutions four times beyond the resolution of 1080p. Support for 4K x 2K will allow the HDMI interface to transmit content at the same resolution as many digital theaters. Formats supported include 3840x2160 24Hz/25Hz/30Hz and 4096x2160 24Hz.


Expanded Support For Color Spaces -- HDMI technology now supports color spaces designed specifically for digital still cameras. By supporting sYCC601, Adobe RGB and AdobeYCC601, HDMI-enabled display devices will be capable of reproducing more accurate life-like colors when connected to a digital still camera.


Micro HDMI Connector -- the Micro HDMI Connector is a significantly smaller 19-pin connector that supports up to 1080p resolutions for portable devices. This new connector is approximately 50% smaller than the size of the existing HDMI Mini Connector.


Automotive Connection System -- the Automotive Connection System is a cabling specification designed to be used as the basis for in-vehicle HD content distribution. The HDMI 1.4 specification will provide a solution designed to meet the rigors and environmental issues commonly found in automobiles, such as heat, vibration and noise. Using the Automotive Connection System, automobile manufactures will now have a viable solution for distributing HD content within the car.


"The HDMI specification continues to add functionality as the consumer electronics and PC industries build products that enhance the consumer's HD experience," said Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. "The 1.4 specification will support some of the most exciting and powerful near-term innovations such as Ethernet connectivity and 3D formats. Additionally we are going to broaden our solution by providing a smaller connector for portable devices and a connection system specified for automobiles, as we see both more and different devices adopting the HDMI technology."http://www.hdmi.org

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Immersion Demos Two New Haptic Feedback Techniques for Small Screens

Immersion Corporation, which specializes in haptic (touch feedback) technology, unveiled two new concepts for next-generation digital user interfaces based on patented multi-modal haptic and gestural technology.


The first technique, called TouchSense, transforms touchscreen keyboards into ones that feel like physical keyboards.
The second technique, called Immersive Messaging, enables people to share emotions, thoughts, ideas and short pieces of information in real time through physical senses rather than simple text, using a shared physical space on their mobile device.


"Touch technology is the future of user experience for digital devices. By combining our proven haptics with advanced gestural technology, we are significantly advancing usability for all kinds of consumer electronics products, especially mobile phones and other portables," said Clent Richardson, chief executive officer of Immersion.
http://www.immersion.com

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Brocade Selects Two North American Distributors

Brocade has selected two strategic North American distribution partners to help expand its existing data center distribution network to enterprise IP networking products via channel reseller partners. Brocade selected Avnet Technology Solutions and Tech Data Corporation for their ability to efficiently deliver networking solutions to channel reseller partners, as well as their extensive knowledge, skills, and expertise in the networking industry.


Brocade will continue to sell storage networking products through Arrow, Bell Micro, and InfoX as well as Avnet and Tech Data.
http://www.brocade.com

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Dell'Oro: Virtualization Bolsters 10 GigE Network Adapter Market

The 10GB Ethernet Network Adapter market rebounded in the first quarter of the year from the prior quarter's decline and is set for a year of robust growth, according to a newly published report by Dell'Oro Group. In terms of vendor market share, Intel regained the lead in adapter card revenue and port shipments, while Broadcom held on to the top position for silicon controller shipments.

"Users continue to virtualize servers because of compelling return on investment and equipment cost savings," said Seamus Crehan, Vice President at Dell'Oro Group. "Once users move to a virtualized environment, 10GB Ethernet server connectivity becomes a very attractive option," Crehan added.
http://www.DellOro.com

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Bouygues Telecom to Deploy Alcatel-Lucent's IMS in Pilot

Bouygues Telecom has selected Alcatel-Lucent to deploy an IMS pilot network that enables the operator to test new multimedia communications services that are based on the GSM Association's "Rich Communication Suite" specifications. The tests will take place during the second half of 2009, with Bouygues Telecom offering to its mobile subscribers an anywhere, anytime communications experience over any device. Specifically, Alcatel-Lucent will supply the IMS core network and applications consisting of: RCS application servers, IMS session control, HSS (Home Subscriber Server) servers, border gateway, and service/network management functionalities.
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

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Nortel Seeks Buyer for Stake in LG-Nortel

Nortel, which earlier this year entered into bankruptcy proceedings, is now seeking a buyer for its majority stake (50% + 1 share) in LG-Nortel, the company's Korean joint venture with LG Electronics. Nortel has made this decision to secure a sound future for the LG-Nortel business, its valued customers and employees.


The company notes that LG-Nortel is a profitable, standalone business with a strong balance sheet, and has not filed for creditor protection. The joint venture has enjoyed solid revenues and profits since its establishment in November 2005, with several significant customer wins in Korea and abroad. The business achieved a Management Operating Margin of $341 million, or 27%, in 2008, and Management Operating Margin for the first quarter of 2009 of 26%. http://www.nortel.com
http://www.lg-nortel.com

• In November 2005, LG Electronics and Nortel officially launched their joint venture, LG-Nortel offers communications and networking solutions in the wireline, optical, wireless and enterprise markets in South Korea and the rest of the world.

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Broadband Connections in Colombia Increase 51% in 2008

There was a 51 percent growth in the number of fixed broadband connections in Colombia during 2008, according to the seventh edition of the Cisco Broadband Barometer.


The growth can be attributed to service providers' investment in infrastructure and an increase in computer penetration, which as of December 2008 reached 11.01 computers per 100 inhabitants compared with an 8.8 percent penetration in 2007.


Mobile broadband grew 3.5 times in the last six months of 2008, reaching 246,700 subscriptions.


Fixed broadband connections reached 1,812,892, an increase of 20.7 percent during that period. Fixed broadband penetration per 100 inhabitants in Colombia is now 4 percent, compared with 3.4 percent penetration in June 2008. Colombia's growth is consistent with that of other countries such as Brazil, which just reached 6 percent broadband penetration.


The Cisco Broadband Barometer is conducted by IDC and published every six months. http://www.cisco

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Cisco CRS-1 Marks Fifth Anniversary

Cisco marked the fifth anniversary of the introduction of its CRS-1 core routing platform, which has now been deployed by over 300 customers worldwide. In marking the occasion, Cisco announced a new deployment by Russian mobile operator MegaFon, one of the fastest-growing mobile operators in Europe and Russia's first GSM operator.


The total shipped capacity of all installed CRS-1 systems worldwide is 2919 Tbps, equivalent to more than 25,000 users downloading a 15 gigabyte high definition movie in one second, or to nearly half the world's population having live Cisco TelePresence sessions at the same time.


Despite all that capacity, however, Cisco believes the need to handle more IP traffic will grow strongly in coming years. Under current forecasts global IP traffic will reach 44 exabytes per month in 2012 and the total IP traffic for 2012 will amount to over half a zettabyte (a trillion gigabytes). Monthly global IP traffic in December 2012 will be 10 exabytes higher than in December 2011, an increase equivalent of 500,000 years' worth of uncompressed DVD-quality videohttp://www.cisco.com

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Verizon Business Completes 100G Trial With UK's JANET

Verizon Business and JANET, the UK's National Research and Education Network, completed a field trial of 100 Gbps optical transmission technology in April. Using a 103-kilometer section of the Verizon global network between London and Reading, the trial with JANET demonstrated that 10G, 40G and 100G (gigabits per second) optical signals can be carried simultaneously without signal impact.

During the 100G-trial with JANET, test equipment was used to purposely introduce signal impairments, which were then corrected by electronic hardware. The results showed 100G service can provide more than twice the tolerance of conventional 10G signals for several key parameters as well as a more robust transport system with ten times the data transmission rate.

"Moving toward reliable, high-performance 100G technology is critical, especially for organizations like JANET that support education and research projects requiring significant bandwidth," said Ihab Tarazi, vice president of global network planning for Verizon.
http://www.verizon.com

• In October 2008, Verizon and Nortel announced a 100G transmission test. Verizon said the optical transmission technology performed with better tolerance for signal distortion than typically found in today's standard wavelength of 10G. Transporting data over 73 kilometers of field fiber in northeastern Texas at a 92 Gbps rate, the recent trial demonstrated twice the tolerance for signal distortion when compared with today's standard 10G signal. The Nortel Optical Multiservice Edge 6500 convergence platform equipped with 40G/100G Adaptive Optical Engine technology integrates advanced signal-processing techniques that maintain sustained signal integrity despite significant polarization mode dispersion (PMD).



• In September 2008, Verizon and Nokia Siemens Networks announced that they had successfully transmitted data at 100G on a single wavelength for more than 1,040 kilometers, setting a new distance record over deployed fiber and demonstrating better performance than conventional transmission.



• In November 2007, Verizon and Alcatel-Lucent transmitted a commercial information package - a FiOS video stream - between Tampa, Fla., and Miami at 100G for the first time over a live network.

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Veraz Networks and Comarch Offer Pre-Paid Wholesale Solution

Veraz Networks and Comarch, a leading BSS/OSS vendor and systems integrator, announced a joint offering for wholesale carriers that combines Comarch's real-time pre-paid, service creation and credit control application with Veraz's ControlSwitch interconnect VoIP platform.


Wholesale service providers are increasingly looking to offer pre-paid billing as an option for their carrier customers. Carrier pre-paid services require real-time billing, credit control and revenue assurance capabilities that need to be tightly integrated into both the carrier's OSS/BSS systems and their voice switching infrastructure. In many cases, wholesale operators' voice networks are a multi-vendor mixture of legacy TDM switches, next generation softswitches and increasingly IMS SIP components. The real-time integration of all of these diverse elements into a unified pre-paid billing architecture is often technically challenging and cost-prohibitive.


The companies said their joint solution addresses the cost of integration by leveraging the ControlSwitch's ability to interwork across legacy, first generation softswitches and IMS-based SIP control elements, providing a unified interface into the carrier pre-paid system and overall OSS/BSS environment.
http://www.comarch.com
http://www.veraznetworks.com

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Empirix Appoints Vice Presidents of Marketing

Empirix named Fred Sammartino as its new vice president of marketing and product management for the company's Service Assurance business unit, where he will be responsible for extending its global reach. Timothy Moynihan joined the company as vice president of marketing for the Contact Center Solutions business unit, where he will be responsible for strategic business planning and product revenue growth strategies.


Sammartino previously served as vice president of marketing and product management for Ellacoya Networks, where he led all aspects of corporate marketing, including market creation, product direction and market analysis.


Moynihan served as vice president of global marketing and channels at Envox Worldwide prior to Empirix, where he developed and implemented company product management and product marketing and channel strategies for advanced inbound and outbound voice communications solutions. Prior to Envox Worldwide, he served as director at Intel Corporation where he created and implemented worldwide product launches and ecosystem and awareness building programs for rapid market adoption.
http://www.empirix.com

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Dell'Oro: Worldwide PON Revenues Up 9% in Q1

Worldwide PON equipment revenues grew 9 percent sequentially in the first quarter of this year, despite a weak global economy, according to a newly published report by Dell'Oro Group. The report shows both GPON and EPON had robust sequential growth.


"It appears the weak economy has yet to have a major impact on existing PON projects as operators continue to hold to their strategy of increasing user bandwidth to create new revenue streams," said Tam Dell'Oro, President of Dell'Oro Group. "PON revenue growth in the first quarter was higher than what we had expected due to rapidly increasing EPON build-outs in China, strong GPON ONT shipments for Verizon's FiOS service, and continued strong EPON demand in Japan," Dell'Oro added.


The report also shows Mitsubishi remained the leader in the overall PON market, benefiting from being the primary EPON supplier to NTT, Japan's largest service provider. Alcatel-Lucent recaptured the number two position with higher GPON ONT shipments to Verizon. Huawei's revenue share nearly doubled from last quarter and they vaulted to the number three spot due to strong EPON shipments to China, as well as higher GPON shipments to customers in Europe and the Middle East.
http://www.DellOro.com

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AT&T Plans HSPA 7.2 Upgrade this Year, LTE Trial in 2010

AT&T will upgrade its 3G network with HSPA 7.2 Mbps technology beginning later this year and completion expected in 2011. The upgraded network platform could allow for theoretical peak speeds of 7.2Mbps. AT&T plans to begin LTE trials in 2010, with deployment beginning in 2011.


In addition to the planned speed upgrade, AT&T is enhancing its mobile broadband coverage by nearly doubling the wireless spectrum dedicated to 3G in most metropolitan areas to deliver stronger in-building reception and more overall network capacity. Also, AT&T is adding thousands of new cell site backhaul connections to support the higher mobile broadband speeds enabled by HSPA 7.2 and LTE.


"AT&T's network infrastructure gives us a tremendous advantage in that we're able to deliver upgrades in mobile broadband speed and performance with our existing technology platform," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "With the array of smartphones, laptops and emerging devices taking advantage of AT&T's 3G network today, we know that customers are excited to experience higher mobile broadband speeds, and we are deploying the right technologies at the right times to help them get the most from that experience."


Other key mobile broadband projects in 2009 include:

Near-Doubling Radio Frequency Capacity. In 2008 and 2009 to date, high-quality 850 MHz spectrum has been deployed in more than half of AT&T's 3G network footprint to improve overall coverage and in-building reception, with additional markets planned for later in the year.


More Bandwidth to Cell Sites. We are adding fiber-optic connectivity and additional capacity to thousands of cell sites across the country this year, expanding the critical connections that deliver traffic from a cell site into the global IP backbone network. These upgrades will support the higher mobile broadband speeds enabled by both HSPA 7.2 and LTE.


More Cell Sites. Deployment of about 2,100 new cell sites across the country.


Wi-Fi Integration. Many AT&T smartphones will be able to switch seamlessly between 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. AT&T customers with qualifying smartphone and 3G LaptopConnect plans have access to the nation's largest Wi-Fi network - more than 20,000 hotspots, including locations in all 50 states - at no additional charge. AT&T's global Wi-Fi footprint covers more than 90,000 hotspots, and AT&T also can create permanent or temporary extended Wi-Fi zones in areas with high 3G network use, like a grouping of hotels or a festival.


MicroCells. Customer trials leading toward general availability of AT&T 3G MicroCell offerings, which utilize femtocells to enhance in-building wireless coverage.


Capital investment for these projects fits within AT&T's previously outlined expectation of total capital expenditures for 2009, targeted toward the $17 billion to $18 billion range.
http://www.att.com

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Microsoft Mediaroom Adds Virtualization Support for IPTV

Microsoft announced virtualization support for tis Mediaroom IPTV platform, enabling up to a sixfold reduction in the number of physical servers required to support a full-featured IPTV service, according to the company's calculation. With virtualization support, Microsoft said it is possible to deploy and operate a full Mediaroom-powered TV service for up to 30,000 subscriber homes per market using fewer than 10 physical servers.


Mediaroom with virtualization offers the full functionality of Microsoft's IPTV platform, including video on demand, DVR Anywhere for viewing and managing recorded shows in any room, and Mediaroom Anytime for viewing of previously aired programs or restarting currently airing shows without any preplanning or prior digital video recording. Other capabilities include high-definition video for live and on-demand content, multiview, instant channel zapping, and TV applications that support rich interactivity and seamless blending of Web content and services with broadcast TV.


"Mediaroom with virtualization provides the industry's lowest platform footprint for deploying a full IPTV service," said Andreas Mueller-Schubert, general manager for the TV, Video and Music Business at Microsoft. "Given the pressures of today's economic environment, the reduction in capital expenditure and ongoing efficiencies make Mediaroom with virtualization an attractive proposition for operators of all sizes as they launch and grow their IPTV businesses."


To power virtualization in Mediaroom, Microsoft is using Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, Microsoft's hypervisor-based server virtualization technology. Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V enables multiple virtual servers to be hosted on the same physical server. Virtual servers share the physical server's resources, such as memory, disk access and CPU cycles. Sharing these resources efficiently can result in a dramatic reduction in the number of physical servers that are needed to deliver services.
http://www.microsoft.com/Mediaroom

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