An interview with Tom Starr, President and Chairman, Broadband Forumhttp://www.convergedigest.com
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Broadband Forum: Fiber Work Advances as Copper "Still in the Game"
An interview with Tom Starr, President and Chairman, Broadband Forumhttp://www.convergedigest.com
Bell Labs Partners with Belgium's IBBT
Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs and Belgian research institute IBBT are establishing a joint research lab to focus on video communications. The joint lab aims to efficiently integrate fundamental and applied research in order to unlock the value of these new dimensions of video communications within the marketplace. Specifically, the joint lab expects to introduce capabilities imbued with "intelligence" to analyze the content of a video transmission as well as understand user preferences in order to create a viewer experience that is more relevant, more valuable, and more compelling. A complementary initiative will introduce a capability for high-speed access networks to accommodate this information when deciding the optimal means for delivering that content, adapting as conditions and requirements change.
"Engaging in collaborative programs with other research institutions is essential to the Bell Labs research model and an area in which we have extensive experience," said Danny Goderis, vice-president, Bell Labs. "We look forward to employing our competencies in forming such collaborations in order to make the joint research lab with IBBT a true success story."http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
http://www.ibbt.be
"Engaging in collaborative programs with other research institutions is essential to the Bell Labs research model and an area in which we have extensive experience," said Danny Goderis, vice-president, Bell Labs. "We look forward to employing our competencies in forming such collaborations in order to make the joint research lab with IBBT a true success story."http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
http://www.ibbt.be
euNetworks Builds Low-Latency London to Stockholm Route
euNetworks launched a new ultra low latency route from London to Stockholm 
dedicated to the financial services community. euNetworks has reduced the previous leading latency on the London to Stockholm route by 12%. This new straight point-to-point route offers a round trip time of 22.4 milliseconds.
The company noted high demand for new low-latency routes introduced in Q3 linking Slough to London and London to Frankfurt.
http://www.eunetworks.com
dedicated to the financial services community. euNetworks has reduced the previous leading latency on the London to Stockholm route by 12%. This new straight point-to-point route offers a round trip time of 22.4 milliseconds.The company noted high demand for new low-latency routes introduced in Q3 linking Slough to London and London to Frankfurt.
http://www.eunetworks.com
RadiSys Trims Guidance
RadiSys anticipates its Q4 2010 revenue and earnings to be lower than its previously stated guidance, or between $62 and $64 million, down from the previous guidance of $68 to $72 million. The company expects a GAAP fourth quarter net loss of between $0.15 and $0.20 per share, down from the prior guidance of breakeven to net income of $0.05 per diluted share.
"While much of our business is performing well relative to our original fourth quarter guidance, we recently received news that our projected fourth quarter revenue with a large North America media server end customer is expected to be significantly lower. Specifically, our end customer reprioritized their capital expenditures in the quarter and removed a planned set of media server feature enhancements from their fourth quarter deployment programs. We have a long term deployment history with this end customer and expect that both feature and capacity upgrades will continue to be a key part of their plans going into 2011 and beyond," stated Scott Grout, RadiSys President and CEO.
http://www.radisys.com
"While much of our business is performing well relative to our original fourth quarter guidance, we recently received news that our projected fourth quarter revenue with a large North America media server end customer is expected to be significantly lower. Specifically, our end customer reprioritized their capital expenditures in the quarter and removed a planned set of media server feature enhancements from their fourth quarter deployment programs. We have a long term deployment history with this end customer and expect that both feature and capacity upgrades will continue to be a key part of their plans going into 2011 and beyond," stated Scott Grout, RadiSys President and CEO.
http://www.radisys.com
SFR Deploys its First 100G Link with Cisco and Ciena
SFR has established its first 100 Gbps backbone line between Paris and Bordeaux using equipment from Ciena and Cisco.
SFR also confirmed its first 42 Mbps HSPA+ connections on the 3G mobile network at a trial site in Lyon. The company also noted that customers in Paris, Lyon and Marseille can already enjoy mobile broadband at up to 21 Mbps with 300 sites connected to its network in late 2010.
http://www.sfr.com
SFR also confirmed its first 42 Mbps HSPA+ connections on the 3G mobile network at a trial site in Lyon. The company also noted that customers in Paris, Lyon and Marseille can already enjoy mobile broadband at up to 21 Mbps with 300 sites connected to its network in late 2010.
http://www.sfr.com
Canada's Barrett Xplore Selects Ciena's Carrier Ethernet for 4G Backhaul
Barrett Xplore, which is deploying a 4G network for rural Canada, has selected Ciena's ActivEdge 3920 Service Delivery Switch for Ethernet-based backhaul. The deployment marks Ciena's first, major nationwide deployment of its Carrier Ethernet Services Delivery (CESD) in Canada.
Ciena noted that its CESD portfolio has been deployed by more than 100 carriers, wireless service providers, cable operators and new entrants in 25 countries, primarily for mobile backhaul and business services.
http://www.ciena.com
http://www.xplornet.com
Ciena noted that its CESD portfolio has been deployed by more than 100 carriers, wireless service providers, cable operators and new entrants in 25 countries, primarily for mobile backhaul and business services.
http://www.ciena.com
http://www.xplornet.com
Bridgewater Signs 4-Year, $56M Deal with Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless awarded a new four-year framework contract to Bridgewater Systems signed for products and services supporting its network expansion. The contract was valued at approximately US$ 56 million.
Under the agreement, Bridgewater will provide mobile control solutions as well as maintenance and support services for all current and future 3G solutions. In addition, the agreement provides the framework for Bridgewater to deliver new products and services to support Verizon Wireless' ongoing network expansion across multiple access networks.
http://www.bridgewatersystems.com
Under the agreement, Bridgewater will provide mobile control solutions as well as maintenance and support services for all current and future 3G solutions. In addition, the agreement provides the framework for Bridgewater to deliver new products and services to support Verizon Wireless' ongoing network expansion across multiple access networks.
http://www.bridgewatersystems.com
Blue Coat Names Steve Daheb as CMO
Blue Coat Systems has appointed Steve Daheb as chief marketing officer (CMO) and senior vice president. Mr. Daheb was most recently the chief marketing officer for Emulex Corporation. He previously served in a number of executive sales, marketing and business development roles for a variety of networking companies, including BlueArc, Tasman Networks, Brocade and Lucent/Ascend. His http://www.bluecoat.com
Deutsche Telekom Extends 5-Year Contract with René Obermann
The Supervisory Board 
of Deutsche Telekom has extended René Obermann's contract as Chairman of the Board of Management of Deutsche Telekom AG by a further five years. His current contract expires on October 31, 2011. The new contract will run until the end of October 2016.
http://www.telekom.de
of Deutsche Telekom has extended René Obermann's contract as Chairman of the Board of Management of Deutsche Telekom AG by a further five years. His current contract expires on October 31, 2011. The new contract will run until the end of October 2016.http://www.telekom.de
IMEWE Submarine Cable Enters Service
The new 
India Middle East Western Europe (IMEWE) submarine cable linking eight countries has entered commercial service. The 13,000-km cable, which has a potential capacity of 3.84 Tbps, serves eight countries: India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Italy and France. Carrier partners include France Telecom-Orange, Bharti, Etisalat, Ogero, Pakistan Telecom, Saudi Telecom, Telecom Egypt, Telecom Italia Sparkle and Tata Communications. The project represents a total investment of around US$480 million, about US$60 million of which came from France Telecom-Orange.
http://www.francetelecom.com
India Middle East Western Europe (IMEWE) submarine cable linking eight countries has entered commercial service. The 13,000-km cable, which has a potential capacity of 3.84 Tbps, serves eight countries: India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Italy and France. Carrier partners include France Telecom-Orange, Bharti, Etisalat, Ogero, Pakistan Telecom, Saudi Telecom, Telecom Egypt, Telecom Italia Sparkle and Tata Communications. The project represents a total investment of around US$480 million, about US$60 million of which came from France Telecom-Orange.http://www.francetelecom.com
Nokia Files Additional Patent Claims Against Apple
Nokia filed claims in the UK High Court, Dusseldorf and Mannheim District Courts in Germany and the District Court of the Hague, Netherlands, alleging that Apple infringes Nokia patents in many of its products sold in these countries, including iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
"These actions add 13 further Nokia patents to the 24 already asserted against Apple in the US International Trade Commission and the Delaware and Wisconsin Federal courts," said Paul Melin, vice president, Intellectual Property at Nokia. "The Nokia inventions protected by these patents include several which enable compelling user experiences. For example, using a wiping gesture on a touch screen to navigate content, or enabling access to constantly changing services with an on-device app store, both filed more than ten years before the launch of the iPhone."
http://www.nokia.com
"These actions add 13 further Nokia patents to the 24 already asserted against Apple in the US International Trade Commission and the Delaware and Wisconsin Federal courts," said Paul Melin, vice president, Intellectual Property at Nokia. "The Nokia inventions protected by these patents include several which enable compelling user experiences. For example, using a wiping gesture on a touch screen to navigate content, or enabling access to constantly changing services with an on-device app store, both filed more than ten years before the launch of the iPhone."
http://www.nokia.com
NDTV: Raids in India's 2G Spectrum Scandal
India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted raids on homes and offices of prominent figures linked to the 2G spectrum licensing scandal. Targets included Niira Radia, a prominent lobbyist associated with Tata and Radiance, and Pradip Baijal, who served as chief of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) from 2003 to 2006 and who later joined Radia's firm.
http://www.ndtv.com
http://www.ndtv.com
Broadband Forum Charts Progress in 2010 -- Resurgence in Activity as Industry Looks to Hybrid Fiber/Copper
At its quarterly meeting last week in San Francisco, The Broadband Forum approved a record eleven new technical reports, released a new white paper on Unified MPLS, and appointed a new Technical Chairman. The meeting also drew the highest attendance of members and guests in recent years. The Forum noted an unprecedented level of contributions for technical reports, white papers and tutorials -- all indications of a resurgence in activity as the industry looks to next gen broadband access solutions.
The newly approved specifications ranged from IPv6 to TR-069 Software Module Management to DSL Quality Management.
New work items for the Forum include hybrid fiber-copper solutions for 4th Generation Broadband (4GBB).
The Forum has appointed Christophe Alter of France Telecom Orange to serve as its Technical Chairman, replacing Gavin Young of C&W, who has held the position since 1998. Christophe is responsible for France Telecom Orange Group' strategy regarding broadband networks standards. Since he first joined the Broadband Forum in December 2004, Christophe Alter has been a main contributor in the End to End Architecture Working Group and in the Fiber Access Network Working Group and has served as a member of the Board of Directors since 2008.
Among its accomplishments for 2010, the Broadband Forum noted its collaboration with the Full Service Access Network (FSAN) to expedite GPON deployments, enhance multi-vendor interoperability and enable better broadband network fiber integration globally. A joint initiative with the HomeGrid Forum was also announced, with the aim of delivering a global compliance and interoperability testing program for products using G.hn technology -- ITU-T's unified wired home networking standard. And another strategic relationship forged was with 3GPP focused on broadband convergence specifications and multi-service architecture developments.
"I am delighted to be taking over as Technical Chair at such a busy and positive time for the Broadband Forum," said Christophe Alter. "As a member I have watched the Forum grow in stature and authority but also increase enormously the number of technical reports, the range of topics in our scope and the intensity of our relationships with other organizations. It will be part of my role to manage this growth and to co-ordinate the groups so that they are able to deliver a comprehensive body of standards from over 1500 contributions we receive from members each year."http://www.broadband-forum.org
The newly approved specifications ranged from IPv6 to TR-069 Software Module Management to DSL Quality Management.
New work items for the Forum include hybrid fiber-copper solutions for 4th Generation Broadband (4GBB).
The Forum has appointed Christophe Alter of France Telecom Orange to serve as its Technical Chairman, replacing Gavin Young of C&W, who has held the position since 1998. Christophe is responsible for France Telecom Orange Group' strategy regarding broadband networks standards. Since he first joined the Broadband Forum in December 2004, Christophe Alter has been a main contributor in the End to End Architecture Working Group and in the Fiber Access Network Working Group and has served as a member of the Board of Directors since 2008.
Among its accomplishments for 2010, the Broadband Forum noted its collaboration with the Full Service Access Network (FSAN) to expedite GPON deployments, enhance multi-vendor interoperability and enable better broadband network fiber integration globally. A joint initiative with the HomeGrid Forum was also announced, with the aim of delivering a global compliance and interoperability testing program for products using G.hn technology -- ITU-T's unified wired home networking standard. And another strategic relationship forged was with 3GPP focused on broadband convergence specifications and multi-service architecture developments.
"I am delighted to be taking over as Technical Chair at such a busy and positive time for the Broadband Forum," said Christophe Alter. "As a member I have watched the Forum grow in stature and authority but also increase enormously the number of technical reports, the range of topics in our scope and the intensity of our relationships with other organizations. It will be part of my role to manage this growth and to co-ordinate the groups so that they are able to deliver a comprehensive body of standards from over 1500 contributions we receive from members each year."http://www.broadband-forum.org
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Telecom Italia's Franco Bernabe Elected as Chairman of GSMA
The GSMA has elected Franco Bernabe, CEO of Telecom Italia, as its new Chairman for a two-year term, from January 2011 through December 2012. Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and CEO, Telenor Group, was elected as Deputy Chairman. Rob Conway continues as CEO of GSMA.
In addition, 22 other people were elected to the GSMA Board.
http://www.gsmworld.com
In addition, 22 other people were elected to the GSMA Board.
http://www.gsmworld.com
BT and Saudi Telecom Link MPLS Networks
Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and BT announced an interconnection of their MPLS networks.
BT has established a local MPLS Point of Presence (PoP) in Saudi Arabia to be operated by STC in conjunction with its own national and regional MPLS network.
http://www.btplc.com
BT has established a local MPLS Point of Presence (PoP) in Saudi Arabia to be operated by STC in conjunction with its own national and regional MPLS network.
http://www.btplc.com
MetroPCS Launches LTE in Boston, NYC and Sac
MetroPCS 
Communications has expanded its LTE network to the Boston, New York City and Sacramento metropolitan areas. MetroPCS LTE plans start at $55 per month including taxes and regulatory fees. Initially, METROPCS is providing Samsung Craft LTE handset with unlimited talk, text and enhanced entertainment and web browsing features.
MetroPCS' 4G LTE services are now available in nine metropolitan areas, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco. MetroPCS has plans to expand its 4G services into more metropolitan areas later this year and into early 2011, including Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Tampa.
http://www.metropcs.com
Communications has expanded its LTE network to the Boston, New York City and Sacramento metropolitan areas. MetroPCS LTE plans start at $55 per month including taxes and regulatory fees. Initially, METROPCS is providing Samsung Craft LTE handset with unlimited talk, text and enhanced entertainment and web browsing features.MetroPCS' 4G LTE services are now available in nine metropolitan areas, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco. MetroPCS has plans to expand its 4G services into more metropolitan areas later this year and into early 2011, including Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Tampa.
http://www.metropcs.com
ADTRAN Intros Unified Threat Management Platforms
ADTRAN introduced its NetVanta 2000 Series of Unified Threat Management (UTM) solutions. 
The NetVanta 2000 Series includes four security appliances, each with one year of Continuous Threat Protection, SSL and IPSec VPN clients, anti-virus and anti-spyware clients, and all managed under a centralized global management system. The gateways provide real-time protection against viruses, spyware, intrusions, software vulnerabilities and other malicious code for business customers. The NetVanta series also provides application intelligence for identifying, categorizing and controlling applications on the network.
http://www.adtran.com
The NetVanta 2000 Series includes four security appliances, each with one year of Continuous Threat Protection, SSL and IPSec VPN clients, anti-virus and anti-spyware clients, and all managed under a centralized global management system. The gateways provide real-time protection against viruses, spyware, intrusions, software vulnerabilities and other malicious code for business customers. The NetVanta series also provides application intelligence for identifying, categorizing and controlling applications on the network.http://www.adtran.com
Solarflare Releases SFP+ Transceiver Module
Solarflare announced availability of a new SFP+ 10GBASE-SR optical transceiver module.
The new low-power module supports multiple types of optical fiber, including OM1, OM2 and OM3 multi-mode fiber, with standard LC connectors, and can drive OM3 fiber up to 300 meters to support cluster, data center and enterprise networking applications. Solarflare's SFP+ transceiver ensures its 10GbE server adapters deliver high-performance, low-latency, low-power and scalable I/O virtualization. The new SFP+ transceiver module is tested and compatible with all of Solarflare's single-port and dual-port SFP+ 10GbE server adapters in both enterprise and mid-range products.
Solarflare also offers a complete 10GBASE-T solution for twisted pair copper cabling based on its own physical layer 10GBASE-T ASICs. With the addition of the new SFP+ module, Solarflare now provides a complete optical fiber solution, featuring the SFP+ adapter and SFP+ optical modules.
http://www.solarflare.com
The new low-power module supports multiple types of optical fiber, including OM1, OM2 and OM3 multi-mode fiber, with standard LC connectors, and can drive OM3 fiber up to 300 meters to support cluster, data center and enterprise networking applications. Solarflare's SFP+ transceiver ensures its 10GbE server adapters deliver high-performance, low-latency, low-power and scalable I/O virtualization. The new SFP+ transceiver module is tested and compatible with all of Solarflare's single-port and dual-port SFP+ 10GbE server adapters in both enterprise and mid-range products. Solarflare also offers a complete 10GBASE-T solution for twisted pair copper cabling based on its own physical layer 10GBASE-T ASICs. With the addition of the new SFP+ module, Solarflare now provides a complete optical fiber solution, featuring the SFP+ adapter and SFP+ optical modules.
http://www.solarflare.com
Ericsson Wins 7-year Managed Services Contract with 3Italia
3 Italia awarded a seven-year managed services contract to Ericsson to modernize its IT infrastructure and systems including hardware and software, IP connectivity, operating systems and storage. The contract covers data center consolidation with hardware modernization, upgrade and consolidation of 3 Italia's software application domains, as well as transformation of operations and business support systems (OSS/BSS), for example systems for billing and customer relationship management. The new agreement builds on the managed services partnership established between 3 Italia and Ericsson in 2005. 3 Italia's current three data centers will be consolidated into two, located in Rome and Milan. http://www.ericsson.com
EC Approves NSN + Motorola Deal
The European Commission has cleared the acquisition of Motorola Network Business by Nokia Siemens Networks. The deal was found not to significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.
http://www.europa.eu
http://www.europa.eu
