CED articles from March 2000

CED archives from March 2000

Big fish Lucent to gobble up Ortel for $3 billion.(Lucent Technologies Microelectronics Group to acquire Ortel Corp.)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
March 1, 2000... The expected time frame for ubiquitous fiber-to-the-home was hastened last month when Lucent Technologies Microelectronics Group agreed to acquire Ortel Corporation for almost $3 billion in stock, the companies said. Ortel, which builds...

GADline sets sail in U.S.(receives order from Blonder Tongue Laboratories Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Israel-based cable modem maker GADline Ltd. forged its first deal in the U.S. last month When Blonder Tongue Laboratories Inc. agreed to buy $5 million of GADline equipment. Hot on the heels of GADline's formal foray into the U.S. at the...

PowerTV takes a `Necessary' step.(Steve Necessary named CEO)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Fourteen-year Scientific-Atlanta veteran Steve Necessary dosed a chapter in his storied career and opened another when he grabbed the CEO slot at set-top operating system software creator PowerTV. Necessary joins PowerTV at a time when the...

S-A slam dunks two MSO deals.(Scientific-Atlanta deals with Charter Communications and Adelphia Cable)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Scientific-Atlanta's coffers will fatten by another $190 million following large set-top and cable upgrade wins with Charter Communications and Adelphia Cable. In a deal worth $100 million, Paul Allen's Charter committed to buy 126,000...

Cable's lead over DSL to decline, study predicts.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... While 80 percent of the 1.4 million installed domestic high-speed Internet customers used cable modems for access at the end of 1999, that figure will decay to 42 percent by 2005 as DSL services become omnipresent and cheaper for consumers, the...

Enron, Sun step up footprint efforts.(Sun Microsystems Inc. and Enron BroadBand Services Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... In an affiance touting how they will "raise the bar" on expectations of the Internet's future, Sun Microsystems Inc. and Enron BroadBand Services Inc. will collaborate on the footprint build-out of the Enron Intelligent Network (EIN), a...

Insightful HSA elevates business strategy to next level.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Top 10 MSO Insight Communications has hired High Speed Access Corp. (HSA) to support the Road Runner-branded high-speed Internet service for its 85,000-customer system in Columbus, Ohio, marking HSA and Road Runner's first joint effort after...

RCN: The beast of the East bears more fangs.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... RCN Corporation won an Open Video System franchise to provide bundled phone, high-speed and cable television services to 90,000 homes in Jersey City, N.J., expanding its presence on the East Coast. RCN currently markets to homes and...

SCTE announces awards deadline.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... The time is nigh for Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) members to submit their nomination forms for the spring 2000 awards, which will be bestowed during the Awards Luncheon at Cable-Tec Expo in Las Vegas. The nomination...

upfront.
March 1, 2000... S-A sheds satellite assets for broadband focus ViaSat has agreed to acquire Scientific-Atlanta's satellite networking business for about $75 million, ushering in S-A's strategy to focus exclusively on end-to-end digital interactive...

@Home dials up new security standards.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... With security becoming a paramount concern among cable modem customers because of "always-on" service and the growth of home-based LANs, it's no surprise that cable high-speed service providers are beginning to forge network-fortifying deals....

New bird flocks to cable's orbital neighborhood.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... The launch of PanAmSat Corporation's Galaxy XR achieved orbit successfully, creating the company's fifth "cable neighborhood." Built by Hughes Space and Communications Co., Galaxy XR will reside at 123 degrees west longitude (WL), and use...

Northern exposure: Com21 nets new deal.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Com21 Inc. won an initial order from Canadian MSO Westman Communications Group for an undisclosed number of DOCSIS-certified DOXport 1010 cable modems. The buy marks the first phase of Westman's decision to replace legacy, proprietary LANCity...

Telesat to invade Uncle Sam's airspace.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Canadian commercial satellite operator Telesat and InSight Telecommunications Corp. have launched a U.S. service and sales division that will hawk domestic and international, satellite transmission services to broadcasters and cable companies....

Flip the Switch on Modem Activation.
March 1, 2000... Self-provisioning critical to success of new service deployments Reality is finally starting to set in. Over the past two to three years, as the cable TV industry fondly made predictions about the impact a standards-based cable modem...

Provisioning for the future.
March 1, 2000... Cable Multiple System Operators (MSOs) are facing increasing competition from Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), satellite, data broadcast; and emerging wireless providers that are planning to offer branded bundles of data, voice and digital video...

CRAMMING more in the return path.
March 1, 2000... With the advent of interactive services, the return path is now valuable real estate. New technologies can help operators boost the return's capacity. Cable operators planning to offer new telephone and data services are faced with a...

Blended technologies key to fast track.
March 1, 2000... Unlicensed wireless, ADSL, others could extend cable's reach Now that the standards for DOCSIS- (Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specification) compliant cable modems have been finalized and the compliant modems are starting to emerge,...

Faint heart never won fair customer.
March 1, 2000... AT&T, AOL Time Warner prepare for platform, services battle Whether the mega mergers roiling cable lead to intense new competition among top players or to new levels of cooperation, it seems safe to say that one result of the intensifying...

Realizing the promise.
March 1, 2000... I'm glad to have an opportunity to write my first column for this magazine in 10 years. An enormous number of things have happened in the cable industry since then, although, looking back through old issues of CED, I see the seeds of many of...

Getting the most out of DOCSIS.(Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specification)
March 1, 2000... Designing to maximize network monitoring features Given the success of the DOCSIS 1.0 specification, aggressive global deployment of these new networks is well underway. Forecasts suggest as many as 5.3 million cable modems will be deployed...

VPNs could be cash bonanza.
March 1, 2000... Cable well-positioned to focus on telecommuters, branch offices Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are quietly gaining acceptance as the latest and greatest method of transporting sensitive, proprietary data over a shared or public network,...

Making the switch to (and at) Layer 3.
March 1, 2000... On the surface, the seven-layer OSI (Open Systems Interconnect) model seems relatively easy to grasp. From the transmission medium-oriented physical layer (Layer 1) to the data program management-related application layer (Layer 7), OSI was...

Calling all hands! Prepare for high-speed battle.
March 1, 2000... CTAM suggests engineers and marketers meld minds It's no secret that the number of residential cable modem customers who have a choice of high-speed Internet providers is growing rapidly. And if there isn't a competitive alternative in your...

reader service.
March 1, 2000... Advanced Networking C-COR.net RS#12 PG# 22-23 Global supplier of RF and AM fiber optic products for two-way HFC networks. Provides advanced engineering and field support nationwide for network management, servicing and solutions,...

new products.
March 1, 2000... PRODUCT REVIEWS Fiber optic multiplexer LOCUST VALLEY, N.Y.-Multidyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems has introduced the DVM-2000 12-bit video and 24-bit audio fiber optic multiplexer which has performance that exceeds RS250G short-haul...

The biggest auction yet?
March 1, 2000... On May 10, 2000, the FCC is scheduled to begin what could become the biggest (dollar-wise) spectrum auction yet. The bands 747-762 MHz and 777-792 MHz will be auctioned. This could bring in more dollars than the PCS auctions, because this...

Meeting Tomorrow's Standards Today.
March 1, 2000... A metamorphosis is occurring in the cable and telecommunications industries. The once-divisive lines which separated the two are quickly disappearing with the advent of digital and advanced analog technology, and expanding bandwidth. Cable...

Creating a better headend.
March 1, 2000... Standard's new broadband applications meet future needs Fresh revenue from services such as digital video, IP telephony, high-speed data and technology not even invented yet, is forcing cable operators and broadcasters alike to think...

On Human Nature and Potholes.
March 1, 2000... I have a fascinating job, but one that virtually every cable operator would rather I practice elsewhere. I'm retained by local, county and state governments to conduct system performance evaluations, including FCC signal compliance and plant...

From the outside looking in.
March 1, 2000... There is increasing difficulty in finding qualified technical personnel to implement rebuilds, upgrades and newbuilds. Outsourcing is gaining momentum as a "go-to" strategy for a growing number of operators. Intense competition for the...

SQUASHED!(Y2K bug )
March 1, 2000... The Y2K bug turned out to be a non-event for the cable industry, thanks to both preparation and cooperation The much-hyped Millennium Bug turned out to be little more than a gnat when the calendar rolled over to January, with the only real...

PREPPING THE PLANT FOR NEW SERVICES.
March 1, 2000... RF signal management is key to ensuring quality of service Deployment of a modern broadband network provides both opportunities and challenges. Because the network is used to deliver a range of services beyond cable TV, it must be versatile...

Products.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Wire and Tubing Cutter SYRACUSE, N.Y.--The Eraser Company has introduced its new Model WC2 Wire & Tubing Cutter. The new cutter, which has been designed to reduce operator fatigue and repetitive motion disorders, will measure, count and...

reader service.
March 1, 2000... Advanced Networking TSi - Technical Solutions Inc. RS# 311 PG# 21 TSi offers leading edge Network Node Certification hardware and software for bi-directional networks. www.tsisolutions.com Construction CommScope Inc. RS# 305...

Cable Modem Development Update.
March 1, 2000... CMTS equipment Company name Model DOCSIS CableLabs Web site based? qualified? Arris Interactive CMTS 1000 Yes Yes www.arris.com Blonder...