CED articles from March 2002

CED archives from March 2002

Head in the sand? (in perspective).(future of cable industry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In the time that has passed since Tele-Communications Inc. sold out to AT&T, and Time Warner was swallowed by America Online, quietly and virtually imperceptibly, the cable industry's power base has shifted from places like Denver and Stamford...

Court ruling shields cable from pole attachment bullet. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In a huge win for the cable industry, the Pole Attachments Act does cover attachments that provide high-speed Internet access at the same time as cable TV, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in a 6-2 decision. The decision on National Cable &...

Comcast taps new UEI remote controls. (up front: latest news and insight).(Universal Electronics Inc.; Comcast Cable)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Universal Electronics Inc. says it won a contract to supply Comcast Cable with wireless remote controls for the MSO's digital set-top boxes. Under terms of the deal, Comcast will purchase two new UEI models: the Navigator and the...

Cisco gets late 1.1-qualification nod. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... About a month after CableLabs shared results from certification wave 20, the industry's R&D house gave a belated passing grade to Cisco Systems' uBR7246 cable modem termination system for DOCSIS 1.1 qualification. The nod puts Cisco in...

Knology boosts broadband content with Incanta. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Offering its cable modem customers more than just raw data speeds, overbuilder Knology Inc. has rolled-out Incanta Inc.'s broadband music services to customers in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Florida. The launch marks the first...

U.K. ops pick up the home networking pace. (up front: latest news and insight).(Pace Micro Technology PLC; Telewest Broadband; NTL Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Tapping into a burgeoning market, U.K. cable operators NTL and Tetewest Broadband have teamed with Pace Micro Technology to offer wireless home networking services. To that end, the operators will deploy Pace's Gateway Expander and...

Internet VOD on the launch pad ... for now. (up front: latest news and insight).(video on demand)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Despite some momentum kicking in for Internet-based video-on-demand, the application won't gain substantial roll-outs in the U.S. until 2005, predicted a GartnerG2 study. Even at that point in time, only two percent of movie distribution...

iSurfTV `maps' out IPG plans. (up front: latest news and insight).(interactive program guide )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Hoping to avoid the long reach of Gemstar-TV Guide's lawyers, iSurfTV said it has received a patent that covers and protects the company's "cornerstone" interactive program guide technology. That patent, No. 6,342,884, covers iSurfTV's use...

Com21 sets DOCSIS CMTS plans. (up front: latest news and insight).(developing DOXcontroller XB cable modem)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Entering an extremely competitive field, Com21 Inc. said it is developing a DOCSIS cable modem termination system to complement the company's line of DOCSIS cable modems. Com21's new CMTS, the DOXcontroller XB, will also complement the...

Sigma slates Euro expansion. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... OSS firm Sigma Systems has set its sights on Europe, opening a division there to aid cable operators with service management systems tied to video, voice and data services. Sigma's base of North American customers includes AT&T Broadband,...

Effnet touts IP header compression software. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Offering a cure for "header overhead," Effnet Inc. has created a new IP header compression software aimed at making services like voice-over-IP run more efficiently over a service operator's network. Effnet's CRTP (compressed real-time...

Equator expands chip family. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Equator Technologies has launched a new family of software-programmable digital signal processors to complement the company's MAP-CA chip, which is used by companies such as Xerox, Samsung and Pace Micro Technology. Equator's new...

OpenTV hits Liberate with lawsuit over iTV patents. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Things are starting to get ugly in the iTV world. Opening a potentially huge can of worms tied to the future of set-top box middteware, OpenTV Corp. filed a patent infringement lawsuit against competitor Liberate Technologies. OpenTV's...

Motorola waxes wireless with Magis. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... With MSOs taking a harder look at including home networking services as part of their consumer services bundle, set-top makers are angling to include more home networking functionality into the boxes they offer up to operators. Motorola...

WinDBreak powers on the fry. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Breaking new ground in network powering and energy storage, closely held operator WinDBreak Cable Co. said it installed Beacon Power Corp.'s 6kWh demonstration flywheel unit. Beacon's 36-volt flywheel will provide back-up power to the...

Fine Point revs up cable CyberTRUCK. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Fine Point Technologies has unveiled a version of its CyberTRUCK provisioning system designed for cable operators. Fine Point's system handles cable modern service pre-qualification, validates user connections and provides sign-up software...

New Motorola companion box to fuel Charter's iTV efforts. (up front: latest news and insight).(Charter Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A new companion box from Motorola Broadband Communications Sector may not make people forget about Steve Perlman's latest venture, Moxi Digital Inc., but it might push Motorola's advanced DCT-5000 box a bit further back on MSO burners. ...

Has global satellite broadband re-awakened? (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... After creating much ballyhoo and buzz about their business plans to provide broadband services via dedicated satellite constellations, the past year has been relatively quiet for the new breed of futuristic satellite broadband providers. ...

Arris vows appeal on patent verdict. (up front: Latest News and Appeals).(Arris International )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Arris International said it will seek a reversal on a patent infringement decision that awarded PPC $1.35 million in damages. PPC said it expects a federal court in Jacksonville, Fla. to enter an injunction to prohibit Arris from selling or...

Verizon kicks off 3G footprint. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Verizon Wireless made waves in late January with the commercial launch of its 1XRTT network, a 3G grid touting footprints on the east and west coasts. Capable of data speeds up to 144 kilobits per second, the network will foster everything...

Adelphia taps C-COR.net to fuel upgrades. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... C-COR.net said it won a contract to provide Adelphia Communications with fiber optic and RF equipment for network upgrades in 10 states. C-COR estimates that the project, which gets underway this year, wilt equate to about $50 million in...

Nortel, Motorola call up VoIP partnership. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Bringing together two telecommunications giants, Motorola Broadband Communications Sector and Nortel Networks have forged a non-exclusive deal to offer an integrated voice-over-IP system for cable operators. Under terms of the deal, each...

Acadia stamps Liberate for DCT-2000. (up front: latest news and insight).(Liberate Technologies, validation received from Acadia Software Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Training its sights on vastly deployed "thin-client" digital, set-tops, iTV vendor Liberate Technologies said its TV PLatform Compact middleware received validation from Acadia, Motorola Broadband's in-house application integration center. ...

Sunrise Telecom rounds out cable biz. (up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Handheld testing solutions provider Sunrise Telecom is finalizing plans to offer a complete suite of cable broadband test products, with the announcement that it intends to acquire the Calan Cable TV Test business from fellow tester Agilent...

FTTx an unreal reality takes shape: as local telcos, utilities and municipalities continue to breathe light into their FTTx systems, the specter of mainstream deep-fiber deployments is becoming more real. For true believers, it is just a matter of time. (Fiber-to-the-X).(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... Just as the unsettling but always fascinating "X Files" television series comes to an undoubtedly eerie end, a previously unimaginable reality may be taking shape in broadband telecommunications. Fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC), fiber-to-the-home...

Network evolution the ties that bind: new platforms and protocols have emerged to aid carriers and operators in their drive toward a converged, unified network, capable of weaving together a tangle of legacy and emerging services.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In a perfect world, every service and application a carrier or network operator offered would run over the same network, creating new levels of efficiencies and an overall platform poised to snare revenue from a variety of existing and...

Looking in on fiber: after a gold rush to 10G, network operators now look to test and monitoring solutions to maximize the networks left in the gold dust.(Gigabit)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The days of getting faster first are pretty much over in the world of optical networking. At least, for now. After a "gold rush" to furiously fulfill carriers' "needs" for gobs of underutilized bandwidth, much of the fiber infrastructure...

Moving upstream: DOCSIS 2.0 incorporates advanced modulation protocols. (Networking: advanced networking technology).
March 1, 2002... Upstream bandwidth in cable modem systems is becoming more important than ever, especially as multiple service operators (MSOs) look for ways to increase their revenue stream with services such as peer-to-peer networking and toll-quality...

Backbone providers woo cable: fiber optic network providers dangle advanced services carrot. (Networking: advanced networking technology).
March 1, 2002... Many cable TV engineers were forced to switch into crisis mode as the rapid deterioration of the Excite@Home relationship with the industry demanded swift action to move hundreds of thousands of data subscribers onto new networks. Perhaps...

Fiber-to-the-where? FTTH compelling for overbuilders, but not for incumbents. (Broadband: business and news perspective).
March 1, 2002... The business case for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technology is quickly morphing into a fiber-to-the-dollar sign (FTT$) model as cable operators, overbuilders and telcos re-tool their FTTH business agendas to identify new revenue sources and...

Building local loyalty. (In the loop).(competing against direct satellite television)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... At this writing, the sound and the fury continue to rage in Washington over the proposed Echostar/DirecTV Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) merger. It seems that anxiety over the sometimes labeled "Deathstar" continues to pervade the cable...

Who's spending what on R&D? Outlook for 2002 still rosy, but not as good as 2001. (Broadband: business and news perspective).(forecast on research and development spending in broadband sector)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... Most manufacturers of broadband-related equipment will spend more than the national industrial average on research and development this year, but in most cases, not as much as they did in 2001. Accountants typically define R&D spending as a...

Laser diode modules.(offered by California Eastern Laboratories)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... SANTA CLARA, Calif.--California Eastern Laboratories (CEL) has announced the availability of two new high-power NEC InGaAsP DFB Laser Diode Modules. Designed to serve as 1550 nm CW light sources, the NX8570SA and NX8571SA feature integrated...

10G IC.(Quake Technologies Inc. announces single-chip availability)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... KANATA, Canada--Quake Technologies Inc. has announced the availability of samples of the QT2020, its flagship, single-chip 10 Gigabit Ethernet transceiver integrated circuit (IC). The QT2020 is a fully integrated, monolithic transceiver...

Optical transmission system. (Optics).(introduced by Olsen Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... SIERRA VILLAGE, Calif.--Olson Technology has introduced a number of new products, including the OT LaserPlus High Density Two-Way Optical Transmission System, a high-performance product family comprised of a 3RU chassis, single or dual power...

Video server.(announced by Concurrent Computer Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... ATLANTA--Concurrent Computer Corp. has announced its new MediaHawk Model 3000 Video Server, optimized for the requirements of end-to-end interactive television (iTV) applications. The new MediaHawk Model 3000 Video Server features a server...

Marking system and Reel-in-a-Box.(Superior Essex Communications Group launches new marking system for fiber optic cable equipment)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... ATLANTA--Superior TeleCom Inc., through its Superior Essex Communications Group, has introduced its QuickCount marking system for the TeraGain and TeraGain XT fiber optic cable product lines. Select fiber cable sizes are also now available in...

Access architecture for EPON.(Salira Optical Network Systems Inc. offers ethernet passive optical network carrier-class access)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Salira Optical Network Systems Inc. has announced a carrier-class access architecture for Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (EPON) that delivers affordable broadband services by extending the life of existing legacy TDM...

Test set.(advertisement)
March 1, 2002... SAN JOSE, Calif.--Sunrise Telecom Inc. has introduced the SunSet 10G, a handheld Core Network test set at bit rates up to 10 Gbps. Its light weight (4 pounds) and battery operation combine for portability. Combined Sonet and SDH network testing...

Bezel System.(advertisement)
March 1, 2002... LISLE, Ill.--The Bezel System for front panel mounting of fiber optic adapters from Molex Fiber Optics extends flexibility and ease of use with both simplex and duplex versions. Designed to house a variety of fiber optic adapters in a common...

Monitoring device.(advertisement)
March 1, 2002... FORT COLLINS, Colo.--RLE Technologies, manufacturer of remote monitoring solutions, has Web-enabled its Falcon Monitoring Device. This allows users to check equipment and site status over the Internet with any standard Web browser. RLE'S...

Digital noise generator.(advertisement)
March 1, 2002... PARAMUS, N.J.--Noise Com has introduced the DNG7500 Series Digital Noise Generator, which provides precise digital control of noise and CW output waveforms for communications equipment testing. The DNG7500 generates programmable,...

Content delivery.(advertisement)
March 1, 2002... NEW YORK, N.Y.--Fine Point Technologies Inc. has launched its PortalDirect product, which enables the delivery of value-added content services from the service provider to the subscriber's desktop. The new product will allow broadband service...

CWDM digital video system.(advertisement)
March 1, 2002... GAITHERSBURG, Md.--Optelecom has released a single-fiber, 20- to 64-channel video transmission system. Based on its 10-bit digital video transmission cards, the system may be configured to support 20 to 64 video channels on one fiber. Each...

Oscilloscope.(advertisement)
March 1, 2002... BEAVERTON, Ore.--Tektronix Inc. has introduced a new oscilloscope that provides engineers who are designing high-speed digital systems with advanced debug and analysis capabilities. The TDS6604 digital storage oscilloscope is a...

Cable ties.(advertisement)
March 1, 2002... TINLEY PARK, Ill.--Panduit Corp. has announced that its HALAR cable ties are now UL-listed. The ties are available in standard or bulk packaging and two cross sections for bundle diameters up to three inches. They feature a low density rating...

More on sharing your cable modem. (capital currents).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Two months ago, I wrote about using wireless home networks to share your cable modem service with your neighbors. Since that time, I've received several comments about the column and the issues that it raises. For example--what if your service...

The long reach of broadband: high-speed links are weaving their way to touch platforms beyond cable and DSL. (Indepth).(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... My, what a difference a couple of gears make. In the early part of 2000, CED's semi-annual high-speed deployment update still focused squarely on cable modem service deployments, and the collective information just barely fit inside a...