TelecomWeb News Digest articles from March 2008

TelecomWeb News Digest archives from March 2008

Microsoft Launches Another 'Google Killer'.
March 3, 2008... Earlier today, Microsoft unveiled what's being seen as its strongest attack on Google to date (not counting its attempt to buy Yahoo!) via software- as-a-service (SaaS) versions of its Exchange Online and SharePoint Online as a per-user...

Covad Shareholders Vote To Sell Out.
March 3, 2008... Covad shareholders want to take the money and run, approving the $304 million bid by Platinum Equity to buy the financially ailing broadband carrier and then take it private. The approval by a majority of Covad's shareholders came only a...

Siemens Unveils OpenScape Unified Communications Server.
March 3, 2008... In its latest move to transition into a more software-oriented company, Siemens Communications Inc. launched a new unified communications (UC) software platform. The new OpenScape Unified Communications (UC) Server, says Siemens, "is...

Survey Sez: SaaS Takeup By SMBs Has Doubled.
March 3, 2008... Among U.S. small and medium businesses (SMBs), software-as-a-service (SaaS) adoption is rising steadily, with between 21 percent and 31 percent of SMBs currently using SaaS solutions -- double the percentage of adoption in 2004. ...

OEM Pact Strengthens Spam Detection.
March 3, 2008... Global DataGuard, a Dallas-based provider of Enterprise Unified Threat Management (UTM) solutions for small and medium businesses (SMBs) and large enterprises, inked an OEM partnership with Commtouch to fully integrate that company's e-mail...

Meru Software Upgrade Handles 802.11n Draft 2.0.
March 3, 2008... Meru Networks is marketing what is says is the first wireless access point that not only conforms to legacy IEEE 802.11a/b/g standards but can be upgraded with only a software update to the 802.11n draft 2.0 standard. Using this software...

T-Mobile Puts Femtocell Money Where Its Mouth Is.
March 4, 2008... Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile wireless subsidiary has plowed a bundle of cash into femtocell startup Ubiquisys, the British fixed-mobile-convergence outfit that's also attracted the likes of Google as one of its backers. The size of the...

Embarq Begins Cutting Sprint MVNO Ties.
March 4, 2008... In yet another blow to beleaguered wireless carrier Sprint, already facing the possible loss of Qwest as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) partner, Sprint's own former landline unit Embarq also is considering jumping ship. ...

Tata Comms Unveils India-Wide WiMAX Plans.
March 4, 2008... India's giant Tata Communications is partnering with Telsima Corporation, a global player in WiMAX systems, to provide WiMAX solutions for Tata's broadband wireless network in its home country. Tata Communications, part of the $29...

Logicworks Offers Value-Added Revenue-Sharing Program.
March 4, 2008... Hosted-services provider Logicworks has a new Channel Partner Program, designed to provide the channel community "with a range of managed database services, virtualization and high-availability solutions." The program enables the...

Qwest Updates 'OneFlex' VoIP Service.
March 4, 2008... Qwest Communications' business customers now are eligible for several Voice over IP (VoIP) enhancements to the ILEC's "OneFlex" product suite. Qwest OneFlex provides a VoIP service the carrier says "replaces the need for a premise-based...

Azaleos Offers Limited-Time Flat-Fee Transition.
March 4, 2008... Seattle-based Azaleos Corporation now will flat-fee the rates it charges midmarket companies that want to migrate Lotus Notes, Novell Groupwise and pre- 2007 Microsoft Exchange messaging systems to its managed "OneStop" service. Azaleos,...

Clearwire Piggy Bank Empties As Losses Widen.
March 5, 2008... Clearwire, Sprint's would-be mobile WiMAX partner, reported what it tried to portray as a smashingly successful quarter and year. A close examination of the numbers reveals the company barely has enough cash left to last another 12 months....

Alcatel-Lucent Intros FTTB Enhancements.
March 5, 2008... At this week's CeBIT show in Germany, Alcatel-Lucent unveiled an "important extension" to its Intelligent Services Access Manager (ISAM) portfolio of DSL and fiber access products: fiber-to-the-building (FTTB) capabilities for central office...

NICTA Spins Off Startup 'Monitoring Division'.
March 5, 2008... Australia's Information and Communications Technology Research Centre of Excellence (National ICT Australia or NICTA) has given birth to a new company that claims to have invented a next-gen optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) monitoring...

Verizon Business Vets Overture Ethernet Portfolio.
March 5, 2008... Overture Networks, a developer of converged packet access solutions, says Verizon Business has certified its ISG 5100 and ISG 45+ for Ethernet service offerings over Verizon Business's global network infrastructure. The Overture...

Why FSS, WiMAX Don't Mix In The C Band.
March 5, 2008... According to field tests just concluded by the Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG), WiMAX communications pose a "significant interference threat" to fixed satellite services (FSS) transmitting in the C band. Punta Gorda,...

'Green' Cisco Routers Tout Virtualization.
March 5, 2008... Cisco's new ASR 1000 Series aggregation services routers feature software virtualization aimed at enabling "instant-on" provisioning and simultaneous use of such apps as firewall, IP security virtual private networks, deep-packet inspection...

Lightower Grows Northeast Fiber Footprint.
March 6, 2008... Digital fiber-optics networker Lightower Fiber LLC now owns100 percent of the outstanding shares of DataNet Communications Group Inc., and it's entered into an agreement to acquire KeySpan Communications to expand the company's services...

New Deal Promises 'Computing By The Slice'.
March 6, 2008... End-to-end Internet business solutions provider Internap Network Services Corp., and SoftLayer Technologies Inc., a supplier of on-demand hosting services, inked their second multi-year, multimillion-dollar contract in fewer than six months....

Mobile SFA Wanted, But Users Need Security Assurance.
March 6, 2008... According to recent research, a "significant number" of European businesses are ready to invest in mobile applications, and sales force automation (SFA) ranks high on the list. Frost & Sullivan says the mobile SFA market generated nearly...

Coming Soon: The BW1102 Softransceiver RFIC.
March 6, 2008... BitWave Semiconductor Inc. is counting on Open-Silicon Inc. to help bring its first femtocell product to market. The BW1102 Softransceiver RFIC, BitWave's newest offering, is ready for high-volume production, addressing the femtocell and...

Westcon Adds Fourth 'Pillar' To Enablement Strategy.
March 6, 2008... MobilityPoint, a partner-enablement program designed to help resellers write more mobility business, is the latest addition to Westcon Group's technology-focused "x-Point" offerings. According to the company, MobilityPoint will be offered...

Hosted VoIP Desk Sets Go High-Def.
March 6, 2008... Iowa-based LightEdge Solutions is adding high-definition phones to its hosted VoIP service. A provider of managed voice, data and IT business services, LightEdge now offers the Polycom SoundPoint IP 550, 560 and IP 650 phones with...

More Allegations That Big Brother Really Is Watching You.
March 7, 2008... If anyone thinks there will be a quick resolution to passage of new Bush administration warrantless-wiretapping legislation, they are sorely mistaken. A new whistleblower has taken center stage, alleging more government surveillance than...

Satellite Broadband Market Ready For Prime Time.
March 7, 2008... Satellite broadband has finally found market success, with offerings by WildBlue and Hughes reaching thousands of customers in North America bolstered by a recent deal struck between ViaSat and Eutelsat to launch an all-Ka-band satellite...

Muni Wi-Fi Set For 60-Fold Coverage Increase.
March 7, 2008... In 2004, there were only 520 square miles of networked municipal Wi-Fi. However, during the next several years, a nearly 60-fold increase (to more than 30,000 square miles) is being forecast. At present, says ABI Research, the United...

It's Still Not Easy Going 'Green'.
March 7, 2008... Sony Ericsson has scored an environmental hat trick, with its T650i cellphone, its P1i PDA and its Sony Vaio TZ11 notebook coming out on top in Greenpeace's recent "Searching for Greener Electronics" survey. However, the race for a green...

Partners Sign Africa Managed-Services Pact.
March 7, 2008... Africa is poised to enter the managed-service marketplace, and mobile- service provider Contec Innovations is teaming with German consultancy Danet GmbH for a licensing and revenue-sharing agreement aimed at delivering mobile- data and...

Auction Update: Meet The New Numbers, Same As The Old Numbers.
March 7, 2008... Well, TelecomWeb news break was wrong when we predicted a possible end to the 700 MHz auction by today. Instead, the monetary needle hasn't moved much in the last 46 rounds. A week ago (TelecomWeb news break, Feb. 29), we reported on...

Alcatel-Lucent Finds A Fix For Persnickety Packets.
March 10, 2008... Alcatel-Lucent today took the wraps off a new offering it says is the first to recognize the true nature of wireless data traffic and to fix a problem most of the industry hasn't understood: that not every packet is the same. According...

India Giant Tata Ready To Write Managed-Services Check.
March 10, 2008... Tata Group subsidiary Tata Communications is looking for a managed- services company, possibly one located in the United States. The India-based carrier also is putting a minority interest in its tower operation up for sale, with an asking...

PhoneFusion Partner Program Offers Modular UC Apps.
March 10, 2008... PhoneFusion's formal partner program, designed specifically for VoIP and wireless service providers, is making its debut at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo this week in Las Vegas. Via the new PhoneFusion Partner Program, service...

Secondary Spectrum Marketplace Site Cuts Over.
March 10, 2008... Spectrum Bridge Inc., a venture aimed at "building the world's first online, real-time market for wireless spectrum," says its Web site is ready for perusal, including an interactive demonstration of how Spectrum Bridge's proprietary...

NextWave Says Carriers Will Want Their MXtv.
March 10, 2008... MXtv, the brainchild of NextWave Wireless Inc., hit the market today, characterized by the company as being "a breakthrough mobile multicast and broadcast technology that enables WiMAX operators to deliver a broad range of rich and...

State Wireless Group Plans One-Day Confab.
March 10, 2008... The New York State Wireless Association (NYSWA) will host its first-ever trade show and conference March 20 at the Saratoga Hotel and Conference Center in Saratoga Springs. The organization, formed in 2007, is an affiliate of the Wireless...

IBM Bets A Billion On UC.
March 11, 2008... IBM is ready to spring for $1 billion during the next three years to fund its entree into unified communications (UC), where Big Blue is preparing to face off against Microsoft. According to reports out of IBM headquarters in Somers,...

UAE Continues To Silence VoIP.
March 11, 2008... The provision of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services over the public Internet remains a crime in the United Arab Emirates, according to reports out of Abu Dhabi, and this continues to upset the huge community of expatriates living...

California Cops Go Broadband.
March 11, 2008... The Irvine (Calif.) Police Department is gearing up to use its new broadband wireless network installed by NextPhase Wireless Inc., a nationwide developer of WiMAX-ready networks and a provider of advanced wireless broadband solutions. ...

Cricket First To Market With AWS Handset.
March 11, 2008... All-you-can-talk wireless provider Cricket Communications Inc. is touting what it says is the first CDMA Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) wireless handset - the UTStarcom CDM7126 - to be marketed in the United States. The phone is being...

German Feds Want Nokia Subsidy Returned.
March 11, 2008... Reports out of Germany say Nokia is being served with a letter demanding some $92 million in subsidies following its announcement in January to close a cellphone-manufacturing plant in Bochum, which will put some 2,300 workers on the street....

Realtor Taps Into SaaS For Collaboration.
March 11, 2008... The franchise arm of Weichert Realtors has added HyperOffice to the tools, systems and services qualified for use by nearly 7,500 sales associates at approximately 350 franchised sales offices in 35 states. The HyperOffice collaboration...

House To Tackle New Warrantless-Wiretap Bill Tomorrow.
March 12, 2008... Despite all kinds of pushback from Republicans, including the president, the House plans to vote tomorrow on legislation concerning the future of warrantless wiretapping. There's no clear indication, however, that this version will pass the...

Microsoft/Nortel UC Combine Unleashes More Offerings.
March 12, 2008... Microsoft and Nortel have launched four more services in their vaunted "Innovative Communications Alliance" unified-communications (UC) partnership, bringing to 10 the number of offerings unveiled since the two announced their alliance...

Tilana Offers Developers Kit.
March 12, 2008... Online storage specialist Tilana is selling a software-as-a-service (SaaS) development environment, dubbed the "Tilana Cloud," with tools for developers to build desktop and mobile applications powered by the cloud-based Tilana online...

CommPartners Connect Enhances VoIP Network.
March 12, 2008... CommPartners Connect, a nationwide provider of CLEC-certified, facilities-based VoIP and TDM services, now is using VoIP lifecycle-management solutions from Packet Island. The integration of the new technology will assist value-added...

Contact-Center Partnership Melds IVR, 'Silent Agent' Technology.
March 12, 2008... Call Genie Inc., a provider of local search and advertising solutions, is teaming with Spoken Communications, which markets human call-center-agent and speech technology, to sell a next-gen voice solution they say integrates automation with...

ICU Live! Cuts SMB Travel, Collaboration Costs.
March 12, 2008... Unified-communications (UC) consultancy ICUGlobal has developed a program that allows small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to take advantage of professional-quality, Web-based video conferencing, messaging and collaboration. The new...

InfoTrack Report Says Microsoft More Desirable Than IBM For UC.
March 13, 2008... According to the just released "InfoTrack for Unified Communications: Analysis of Market Demand for Microsoft and IBM Unified Communications," enterprises are more likely to license unified communications (UC) from Microsoft, specifically...

Bay Area SMBs Have A New LMDS Choice.
March 13, 2008... Covad Wireless, part of Covad Communications Group Inc., is teaming with IDT Spectrum, a division of IDT Corp., to deploy new enterprise-class wireless Ethernet services in the San Francisco Bay Area. Covad Wireless will use IDT's...

Survey Sez: Mobile Multimedia Popular, But Where's The Bucks?
March 13, 2008... A new survey from Dutch researcher 3ple-Media shows a positive shift in subscriber perceptions and expectations about the evolving role of wireless carriers when it comes to multimedia services but there's some question about how to grow...

Are China's Carriers Looking At Consolidation?
March 13, 2008... China Telecom reportedly is reviewing plans to roll out service packages that bundle fixed-line and CDMA wireless services in anticipation of a possible restructuring of Chinese telecom operators. In China today, there are six state-owned...

Wireless Engineer Certification Program Available Soon.
March 13, 2008... The Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers Communications Society (IEEE ComSoc) is offering a program to certify the competency, practical knowledge and skills of wireless communications professionals. The IEEE Wireless...

TWT Announces Name Change.
March 13, 2008... Time Warner Telecom Inc. is tightening up and going lower case with a new moniker - tw telecom inc. - that cuts over July 1. "The time is right to focus our brand around the 'tw telecom' name and a vision, a set of values and a brand...

Second Saudi Wireless Carrier Bets On Managed Services.
March 14, 2008... Saudi Arabia's Number Two cellular carrier, the fast-growing Mobily, has decided to turn the operation of its network over to a trio of outside companies: Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. This deal is said to be...

Zeacom Upgrades UC Flagship.
March 14, 2008... Next week, Zeacom will take the wraps off a new version of its flagship unified communications (UC) solution -- Zeacom Communications Center 5.0 -- with new features that include a voice-conferencing service and mobile-device support. ...

Convergys Purchase Widens Asia-Pac Exposure.
March 14, 2008... Convergys Corporation is expanding the set of customer-service-management offerings available to its clients through the acquisition of Shanghai Hong Xun Software Co. Ltd. from BMI Asia Inc. According to the Ohio-based buyer, Shanghai...

Aspect Mounts Enhanced Contact-Center Campaign.
March 14, 2008... Aspect Software Inc. is strengthening the ties between unified communications (UC) and contact-center operations with a new strategy that includes its IT-ready Aspect Unified IP and PerformanceEdge solutions along with some upcoming...

Comcast Optical Trial Tests 10G, 40G Links.
March 14, 2008... Cableco Comcast has been testing a 100 Gigabit/sec optical solution from Nortel all this week at the 71st meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) conference in Philadelphia. Nortel's 100G solution is based on the Nortel 100G...

FCC Auction Update: Gone Fishin'.
March 14, 2008... At TelecomWeb news break's posting time, Round 230 of the FCC's auction of 700 MHz channels garnered just four new bids, and this kind of trolling could go on for days before the players finally decide to fish or cut bait. Of course, the...

DT Ramps Mobile Growth Via OTE Offer.
March 17, 2008... Deutsche Telekom is paying Marfin Investment Group (MIG) a hefty $4 billion ($41 per share) for MIG's stake in the Greek carrier Hellenic Telecom (OTE). The German giant will own 20 percent of OTE, the largest individual slice, when all...

China Surfs Its Way To The Top.
March 17, 2008... China has surged past the United States in its total number of Internet users, knocking America off the Number One pole position it's held for nearly 40 years. According to a new report released by Chinese research house BDA, because of...

OnRelay Ditches The 'Fixed' In FMC.
March 17, 2008... British fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) software house OnRelay has an offering it says eliminates both the "fixed" side of FMC and the on-site corporate PBX by using employees' cellphones as the extensions for a hosted PBX service. ...

Avaya Touts Low-Cost Teleworker UC Helps.
March 17, 2008... Beginning at 15 cents per day per employee - including video - Avaya says its new unified communications (UC) solutions are aimed at remote workers and branch offices. Earlier today at the Spring VON show in Orlando, Avaya unveiled the...

DragonWave Adds New Tools To Carrier Ethernet Box.
March 17, 2008... In the migration to carrier Ethernet, Canada's DragonWave says its new "pseudowire solution" fosters a simplified, future-proofed, packet-based network "significantly more affordable" to build, power, support and maintain. The Service...

Microsoft Licenses Adobe Mobile Apps.
March 17, 2008... Coming soon to a Windows Mobile handset near you: Adobe Flash Lite and Adobe Reader. In a deal announced earlier today, Microsoft now is licensed to offer the two Adobe products from Adobe Systems. Both Adobe products will be made...

EC Vets DVB-H For Euro Mobile TV.
March 18, 2008... The European Commission (EC) has added Nokia's Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld standard (DVB-H) to the European Union (EU) List of Standards that serves as "a basis for encouraging the harmonized provision of telecommunications across...

Ukraine Carrier Taps Amdocs For Triple-Play Move.
March 18, 2008... Velton.Telecom, a wireless, wireline and Internet service provider in Ukraine that remains in private hands instead of being government-run, is using Amdocs products to segue into a true triple-player. The carrier, which operates in 14...

Linksys Intros Its Own iPhone.
March 18, 2008... Linksys, a division of Cisco, has released details of the Linksys by Cisco Wireless-G IP iPhone (WIP310), targeting voice providers and IP telephony value-added resellers that want to sell voice-mobility capabilities with a 802.11 b/g/n...

BroadSoft Xtended Touts Mashups Galore.
March 18, 2008... BroadSoft Xtended, an initiative created to highlight the integration of voice and Web 2.0 technologies, now is available from VoIP app software provider BroadSoft Inc. According to the company, "The initiative drives new innovative...

Simlab.net First To Offer Ditech Hosted VQA.
March 18, 2008... Simlab.net, which calls itself one of the nation's fastest-growing managed service providers, now says it will be the industry's first managed- service provider to deliver Ditech's Voice Quality Assurance (VQA) offering as a hosted service to...

ECI NGN Program Based On Carrier Class Ethernet.
March 18, 2008... Telecom hardware giant ECI - touting its history as a telco (rather than as an enterprise) network supplier - has intensified its thrust into next- generation networking (NGN), replete with a framework that melds just about every...

700 MHz Auction Ends, D-Block Flap Begins.
March 19, 2008... The FCC's auction of spectrum in the 700 MHz band, garnered from analog channels that will be returned to the commission when the digital-TV (DTV) revolution begins in February 2009, broke many standing auction records when it ended late...

Secure Text-Messaging Service Complies With HIPAA Regs.
March 19, 2008... SquareLoop Inc., a Va.-based provider of wireless location-based services (LBS), has developed a text-messaging system for the secure transmission of extremely private data over public wireless networks. The system, a new feature on...

AdvanceIP The Latest Edition To Telrad Legacy Gear.
March 19, 2008... Telrad Connegy has upgraded its family of legacy PBX systems with a single platform it says is easily expandable from small to larger configurations. The company's latest system, AdvanceIP, is an IP-enabled business- communications...

Verizon, Aastra Enhance Business Relationship.
March 19, 2008... Verizon Business has certified Aastra Telecom's line of 5xi SIP telephones for use with its Hosted IP Centrex service offering. Adding Aastra's SIP phones to Verizon Business's portfolio of VoIP customer premises equipment (CPE) provides...

RedSky Donates Gear To Support Next-Gen 911 Trials.
March 19, 2008... The U.S. Department of Transportation's Next Generation 911 Initiative plans to use RedSky Technologies' third-generation Location Information Server (LIS) to support Proof of Concept testing of its new NG911 architecture. The NG911 R&D...

'Smart Office' App Includes Lawson, Microsoft Interfaces.
March 19, 2008... Las Vegas-based Lawson Software is melding such Microsoft productivity, mobility and collaboration tools as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Groove with Lawson enterprise applications and business intelligence capabilities. ...

Verizon, AT&T Win Big; D Band Officially De-Linked From Auction.
March 20, 2008... At TelecomWeb news break's posting time, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released its Order de-linking the Upper 700 MHz D Block from the other blocks offered in the 700 MHz Auction (Auction 73), which closed earlier this week...

GSA Names Winners Of Huge Contact-Center Contracts.
March 20, 2008... The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) awarded nine contracts to supply what looks to be the largest contact-center program in the history of the world - a behemoth $2.5 billion worth of contact-center services during the next...

EC Thumbs Its Nose At U.S. Broadband.
March 20, 2008... Europe still has a long way to go to establish the single telecom market of which the European Commission (EC) dreams, according to a just-released progress report, but the EC just couldn't resist taking a pot shot at the United States by...

Verizon Managed-Security Offering Climbs The Stack.
March 20, 2008... Verizon, beefing up its managed-security-services (MSS) offerings, next month will go to market with an Application Log Monitoring and Management app it says moves security up the IT stack. The new service will log, track and analyze user...

Sprint, China Telecom Forge Convergence Pact.
March 20, 2008... China Telecom and Sprint are collaborating to complement Sprint's Global MPLS capabilities for customers in China by interconnecting the IP VPN networks of the two carriers. According to the partners, this strategy includes establishing...

Dell Offers Big-Biz Servers At SMB Prices.
March 20, 2008... According to Dell, "Small and medium businesses (SMBs) no longer have to sacrifice server performance or reliability for an affordable price." The new PowerEdge R300 and T300 servers now come with performance, memory and...