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Atlantic Telephone Deploys Ciena's Broadband Loop Carrier Atlantic Telephone, a member-owned telephone cooperative in North Carolina with 43,000 access lines, has deployed CIENA's CN 1000 Broadband Loop Carrier (BLC) platform. The CN 1000 provides POTS, DSL and Packet Voice capability on every line, enabling carriers to software-provision these services to any subscriber - remotely, without manual intervention. The platform integrates the functions of a next-generation DLC (NGDLC), a video-enabled DSLAM, a fiber multiplexer and a packet-ready media gateway. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.ciena.com 27-Sep-04 BellSouth Trims DSL Price BellSouth is cutting the price of its FastAccess DSL Ultra, which features downstream connection speeds of up to 1.5Mbps and upstream speeds up to 256Kbps, by $7 per month for both new and existing customers. The service is now available for $17.95 per month for the first six months with the BellSouth Unlimited long distance plan for new subscribers. Existing customers will pay $32.95 per month. http://www.bellsouth.com 27-Sep-04 Thomson Claims Leading Share in Worldwide DSL CPE For the first half of 2004, Thomson shipped 3.3 million DSL customer premise equipment (CPE) units, givin the company the number one market share position worldwide for such products, according to research from Dell'Oro Group cited by Thomson. The shipment volume represented 16.7 percent of the market share worldwide and 37 percent market share in Europe/Middle East/Asia (EMEA) for the first half of 2004. The Thomson range of DSL products include USB, Ethernet and wireless modems, routers and gateways. http://www.thomson.net 27-Sep-04 DSL Tops 78 Million Lines Worldwide The number of DSL subscribers worldwide exceeded 78 million as of 30-June-2004, up by 30 million in 12 months, according to the latest data produced for the DSL Forum by industry analyst Point Topic. The DSL Forum noted considerable progress in North America, achieving a 48% subscriber increase, significantly more than the 31% growth in cable and other technologies. In the U.S., DSL has seen a 3% increase in market share with nearly 4 million new subscribers. In Canada, DSL subscribers now account for 48% of the total broadband market. South and East Asia was the fastest growing region for DSL subscribers in the 12 months, with a 110% growth, while the Middle East and Africa showed a 107% increase, and Latin America a rise of 104%. The European Union (EU) has narrowly taken over from Asia Pacific as the number one DSL region, with a total of over 23 million subscribers, around 11 million of them joining the DSL community in the last 12 months. In parallel, the DSL Forum revealed its new European logo programme as the symbol of a disciplined approach to interoperability testing. Accredited, DSL Forum-recognized independent testing laboratories (ITLs) authorize use of this logo for CPE. http://www.dslforum.org 22-Sep-04 Alcatel Launches IP DSLAM for Telco Triple Play Alcatel launched a new IP DSLAM designed for telco triple play services, including high-speed Internet access, voice, video on demand, HDTV and broadcast TV services. The Alcatel 7302 Intelligent Services Access Manager (ISAM) supports a range of broadband access technologies: multi-ADSL (RE-ADSL2 and ADSL2plus), VDSL2, PON, remote node aggregation, integrated POTS and ADSL combo technology. It features a non-blocking internal architecture with a 24 Gbps switching fabric for wire-speed service delivery to all users. Gigabit connectivity is provided to each slot for allow for high uptake of bandwidth consuming services (such as VoD and business access). The platform's design provides wire-speed, packet processing on the line card. This network processor based intelligence enables distributed BRAS functionality with RADIUS support. The IP DSLAM also provides flexible service hubbing, with multiple uplink and subtending capabilities (up to seven uplinks for 100 Mbps to 7 Gbps, electrical or optical). China Telecom is the first operator deploying the new 7302 Intelligent Services Access Manager. http://www.alcatel.com 21-Sep-04 Cable & Wireless Pursues Local Loop Unbundling in U.K. Cable & Wireless announced its intention to pursue the broadband market in the U.K. via local unbundling from BT. In a webcast presentation, Cable & Wireless said its initial plans include: a target to unbundle up to 400 exchanges by the second half of 2005 which will give Cable & Wireless access to approximately 30% of sites in the UK local loop unbundling capital investment is expected to be £40-50 million in the year to 31 March 2005. An additional £15 - 35 million will be required in the year to 31 March 2006, subject to the speed of subscriber growth investment will also include operational funding, which is expected to be approximately £30 million in the year to 31 March 2005 and at a similar level in the following year, subject to the speed of subscriber growth annual revenue is expected to be approximately £250 million within 4 years "Cable & Wireless is uniquely positioned to take advantage of LLU in the UK given the reach of its national network, the second largest in the country. LLU enables Cable & Wireless to establish full ownership of its customers as their sole telecommunications provider reducing reliance on the incumbent. LLU allows us to establish a strong presence in the access network and to unlock the value of our fixed network. Over time this will translate to stronger margins," said Francesco Caio, Chief Executive Officer of Cable & Wireless. http://www.cw.com 16-Sep-04 Point Topic: Global Broadband Reaches 123 Million Lines, up 55% Y-O-Y The number of broadband lines worldwide surpassed the 123 million mark as of 30-June-2004, according to the latest figures from Point Topic, a London-based market research firm. The 123 million line count represents a 55% increase over the same period a year earlier. Point Topic said DSL lines increased by over 30 million, or 66%, to 78 million. Cable modem and other broadband lines increased by nearly 13 million, or 39%, to 45 million. Notably, fiber-to-the-building (FTTP or FTTX) accounted for 9 million lines as of 30 June, or 7.3%. Other technologies, mainly fixed wireless access and satellite, accounted for less than 0.3% of the total. In terms of broadband penetration per 100 population, South Korea leads at 24.4, followed by Hong Kong at 21. Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Taiwan and Switzerland have also reached the 15 lines per 100 population penetration. http://www.point-topic.co.uk 16-Sep-04 Kasenna Adds Network-Based PVR to IPTV Kasenna announced the availability of a network-based Personal Video Recorder (NPVR) feature for its MediaBase XMP video server line and other Linux-based servers running MediaBase. Kasenna's TimelessTV NPVR leverages the company's next generation vForge video service development framework. Network-based PVRs enable viewers to pause and resume live TV broadcasts, as well as to record, pause, rewind, and fast-forward through previously recorded shows, all without having to buy and install set-top boxes with hard disk storage, such as TiVo. Kasenna's NPVR is based in the service provider's own operations center. Kasenna said NPVR services could be offered by broadband service providers, hospitality chains, MTU/MDU owners, and other organizations. http://www.kasenna.com 13-Sep-04 UTStarcom Combines IP-DSLAM, Media Gateway and DLC UTStarcom introduced a high-density acceess platform that incorporates the functionality of its AN-2000 IP DSLAM and its iAN-2000 VoIP Media Gateway platform, as well as the functionality of a traditional Digital Loop Carrier (DLC). The new iAN-8000 Multi-Service Access Node (MSAN) can be configured to deliver a range of narrowband and broadband voice and data applications to subscribers over a wireline network infrastructure. When deployed in a central office (CO), the integrated platform delivers TDM voice, VoIP, and both Asymmetric DSL 2 (ADSL 2) and ADSL 2+. The IP network uplink uses either Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet. In emerging markets, the carrier could use Ethernet over E1 to support low-cost DSL services. As a media gateway, the platform initially offers MGCP / H.248 VoIP-based supplementary and Centrex services (V5.1/V5.2). Support for the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is scheduled for the second half of 2005. Density is another key design attribute. The iAN-8000 supports up to 384 ports per chassis and up to 5 chassis can act as a single systems, giving a total density of 1,920 ports per system. Because the platform incorporates a DLC, service providers could also deploy it in Points of Presence (POPs) and other remote locations to extend their voice service reach beyond the area served by the CO. It could also be deployed in an MTU environment to serve as a PBX, providing access to the operator's CO via FXO/FXS or E1 lines. Enterprises could also use the iAN-8000 to extend PBX functionality via the Internet to remote locations such as branch offices. UTStarcom said its iAN-8000 Multi-Service Access Node is currently undergoing a major customer trial in Japan. The company plans to offer the platform in Europe in the first half of 2005 and in the U.S. market by mid-year 2005. http://www.utstar.com 13-Sep-04 Microsoft and TANDBERG Integrate Encoder with IPTV Platform TANDBERG Televison has integrated its EN5920 encoder with the Microsoft IPTV platform for enabling live broadcast channels over broadband connections. The companies said this is the first availability of real-time Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile hardware encoding for IP-based digital television services using the Microsoft TV IPTV platform. The TANDBERG Television encoder and Microsoft TV IPTV platform support the Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile codec, enabling lower data rates while maintaining broadcast-quality video. The companies said the platform supports live broadcast channels "at a fraction of the data rates required for MPEG-2, while maintaining the same video quality." Microsoft TV and TANDBERG Television are conducting technical trials of their integrated solution with broadband operators in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America, and expect volume deployments to begin in early 2005. http://www.tandbergtv.com http://www.microsoft.com/tv 12-Sep-04 Microsoft Signs OEMs for Windows CE IP Set-top Boxes. Microsoft announced that eight additional original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will use Windows CE to power their IP set-top boxes. Specifically, AboCom Systems Inc., Akimbo Systems, Bast Inc., Dave Networks Inc., Handan BroadInfoCom, Humax Co. Ltd., ImpressTek and TCL International Holdings Ltd. Device have selected Windows CE to power their new lines of set-top boxes. These new Windows CE partners are in addition to leading vendors Biostar Microtech Int'l Corp., Broadband Networks Inc., Costron Corp., Pace Micro Technology plc, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Tcom&dtvro Co. Ltd and Thomson. Additional examples of deployment include Handan's Zenega brand, which was selected by T-Online in Germany, and Tcom&dtvro Co. Ltd., which has deployed more than 150,000 units in a hotel chain in Japan. Microsoft said the chief advantages of using Windows CE in a set-top box includes easier customization, remote management capabilities, the option to add new applications and services to boxes in the field, a rich multimedia experience for users, native support for the Windows Media 9 Series Codecs and DRM. The company noted that the standardization of Windows Media Video 9 into the VC-1 video codec standard (formerly VC-9) is now being considered for ballot as a Final Committee Draft (FCD) with SMPTE's C-24 group and has received acceptance by the Blu-ray Disc Association and the DVD Forum's HD DVD. Microsoft is a founding member of Advanced Access Content System, an organization defining the next-generation copy protection for HD content in optical media. http://www.microsoft.com/ 12-Sep-04 Microsoft and Thomson Announce IPTV-Ready Set-Top Box Microsoft and Thomson announced the availability of an IPTV-ready set-top box for the Microsoft TV IPTV platform. The set-top boxes use Windows CE embedded technology, along with an Intel Pentium III processor running at 933 MHZ and the Intel 830M4 graphics chipset. It supports current and next-generation video codecs including MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, Windows Media 9 Series, and MPEG-4 Part 10 AVC (H.264/JVT). The Thomson IP1001 and the RCA IP1000 set-top boxes are now available for all Microsoft TV IPTV trial customers, including Bell Canada, Reliance Infocomm Ltd., SBC Communications Inc. and Swisscom/Bluewin. Switzerland-based Bluewin is the first customer to conduct a market trial of the Microsoft TV IPTV platform and is deploying the Thomson set-top boxes in the trial. http://www.microsoft.com/tv http://www.thomson.net 12-Sep-04 NDS and TANDBERG Expand Relationship into IPTV Streaming NDS and TANDBERG Television are expanding their relationship to provide content protection with IPTV streaming capabilities. Specifically, VideoGuard, part of NDS's IP content protection solution Synamedia, has been integrated into the TANDBERG IP Streamer, which supports the delivery of TV and on demand services over both IP and ATM. NDS said its VideoGuard technology is currently used in over 44 million set-top boxes to protect video content from piracy. "In a competitive market, telcos and fibre operators are adding video services to differentiate their services. In order to attract the best programming, especially high value sports coverage and movies, they need to be able to rollout highly secure systems that protect both content and revenues," said Noel Matthews, Director of Broadband, TANDERG Television. http://www.tandbergtv.com http://www.nds.com 10-Sep-04 Anystream Enables Content Encoding for T-Online Premium Services T- Online is using Anystream's multi-node Agility Enterprise system to encode full- length movies as well as movie clips, trailers, news, sports, entertainment, music and games as part of its premium broadband online service, T-Online Vision. Customers are able to download movies via their DSL connection and specialized hybrid set- top boxes. T-Online is leveraging Agility's workflow automation, providing automated ingest, preprocessing, batch encoding into multiple formats, and automated Web delivery with notification. Anystream said its system eliminates analog-to-digital conversion steps in the production process. http://www.anystream.com/ 10-Sep-04