* TVN is Ripe for another VOD deal
TVN Entertainment has inked a multi-year deal to provide VOD distribution and asset management services for Ripe Digital Entertainment.
Ripe Digital, akin to Google’s approach on the Web, sells TV ads on a cost per view basis via its RipeTV and Octane TV properties.
Under the deal, Ripe Digital, which specializes in content for adults, will offer fare via TVN’s ADONISS 2 asset management toolset and TVNow quick turnaround platform. The companies have also agreed to collaborate on future ad sales.
* Nortel ups municipal investment
Nortel Networks is positioning itself to serve the burgeoning municipal wireless market.
New initiatives include the opening of a dedicated municipal wireless lab in Research Triangle Park, N.C., and the launch of a new set of gear based on mesh, LAN and WiMAX technologies.
“We are committed to helping communities make wireless broadband services affordable and available to everyone,” said Dietmar Wendt, president of Nortel’s Global Services division.
Nortel said its Municipal Wireless Solution has been deployed by the Taipei City government in Taipei, Taiwan; and by Golden Telecom in Moscow, Russia; as well I Ariel, an Israeli settlement on the West Bank. In North America, Nortel has seen traction with Annapolis Wireless of Annapolis, Md.; Bell Canada in Ontario; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Richardson, Texas, among others.
* Vonage subs can dial 511 for traffic updates
Vonage continues to add to the slate of services available to its customers. Vonage customers can now dial 511 from their Vonage phones, at no charge, to receive local traffic reports from their area 511 systems. There are currently thirty 511 systems operating in 26 states. Last week, Vonage cut a deal to make AccuWeather reports available to its subscribers.
* VoIP completes phase 1 of its network expansion
VoIP Inc. said its carrier subsidiary, Volo Communications, has built out its network to now include locations in New York, Florida, Massachusetts and Georgia. There are 50 million households and business subscriber lines in those areas, by VoIP’s count, which the company was able to reach previously, but only through the facilities of other carriers. The company plans to next establish its own facilities in Colorado, Texas, New Jersey, Arizona, Washington, North Carolina and California.
* Internet 2 to use Ciena switch
Ciena has bumped up its participation in the Internet2 consortium to the corporate partner level, and said its CoreDirector Multiservice Switch will be deployed in Internet2’s advanced research and education network, which is still being built and is scheduled for full operation in mid-2007.
Ciena also recently began participation in Internet2’s Hybrid Optical and Packet Infrastructure (HOPI) project, a national scale network test bed.
