* v.1 Labs gets some northern exposure, bows IPTV set-top box module
v.1 Labs said New York-based Ontario & Trumansburg Telephone Companies will deploy the vendor’s “Diskless Self Installation Wizard,” and its “Front Line Customer Care Suite.”

In concert, the telco will be deploying a new two-way chat and desktop remote feature, which was recently added to the v.1 Front Line lineup.

As the name would suggest, v.1 Labs’ “Diskless” system eliminates the need for “hardened media” such as installation CDs.

Separately, v.1 Labs introduced a new support module for IPTV set-tops. The module is designed to gather historical data from the set-top and to perform “self healing when required.” v.1 Labs said the new module, which hooks into its Front Line system, aims to reduce the customer care burden for IPTV service providers.

TV Anywhere, an IPTV startup that will use broadband connections to export live linear programming and on-demand programming from U.S. suppliers around the world is one of the first service providers to deploy the new module from v.1 Labs.

* Report: AT&T ready for HD expansion
AT&T plans to roll out the HD version of its IP-based “U-verse” service in 15 markets by the end of 2006, according to a report in the Financial Times.

* RCN Business Solutions certified for Ethernet services
RCN Business Solutions has been certified compliant with Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) specifications for Ethernet Private Line (EPL), Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL), and Ethernet LAN (ELAN) services.

The MEF certification program involved a series of lab tests and remote monitoring tests on RCN’s network and network equipment. RCN’s test results passed the standards established by the MEF 9 test suite specification. RCN Business Solutions is a wholly-owned, but separately managed, division of RCN Corp.