• Verizon’s high-speed Internet service expands in Ohio
By Traci Patterson
More consumers and businesses in the Wilmington and Circleville, Ohio, area now have access to Verizon’s high-speed Internet service.
Verizon’s entry-level service offers speeds of up to1 Mbps downstream and 384 Kbps upstream, and consumers can order the new entry-level service for $9.99 per month for the first six months with a one-year contract. Under the contract, monthly pricing for the remainder of the annual plan will be $25.99 per month.
Consumers who want faster speeds can order Verizon’s up-to-3 Mbps/768 Kbps service for $19.99 per month for the first six months as part of an annual plan, with the following six-month pricing of $33.99 per month.
• Juniper names Rose EVP of service, support, operations
By Traci Patterson
Juniper Networks has appointed Mike Rose to the newly created role of executive vice president of service, support and operations.
He will report directly to CEO Kevin Johnson, and the leaders of Juniper’s services and manufacturing organizations will report directly to Rose.
Most recently, Rose was the senior vice president and chief information officer for Royal Dutch Shell. Prior to Shell, Rose had a 23-year career at Hewlett-Packard (HP) in roles across finance, IT and field operations.
• Joost promotes Gaedtke to CTO
By Traci Patterson
Joost has promoted Jason Gaedtke, formerly the company’s chief architect, to the role of chief technology officer (CTO).
Gaedtke will be responsible for the development of Joost’s technical strategy and overall systems architecture, for the technical communications outside of the company, and for the evaluation of technologies relevant to the company’s future.
Gaedtke joined Joost in March 2008. Prior to Joost, Gaedtke was chief scientist at CableLabs. Before CableLabs, he served as chief architect and Comcast Fellow and led a team of architects within Comcast Interactive Media (CIM). The team was responsible for the design and implementation of Fancast.com, as well as for the maintenance and evolution of the Comcast.net portal.
• Arris’ ADM interconnects with leading ADS providers’ systems
By Traci Patterson
Arris announced that its Advanced Advertising Manager (ADM) has interconnected with systems of several Advanced Advertising Decision Service (ADS) and Campaign Manager providers at the company’s labs in Beaverton, Ore.
The interoperability tests focus on real-world applications and new revenue-generating capabilities in advanced advertising insertion for cable MSOs, as defined by industry standards SCTE 130, SCTE 118, DVS766 and ADI (1.1 & 2.0), Arris said.
“We are very excited to announce our ability to interface with so many of the industry’s leading ADS providers,” said Arris Director of On Demand Paul Delzio. “Building flexibility and openness into our solution allows a much greater ease of deployment and the ability to drive more services, thereby increasing the revenue potential for all stakeholders involved. Advertisers have demonstrated with their wallets that they place increased value on messages that reach their intended audience over more broad-based implementations. We will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure increased awareness of these new advertising capabilities throughout the marketplace.”
• ADB provides IPTV STBs to TUB
By Traci Patterson
Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB) is set to provide the Tullahoma Utilities Board (TUB) in Tennessee with advanced set-top boxes for the board’s IPTV system. ADB has already deployed IPTV products to more than 120 independent operating companies (IOCs) in North America.
TUB has deployed the ADB-5810WX, the ADB-3800W and the ADB-2500W set-top boxes on its newly constructed fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network – called LightTUBe – that offers television, Internet and phone services to more than 10,000 customers in Tullahoma, Tenn., and parts of the surrounding area.
Brian Skelton, general manager of TUB, said, “We reviewed many products, but at the end of the day we believe that the ADB line of advanced IPTV STBs provided us with the technology, capability and reliability we needed to insure our customers’ satisfaction.”
• Transpera gets $8.25M in financing round
By Traci Patterson
Transpera, which provides a platform to monetize Web video on mobile phones, has completed its second round of financing, totaling $8.25 million.
The new round of capital will help the company expand the product line and service customers.
“Transpera is demonstrating true leadership in the mobile video market by building an ever-expanding network of premium content partners and delivering innovative, game-changing advertising opportunities,” said Jeff Bussgang, general partner of Flybridge Capital Partners. “We continue to be pleased with their progress in setting a new standard within the mobile video landscape.”
More Broadband Direct:
• Verizon exec: Telcos can reinvent video viewing
• McSlarrow, NCTA take issue with FCC’s letters of inquiry
• Sprint employees offered buyouts; iPCS suit continues
• Nortel bows video developer program at TelcoTV
• Sezmi calls Seattle trial a success
• Obama transition team picks Wheeler for science, technology
• LRG: 1/3 of U.S. households have at least 1 HDTV