* SCTE seeks proposals
The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) is seeking proposals for topics related to education, learning and development, and human performance improvement for its 2007 Conference on Broadband Learning & Development, set for June 19, 2007, in Orlando, Fla.

Information related to paper submissions and proposals is available on the Web (pdf). The deadline for proposals is Friday, Feb. 9, 2007. They should be submitted via e-mail to: cbld_info@scte.org.

* DirecTV sticks with AT&T for enterprise services
DirecTV has signed a one-year, $33 million extension to its contract with AT&T for OneNet Service support.

Those services include toll-free 800, advanced features, and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and Frame Relay services that support DirecTV’s 18 call centers and approximately 60 corporate WAN points of presence. AT&T will also begin to provide Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) services, which will allow DirecTV to employ VoIP in its call center support and enterprise networks.

* GENBAND gateway proven compatible with Nortel softswitch
GENBAND announced its G6 Universal Media Gateway has successfully completed laboratory compatibility testing with Nortel’s Communication Server 2000 (CS 2000) softswitch.

Compatibility with softswitches from leading switch vendors will further Genband’s ambition to place its own products with telco customers migrating to IMS networks. Genband said the G6 has been deployed by 114 carriers in 817 sites.