* HPNA adds five more members
HomePNA has added five new members: Conexant Systems, Allied Telesis Labs, Amedia Networks, FLUKE Networks and JDSU.
Although HPNA is traditionally linked to home networking over phone lines, the technology can also be outfitted to run over existing coaxial lines and compete with efforts such as the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA).
The HomePNA 3.0 platform was standardized by the ITU in May 2005.
* Fujitsu elevates Massery
Fujitsu Network Communications has promoted Joe Massery to SVP of development.
Massery, most recently the VP of hardware and physical design, is succeeding Takashi Wakabayashi, who is returning to Japan next month to serve as SVP of the Fujitsu Ltd. Photonics group.
Massery will be based at the company’s HQ in Richardson, Texas.
* ESPN clips wireless foray
ESPN, in the wake of sluggish sales and despite a major marketing push, said it will shut down the Mobile ESPN wireless network at year-end, and that it is already in talks to license Mobile ESPN content to other wireless service providers.
* German operator relies on BigBand to optimize video delivery
NetCologne has deployed the BigBand Networks’ Broadband Multimedia-Service Router (BMR) to control channel line-up, bandwidth efficiency and video quality for all digital cable subscribers it serves in the Cologne and Bonn areas. NetCologne is using BigBand Digital TV Management on the platform for GUI (graphical user interface) control over the carriage and channel placement of each digital program. The deployment also employs RateShaping bit rate adaptation, which is designed to maintain high video quality while containing cumulative bandwidth utilized within capacity constraints.
* EchoStar announces $500M debt offer
EchoStar Communications’ holding company subsidiary, EchoStar DBS Corp., is offering approximately $500 million in debt securities. The proceeds of the sale will replenish cash reserves that will be depleted when the company redeems its outstanding Floating Rate Senior Notes due 2008 on October 1, 2006.
* C-COR expands footprint of CableEdge in Germany
Unity Media, parent of cable network operators ish and iesy, is continuing to deploy C-COR’s CableEdge software, this time in the Hessen region of Germany. CableEdge is intelligent network management and planning software that collects and analyzes network traffic and performance data from DOCSIS-compliant devices (including cable modems, CMTSs, HDTVs and set-top boxes) to derive benchmarks for network service quality. Unity Media claims more than 5.1 million households in Europe.
* Thomas & Betts elevates exec to EVP level
Thomas & Betts has named Christopher P. Hartmann as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Hartmann will assume these new responsibilities on October 2, 2006, but will continue to lead the company’s electrical business until the company hires a successor. Hartmann joined Thomas & Betts in 2003 from Affiliated Distributors.
