The Sprint Joint Venture (JV) with cable giants Advance/Newhouse,
Comcast, Cox and Time Warner Cable has not only inspired the
companies to offer integrated wireless and cable-based services
via some new devices, but looks to have prompted Sprint to
shed its local phone operations.
It recently announced the spin-off of its local telephone
operations, called Embarq, which will focus primarily on “building
its position in the market for mobile communications products
and services,” the company detailed in its spin-off announcement.
And why not? According to research firm In-Stat (a sister
company to CED magazine), the global market for wireless handsets
was $110 billion in 2005, but will grow 23 percent to exceed
$136 billion in 2006 and top $250 billion in 2011.
Worldwide sales of mobile phones will reach 1.8 billion units
in 2011 and SmartPhone sales will surpass 480 million units,
In-Stat predicts. With those heady numbers and a JV the size
of its cable partnership, it’s no wonder Sprint Nextel is
shedding its local phone business.
In the meantime, Sprint is enhancing its Power Vision network,
a wireless network for mobile broadband services, by increasing
its high-speed footprint to more than 190 million wireless
users by year-end 2006.
And, the dual-mode phone being designed to combine Nextel
walkie-talkie features with Sprint’s voice and data services
is expected to be deployed later this year.
So, for Sprint, the operatives are now worldwide, mobile
and wireless.
—Craig
Kuhl, IP Capsule Editor, and CED Magazine
Contributing Editor
Alcatel and Microsoft TV getting
Hungary
Alcatel
and Microsoft
TV will supply T-Online
Hungary with the software and integrated solutions
for T-Online’s IPTV pilot project, which is scheduled for
public market trial this summer.
The three-phase pilot comprises a technical lab trial, which
has been successfully completed, two field trials and the
public market trial, the companies said.
So what’s up with this deal? It represents the 15th service
provider to announce its use of Microsoft TV’s IPTV Edition
software platform, and represents T-Online Hungary’s initial
step into broadcast TV, VOD and interactive TV.
WorldGate finds its Ojo
WorldGate
Communications announced that its Ojo personal videophone
will now operate over a wider range of wired and wireless
broadband networks.
The video phone, WorldGate claimed, can now operate on Fiber-to-the-Home,
HomePlug and Broadband over Power Line (BPL) networks, along
with wireless networks based on WiFi and WiMax.
Why the Ojo expansion? Greater user flexibility over more
broadband networks.
Nakina now managing IPTV infrastructure
Nakina
Systems Inc., a security and element management provider,
has launched a management solution for IPTV infrastructure
that covers management of network devices ranging from core
optical networks through to the next generation of broadband
FTTx/GPON edge technologies, the company said.
Nakina’s new IPTV product provides a consistent user interface
and set of procedures that apply equally across all hardware
systems in the network, the company revealed.
What’s the big deal? Nakina says its solution will overcome
the problem of inadequate element management systems.
And the research says….
Digital Rights Management (DRM) making an impact
By 2010, growth of IPTV, digital cable, DTH satellite and
mobile TV will reach 400 million subscribers worldwide, and
annual shipments of consumer electronics devices with DRM
on board will surpass 1 billion units annually in 2009, reports
research and analyst group, iSuppli
in the firm’s report: “Digital Rights Management & Conditional
Access: Keys to the Digital Content Kingdom.”
The result? The research group predicts a healthy increase
in the DRM and Conditional Access (CM) markets. For example,
by 2010, nearly $40 billion in protected premium digital multimedia
revenue will flow, with more than $4.5 billion in revenue
opportunity for DRM/CA solutions.
Cablevision puts flat-rate plan
on a global scale
Optimum
Voice, Cablevision Systems Corp.’s VoIP service, is
now offering a new international calling option that allows
customers to call anywhere in the world for an extra $19.95
a month.
More than 900,000 customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut
will have access to the new tier, the company added. The Optimum
World Call service can be added to any residential Optimum
Voice subscription. Cablevision’s flagship VoIP service offers
unlimited local and long distance calling to the U.S., Canada,
and Puerto Rico for $34.95.
Why the new international tier? Flat rate calling offers
are becoming an important part of expanding bundles of services.
AudioCodes said it will pay $85 million in cash to Nuera
stockholders. AudioCodes has also agreed to pay up to an additional
$5 million, should Nuera achieve certain revenue milestones
in the first 12 months following the closing of the deal.
On the PacketCable front, Nuera has won qualification for
its BTX-4K VoIP media gateway and its BTX-8 gateway. Both
provide PacketCable-compliant trunking access to the public
switched telephone network (PSTN). AudioCodes’ Mediant 5000
gateway has also received the PacketCable okay from CableLabs.
The deal and product combination “places AudioCodes in a
stronger position in the cable and voice over broadband markets,
and in particular in North America and Asia,” said AudioCodes
President & CEO Shabtai Adlersberg, in a statement. “Together
we will create a more capable, larger scale VoIP equipment
provider in North America to serve service providers and support
our network equipment providers in cable, wireless and wireline
markets, and we will offer best-of-breed media gateway carrier
grade products to a wider group of customers.”
The companies expect to close the deal by the end of Q2 or
by early Q3. At that time, Nuera will become a wholly-owned
subsidiary of AudioCodes.
Aptela adds call center functionality
Aptela
has introduced an automated call distribution service that will
allow business customers to recognize, answer and route incoming
calls, enabling real-time communications for sales and support
team management, the company said.
The service, called Aptela Dispatch, automatically distributes
incoming calls to the first available live agent or operator
through queues. It can also integrate mobile, remote and distributed
staff within queues and call distribution, the company noted.
BroadSoft integrates with RTX
BroadSoft
Inc. and Danish wireless company RTX
have integrated RTX’s wireless loop solution with the BroadWorks
VoIP application platform, the companies announced. BroadWorks
is BroadSoft’s flagship technology.
The solution will enable businesses to connect an existing
fiber optic or copper cable network to an IP-and Digital Enhanced
Cordless Telecommunications (DECT)-based wireless network.
The result, according to the companies, will be a VoIP platform
that can bring the service to emerging markets, cost effectively.
Xconnect acquiring e164.info
Xconnect
has agreed to acquire e164.info, the operator of an international
private ENUM registry (ENUM is a standard protocol for resolving
phone numbers into IP addresses).
The 50 contracted members of e164.info and others currently
trialing the service, have provisioned more than 123 million
unique telephone numbers into the ENUM registry, the company
said.
What’s this about? Xconnect is a large provider of “Plug
and Play” VoIP peering services. With the addition of e164.info,
it is now the largest VoIP peering community worldwide, the
companies noted.
Arbinet-thexchange
Inc. has certified the SAFARI C-Cubed Multimedia Switching
System.
Cedar Point gets certified
Cedar
Point Communications said its SAFARI C-Cubed Multimedia
Switching System is the first switching platform to be certified
by Arbinet-thexchange Inc. for Arbinet’s Peering Solutions
managed VoIP peering service.
Peering Solutions, the companies noted, gives global VoIP
providers the ability to manage access to their VoIP accessible
phone numbers and the option to exchange VoIP traffic with
their peering partners.
If you’ve been tracking cable telephony over the years, the
president & CEO of Arbinet-thexchange, Curt Hockemeier,
may ring a bell. In the earlier part of the decade he headed
up the telephony activities of AT&T Broadband, which is
now part of Comcast.
BigBand and NETGEAR bond on
DOCSIS 3.0
BigBand
Networks and NETGEAR
Inc. have secured an integration deal that aims to
comply with DOCSIS 3.0, a developing CableLabs spec that will
enlist channel bonding and product speeds in excess of 100
Mbps.
The integration will team the NETGEAR Channel Bonding Cable
Modem (model CM232) with a modular cable modem termination
system (M-CMTS) from BigBand that features the company’s Cuda
CMTS and BME (Broadband Multimedia-Service Edge) products.
The deal also teams a traditional broadband vendor with a
company with direct ties to the consumer electronics ecosystem.
“Service providers desire open, multi-vendor solutions with
timely delivery, making NETGEAR and BigBand Networks natural
partners to achieve end-to-end integration such as our channel
bonding collaboration,” said John Connelly, BigBand’s executive
VP of marketing and business development, in a statement.
“NETGEAR believes in partnering with companies such as BigBand
Networks that share our focus on openness and innovation,
allowing each of us to leverage our expertise in elevating
consumer experiences and service provider operations,” added
David James, director of broadband service provider products
for NETGEAR.
Note: NETGEAR and BigBand recently underwrote a Webcast (“Speed
Thrills – Paving the Path Toward DOCSIS 3.0”) in partnership
with CED. An archive of the event is available for free with
registration.
Yahoo! BB to deploy Cisco
Yahoo! BB,
one of Japan’s largest broadband service providers, has announced
the deployment of Cisco
Systems‘ high-capacity 40 Gbps interface card on its
Cisco Carrier Routing System (Cisco CRS-1).
Yahoo! BB is using Cisco’s IP next-generation network (NGN)
architecture and according to the company, will deploy the
high-capacity interface nationwide. Cisco’s NGN architecture
will give Yahoo! BB the flexibility, scalability, security
and stability it needs to compete, the companies added.
Sunrise set to offer VDSL support
Sunrise
Telecom is introducing its SSMTT-41 module for triple
play services, the company said. The multi-functional tool
supports VDSL line verification function and inside wiring
tests in an integrated system.
The SSMMT includes a VDSL modem, HPNA analyzer, RF signal
level meter, spectrum analyzer, and wiring test features in
a single unit, the company added.
Claim to Fame: Creates research capital for companies
ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market
reports, multi-client studies, consumer research, workshops,
and custom-tailored client solutions. The market and consulting
firm focuses on digital segments and connectivity in the home.
Recent news of note: Its most recent study—”The
Business of Bundled Services: Consumers, Models, and Uptake”—predicts
that the addition of incremental value-added services such
as TV-based caller ID and home monitoring to basic triple-play
service bundles in the US will boost monthly revenue per subscriber
to $206 by 2010, up from the current $148 per month.