Convergence migration: tomorrow, tomorrow 
I spy iSKY 
Carrier hotels: urban renewal 
When data checks in 
Northpoint offers SDSL in Toronto 
Altra Broadband develops spin polarized DWDM 
PictureTel future hangs in the balance 
Aspect unveils its first IP-based product 
Jetstream receives US Patent on packet switching 
NeTrue to develop Wide-Band VSAT for Korean market 
DSL wholesalers need to shape up 
AOL Chief promises swift, open cable access 
Intel buys Trillium for $300 million 
Wireless web to soar at U.S. airports 
New multiservice routers from Cisco 
Clariti unveils wireless internet voicemail 
Rambus offers first DRAM to break 1GHz 

Convergence migration: tomorrow, tomorrow
Source: Comsoc

Several companies have begun the shift to a converged voice and data infrastructure. Some enterprises, particularly smaller companies and institutions, are beginning to use convergence in the LAN and throughout the wide area. Despite such implementation, voice and data integration is still in the beginning stages. Enterprise network managers expect to integrate voice and data on their networks in the near future, but are not making any major moves toward immediate convergence. Key hurdles to wide-area voice and data convergence are traditional long-distance carriers' lower prices and QoS issues, says Jeff Wilson, director of corporate access for Infonetics Research. Circuit-switched service may have an impact on wide-area packet-voice services, but should not be a critical issue for IP telephony that resides in the local area. 

A study by The Phillips Group-InfoTech conducted last year indicated that trials of voice and data convergence technology may increase by next year, but the majority of companies may not implement such technologies until two years from now. It will be some time before customers trust the reliability of convergence technologies, according to Terry White, The Phillips Group senior director. Another issue is that single-vendor solutions will develop for consistent QoS, White said. The Phillips Group is conducting another study that will determine what affect single vender solutions, vs. standardization, will have on companies' decision-making on convergence technology. An additional factor that may slow embracement of convergence may be a discord between available gear and the most likely subscribers. 

I spy iSKY
Source: Comsoc

The telecom industry projects that millions of consumers will demand high-speed Internet access for both business and personal uses. Satellite technology will seek to provide services for the roughly one-third of U.S. residents that do have not have access to fixed-broadband systems, which require the installation of ground cable. The Yankee Group estimates that even by 2004, 25 million U.S. homes will still be without broadband access. But satellite companies see this as an opportunity to market their services. Merrill Lynch expects that somewhere between 6 to 8 million homes will have satellite broadband access by 2006. Most satellite companies involve either launching one geosynchronous orbiting satellite (GEO) or launching a system of low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites for delivering broadband services. iSKY has chosen to deploy a constellation of GEO satellites. While the initial installation of transmission equipment costs $200, the subsequent monthly service charges range from $35 to $40. GEO satellite broadband can provide Internet access speeds of half a second, compared with waiting 20 seconds with many conventional modems. 

Carrier hotels: urban renewal
Source: Comsoc

Carrier hotels are becoming a popular way to avoid sharing space in a regional Bell's central office. They enable long-distance providers and ISPs to buy and sell capacity and services faster and at less cost. Several service providers can place their switching equipment in a carrier hotel. Because the service providers co-locate in private buildings, they can avoid the costs and delays associated with working with regional Bells. Intellispace, which is one of several CLECs offering services to businesses and other multi-tenant dwellings, houses building local exchange carrier interconnect equipment in a carrier hotel in New York. The company was able to reduce the complications and costs of traditional interconnections by establishing interconnect agreements with five long-distance providers, including Level 3 and Cable and Wireless. Such agreements have allowed Intellispace to take full advantage of its facilities. Allowing several carriers in the hotel also establishes a fail-safe grid for Intellispace's Internet service. 

While carrier hotels offer some benefits, they do not completely eliminate the need for local telcos. Because bandwidth is becoming more of a simple commodity, carriers and ISPs will need to provide more than just bandwidth, according to Nancy Kaplan of telecom consultancy Renaissance Strategy. The demand for end-to-end services has spurred the introduction of a "superstore" type of carrier hotel. Equinix's version of the superhotel is called the "Internet Business Exchange" (IBX). The IBX is intended to support service providers and equipment suppliers in Silicon Valley. 

When data checks in
Source: Comsoc

An old Los Angeles postal facility currently hosts bandwidth, and the former home of the New York and New Jersey Port Authority now powers e-businesses like Barnesandnoble.com. These are just a few examples of a new trend that is giving a second life to large, derelict buildings all over the country. Developers are filling these buildings with the infrastructure necessary to support the ever growing Internet and calling the new structures telecom hotels. These old buildings, often abandoned manufacturing plants or office buildings in decaying urban areas, are perfect for housing the immense power supplies and assorted other hardware that telecommunications companies need. They offer sturdy floors, high ceilings, and plenty of space, all requirements for fitting power generators and other large pieces of equipment. Also, many of them are situated near their cities' communication hubs, where AT&T and MCI have already laid the fiber-optic networks that are vital to telecommunications. Proponents of telecom hotels say that the benefits are more than practical. Telecom hotels will attract Internet companies and tech firms to once-forgotten areas, and these businesses will in turn bring apartments, restaurants, and shops. Not everyone agrees, however. Some fear that telecom hotels will completely drive people out of entire city blocks. Others fear that developers, always looking for the next great idea to steal, will saturate the market with telecom hotels. For the time being, though, cities both large and small are looking to telecom hotels both as an avenue for urban renaissance and as another foothold in the Internet economy. 

Northpoint offers SDSL in Toronto
Source: Angustel

NorthPoint Canada, a joint venture between NorthPoint Communications and Call-Net, has begun offering 1.5 Mbps SDSL Internet access to business in Toronto. The company says it will expand to Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal, and launch a residential ADSL service, by year-end.

Altra Broadband develops spin polarized DWDM
Source: Convergedigest

Altra Broadband Inc., a new subsidiary of Ansoft Corporation, unveiled plans for a proprietary Spin Polarized Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (SP-DWDM) product line for both long-haul and metro optical networks.  The company said its technology operates by piggy-backing over DWDM.  It multiplies the quantity of data on each channel by exploiting several spin states in each wavelength or frequency.  The technique could also be applied over existing wireless multiple-access schemes, like CDMA and GSM.  Initially, the company plans to focus its technology development on multiplexing DWDM OC192 outputs, yielding single fiber data capacities of up to 12.8 Tbps.  Ansoft credits Dr. Lawrence Williams and Mr. P. Premkumar as inventors of its SP-DWDM technology. 

PictureTel future hangs in the balance
Source: Digitalmass

PictureTel Corp.'s new president, Lewis Jaffe, says he can make the troubled videoconferencing company profitable by next year with new products that allow faster data transmission, giving users the ability to butt into conversations.  Andover-based PictureTel has suffered losses and layoffs since 1997, but PictureTel hopes its fortunes will change as it rolls out new products that process audio and video signals so quickly that users will be able to interrupt each other when speaking on videoconferences.  The question of manners aside, most conference-calling equipment to date has lacked the capability of interruption. The feature makes video-based conversations seem more natural, and PictureTel hopes it will also lead to more orders from corporate customers.

PictureTel won't divulge sales targets for its equipment, known as the 900 Series. But the company needs a lift.  Still, the 900 Series has been much anticipated in the videoconferencing industry. And despite the earnings problems, the company this month received investments totaling $22 million from Intel Corp. and the State of Wisconsin, and arranged a $35 million credit line.  

PictureTel has already delayed the rollout of the 900 Series by several months, meaning it will have more ground to make up against competitors such as VTel Corp. of Austin, Texas, and Polycom Inc. of Santa Barbara, Calif.  The 900 Series devices are based on an Intel-backed PC software standard known as `iPower,'' rather than the proprietary systems PictureTel previously sold. The interruption capability stems from audio software that processes signals with delays of just 200 microseconds, half the previous norm.

Aspect unveils its first IP-based product
Source: iLocus

Consistent with Aspect's product roadmap, the vendor has introduced the first of a series of IP-based products resulting from technology gained from Aspect's acquisition of PakNetX earlier this year. The product introduced is a multimedia-over-IP software that enables corporations to integrate workers at geographically dispersed locations through the existing contact center infrastructure.  Available in September, it is optimized for eCRM and allows companies to test drive VoIP in the contact center with less risk. It uses the features of the desktop telephony interface in combination with H.323 VoIP protocols, TCP/IP connections and the client component, Microsoft NetMeeting.  The patent-pending technology makes possible a breed of multimedia eBusiness applications that integrate voice, video, conferencing and Web interactions from a centrally managed software switch.

Jetstream receives US Patent on packet switching
Source: iLocus

Jetstream develops and introduces these systems to the market. As these systems have evolved, they have been embraced by Integrated Communications Providers (ICPs) as a means for delivering integrated service bundles to subscribers.  Jetstream is a provider of Voice over Broadband (VoBB) equipment to incumbent and competitive local exchange carriers. The company's JetPowered Voice over Broadband solution is becoming popular for bundled voice and data service delivery over DSL, T1 and Wireless broadband access networks.

NeTrue to develop Wide-Band VSAT for Korean market
Source: iLocus

NeTrue is to work with LG Information & Communications to develop wide-band multimedia satellite communications networks to the Korean market.  NeTrue struck the deal through its division, Vipersat Networks. Vipersat provides satellite communication networks ideal for Internet and Intranet access and for video teleconference and distance learning applications.  These networks are built and optimized for IP, standard protocol for computer networking, which has allowed NeTrue to develop voice, data, video and multimedia solutions customized for its individual clients.  Under the terms of the MoU, NeTrue and LGIC will jointly develop multimedia, Internet and telephony services to LGIC's Korean customers utilizing Vipersat Networks' DVB (Digital Video Broadcast) two-way IP over-satellite solution.  The multimedia solution provides IP Ethernet routing via satellite utilizing an outbound and a Star Data Management System (SDMS-II) return path.  LGIC is to specify the requirements of the networks and NeTrue is to supply network hardware and software. Both companies undertake to support the venture's marketing efforts.

DSL wholesalers need to shape up
Source: Teledotcom

In spite of an exponentially expanding market for DSL services these days, DSL wholesalers are only providing minimal services to their ISP customers, according to a new study by a Boston-based analyst firm.  According to Atlantic ACM (Boston), the market for residential and business DSL services continues to grow at a steady pace with revenues are expected to exceed $10.5 billion by 2004, a healthy growth rate by almost any standard.  That's only part of the picture, said the firm. Wholesalers like Covad. Rhythms, Northpoint and the incumbent local exchange carriers are providing services that are "far from the superior quality of service that customers have come to expect," according to the study called: "xDSL Market Sizing: Provider Report Card 2000-2006."

Overall, the Bell companies scored much lower than their new competitor counterparts, while Rhythms slightly outscored Northpoint and Covad. "It has a lot to do with the size of the RBOCs," said Nick Regas, consultant with Atlantic-ACM. "A lot of them are trying to improve their products and services, but I still think the major data CLECs have a competitive advantage primarily because they're able to focus on just one product."

New competitors offering DSL did best in the areas of network quality and network availability (6.2 on each on a scale of 10), while the average score for all wholesale DSL providers falls below average in the area of responsiveness to customer service and e-bonding or the ability to connect the back-end systems between a wholesaler and an ISP (4.9 on each out of 10).

AOL Chief promises swift, open cable access
Source: Teledotcom

Open cable access is good for business and more than a policy commitment, which a merged AOL-Time Warner will demonstrate quickly, America Online CEO Steve Case told federal regulators.  "We are serious about our commitment to open access because we know it is good for our business and good for consumers," Case said. "Our credibility is on the line."  Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin said his company by year's end will likely be able to restructure its exclusive arrangement with cable-modem service RoadRunner so Time Warner can open its cable network to multiple providers sooner than expected.  Originally, the exclusive arrangement was slated to continue through December 2001.

Disney chief of government relations Preston Padden said the merged company has the ability and the economic incentive to engage in anti-competitive and discriminatory behavior and listed examples of both.  "This massive aggregation of market power cannot be left to voluntary promises of good behavior," Padden said.   A programming dispute between Disney and Time Warner came to a head in May when Time Warner dropped Disney's ABC-TV programming temporarily, including the popular "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" show, over pricing terms.

AOL competitors in instant messaging said the Internet company had built a wall around its IM users. Although AOL's IM is free to download by anyone on the Internet and dozens of partners offer it, users of AOL's IM cannot communicate with those on other instant messaging services. AOL controls 90 percent of the IM market, rivals said.  As IM moves from being just a chat tool to a content-rich and business product, AOL Time Warner will likely bundle "its extraordinary media properties with its stranglehold over instant messaging to favor its, content and prevent innovations that might threaten its dominance," Bagully said.  Case said AOL had submitted a plan to a standards group for server-to-server interoperability but would not trade his members' privacy and security to speed up he process.

Intel buys Trillium for $300 million
Source: ZDnet

Intel Corp. said it will buy privately held Trillium Digital Systems Inc. in a deal valued at $300 million in cash and unregistered Intel common stock to bolster its telecommunications and network package to customers. The proposed deal gives Intel, the No. 1 computer chip maker, necessary communications software products, support and services to add to its own communication silicon chip business. Trillium's source code solutions are used in more than 500 projects by suppliers of wireless, Internet, broadband and voice products, Intel said.

Wireless web to soar at U.S. airports
Source: ZDnet

Global Digital Media.com has scheduled takeoff of its networks, and within the next 12 to 18 months plans to have all major airports covered.  Business travelers no longer have to sequester themselves in the executive airport lounge to get Internet access. Global Digital Media.com is bringing the Internet to business travelers for use anywhere in the airport.  Soon, laptop users with wireless 802.11b LAN PC Cards connecting to kiosks with Web access points, or those with wired connections to the kiosks, will be able to hop online from virtually anywhere in the airport. 

Global Digital Media has already launched the first of its networks in the Philadelphia airport and should have a second service running in Boston's Logan airport by year's end.  More rollouts at all the major U.S. airports are planned within the next 12 to 18 months, the company said.

New multiservice routers from Cisco
Source: Commweb

Cisco Systems announced the 2650 and 2651 modular multiservice routers. It will support multiple bandwidth-intensive and latency-sensitive applications concurrently, such as new web applications, broadband WAN services and converged voice and data infrastructures.  The Cisco 2650 has a single auto-sensing 10/100Mbps Ethernet port. The 2651 has dual 10/100 Mbps ports to support firewall and intrusion detection applications. Both platforms include increased Flash and DRAM memory support for access control lists, routing tables and dual software-image back-up support.

Also announced were two broadband network interfaces: DS3/E3 ATM for the Cisco 2600 and 3600 and OC-3/STM-1 ATM with a layer 1 circuit emulation for the 3600 series routers.  The ATM DS3/E3 modules are supported by both the Cisco 2600 and 3600 series. Both the DS3 and E3 ATM network modules support AAL5.

Clariti unveils wireless internet voicemail
Source: Commweb

Clariti Wireless Messaging announced an Internet application for wireless voicemail that allows a person to record a voice message on a website and send the message to a wireless voicemail player. The voicemail messages will be transmitted via the subcarrier frequencies of FM radio stations.

The application works by accessing a website using a web browser. Using a standard PC microphone, the user records a voice message on the website, enters the PIN number of the recipient and clicks on the "Send" button. The message is digitized and transmitted as a .WAV file to a server and forwarded by modem through Clariti's wireless network. Clariti's Voca Player receives the message and beeps when the message is ready to be played.

Planned features for the wireless system include Web-based voice messsaging, international wireless messaging and integration with wireless internet portals.   Clariti intends to launch its ClariCAST wireless network in the U.S. and select international markets beginning in late 2000.  The company plans to sell the Voca Player for under $100, with typical wireless service plans of $10 to $15 per month.

Rambus offers first DRAM to break 1GHz
Source:  itworldcanada

Rambus Inc, of Mountain View, Calif., has announced a design breakthrough that allows DRAM (dynamic random access memory) chips to transfer data at speeds higher than 1GHz.  Rambus said the chip would be marketed for "leading-edge applications," like communications and graphics systems, along with consumer products like HDTV (High Definition Television) and video game consoles. The chip is also designed to increase performance speed for high-end processors like the upcoming Pentium 4, formerly dubbed the Willamette chip.

Memory throughput speeds can become a bottleneck for fast processors, because the processor chips spend more time waiting for data from memory chips than processing that data.  The 1066MHz Rambus DRAM, or RDRAM, can move memory to a processor chip a third faster than the 800MHz chip Rambus unveiled in June, the company said in the announcement. The chip can transfer data twice per processor clock cycle, setting maximum throughput at 2.1GHz.