International undersea internet cable damaged - update 
New internet domains approved, but... 
Rogers offers tv-based internet access 
Mobile phone giants team with small rivals for airwaves 
AT&T halts hardware buys over budget concerns 
Global high-tech outlays seen rising 50% by 2004 
B2C company implements Lipstream technology 
Computer hardware makers to offer a whiff of the future 
Internet management group settles on seven new domains 
Microscopic motors imitate life 
The world on a chip 
Vendors ready new optical network gear 
Coming soon: web sites with a voice 
Will Microsoft save MarchFIRST? 
BigBand networks introduces new router 
Lucent could be in for a $125 million revenue hit 

 

International undersea internet cable damaged - update
Source: Newsbytes

24 Nov 2000,

A ship carrying a repair crew has arrived above the location of a break in an important international undersea fiber optic cable linking Australia, Asia and Europe. The Internet cable was damaged earlier, causing disruption to Internet traffic across three continents.  According to Australia's Telstra Corp., one of the partners in the 38,000-kilometer SEA-ME-WE 3 cable network, the cable is thought to have snapped on the sea bed, some 100 kilometers out from the busy Asian port of Singapore.   Telstra has said it hopes to have the network up and running again by Tuesday, November 28.  

SEA-ME-WE 3 is one of the first undersea cable networks that connects Asia to Europe via the Middle East rather than via North America. The cable network has a total capacity of 40 gigabits per second and connects 39 landing points from Asia to Western Europe.

New internet domains approved, but...
Source: Angustel

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has approved seven of 44 proposed new Top Level Domains. However, the new suffixes (.biz, .info, .pro, .name, .museum, .aero, and .coop) won't be introduced until ICANN and the proposers agree on contract terms.

Rogers offers tv-based internet access
Source: Angustel

Rogers is now offering its 140,000 digital TV customers access to Internet services from their TV sets at up to 56 Kbps for $19.95/month plus a one-time charge of $79.95 for a wireless keyboard.

Mobile phone giants team with small rivals for airwaves
Source:  Cnet

AT&T Wireless Group and other large mobile phone companies have partnered with smaller carriers to bid in a U.S. airwaves sale, giving the big providers a chance to access licenses they are barred from holding.  The FCC, to promote diversity and competition, set aside U.S. airwaves where only small companies can bid in a Dec. 12 auction. Bigger companies, seeking to fill in coverage gaps and meet customer demand for new services, want access to every available slice of airwaves.

To improve their spectrum resources, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and others joined potential bidders such as Council Tree Alaska Native Wireless and Airgate Wireless, which meet the FCC qualifications, according to documents filed at the FCC. While rules prohibit large carriers from directly controlling the frequencies, under such agreements they could arrange to access the airwaves.

The big carriers "are just trying to use all means possible to fill out their footprints with the appropriate amount of spectrum," said Christopher Larsen, a Prudential Securities analyst.

AT&T halts hardware buys over budget concerns
Source: Cnet

AT&T said it suspended purchases of Antec and CommScope equipment used to upgrade its cable-television systems for phone service to reduce its stockpile of gear through the rest of this year.  Shares of Antec and CommScope each tumbled more than 20 percent. Other makers of cable-TV equipment that supply AT&T, such as Scientific-Atlanta, also declined.

AT&T halted purchases because its broadband unit has enough Antec and CommScope equipment and doesn't want to exceed its budget, spokesman Steve Lang said. The largest U.S. cable-TV company is the latest carrier to slow equipment purchases amid lower prices for services.

Global high-tech outlays seen rising 50% by 2004
Source: Digitalmass

Worldwide spending on information and communication technology (ICT) totaled more than $2.1 trillion last year and was expected to surge 50 percent by 2004, a study released today finds.  Such spending -- the sum of external and internal information-technology spending, plus telecommunications and other office gear -- now represents 6.6 percent of the world's gross domestic product, including almost 9 percent of U.S. GDP, said the survey by the 41-member association World Information Technology and Services Alliance.

Based on research by the International Data Corp., the study found the United States remained the world leader in 1999 with $762 billion in ICT spending, followed by Japan ($362 billion) and Germany ($139 billion).  The top 10 list was rounded out by Britain, France, Italy, Canada, China, Brazil and Australia. While the names remained unchanged from 1997, China moved to the eighth position from No. 10, according to the study, ``Digital Planet 2000: The Global Information Economy.''  Vietnam was the world's fastest-growing ICT market, booming at a compound annual growth rate of almost 35 percent over seven years. Other countries growing at more than 10 percent compounded annually included Poland, Colombia, India, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, the survey showed.

B2C company implements Lipstream technology
Source: iLocus

Lipstream's real-time communications network is based on an architecture featuring PC-to-Phone capability leveraging the H.323 standard.  The servers reside in multiple data centers providing a global reach. The company utilizes multiple tier-one bandwidth and gateway providers for the network ensuring redundancy.  Lipstream solution enables participant authentication, consumer privacy, and featuring encrypted call creation and termination. It is firewall friendly, interoperating with most corporate firewalls.

Computer hardware makers to offer a whiff of the future
Source: iLocus

The Internet is coming to its senses. A handful of start-up companies are developing scent technology that will let you click and sniff your computer.

The prospects are intriguing: background smells for Web sites, shopping sites that let you smell a perfume before you buy it, even computer games that let you smell the bad guy coming around the corner.  Sniffing out these possibilities are companies such as Savannah, Ga.-based TriSenx, a company that is not only developing scent technology, but also claims to be the only one developing taste technology.

In general, the technology works like this: Odors are encoded as digital data. A serial cable transports that data to a printer-like device about the size of a shoe. Inside the device is a cartridge containing scented oils or water-based chemicals. The cartridge processes the scent just like a color cartridge in a printer reproduces a photograph. A tiny fan poofs the aroma directly at the computer user's face.  TriSenx insists the technology will greatly enhance e-commerce and that scent soon will become as routine as audio on the Internet.

Internet management group settles on seven new domains
Source: Spectrum

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) selected seven new top-level domains on 16 November, having chosen the winners from 50 applications submitted by businesses hoping to profit from the right to sell Web site names within the domains. The new domains–the suffixes that follow Web addresses–are "info" and "biz," which are all-purpose; "pro" for professionals like doctors and lawyers; and "museum," "aero," and "coop" for sites related to museums, airlines, and business groups.

In a surprise move, Icann’s board did not approve "web" as a domain. Its candidacy was tarnished both by questions about its ownership, and the fear that Affilias Llc, the consortium behind its proposal, would strengthen its near-monopoly in domain registration. A small company, Image Online Design Inc., contested Affilias’ right to register names on the domain, claiming that it had registered tens of thousands of "web" sites over the past several years. Incoming chair Vinton Cerf made an impassioned plea on behalf of Image Online. Outgoing board chair Esther Dyson recommended that no domains be awarded to Affilias because one of Affilias’ member companies is VeriSign Inc., whose Network Solutions subsidiary is the administrator of the "com," "net," and "org" domains. But Affilias was awarded the "info" domain as a consolation prize.

The final choices still have to be approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce, which created Icann in 1998 to handle the technical management of the Internet.

Microscopic motors imitate life
Source: Msnbc

Researchers have mated tiny metal propellers with organic molecules to create ultramicroscopic machines that are powered by the same processes that fuel life. The contraptions demonstrate techniques that could be used in a new generation of chemical sensors and factories, working within living cells.

These particular whirlwigs, constructed on the scale of nanometers, or billionths of a meter, aren’t meant to have practical applications. But they do point the way toward more advanced nanomachines that could harvest medicinal molecules, one by one, from the natural factories of the cell, said Carlo Montemagno, a bioengineering professor at Cornell University who headed the research team. 

They also could serve as “smart pharmacies,” detecting minute alarms from body cells and dispensing a precise pharmaceutical dose in response. Light-powered nanomachines could act as “smart sensors” for monitoring environmental quality.  “Life is really an orchestrated factory of nanoscopic machines, all working in concert,” he told MSNBC.com. “We’ve figured out how to tap into this life factory.”  At the same time, he shies away from making sci-fi projections about how such nanotechnologies will be used.  “It’s almost like saying, ‘We discovered electricity — now what are we going to do with it?’”

The world on a chip
Source: Teledotcom

Fresh on the heels of a deal with Gateway Inc., Broadcom Corp. has announced its "Internet-on-a-chip" strategy and rolled out several products with multiple networking functions on a single device.  Broadcom's Internet strategy includes support for broadband networking over existing home phone lines and conventional Ethernet, as well as facilities for legacy V.90 dial-up modem access. Broadcom also announced that its silicon will be used in Gateway's Web Touch Pad.

The first products delivering the new strategy include the BCM4211, which integrates HomePNA 2.0's 16-Mbit/s home networking and V.90 software modem interfaces, and the BCM4413, which moves to higher integration by including HomePNA 2.0 at 32 Mbit/s, with V.90 software interfaces and support for 10/100 Ethernet media access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) functions. This three-on-one approach represents the third generation of Broadcom HomePNA silicon.   The company is also making a push into wireless networking. "The good news is, there's no single PHY that wins in the home," Thermond said. "We will be adding wireless features in the coming months as well." Both Bluetooth and 802.11 will be included next year, he said.

Vendors ready new optical network gear
Source: Comsoc

VIPswitch, Aura Networks, and Luxcore are introducing new products for optical networking in access, metropolitan, and core networks. VIPswitch is aiding in the deployment of Ethernet-based voice and video services via its recently introduced high-density optical metropolitan-area network. Luxcore is working on products to provide the optical core with connectionless-focused network and Level 3 intelligence.  Aura Networks is targeting the service provider market with optical Ethernet access equipment.   Each of the companies is seeking to take advantage of the optical gear market, which is set to generate roughly $17.5 billion in revenue by 2003--compared to under $5 billion this year, the Aberdeen Group estimates.

VIPswitch introduced its V-MAN 160G switch to attract tier 2 and tier 3 ISPs that offer services including retail Internet, VoIP, Web hosting, and unified messaging. The switch is set to be introduced in the second quarter of next year. Luxcore will introduce its product in the first quarter of 2002 and says it intends to rid the optical network of optical-to-electrical-to-optical conversions, for a 1,000-fold increase in core bandwidth. Aura's optical Ethernet access platform, which will become available at the start of next year, is intended to be the most economical product for Ethernet metropolitan-area service provisioning.

Coming soon: web sites with a voice
Source: Comsoc

Newer voice recognition technology is making it possible for e-businesses to make their content available from telephone handsets. Ask Jeeves, which controls call center outsourcing operations and a Web site that answers questions, announced recently that it would incorporate voice recognition into its site. The company has established alliances with General Magic and Nuance to offer Web information to callers.

Yet, voice recognition has yet to become popular among enterprises. Frost & Sullivan estimates that the voice-based speech market grabbed a mere $95 million last year, but is expected to grow to $710 million by 2006. Ask Jeeves believes voice support is vital to its growth, according to Paul Wehrley, business development manager.

Will Microsoft save MarchFIRST?
Source: ZDnet

marchFIRST Inc. has taken some big-time hits of late, but the company's partners -- most notably IBM, Microsoft, and Novell -- aren't ready to bolt just yet.  All three vendors say they'll stand by, marchFIRST during its current financial crisis. In fact, Microsoft has given marchFIRST an interest-free $12 million loan, Sm@rt Partner has learned.  The financial backing comes at a critical time for marchFIRST. The Internet professional-services firm earlier this month dismissed about 1,000 employees -- roughly 10 percent of its workforce -- as demand for the company's services declined.

marchFIRST also postponed a financial-guidance conference call, saying executives needed more time to complete the company's 2001 business plan. The postponed call now is scheduled for Nov. 28.  In a 10-Q filing with the SEC early last week, marchFIRST disclosed that it needs $100 million in additional funding to meet its financial obligations through early next year.

The huge financial setbacks come merely eight months after Whittman-Hart and USWeb/CKS merged to form marchFIRST.

BigBand networks introduces new router
Source: ispworld

Get ready to get on a new router bandwagon. BigBand Networks, Inc. has announced the release of its Broadband Multimedia-Service Router (BMR) , which it claims is the industry's first integrated video, audio and data router.

BigBand said that this new class of router enables provisioning of new services by routing and integrating together multiple media formats and services such as broadcast video, the Web, video on demand (VOD), audio and data content to a full range of customer devices. The BMR uses BigBand’ patented NativeMedia Operating System, which routes, manipulates and synchronizes the delivery of multiple media types in their native formats. The router is currently in beta testing with cable service providers Cox Communications Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc.

A BMR is situated between application servers and the hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) distribution network, enabling the easy introduction of new integrated services, intelligent allocation of bandwidth between services and optimized bandwidth usage. Based on an open architecture, the BMR supports standard interfaces and formats, including MPEG, IP, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and others. In supporting these standards, the BMR enables MSOs to augment and leverage their previous investments (including QAM modulators, deployed STBs, etc.) rather than replace them.

Lucent could be in for a $125 million revenue hit
Source: ispworld

Lucent Technologies, already listing from previous earnings reports, may be in more dire straits. On Tuesday Lucent said that it might have to lop off $125 million from its previously reported fourth quarter revenues, which ended September 30.

Lucent had enjoyed its status as the world’s biggest telecommunications equipment manufacturer, but management problems have caused the company to cut its growth outlooks four times this year. Tuesday’s announcement by Lucent said that it had "identified a revenue recognition issue impacting approximately $125 million of revenue" in the fourth quarter. The "issue" wasn’t identified by Lucent, but the Murray Hill, New Jersey-based company said that it was by auditors during final preparations of its yearly financial statements.

Lucent said that the reduction in revenue could have an approximately 2 cent impact on earnings per share for the quarter and the year. The company previously reported $9.4 billion in revenues and 18 cents a share on continuing operations for the quarter.  Lucent also said that it cannot confirm its guidance for the first quarter of 2001 and that until the review is completed it would have no further comment.