NORTEL PUSHES OPTICAL TRANSPORT CAPACITY RECORD TO 6.4 TBPS
Nortel Networks is pushing the aggregate capacity of single fiber optical transport towards 6.4 Terabits per second (Tbps).  The company said such performance could be achieved by pushing the line rate to 80 Gbps on each of 80 channels over its DWDM platform.  At Telecom '99, Nortel Networks demonstrated a non-laboratory 80 Gbps platform.  Commercial availability of the scalable 40 to 80 Gbps platform is planned for 2001. http://www.nortelnetworks.com/corporate/news/newsreleases/1999d/10_12_9999633_80gigabit.html

Nortel Networks, October 12, 1999

Separately, Cable & Wireless USA agreed to deploy Nortel Networks' OPTera LH optical platform throughout its US national network linking more than 60 metropolitan areas.  The OPTera LH is scalable to 1.6 Tbps per fiber. The contract is valued at US$150 million.

Germany's LambdaNet Communications is also deploying Nortel Networks' fiber optics for its inter-city network.  The contract was valued at US$100 million over three years.

BT DEPLOYS ERICSSON'S HYBRID BROADBAND/NARROWBAND PLATFORM
BT will begin deploying 51 of Ericsson's AXE/AXD 301 hybrid (narrowband/broadband) platform nodes in its inter-city backbone network.  Each of the platforms uses Ericsson's latest AXE switch for circuit-switched voice traffic and an Ericsson AXD301 ATM switch for packet-switched data traffic. The hybrid nodes will give BT the potential to build a unified, multi-service backbone network.  The order was valued at $180 million and is part of a larger contract between Ericsson and BT that was announced in January. http://www.ericsson.com/pressroom/19991012-0501.html
Ericsson, October 12, 1999

MARCONI SHOWCASES WAVELENGTH TUNABLE DWDM SYSTEM
At Telecom '99, Marconi Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of GEC, showcased a 32-channel, wavelength tunable optical multiplexer.  Marconi's new tunable lasers, which were developed at the company's UK Caswell laboratories, enable its 32-channel DWDM system to assign the most convenient free wavelength to a customer from a central or remote workstation.  The system's fast re-configurability would allow the same wavelength to be re-assigned to another customer at a different time of day.  Marconi Communications is also exhibiting the ASX-4000 ATM backbone switch from fellow GEC company FORE Systems, as well as broadband access products from Marconi Communications North America, the former RELTEC Corporation and RDC Communications, the Israeli company purchased by GEC.  http://www.marconicomms.com/news/index.html
Marconi Communications, October 12, 1999

MARCONI AND ERICSSON EXTEND SDH PARTNERSHIP
Marconi Communications and Ericsson extended their existing strategic alliance so that Ericsson can market the full range of Marconis SDH equipment.  In particular, Ericsson plans to integrate the Marconi SDH products into the backbone of both mobile and fixed networks.  The deal represents Marconis biggest distribution commitment for its SDH products. 
http://www.marconicomms.com/news/index.html
Marconi Communications, October 12, 1999

GTS DEPLOYS CISCO GSRS ACROSS EUROPE FOR IP/DWDM
GTS is deploying Cisco 12000 Gigabit Switch Routers (GSR) in 13 European cities, plus New York, to form an IP over DWDM backbone operating at 2.5 Gbps. The overall GTS backbone network is expected 27 cities by year-end 1999.  Ciena's DWDM platform is used in the network.  http://www.gtsgroup.net
GTS, October 12, 1999

NTL SELECTS ECI TELECOM FOR OPTICAL NETWORK
NTL, a major cable operator in the UK with 22 million subscribers, selected ECI Telecom to supply a range of integrated managed SDH and DWDM solutions.  The contract was valued at GBP100m (US $165m).  http://www.ecitele.com/r4233.htm
ECI Telecom, October 12, 1999

INTEL AND NOKIA DEVELOP INTERNET-ENHANCED TV
Nokia and Intel are developing a new class of consumer appliance based on Digital Video Broadcast (DVB), IP and the Advanced Television Enhancement Forum specification (ATVEF).  The IP-Television device will use Linux and a Mozilla browser.  The Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF) is defining protocols for HTML-based enhanced television, which allow content creators to deliver enhanced programming over all forms of transport (analog, digital, cable, and satellite).  The specification builds on existing industry standards, such as HTML 4.0, ECMAScript and Multicast IP, with added extensions that allow receivers to recognize enhanced content, prepare it for viewing, and transfer files. Intel and Nokia expect to introduce their first product in the second half of 2000.
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/in101299.htm
Intel, October 12, 1999

The Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF) was founded by CableLabs, CNN Interactive, DIRECTV, Discovery Comm., Intel, Liberate Technologies, Microsoft/WebTV, NBC Multimedia, NDTC, PBS, Sony, Tribune, The Walt Disney Co., and Warner Bros.  http://www.atvef.com/

TERAYON ACQUIRES TELEGATE FOR BROADBAND TELEPHONY
Terayon Communication Systems will acquire Telegate Ltd., a privately held developer of telephony-over-cable products, for approximately $100 million in stock plus transaction costs. Telegate's Multigate local access system converts a CATV network into a two-way interactive network by linking the customer premises with public switching networks over the HFC plant. To achieve bi-directional communication, Multigate splits spectrum bandwidth into downstream and upstream paths.   To overcome harsh interference in the upstream path, Multigates PHY transport layer uses S-CDMA (Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) technology, which is also employed in Terayon's cable system.  Telegate is based in Israel and received funding from General Instrument, ECI Telecom, the Giza Fund of GE Capital Group and Nomura Securities.
http://www.terayon.com/news/press/96/Tgat1099.htm
http://www.telegate.co.il.
Terayon, October 12, 1999

Separately, ECI Telecom agreed to sell and distribute Terayon's voice and data systems.

TERAYON ACQUIRES RADWIZ FOR VOICE OVER DSL PRODUCTS
Terayon Communication Systems will acquire Radwiz, a privately held developer of integrated voice/data DSL products, for approximately $50 million in stock plus transaction costs.  Radwiz, a member of the RAD Group of Israel, offers a central office gateway between DSL and the PSTN, as well as Integrated Access Devices (IADs) based on IP/IPX routing, carrier class telephony services and symmetrical DSL.  The company recently announced plans for an IPAIR16 DSL IAD supporting up to 16 carrier-class voice channels over symmetrical DSL at 256 Kbps  2.3 Mbps programmable rates.  Terayon said the acquisition would expand its reach from the broadband cable market to the xDSL market. 
http://www.radwiz.com
Terayon, October 12, 1999

During Q3 1999, Terayon shipped 68,500 cable modems and 314 headends, bringing its total shipments to date to over 227,000 cable modems and 1,127 headends.

PAIRGAIN COMPLETES INTEROPERABILITY TESTS WITH COPPERCOM
PairGain Technologies' Avidia System DSL access switch completed interoperability tests with CopperCom's Voice over DSL equipment.  The test, which was conducted on behalf of an unnamed customer, involved an ATM AAL2 voice transfer over DMT ADSL between the CopperCom MXR and the PairGain's Avidia Model AV541 Cell Channel card.  The Avidia system is a multiservice platform (G.Lite and full-rate ADSL) based on a distributed ATM switching fabric that provides adaptation for IP traffic.  The system supports SDSL, HDSL2, DS1 and IP voice services, in addition to ATM over ADSL and Ethernet frames over SDSL.  http://www.pairgain.com/WHATS_NEW/nw991012.html
PairGain, October 12, 1999

NARUS AND GROUPE BULL TEAM ON BILLING MEDIATION FOR IP SERVICES
Narus, a start-up based developing a billing mediation solution that measures usage of IP services in real time and then integrates the data into new third party IP billing applications, announced a partnership agreement with systems integrator Groupe Bull.  The NARUS Semantic Traffic Analysis technology allows usage details from individual IP applications, including voice and Internet video, to be captured and processed so that carriers can assign value to them and bill accordingly.  Groupe Bull will market the technology to European telecommunication companies and IP service providers. NARUS is based in Redwood City, California with venture funding from the Mayfield Fund and the Walden Group. http://www.narus.com/press/bull.html
NARUS, October 12, 1999

HARVARDNET AND COLT IN INTERNATIONAL WEB HOSTING ALLIANCE
HarvardNet and COLT Telecom Group plc will coordinate their Web hosting and collocation activities.  HarvardNet recently opened a state-of-the-art collocation facility in Boston for its 1,500 customers.  COLT is building a high-capacity fiber network across Europe.
http://www.harvardnet.com/about/pressreleases/1999/release101299.phtml
HarvardNet, October 12, 1999

AMCC EXPANDS ITS 10 GBPS SIGE PRODUCT PORTFOLIO
Applied Micro Circuits Corp. (AMCC) announced the first silicon germanium (SiGe) OC-192 limiting amplifier.  Applications include OC-192 SONET/SDH and DWDM equipment. http://www.amcc.com/Compinfo/PressReleases/S3096pr.htm
AMCC, October 12, 1999  

ALCATEL AND JUNIPER NETWORKS SIGN DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
Alcatel will resell Juniper Networks' IP routers as part of its "2IP" network architecture strategy. The 18-month contract was valued at $30 million. Juniper's M40 Internet router, which began commercial shipments in September 1998, offers OC-48 interfaces, 40 million packets per second (Mpps) performance, a 40 Gbps switching fabric and MPLS-based traffic engineering features. http://www.juniper.net/news/pressreleases/pr-991009.html
Juniper Networks, October 10, 1999

Juniper also has a strategic OEM partner relationship with Ericsson and a number of country specific distributors. The company has previously disclosed commercial deployment of its M40 router by UUNET, Verio, Frontier Global Center (now Global Crossing), Cable & Wireless USA and MCI WorldCom's vBNS. 

3M TO COMPETE IN MARKET FOR ENTERPRISE OPTICAL SWITCHES
3M announced its entrance into the enterprise switching market. Forthcoming products will include 10 Gbps switches and, later, all photonic switching solutions. Specific product plans were not disclosed. 3M's data/telecom product portfolio currently includes  Fiber Bragg Gratings for DWDM, 1550nm polarization-maintaining fiber, erbium-doped optical fiber, connector systems, a Fast/Gigabit Ethernet switch, and fiber-to-the-desktop cabling solutions. http://www.3m.com/telecom/
3M, October 10, 1999

PIRELLI TESTS DISPERSION COMPENSATING GRATINGS FOR DWDM
Pirelli successfully tested dispersion compensating gratings for the first time in a DWDM field application with 10 Gbps traffic. Pirelli's WaveMux 6400 DWDM system achieved 10 Gbps transmission over two 179 km spans of SMF-28 single-mode fiber without SONET regeneration. The successful use of dispersion compensating gratings is significant because carriers would not need to deploy as much signal regeneration equipment in their networks. The installation occurred in Bestel's new optical fiber route between Leon and Aguascalientes in Mexico. Bestel is building a 60-fiber count 
network parallel to Mexico's national railway system. http://www.pirelli.com/cables
http://www.bestel.com/
Pirelli, October 10, 1999

GLOBAL CROSSING CHOOSES ALCATEL TO OPERATE ITS EUROPEAN NETWORK
Alcatel will provide ongoing operation and maintenance of Global Crossing's forthcoming Pan European Crossing (PEC), an 11,000 km network connecting over nine European countries. Current plans call for 27 major POPs and traffic nodes. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.alcatel.com/press/current/1999/10_08.htm
Alcatel, October 10, 1999

ALCATEL TO BUILD NORTH SEA NETWORK FOR PANGEA
Alcatel was awarded a contract worth US$84 million provide two submarine cables across the North Sea for Pangea Ltd., a new venture based in Bermuda. Each cable will have an initial capacity of 16 X 10 Gbps, upgradeable to 60 X 10 Gbps. The self-healing network will link London, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and  Copenhagen. http://www.alcatel.com/
http://www.pangea.bm/
Alcatel, October 10, 1999

CORETEK RAISES $20.5 MILLION FOR MICRO-ELECTROMECHANICAL DWDM LASER
CoreTek, a start-up based in Wilimington, Mass., raised $20.5 million round in venture funding for its development of a micro-electromechanical, tunable laser for DWDM applications. CoreTek recently announced a prototype product that combines micro-
electromechanical (MEMs) technology with semiconductor laser technology to create a single mode VCSEL operating in the 1550 nm range. The MEMs structure is a mirror that can move to change the cavity length of the laser and thus the emitted wavelength. The new funding came from Oak Investment Partners, JK&B Capital, Chicago and Broadview; as well as the first round investors Adams Capital and Hillman Investments. http://www.coretekinc.com
CoreTek, October 8, 1999

ELECTRIC LIGHTWAVE APPOINTS NEW CEO
Electric Lightwave, which operates a nationwide ATM - Frame Relay network, appointed Rudy J. Graf as its new CEO, succeeding Daryl A. Ferguson, who is retiring. Citizens, which owns 83% of Electric Lightwave, has also announced that Mr. Graf has been elected President and Chief Operating Officer of Citizens. ELI has 6,000 miles of fiber in the western US. Its major nodes are currently connected via multiple OC3s. Last month, Electric Lightwave announced plans to consolidate its East Coast and Mid-Western sales operations to focus on its core territory. Nationwide data POPs 
will be maintained. http://www.eli.net
Electric Lightwave, October 8, 1999