SUN MICROSYSTEMS ORGANIZES INDUSTRY EFFORT FOR ARCHITECTURE & APPLICATION SLAs
Sun Microsystems launched an industry-wide effort to define and deliver service level guarantees for network-based services such as e-mail, e-commerce, and enterprise applications.  The SunTone program, which has gained the support of 50 major industry players, aims to define standards for high availability hardware configurations, increased levels of service availability and scalability, improved application and service manageability and interoperability, advanced security, and ongoing measurement and reporting.  Sun MicroSystems will offer a licensing agreement and certification program for service providers that meet or exceed the standard.

The SunTone Service Delivery Architecture Specification 1.0 was released this week.  A SunTone Application Specification 1.0 is expected by early next year.

http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/9910/sunflash.991012.2.html
Sun Microsystems, October 13, 1999

The SunTone Service Certification and Architecture  (Adobe pdf file)
http://www.sun.com/sp/03-supplements/SunTone_WP.pdf

TELEGLOBE TO PROVIDE SERVICES AT WAVELENGTH LAYER, EXPANDS WEB HOSTING FACILITIES
Teleglobe Communications announced plans to begin offering bandwidth services on the wavelength or multiple STM-1 levels on its intercontinental and intracontinental fiber routes.  TeleGlobe's new bandwidth offerings allow more flexible capacity purchase options, ranging from short to long-term leases, as well as IRU arrangements.  The company recently announced the deployment of multiple fiber ring networks in Europe and North America. 

Separately, Teleglobe announced plans to expand its Web hosting and collocation facilities.  Its first, expanded Web data center will open in NYC next spring.  Teleglobe will place other Web data facilities in North America, Europe and Asia.  Servers placed in the Teleglobe facilities will have a direct connection to Teleglobe's global Internet backbone. http://www.teleglobe.com/media/index.html
TeleGlobe, October 13, 1999

FLAG ATLANTIC-1 TO DOUBLE CAPACITY TO 2.4 TBPS AMID STRONG BANDWIDTH BOOKINGS
FLAG Telecom and Global TeleSystems will double the capacity of their forthcoming FLAG Atlantic-1 (FA-1) to 2.4 Tbps of protected bandwidth (5 Tbps raw capacity).  The companies said that more than 50% of FA-1 original system capacity has already been pre-sold.  Disclosed customers include Teleglobe, Singapore Telecom, Worldstar, Broadband Cello, Tiscali and Telecom Malaysia.   GTS will purchase a fiber pair on the cable for an undisclosed amount.  Financing arrangements for the entire $1.2 billion initial project have also been fully funded.  The undersea network design will consist of six fiber pairs and three self-healing loops with twin terrestrial access points connecting to GTS's trans-European network.  The cable will enter service between NYC, London and Paris next year.  Alcatel will build the cable and supply the DWDM. http://www.flagatlantic.com/
FLAG Telecom, October 13, 1999

NEC DEVELOPS PHOTONIC PACKET PROCESSING AND ROUTING TECHNOLOGIES
NEC is developing photonic packet processing and photonic router technology designed to provide service integration of IP/ATM/STM onto a single backbone network.  NEC said its concept is to create a Photonic Adaptation Layer.  IP/ATM/STM and other services would be encapsulated into common photonic packets.  NEC believes photonic packet-by-packet processing could be much more efficient than IP packet processing.  Improved wavelength efficiency could also be gained by aggregating various traffic types into a single wavelength.  NEC is also developing dynamic wavelength allocation features that would respond to traffic distribution demands.  http://www.nec.co.jp/english/today/newsrel/9910/1101.html
NEC, October 11, 1999

CONVERGENT COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVATES MULTISERVICE IP+ATM NETWORK
Convergent Communications, a CLEC based in Englewood, Colorado, activated the first phase of its multiservice, nationwide backbone.  The network is based on Cisco Systems' BPX8600 and MGX 8850 IP+ATM multi-service switches.  The company forecasts an 80% reduction in capital costs compared to traditional circuit-based carrier networks with separate voice, data and Internet switches.  Seven city POPs are now active; a further nine facilities will be online by year-end.   http://www.convergentcom.com/
Convergent Communications, October 13, 1999

CONEXANT AND COPPERCOM DEVELOP VOICE-OVER-DSL SILICON
Conexant Systems is collaborating with CopperCom on a family of VoDSL semiconductor devices for CPE manufacturers.  Conexant's VoDSL processors will include a multi-channel telephony interface, a multiplicity of voice codecs, plus voice processing support circuits and ATM AAL2 Segmentation and Reassembly (SAR) technology, as well as interfaces that are proprietary to CopperCom.  The devices will provide voice compression, silence suppression, echo cancellation, Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) and call progress tone detection, and fax and modem demodulation.   The companies expect that VoDSL processors will make it easier and cheaper to develop equipment that transports several lines of voice telephony over DSL links, while also ensuring interoperability with the CopperCom Gateway.  http://www.coppercom.com
http://www.conexant.com/pressroom/releases/1999/10121999-1.asp
Conexant, October 13, 1999

ALCATEL TO RESELL ARROWPOINT'S CONTENT SMART WEB SWITCHES
Alcatel signed an OEM agreement to resell ArrowPoint Communications' Content Smart web Switches.  ArrowPoint's Web switches dynamically direct specific content requests to the best site and best server at that moment.  The switches look deep into the HTTP request headers all the way down to the URL and into cookies with strings of more than 256 bytes to determine what content is being requested. ArrowPoint's Web switches can bypass caches for non-cacheable content, such as Common Gateway Interface (CGI), Active Server Pages (ASP), or database queries, and transmit these non-cacheable requests directly to the origin server.  ArrowPoint Communications is a start-up based in Westford, Mass. http://www.arrowpoint.com
ArrowPoint Communications, October 13, 1999

ALCATEL FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST ORCKIT COMMUNICATIONS
Alcatel USA filed a lawsuit against Orckit Communications claiming infringement of its ADSL patents.  http://www.alcatel.com/press/current/1999/10_13k.htm  http://www.redstone.co.uk/
Alcatel, October 13, 1999

REDSTONE TELECOM PLC ANNOUNCES COMMERCIAL CENTREX OVER IP 
Redstone Telecom plc, a facilities-based service provider in the UK, will launch Europe's first commercial centrex service based on voice over IP (VoIP).  The service uses the Nokia IP Telephony Gateway, Gatekeeper and telephony client devices to deliver integrated voice and data over a single connection.  Pinnacle Insurance plc will be the first customer. End users will be able to travel to any office, "log on" and receive his/her normal telephone profile.   http://www.nokia.com/main.html
Nokia, October 13, 1999

UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS 2.0 TO CONNECT PC PERIPHERALS AT 480 MBPS
The target speed for Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 PC peripheral connections will be 480 Mbps, or 40 times faster than the existing USB 1.1.  The USB 2.0 specification, which is being developed by The USB Implementers Forum, will be backwards compatible with USB 1.1.  The final specification is scheduled for release in Q1 2000.  A USB 2.0 specification draft is now available to members of the USB Forum.
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/us101299.htm
http://www.usb.org
Intel, October 13, 1999

NOKIA LICENSES PALM OS FOR SMARTPHONES
Nokia will license the Palm Computing Operating System (Palm OS) for its next generation of smart phones.  Nokia plans to implement the Palm user interface and Palm applications running on the Symbian platform. Resulting devices will run both Palm and Symbian applications. http://www.nokia.com/main.html
Nokia, October 13, 1999

ERICSSON DELIVERS GPRS SYSTEMS TO 45 OPERATORS, ISSUES 3G FORECAST
Ericsson said more than 45 network operators worldwide are preparing to launch General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) field trials. Ericsson's GPRS system will enable mobile IP access at rates ten times faster than current mobile networks.  GPRS is an evolutionary step toward full 3G mobile services.

Separately, Ericsson issued a market forecast predicting 120 million subscribers to 3rd-generation IMT-2000 mobile telephony services by 2004.  The company said its new forecast predicts a much stronger introduction to 3G mobile services because of aggressive operator investments in new packet-data equipment.  Ericsson's new IMT-2000 forecast also points to a faster pick-up of mobile packet-data usage with around 400 million users of e-mail and Intranet access by 2004.  http://www.ericsson.com
Ericsson, October 13, 1999