LUCENT ANNOUNCES WAVESTAR LAMDAROUTER
Lucent Technologies announced an all-optical router that uses an array of micro-mirrors to direct and route individual wavelengths from fiber to fiber.  Lucent said the micro-mirrors are tilted so that an individual wavelength can be passed to any of 256 input and output fibers. All 256 mirrors are fabricated on less than one square inch of silicon. This switching fabric provides more than 32 times greater density than electronic fabrics. By not using optical-electrical-optical conversion, Lucent expects its LambdaRouter to provide up to a 100-fold reduction in power consumption over electronics.  The WaveStar LambdaRouter could be used to create instant, all-optical links without digital switches. It could also provide mesh-based optical networking for multiservice core ATM switches and packet routers.  Lucent anticipates shipping the product to select customers in July 2000, followed by commercial release in December 2000.  http://www.lucent.com/press/1199/991109.nsa.html
Lucent Technologies, November 9, 1999

PSINET SELECTS LUCENT'S NEXABIT SWITCH/ROUTER + WAVESTAR DWDM
PSINet will deploy Lucent's NX64000 switch/router and WaveStar OLS-400G DWDM optical networking system in its global network.  Equipment deployments will begin in Q1 2000.  PSINet also plans to be the first network operator to carry Frame Relay traffic at OC-192.  Financial terms were not disclosed.  Commercial availability of the NX64000 switch/router begins this month.  The platform offers direct connections with an optical networking system at OC-192 The WaveStar 400G supports up to 80 wavelengths.  http://www.lucent.com/press/1199/991109.nsb.html
Lucent Technologies, November 9, 1999

NORTEL NETWORKS PROMOTES OPEN IP ENVIRONMENT, ALLIANCE WITH INTEL
Nortel Networks is licensing a portable real-time software suite to enable its vision of IP everywhere.  The program's goal is to provide open, modular, scalable software components to hardware and software vendors building Internet-enable devices.  The Open IP Environment is structured as a set of frameworks that provide reusable software components.  These building blocks sit between an operating system and an applications/services layer of any Internet-enabled device.  The architecture includes:

a system services cornerstone providing interfaces to operating systems and real-time environments.  Services include thread, fault and memory management, as well as interprocess communication capable of terabit rates.

a control plane cornerstone that provides plug-and-play access for all Open IP modules, such as a high-performance implementation of the OSPF routing protocol, tunneling protocols such as L2TP, call management functions such as RSVP and H.323, etc.

a management that plane provides open standard interfaces for policy-based management (COPS), command line interface (CLI), network management based on the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), IP accounting, etc.   A technical overview of the Open IP environment is online.  http://www.nortelnetworks.com/products/announcements/open_ip/index.html

Intel plans to offer elements of Open IP Environment with its recently announced Internet Exchange (IX) Architecture for software programmable networking devices.  Nortel and Intel plan joint marketing programs.  http://www.nortelnetworks.com/corporate/news/newsreleases/1999d/11_09_9999723_intel_nortel.html
Nortel Networks, November 9, 1999

NORTEL NETWORKS CUTS PRICES FOR ACCESS DATA ROUTERS BY UP TO 50%
Nortel Networks will drop prices for its enterprise access data routers by up to 50%.  The new pricing program allows customers with typical end user access configurations to purchase data routers for up to 50% less than Nortel's largest competitor. The new prices cover the company's entire portfolio of enterprise access routers, including the Bay Router AN and ARN.  http://www.nortelnetworks.com/corporate/news/newsreleases/1999d/11_09_9999724_router_pricing.html
Nortel Networks, November 9, 1999

MICROSOFT AND PARTNERS OFFER OFFICE 2000 AS INTERNET HOSTED SERVICE
Microsoft and at least 16 network service providers will offer Office 2000 hosted applications over the Internet.  The Office 2000 services will provide a centrally managed solution for small and medium-sized businesses that lack onsite IT support or who wish to access Office 2000 applications from network-attached clients (Windows and Windows CE operating systems using Windows NT or Windows 2000's Terminal Services). Network service providers backing the program include BT, CenterBeam, Concentric Network, Digex, Equant, FutureLink, Interland, Interliant, Micron Electronics, MTT, Mpowered, Qwest Communications, TeleComputing, Usinternetworking, Verio and Winstar.  http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/1999/Nov99/O2KPR.htm
Microsoft, November 9, 1999

CISCO TO ACQUIRE AIRONET WIRELESS FOR WIRELESS LANS (IEEE 802.11)
Cisco Systems will acquire Aironet Wireless Communications, a developer of Wireless LAN solutions, for approximately $799 million in stock.  Aironet Wireless Communications' product portfolio includes wireless adapter cards and "access points" based on IEEE 802.11 specifications.  Aironet's products employ Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum, as well as Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum technologies.  In October, Aironet introduced IEEE 802.11-compliant High Speed DSSS products supporting data rates of 11 Mbps.  The Wireless LAN solutions offer Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security encryption with either a 40-bit or 128-bit key.  Aironet Wireless Communications was founded in 1993 and is based in Akron, Ohio.  http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/146/november99/14.html
http://www.aironet.com
Cisco Systems, November 9, 1999

GTE SIGNS DSL RESALE AGREEMENTS WITH COVAD, NORTHPOINT AND JATO
GTE Internetworking will expand its DSL footprint beyond it local service areas via resale agreements with Covad, NorthPoint Communications and Jato Communications.  GTE Internetworking will offer aggregation and IP transport services to these same access providers.  GTE said that by using large scale purchasing agreements with access providers, it will be able to provide more competitive prices and consolidated services to ISPs and large businesses.
http://www.gte.com/AboutGTE/NewsCenter/News/Releases/DSLnetwork.html
GTE Internetworking, November 9, 1999

ITXC REACHES DAILY PEAK OF ONE MILLION MINUTES
On Sunday, November 7, ITXC completed nearly 117,000 calls to 157 different countries for a total of one million minutes of voice traffic.  The calls used ordinary telephones at both ends and were routed over the public Internet. ITXC now has over 25 carriers connected to its switches in New York and in Los Angeles.  http://www.itxc.com
ITXC, November 9, 1999

BT CELLNET COMPLETES GPRS DATA TRANSFER CALLS
BT Cellnet completed a live GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) data transfer call over a live GSM network. The GPRS service will allow subscribers to send and receive packet information via the GSM radio channels to other packet networks, including the Internet.  Motorola's GPRS platform and terminals were used for the demonstration.  Commercial GPRS will be launched on the BT Cellnet/Motorola GSM UK network by the middle of next year.
BT Cellnet, November 9, 1999

ALCATEL'S NEW FIBER CARRIERS 150 CHANNELS OF 10 GBPS WITH 50 GHZ SPACINGS
Alcatel's new TeraLight fiber carried an aggregate of 1.5 Tbps traffic in a recent DWDM test.  The company transmitted 150 channels of 10 Gbps with 50 GHz spacings over the C & L bands within a 400 km link.  Alcatel said the tests demonstrate that TeraLight can grow from 40 to 80 channel operation within the C band alone without having to expand into the L band as with NZ-DSF designs.  The TeraLight fiber can also support 40 Gbps line rates and operate in the S band (1440nm to 1550nm).
Alcatel, November 9, 1999

ALTITUN AB SUPPLIES TUNABLE LASERS TO INFINEON
Altitun AB, a start-up based in Stockholm, will supply its tunable laser devices for DWDM to Infineon Technologies, formerly Siemens' Semiconductor Group.  Altitun products are based on a single chip laser capable of operating across the entire EDFA (erbium doped fiber amplifier) window.  http://www.altitun.com  http://www.infineon.com/products/fiber/fiber.htm
Infineon, November 9, 1999

INTERMEDIA INITIATES VODSL AND FRODSL TRIALS
Intermedia Communications began trials of both Voice over DSL (VoDSL) and Frame Relay over DSL (FRoDSL) in partnership with Rhythms NetConnections.  The trials uses voice gateways and integrated access devices (IAD) from Jetstream Communications; DSL concentrators from Copper Mountain Networks and routers from Netopia.   http://www.intermedia.com
Intermedia, November 9, 1999

BT to Slash Dial-up Costs for ISPs, Unlimited Service at Flat Fee
BT will file new tariffs that significantly reduce the cost of dial-up Internet service in the UK.  The move is expected to enable unlimited dial-up calls to the Internet for a single monthly fee, beginning from mid-December.  http://www.bt.com
BT, November 9, 1999