QWEST SHIFTS AWAY FROM SONET RING DESIGN TOWARD ALL-OPTICAL NETWORK
Qwest Communications announced plans to aggressively rollout an all-optical network, decreasing the number of electrical regeneration points in its 18,500-mile network by as much as 90%.  The network upgrade, which will shift Qwest away from its traditional SONET ring design, is expected to yield a 95% reduction in backbone provisioning time when implemented in the first half of next year.  A coast-to-coast OC-192 signal will need to pass through just two regeneration connection points instead of 30 under the SONET architecture.  It will also enable Qwest to provide its customers with individual wavelength services managed and restorable up to OC-192 capacity and beyond.  The company plans to build an open, multi-vendor network leveraging a range of emerging technologies from start-ups such as Corvis, Qtera, Siara Systems, Sycamore Networks and Juniper Networks, as well as Cisco Systems.  Qwest's Emerging Technologies division is headed by Vab Goel.
http://www.qwest.com/press/story.asp?id=161
Qwest, November 22, 1999

SYCAMORE SIGNS $400 MILLION OPTICAL NETWORK AGREEMENT WITH WILLIAMS
Williams Communications will purchase up to $100 million in optical networking equipment per year from Sycamore Networks under a four-year agreement.  Williams has already deployed Sycamore's intelligent optical networking products to deliver wave services from its existing SONET OC-192 backbone.  The new agreement, which will enable Williams to extend the service to all major markets around the US, covers Sycamore's full product range, including its SN 6000 transport node, SN 8000 network node and SILVX optical network management system . http://www.sycamorenet.com/about/news/frame_latest.cfm?news_item_id=152
Sycamore Networks, November 22, 1999

Sycamore's SN 6000 optical transport node platform provides wavelength conversion and optical multiplexing of OC-48 lightpaths onto OC-192 trunks.  On the service side, the SN 6000 provides an OC-48/STM-16 interface to ATM switches, IP routers or to other SONET/SDH terminals.  The platform supports 1-44 wavelengths using the 50GHz ITU grid and it scales up to 28 OC-48s/STM-16s per rack.  Sycamore's SN 8000 optical add/drop network nodes provide 1-44 wavelengths and can extend to distance of 500km without electrical regeneration.

CHELLO BROADBAND UPGRADES TO OC-48 DWDM BACKBONE
chello broadband, the cable modem Internet service of United Pan-Europe Communications (UPC), will upgrade its backbone to OC-48 trunks over a DWDM infrastructure.  The network is expected to be upgraded to 10 Gbps backbone speeds late next year.  Global TeleSystems (GTS) will deliver wavelength services to chello at major Internet Exchange points in London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris and Brussels.  GTS will also provide chello with increased trans-Atlantic capacity with its planned FLAG Atlantic-1 (FA-1) cable.
http://www.gtsgroup.com
chello broadband, November 22, 1999

As of September 30, United Pan-Europe Communications had 79,039 cable modem Internet (chello) subscribers, up from 52,677 in the prior quarter.  UPC's cable networks currently pass approximately 9.0 million homes; total homes upgraded to two-way capability now stands at about 2.9 million.

METROMEDIA FIBER ADDS 11 MORE CITIES TO ITS EUROPEAN AMBITIONS
Metromedia Fiber Network now plans to build high-density fiber networks in 16 cities across Europe.  Metromedia Fiber Network typically deploys a minimum of 432 fiber strands in a meshed network architecture made up of multiple overlapping and interconnected rings through the principal business districts and financial centers.  New intra-city networks are now planned for Paris, Brussels, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Munich, Berlin, Hanover, Vienna, Zurich, Geneva, and Milan.  The New York-based company has previously announced plans to build city networks in London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Cologne, As well as to build a German national ring network.  MFN's total planned European infrastructure now exceeds 625,000-fiber km and 2,160-route km.  http://www.mmfn.com/
Metromedia Fiber Network, November 22, 1999

Metromedia Fiber Network recently acquired AboveNet Communications and plans to build neutral Internet Exchange facilities in major cities around the world.

CISCO INTRODUCES HIGH DENSITY MEDIA GATEWAY INTEGRATING TDM AND VOIP
Cisco Systems introduced an integrated media gateway for optimizing traffic flows between TDM networks and packet networks.  The new Cisco MGX 8260 media gateway can be used for locally switching TDM calls, performing modem call grooming and handling VoIP gateway functions.  The MGX 8260, which leverages technology from Cisco's acquisition of TransMedia, offers the capacity to support 170,000 voice circuits in a seven-foot telco rack.  Voice and dial communications are controlled through the Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP).  The unit is designed for carrier class reliability and for integration with service providers' operations support systems, billing and service creation environments.  Pricing starts at $50,000.  Cisco said its MGX 8260 media gateway complements its IP+ATM product family, including its MGX 8220 service gateway and the MGX 8850 multiservice IP+ATM switch.  http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/146/november99/27.html
Cisco Systems, November 22, 1999

CRONUS DEVELOPS SOLUTIONS FOR IP, ATM, AND PSTN SIGNALING INTERWORKING
Cronus Communications announced plans to a number of converged voice over packet signaling interworking solutions for enabling VoIP and VoATM networks to integrate with existing the PSTN systems in international markets.  The company's expertise is in the integration of voice switching products into worldwide networks that use variations of the R1, R2, and DTMF in-band protocols; and the ISDN, ANSI SS7, and ITU-T C7 out-of-band protocols for signaling.  Because the existing PSTN infrastructures in Asia- Pacific and Latin American countries often use different signaling schemes at the edge instead of ANSI SS7 or ITU-T C7, Cronus expects that next generation voice over packet gateways will need to co-exist transparently within the existing PSTN infrastructure. The company plans to provide signaling gateway functionality for in-band, out-of-band, and the various IP-based signaling protocols.  Cronus Communications is based in Chantilly, Virginia.  http://www.cronuscom.com/
Cronus Communications, November 22, 1999

EFFICIENT NETWORKS ACQUIRES FLOWPOINT, INCREASING PRESENCE IN DSL CPE MARKET
Efficient Networks will acquire FlowPoint Corporation, a subsidiary of Cabletron Systems that offers SDSL and IDSL router, for approximately 13.5 million shares of EFNT stock (valued at $861 million based on 19-Nov-99 closing prices, or $1.1 billion based on 22-Nov-99 closing price).  FlowPoint holds the leading market share in the SDSL and IDSL router market, based on figures from the Dell'Oro Group.  Efficient now supports five distinct DSL CPE product categories: internal and USB DSL modems for PCs, DSL LAN modems, SOHO/telecommuter DSL routers and small business or branch office DSL routers.  The company said the acquisition would accelerate its entry into the VoDSL market. FlowPoint is developing a VoDSL product that is interoperable with voice gateways from CopperCom and Jetstream.  FlowPoint is based in Santa Clara, California.  http://www.efficient.com/news/199911221.html
http://www.flowpoint.com/
Efficient Networks, November 22, 1999

Cabletron acquired FlowPoint in June 1998 for US$25 million in cash and stock.

SBC ACQUIRES 43% STAKE IN PRODIGY, OUTSOURCES ITS DSL SERVICE
SBC Communications will acquire a 43% equity stake in Prodigy Communications.  Under the deal, SBC will make Prodigy its exclusive retail consumer and small business Internet access service.  Prodigy will assume management of SBC's current 650,000 dial-up, ISDN and basic DSL Internet customer base.  The Prodigy service will be co-branded with SBC's regional brands - Ameritech, Pacific Bell, Nevada Bell, SNET and Southwestern Bell - in SBC's existing service areas, and with its new SBC Telecom brand in the 30 markets SBC will enter in the next 30 months.  Prodigy will use SBC as its preferred provider of telecommunications and Internet services.  It will also make DSL its preferred broadband offering.   http://www.sbc.com/
http://www.prodigy.com/pcom/sbc/sbc_index.html
SBC Communications, November 22, 1999

JDS UNIPHASE TO ACQUIRE SIFAM FOR OPTICAL COMPONENTS
JDS Uniphase will acquire SIFAM Limited (SIFAM), a developer of fused components for fiber networks, for GBP 60 million (US$97 million).  SIFAM, which is based in the UK, offers the WDM couplers that combine the 980 or 1480 nanometer pump laser signals with the source network signal to enable amplification of the source signal. SIFAM's gain-flattening filters, also used in optical amplifiers, enable the amplified power level to be independent of wavelength.  http://www.sifamfo.com/
http://www.jdsunph.com
JDS Uniphase, November 22, 1999