AOL TIME WARNER PROMISE OPEN CABLE ACCESS, INCLUDING VIDEO STREAMING
America Online and Time Warner outlined a framework under which Time Warner will offer consumers a choice of multiple ISPs, including AOL, on Time Warner cable networks.  AOL Time Warner said it will not place any fixed limit on the number of ISPs with which it will enter into commercial arrangements and it will offer those ISPs the choice to partner on a national (on all AOL Time Warner cable systems), regional or local basis.  AOL Time Warner also promised to allow other ISPs to provide video streaming services over its cable infrastructure directly to end users.  http://www.aol.com
AOL, February 29, 2000

KESTREL SOLUTIONS RELEASES ITS OPTICAL FDM SYSTEM
Kestrel Solutions announced the commercial launch of its Optical FDM (Optical Frequency Division Multiplexing) transport platform.  Kestrel's TalonMX combines frequency division multiplexing, digital signal processors (DSPs) and optical modulation to serve as a bandwidth enhancer for metropolitan networks at significantly lower cost than SONET or DWDM.  The single-fiber, single-wavelength optical transport system delivers up to 10 Gbps with less than 20 GHz bandwidth space.  The TalonMX is NEBS Level 3 and OSMINE certified.  Deployment options include point-to-point, linear add/drop, and ring architectures.  Kestrel Solutions said one of its key advantages would be the ability to operate over any quality of fiber, including older fiber common in many RBOC infrastructures.  The company is based in Mountain View, California. http://www.kestrelsolutions.com/
Kestrel Solutions, February 29, 2000

• Earlier this year, Kestrel Solutions secured $100+ million in its fourth round of financing.

ADVA OPTICAL NETWORKING TO ACQUIRE STORAGE AREA NETWORKS
ADVA AG Optical Networking announced plans to acquire Storage Area Networks Ltd., a developer of a switching system combining Fibre Channel, SCSI, ATM and Gigabit Ethernet, for approximately US$83 million in stock.  Storage Area Networks (SAN) recently introduced its second-generation switch gateway that enables full Fibre Channel and SCSI connectivity, over any distance, across ATM or Gigabit Ethernet connections.  The box supports 155 Mbps or 622 Mbps ATM connections, Fibre Channel (FC-AL) connections, Ultra 2 SCSI connections (transfer rates up to 80MB/s) with support for single-ended, differential (HVD) and LVD SCSI buses, Gigabit Ethernet IP connections, and a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet connection for unit management.  Storage Area Networks Ltd was formed by the founders of K-NET Ltd, a leading ATM network integrator in the UK, and i-cubed Ltd.  ADVA, which is headquartered in Munich, Germany, specializes in metropolitan optical networking solutions. It currently offers a 32-channel DWDM solution designed for Local Exchange Carriers and city carriers.  The rack-mountable Fiber Service Platform-II chassis offers transparent "fiber-in-fiber-out" interfaces for FDDI, ATM, ESCON, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, OC-3/-12/-48, STM-1/-4/-16, Fibre Channel, FICON and coupling link.  http://www.san.com  http://www.advaoptical.com/
ADVA Optical, February 29, 2000

• Alcatel has an OEM arrangement covering ADVA's FSP-II product

ADVA OPTICAL NETWORKING TO ACQUIRE CELLWARE BROADBAND GMBH
ADVA AG Optical Networking will acquire Cellware Broadband GmbH, a privately-held developer of ATM-based integrated access devices, for approximately US$22.9 million in stock.  Cellware Broadband, which is based in Berlin, offers a range of ATM-based access products and service multiplexers.  ADVA said it plans to integrate Cellware's technology into its Fiber Service Platform-I (FSP-I) platform, evolving the system into an optical integrated access device. 
http://www.cellware.de
ADVA Optical, February 29, 2000

SDL ACQUIRES VERITECH MICROWAVE FOR LONG HAUL OPTICAL MODULES
SDL will acquire Veritech Microwave, a privately held manufacturer of high speed optoelectronic modules for long haul undersea and terrestrial fiber optic transmission systems, for $590 million in stock.  SDL said the deal would further its position in OC-192, 10 Gbps module level transmitter and receiver products.  The companies expect that Veritech's co-planar technology will have applications in OC-768 (40 Gbps) systems as well.  Veritech is based in S. Plainfield, New Jersey.  http://www.sdli.com  http://www.veritechmicro.com/
SDL, February 29, 2000

OPTICAL NETWORKING ACQUISITIONS – 2000

List of 1999 Optical Networking Acquisitions in online:

http://www.convergedigest.com/DWDM/OpticalMergers.htm

ADVANCED LIGHTING TECHNOLOGIES FORMS PASSIVE OPTICAL VENTURE

Advanced Lighting Technologies, a manufacturing company based in Cleveland, Ohio, formed a new Fiber Optic Telecommunications Business Unit to develop and manufacture passive, optical telecommunications devices and components.  Products include WDM filters; highly-reflective films for DWDM, and optical fiber assemblies and micro-optics that reduce insertion losses in DWDM, metro, and optical switching systems.  The unit is based in Santa Rosa, California.  http://www.adlt.com/
Advanced Lighting Technologies, February 29, 2000

LUXN OPENS OPTICAL ACCESS INTEROPERABILITY LAB
LuxN, a start-up developing optical access network platforms, opened an optical access interoperability lab, in Sunnyvale, California for layer 1 to layer 3 suppliers of Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel and Storage Area Network (SAN) solutions.  The company is already testing products from Juniper Networks, Extreme Networks, Foundry Networks, Gadzoox Networks and Brocade Communications Systems alongside its WavSystem line.  http://www.luxn.com
LuxN, February 29, 2000

• LuxN is developing a carrier-class platform for managed optical access services, including metropolitan Gigabit Ethernet or Fibre Channel, over point-to-point, cascaded multi-drop, access ring and redundant star network configurations.  The forthcoming LuxN WavSystem will include a customer premises interface device; a multi-tenant, multi-port optical access multiplexer; and a central office or point-of-presence optical concentrator.  LAN interfaces will include Gigabit Ethernet, ATM (OC-3/-12/-48c), Fibre Channel, N x T-1and 10/100 Base-T.  LuxN's central office optical concentrator will support single and multi-wavelength WDM links, end-to-end wavelength management features and up to 16 interface modules.  LuxN will also provide a Signal Integrity Monitoring capability that will function as an alternative to "digital wrappers" or SONET schemes for protection.

NORTEL ANNOUNCES SHASTA 5000 ENHANCEMENTS, QWEST DEPLOYMENT
Nortel Networks announced enhancements to its Shasta 5000 Broadband Service Node platform designed for new network-based broadband services.  Enhancements include GUI bulk provisioning capabilities enabling service providers to provision hundreds or thousands of new subscribers per day.  The system now supports LDAP interfaces, allowing service providers to create geographically-tiered, highly robust management server hierarchies, interfacing into common directory systems, and allowing for national scale network deployments.  Other enhancements include new support for the industry standard BGP4 interdomain routing protocol, IPSec secured VPN tunnel capabilities, Virtual Private Routed Networks (VPRNs), ATM OC-12, channelized DS-3 and Fast Ethernet modules.

Qwest Communications plans to deploy the Shasta 5000 Broadband Service Node (BSN) IP services platform to support value-added Internet services.  Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.nortelnetworks.com
Nortel Networks, February 29, 2000

• Nortel Networks acquired Shasta Networks in April 1999 for $340 million in stock and cash.

ITXC OPENS "SYSTEM 7 READY" INTERNET TELEPHONY SUPER POP
ITXC opened a new "System 7 ready" Internet telephony facility in New Jersey that will facilitate its sending/receiving of traffic from its 187 IP points-of-presence in 49 countries.  The new facility doubles ITXC's East Coast capacity and contains hundreds of Internet telephony gateways from Cisco, Clarent, and VocalTec and a traditional circuit switched platform from Excel/Lucent.  ITXC said ten of the top twelve facilities-based US international carriers have contracted to complete international calls, three of the top European carriers are connected to ITXC.net, and ten PTTs, including China Telecom and Korea Telecom, are ITXC affiliates.  http://www.itxc.com/
ITXC, February 29, 2000

OCTANE SOFTWARE SECURES $30 M FUNDING FOR WEB CUSTOMER MGT. APPS
Octane Software, a start-up developing Internet Relationship Management applications, secured $30 million in financing from Integral Capital Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, Greylock, Sigma Partners and Lucent Venture Partners.  Octane offers a Web-based customer care platform encompassing self-service, assisted-service, order management, email management, CTI integration and call control. The company is based in San Mateo, California.  http://www.octanesoftware.com/
Octane, February 29, 2000

A Daily Journal For Broadband Networking
Copyright 1999 ATM News Inc.
All Rights Reserved. ISSN 1084-2438
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