ALCATEL TO ACQUIRE INNOVATIVE FIBERS FOR ITS OPTICAL FILTERS
Alcatel will acquire Innovative Fibers, a start-up developing optical filters, for US$175 million.  Innovative Fibers produces Fiber Bragg Gratings, a passive optical component used in DWDM systems.  Its Gain Flattening Filters (GFFs) are used in terrestrial backbones.  Alcatel also offers Gain Flattening Filters (GFFs), but optimized for submarine applications.  Alcatel Optronics will market Innovative Fibers' existing standalone products and will also integrate the technology into its portfolio of optical interface and amplifier modules.  Innovative Fibers was founded in 1995 and has 220 employees.  The company is based in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.
http://www.alcatel.com/vpr/index.htm?body=/latestnews/05072000uk
http://www.infibers.com/
Alcatel, July 5, 2000

VENDORS TEST STREAM CONTROL TRANSMISSION PROTOCOL (SCTP)
Major vendors participated in the first interoperability tests of Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), a new IETF protocol for signaling-quality, reliable transport using IP.  The tests were held in June at Siemens' laboratories in Munich.  Participants included Alcatel, 3Com, Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Performance Technologies (MicroLegend), Sun, Telcordia, Trillium, S-Link and Siemens.  http://www.usa.alcatel.com/press/2000press/pr070500.htm
Alcatel, July 5, 2000

• SCTP is designed to transport PSTN signaling messages over IP networks, and is capable of broader applications.  The proposed protocol addresses limitations in TCP. Key features of SCTP are expected to include: acknowledged error-free non-duplicated transfer of user data; data fragmentation to conform to discovered path MTU size; sequenced delivery of user messages within multiple streams, with an option for order-of-arrival delivery of individual user messages; optional bundling of multiple user messages into a single SCTP packet; and network-level fault tolerance through supporting of multi-homing at either or both ends of an association.  More information, including current Internet drafts and a discussion mailing list, are available from the IETF "Signaling Transport" (sigtran) Working Group:  http://www.ietf.org/html.charters/sigtran-charter.html
  

ADC TEAMS WITH NIGHTFIRE SOFTWARE FOR DSL PROVISIONING
ADC announced a strategic alliance with NightFire Software that will combine its Singularit.e operational support system (OSS) with NightFire's SupplierExpress and CustomerExpress software.  The integrated product suite is aimed at providing DSL network operators with a quick way to provision and bill for services.  Key features would include automated service deployment and convergent customer care and billing.  http://www.nightfire.com
http://www.adc.com/newsroom/index.html
ADC, July 5, 2000

• NightFire is a start-up based in Berkeley, California.  Primary investors include U.S. Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, The Roda Group and New Enterprise Associates. 

ENITION SECURES KEY BACKING FOR IP PAYMENT ENHANCEMENTS
Enition, a start-up based in Santa Clara, California and Paris, France, announced plans to offer an IP-based infrastructure platform for enabling highly secure online payments.  The company's proprietary IPToll technology would enable unique payment and valuation characteristics within IP, thereby providing a clientless payment structure built into the fundamental architecture of the Internet.  Key investors include Cisco Systems, Reuters Greenhouse Fund and Galileo Partners.  Specific terms were not disclosed.  Beta testing is expected in Q3.  http://www.enition.com/
Enition, July 5, 2000

LUCENT TRIPLES SPEED AND DENSITY OF ITS LATEST FPGAs
Lucent Technologies Microelectronics Group unveiled its latest field-programmable gate array (FPGA) integrated circuits aimed at broadband communications.  The new FPGA technology, which more than triples the operating speed and gate density over previous generation devices, give design engineers the ability to embed field-programmable logic blocks into communications systems-on-a-chip (SoC) that are deployed as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or application- specific standard products (ASSPs).  FPGAs allow last-minute changes in networking standards or customer specifications.  The first ICs using the technology are expected in Q3.
http://www.lucent.com/micro/NEWS/PRESS2000/070300a.html
Lucent, July 5, 2000

LEAP WIRELESS ORDERS $900 MILLION IN LUCENT CDMA EQUIPMENT
Leap Wireless International will substantially increase its local wireless Cricket service in the US through the purchase approximately $900 million in Lucent's wireless infrastructure equipment and services.  The contract covers Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) base stations and switches needed to launch the network in 35 markets by the end of next year.  Cricket is targeting unlimited local voice services at prices below current traditional home phone service.  http://www.lucent.com/press/0700/000705.nsa.html
Lucent, July 5, 2000

SBC OFFERS DSL SELF-INSTALL KIT
SBC Communications began offering a consumer DSL self-install kit in its Pacific Bell, Southwestern Bell, Nevada Bell and SNET regions.  The company expects a majority of its new DSL customers to use the self-install software, thereby increasing the number of DSL accounts it can activate every day.  SBC leads the US in the number of DSL subscribers -- 201,000 at the end of Q1.  http://www.sbc.com/
SBC, July 5, 2000

TOLLBRIDGE AND SYLANTRO ALLIANCE TO COMBINE VOICE-OVER-BROADBAND WITH SOFTSWITCHING
TollBridge Technologies will integrate its broadband-to-PSTN media gateway with Sylantro Systems' with Applications Switch and value-added Communications Suite.  The strategic alliance is aimed at combining voice-over-broadband with softswitching.  http://www.sylantro.com
http://www.tollbridgetech.com/
Tollbridge, July 5, 2000

• Last month, Tollbridge announced an OEM deal with Nortel Networks covering its TB200 Voice Gateway for use with Cornerstone products in HFC networks.

PACKETLIGHT NETWORKS TARGETS METRO OPTICAL
PacketLight Networks, a start-up based in Herzliya, Israel, raised over $11 million in seed funding to develop optical solutions for metro networks.  Investors include ADC Telecommunications and Polaris Venture Capital.  The company was founded in January 2000.  http://www.packetlight.com/
PacketLight Networks, July 5, 2000

GTE INTERNET DEPLOYS ALTEON'S WEBSWITCHES
GTE Internet has standardized on Alteon's Web switching products within its domestic data center operations.  The deployment covers 30 Alteon 180e Gigabit Ethernet Web switches.  GTE Internet's data centers are fully-meshed, with all Alteon Web switches operating in active/active configurations so all devices can process traffic simultaneously while providing automatic and transparent failover.  The company expects to implement global server load balancing as well as content-intelligent (i.e. Layer 7) switching using the installed Alteon switches.
http://www.alteonwebsystems.com/press/070500.shtml
Alteon WebSystems, July 5, 2000

FRANCE TELECOM EXTENDS ITS EUROPEAN BACKBONE
France Telecom lit a new fiber ring connecting its European Backbone Network (EBN) to Frankfurt, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.  The network already reached Geneva, Paris, London, Brussels, Madrid and Barcelona.  Ten additional European cities will be online by the end of the year.  France Telecom's European backbone initially has 80 Gbps capacity and is upgradeable to an estimated 1.2 Tbps with its current fiber.  http://www.francetelecom.com
France Telecom, July 5, 2000

FRANCE TELECOM SELECTS ERICSSON'S ENGINE ACCESS RAMP
France Telecom agreed to deploy Ericsson's next generation ENGINE Access Ramp, a multiservice platform integrating narrowband (PSTN/ISDN) and broadband DSL.  The deployment will begin this autumn and eventually extend to 2.7 million lines.  Financial terms were not disclosed.  http://www.ericsson.com/pressroom/20000705-0013.html
Ericsson, July 5, 2000

ORCKIT PRE-ANNOUNCES LOWER REVENUE CITING DSL CHIP SHORTAGE
Orckit Communications said its revenues for the fiscal quarter ended June 30 will be approximately $17.0 million and that it will report a loss of between $(1.60) and $(1.70) per share, after taking into consideration a charge of between $25million to $28 million associated with its acquisition of eDSL Networks.  The company cited a shortage of KeyWave chips used in its DSLAMs, but added that its chip vendor now expects to ship over 200,000 KeyWave chips in Q3.  Second quarter results are expected to be released in early August 2000.  http://www.orckit.com/
Orckit Communications, July 5, 200