STORM EXPANDS DEPLOYMENT OF SYCAMORE OPTICAL MESH NETWORK
Storm Telecommunications, a carrier developing last-mile optically switched services, will buy US$60 million of additional equipment from Sycamore Networks under the companies’ existing multi-year agreement.  Sycamore will supply SN 16000 Intelligent Optical Switches and SN 8000 Metro Core transport platforms for the second phase of Storm's international optical mesh network build out.  The agreement is now valued at up to US$100 million.  Sycamore will provide lease financing to Storm for the purchase of the equipment.  Deployment of the systems is already underway.  http://www.sycamorenet.com/about/news/pressreleases.cfm?news_item_id=422 
Sycamore, February 1, 2001

• Storm plans to offer re-routable optical services for ISPs, as well as TV and cable broadcasters.  The company’s backbone network is now in place in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.  Storm expects the network to become operational in the USA, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and Austria in the coming months.
• Storm Telecommunications has previously announced a long-term, US$100 million dark fiber lease with Telia, giving it access to substantial fiber across Scandinavia and the rest of Europe, and a US$13 million lease of fiber-optic infrastructure from Metromedia Fiber Network (MFN) in key European cities

FIBERNET AND INTELLISPACE PARTNER FOR METRO ETHERNET SERVICE
FiberNet Telecom Group, which develops in-building networks for Class A office towers, agreed to provide IntelliSpace with access to a minimum of 30 million square feet of commercial space in major US business centers.  IntelliSpace will be able to provide these customers with managed optical and circuit-based Ethernet IP services.  http://www.ftgx.com
FiberNet, February 1, 2001

• Last week, FiberNet announced a similar agreement to provide building access to Yipes.
• FiberNet currently has lit multiple strands of fiber throughout New York City using a diversely routed SONET architecture.  Last July, FiberNet awarded a US$200 million contract extension to Nortel Networks covering deployment of OPTera Metro 3500 and 5200 Multi-service Platforms. 

WORLDCOM SELECTS ERICSSON ENGINE NETWORK PLATFORM
WorldCom has selected Ericsson's ENGINE platform as a foundation for new multimedia services.  WorldCom will start upgrading to the ENGINE Bridgehead Network platform in early 2001, and will continue with the ENGINE Integral Network and ENGINE Multimedia throughout the year.  http://www.ericsson.com/press/20010201-0017.html 
Ericsson, February 1, 2001

• ENGINE is Ericsson’s open platform for a single multi-service network.  ENGINE migrates circuit-switched networks into a single next generation network, based on ATM and IP packet switching.
• Other carriers who have announced contracts with Ericsson for the ENGINE platform include Telia International Carrier, British Telecom, Telefonica in Spain, KPN International Network Services, Telia Denmark, eircom and Diveo (formerly Diginet Americas).

NETSCREEN AND RIPTECH OFFER MANAGED SECURITY OUTSOURCING TO SERVICE PROVIDERS
NetScreen Technologies, a developer of ASIC-based Internet security systems and appliances, and Riptech, a provider of managed security services, announced a partnership targeting outsourced, high-bandwidth security for service providers, Internet Data Centers and enterprise customers.   NetScreen’s ASIC-based appliances deliver firewall, encryption, VPN and traffic shaping functionality at wire rates up to Gigabit speed.  Riptech's security monitoring technology aggregates vast amounts of security log data from NetScreen's firewall/VPN devices, and provide 24x7 monitoring by live security analysts who review the data and provide security policy development, assessment and auditing, penetration testing, incident forensics, and response.  Riptech offers the service under private-label to other service providers.  http://www.netscreen.com
NetScreen Technologies, January 30, 2001

• Last week, Yipes announced a managed security option for its metro Ethernet service that is provided via Riptech.

CENTERPOINT TO ADAPT SUBCARRIER MULTIPLEXING TECHNOLOGY FOR BROADBAND WIRELESS
Centerpoint Broadband Technologies, a start-up based in San Jose, California, unveiled plans to adapt its Subcarrier Multiplexing (SCM) technology for fixed, broadband wireless systems.  The technology was originally developed for aggregating and transporting multi-service traffic within optical networks at rates of up to 20 Gbps.  Centerpoint will leverage a proprietary modem design, radio frequency (RF), integrated circuit technology and established manufacturing relationships to introduce multi-rate radios (MRR) for a wide range of point-to-point applications during 2001.  http://www.centerpoint.com
Centerpoint Broadband Technologies, January 30, 2001

• Centerpoint offers a unique Lightwave Efficient Network Solution (LENS) for increasing the bandwidth carrying capacity of optical links in metro and regional networks without using DWDM.  Centerpoint’s patent-pending Subcarrier Multiplexing (SCM) technology aggregates multiple signals into a single wavelength.  The technology then modulates digital input signals into radio frequency (RF) signals.  Centerpoint claims its system can accept inputs in their native form, making it possible to connect legacy systems to the network without having to multiplex the signal to match existing network speeds.  The system transmits data at 20 Gbps on a single wavelength.  The systems can also offer performance monitoring and protection switching, allowing carriers a choice of protection schemes on a subcarrier-by-subcarrier basis.
• Centerpoint's technology relies on twelve key patent and patent disclosures that were licensed from Lockheed Martin on an exclusive basis.  The technology is used in government communication systems.  The company is led by Dana Waldman, who previously served as director of Lockheed Martin's Advanced Communications Systems (ACS).  
• The company has raised $67 million in funding from BancBoston Ventures, ComVentures, ViVentures, Menlo Ventures, U.S. Venture Partners and Cisco Systems.

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AGERE SYSTEMS DEVELOPS ASICS FOR NATIVE NETWORKS’ OPTICAL ACCESS BOX
Agere Systems (formerly Lucent’s Microelectronics Group) will manufacture a CMOS-based ASIC for Native Networks, a start-up developing optical access transport solutions.  Native Networks' platform will use traffic shaping techniques and service-aware management solutions to build multiple secure and elastic Virtual Ethernet Networks (VENs) supporting native transport of Ethernet packets alongside legacy TDM circuits.  http://www.nativenetworks.com/   http://www.agere.com 
Agere Systems, January 29, 2001

NORTEL AWARDED $30 MILLION WIRELESS CONTRACT IN CHINA
Nortel Networks won a US$30 million expansion contract to supply China's Xinjiang Mobile Communications Corp. with wireless equipment.  Under the agreement, Nortel will supply new GSM 900 base stations, switching centers and signal switching points. This fifth-phase network expansion is expected to support an additional 280,000 subscribers.  Nortel said that it has been awarded wireless network contracts in 17 of China’s 31 provinces.  http://www.nortelnetworks.com/corporate/news/newsreleases/2001a/02_01_0101056_xinjiang_mcc_gsm.html
Nortel, February 1, 2001

COMNET ANNOUNCES PRODUCT AWARD WINNERS
COMNET has announced its 2001 New Product Achievement Awards at this week's COMNET tradeshow in Washington, DC.  The Most Innovative Product/Service winner was EnterpriseMobility, a Bluetooth-based software suite for corporate voice-data networking.  EnterpriseMobility is made by Norwood Systems, a one year old start-up based in Richmond-upon-Thames, UK.  The company’s product development facility is in Perth, Australia.  Winners in all categories are listed below.

http://www.comnetexpo.com
COMNET, February 1, 2001