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VERIZON
TO BUILD GLOBAL VOICE AND DATA NETWORK
Verizon Communications
will build and operate a global voice and data network linking the
United States with major cities in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
To deploy the network, Verizon will acquire and manage
fiber-optic cable, switching and transmission equipment,
transmission facilities, and related network management software.
FLAG Telecom and Metromedia Fiber Network will provide key
elements of the network. Connections
between New York and Toronto and between Hawaii, Hong Kong, Tokyo
and Sydney are already operating.
By June, the network will connect New York to London,
Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt and Milan.
Over the next two years, the network will expand to include
Geneva, Zurich, Madrid, Singapore, Buenos Aires, Caracas and
Mexico City. Technical
details of the network architecture were not disclosed.
Verizon plans to use the network for several purposes:
-
The company
will market network telecommunications services to the large
business market.
-
Verizon
will route international calls over its new network rather
than via other carriers, which could save the company more
than $300 million in transport costs over five years.
Verizon says that 40 percent of all international
long-distance traffic in the United States originates in its
service territory.
-
Network
capacity will be offered on a wholesale basis to other
carriers.
- Under
a joint marketing and resale agreement, Verizon will resell a
variety of Genuity's Internet products such as Web hosting and
Internet access.
http://newscenter.verizon.com/proactive/newsroom/release.vtml?id=49248
Verizon,
February 7, 2001
- FLAG
Telecom’s FLAG Europe-Asia cable, which entered service in
November 1997, stretches from the UK to Japan.
FLAG Atlantic-1 (currently under construction and
scheduled for completion this quarter) will offer a dual
terabit capacity cable. FLAG
North Asian Loop (scheduled to enter service in Q2 2001) will
connect Hong Kong and Japan.
FLAG Pacific-1 (expected to enter service in 2002) is a
multi-terabit, dual cable system linking the US to Japan.
FLAG Telecom is deploying Juniper Networks' M20 routers
throughout its global IP backbone.
- Metromedia
Fiber Network owns fiber-optic infrastructures in 51 cities in
North America, and is building networks in 16 cities
throughout Europe. MFN has deployed more than 1.2 million
miles of fiber.
CIENA
WINS $200 MILLION CORE SWITCH CONTRACT FROM MCLEODUSA
McLeodUSA,
a national facilities-based telecommunications provider, has
selected CIENA’s MultiWave CoreDirector as the optical core
switch for next generation development of its national voice and
data network. McLeodUSA
is developing an automated, self-aware mesh network to eliminate
the need for ring-based topologies and allow customers to manage
their bandwidth and service options.
Under the $200 million contract, more than 50 CoreDirector
switches will be installed by the end of 2001.
The contract also includes CIENA’s MultiWave CoreStream
intelligent optical transport system and LightWorks ON-Center
network management software. http://www.ciena.com/news/archive/2001/02/02.07.2001.html
http://www.mcleodusa.com/
CIENA,
February 7, 2001
- In
November, McLeodUSA outlined its plans for a "mesh
switch" network architecture encompassing 50 POPs across
the US and stretching across 31,000 route miles of fiber.
Key architectural components of the network will
include ultra-broadband mesh switches, DWDM systems and
aggregation multiplexers that would enable fast provisioning
times and competitive price structures.
The company hopes that a mesh-switch fiber architecture
will be less complex and more efficient than the conventional
network ring topology deployed by other carriers.
- McLeodUSA signed a three year,
$600 million contract to purchase wholesale voice and data
services from Qwest in October, and agreed
to purchase additional network infrastructure from Level 3
covering 25 U.S. states in November.
- During 2000, McLeodUSA acquired
CapRock Communications Corp., a CLEC serving the southwestern
US with 95,000 lines in service and 5,400 fiber route
miles, and Splitrock Services Inc., which operated a
nationwide data network with ATM switches in over 325 POPs in
all 50 states.
TELECOM
ITALIA DEPLOYS ALCATEL’S 10 GBPS SDH
Telecom Italia awarded a 110 million euro contract to Alcatel
for deployment of 10 Gbps SDH multiservice throughout its national
network. The network
upgrade is scheduled for completion in 2002.
Alcatel said the systems can evolve to provide IP routing
and ATM forwarding capabilities. http://www.alcatel.com
Alcatel, February 7, 2001
XSTREAM
LOGIC SECURES $30 MILLION FOR ITS 10 GBPS NETWORK PROCESSORS
XStream Logic, a start-up based in Los Gatos, California,
secured $30 million in second round venture funding.
XStream Logic is developing a single-processor packet
processing solution capable of performing 7-layer packet
processing at 10 Gbps rates.
The devices could be used in core and edge routers,
load-balancing web switches, network appliances, and storage
devices. Investors
include Goldman Sachs, Mayfield Fund, Tallwood Venture Capital,
Sands Brothers & Co. and Mitsui & Co.
http:// www.xstreamlogic.com
XStream Logic, February 7, 2001
NARAD
NETWORKS RAISES $41 MILLION FOR ITS HFC “VIRTUAL FIBER”
PLATFORM
Narad Networks, a
start-up based in Westford, Mass., raised $41.6 million in its
first round of private financing, led by Polaris Venture Partners
and including network industry luminaries.
Narad Networks is developing a “Virtual Fiber” access
platform and service-enabling environment that would enable
demand-driven IP services over existing HFC networks. Product
plans have not been disclosed.
Some prominent names investing in Narad Networks include:
Pradeep Sindhu, vice chairman and CTO, Juniper Networks; Rubin
Gruber and Hassan Ahmed, chairman and president, respectively, of
Sonus Networks; John Fan, president, CEO and founder of Kopin; Bob
Metcalfe, founder of 3Com;
and YAS Broadband Ventures, L.L.C. formed by Rouzbeh Yassini, the
"father" of the cable modem.
http://www.naradnetworks.com
Narad Networks, February 6, 2001
-
Dev
Gupta is the founder, President and CEO of Narad Networks.
Prior to starting Narad, he was the founder of MaxComm
Technologies and Dagaz Technologies, which were both purchased
by Cisco Systems. Previously,
he held positions at Cisco and Bell Labs.
Several overall members of the Narad management team
left MaxComm/Cisco to start the company.
COMMUNICANT
SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES TO BUILD FOUNDRY
FOR WIRELESS AND BROADBAND ICS
Communicant
Semiconductor Technologies announced its plans to build a $1.5
billion integrated circuits (IC) foundry in Germany.
The company has entered into technology-licensing
agreements with Intel and Innovations for High Performance
microelectronics (IHP), which are also strategic investors in
Communicant. Under
the agreements, Communicant will obtain silicon-germanium-carbon
(SiGe:C) technology from IHP and 0.18 micron CMOS technology from
Intel. Communicant
will use the SiGe:C BiCMOS and CMOS processes to create high
performance ICs for the wireless and broadband markets.
Communicant, February 7, 2001
- Communicant’s
fabrication facility is scheduled to be operational in 3Q
2002, and the start of production is planned for 1Q 2003.
The foundry’s production capacity will be 30,000
eight-inch (200mm) wafers per month.
- The facility will be built in
Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, located 50 miles east of Berlin in
the state of Brandenburg.
- IHP is a publicly funded German
R&D institution with the charter to stimulate high-tech in
the Frankfurt (Oder) region. IHP's core competencies include
process technology, circuit design and communication systems
design, with an emphasis on wireless and broadband.
http://www.ihp-microelectronics.com/
NETWORK
ROBOTS TO DEVELOP PROGRAMMABLE
NETWORKING PLATFORM
Network
Robots, a start-up based in Pleasanton, Calif., is developing a networking
platform that it says will enable programmable service logic at
true Gigabit line rates. The
platform will allow service providers to customize and expand IP
service offerings from multiple software and hardware partners.
http://www.networkrobots.com
Network Robots, February 7, 2001
- CEO
Junaid Islam, who previously headed the Service Provider
Architecture Team at Cisco Systems, and held positions at
StrataCom, leads Network Robots.
Alex Mendez, formerly VP and general manager of
Cisco Systems, and an executive at StrataCom, has been named
chairman of the company.
- Network Robots has raised $20
million from Storm Ventures, Venrock Associates and Interwest
Partners.
BOCA
PHOTONICS DEVELOPS SERVICE CONTROL SOLUTION FOR OPTICAL MESH
NETWORKS
Boca
Photonics raised
$3 million in first round venture funding for the development of a
service control solution for optical mesh networks.
The company plans to address the complexity of network
implementation and control, which it says will greatly increase as
traditional SONET networks migrate to more flexible and reliable
mesh-based networks. The
company’s hardware and software products will enable
Interexchange Carriers (IXCs) to plan, implement, and restore next
generation services for backbone networks by integrating and
automating key functions of the carriers' capacity fulfillment
process. Investors
include VantagePoint Venture Partners and Alliance Technology
Ventures. http://www.bocaphotonics.com
Boca Photonics,
February 6, 2001
- Boca Photonics is led by Michael
B. McLaughlin, who was previously VP and General Manager of
the Optical Networks Division for Siemens, and also held
positions at Nortel. CTO
Jose H. Sabat, Ph.D.; VP of Product Management Thomas E. Hall;
and VP of Product Development Xiangbo Feng, Ph.D. held
positions at Nortel and Hitachi Telecom prior to joining Boca
Photonics.
- Boca Photonics is based in Boca
Raton, Florida and has research and development facilities in
Atlanta, Georgia.
REALNETWORKS
PARTNERS WITH WAVEFLY FOR STREAMING MEDIA TO THE LIVING ROOM
RealNetworks signed a partnership agreement with Wavefly
Corporation for distributing streaming media from the PC to a TV
or stereo system. Wavefly
is developing a fixed wireless media distribution system that
enables an entertainment gateway in the home, such as the PC, to
stream Internet media to consumer entertainment appliances.
RealNetworks will be Wavefly's preferred technology and
content partner for a Digital Media Player.
http://www.realnetworks.com
RealNetworks, February 7, 2001
- Wavefly’s
home networking technology is compatible with digital wireless
802.11b (11 Mbps), Ethernet and HomePNA 2.0 standards.
The company’s Digital Media Player will act as a
content services distribution platform and work with existing
home stereos and TVs to play digital music and display digital
photos. In
addition, when the Digital Media Player is configured as a
gateway, a single DSL or cable modem connection can be shared
throughout the home. Wavefly
is based in Austin, Texas.
The company raised $2-million in funding from Murphree
Venture Partners in 1999.
http://www.wavefly.com/
COMANAGE
AND TELUTION DEVELOP CUSTOMER-AWARE OSS FOR BROADBAND
CoManage formed a partnership with Telution for providing a
customer-aware integrated operations support and network
performance management system for provisioning broadband
communications services. Telution
is a Chicago-based provider of operations support systems (OSS)
for the ordering, delivery, support, and billing of communication
services. CoManage
offers an Integrated Service Manager that combines discovery,
service provisioning, fault monitoring, and performance management
into a customer-aware application.
The joint CoManage/Telution solution is being demonstrated
as part of the DSL Solution Showcase of Microsoft's Partner
Solution Center for providing Web-based customer self-provisioning
and billing of DSL services.
http://www.comanage.net
CoManage, February 7, 2001
- AT&T
Broadband Network Solutions has deployed CoManage's Integrated
Service Manager.
CERAGON
INTRODUCES 3 X DS-3 BROADBAND WIRELESS ACCESS MULTIPLEXER
Ceragon Networks introduced a first single-box integrated
access multiplexer that enables three DS-3 connections to be
aggregated and transported over a single OC-3 wireless
communications link. Winstar
Communications is deploying the product in its national broadband
network. http://www.ceragon.com
Ceragon
Networks, February 7, 2001 |
