360NETWORKS LIGHTS TRANSATLANTIC FIBER CABLE
360networks completed the installation and lighting of all four segments of 360atlantic, a 1.92 Tbps 11,700 km undersea cable linking the US, Canada, Ireland and the US.  The transatlantic network segment was completed on time and US $80 million under the $850 million budget.  http://www.360.net
360networks, March 28, 2001

• In October, Alcatel agreed to invest $1 billion in 360networks.  In return, 360networks will award Alcatel contracts for two new undersea networks.  The cables include 360pacific, a $1.1 billion transpacific cable linking the US, Canada and Japan.  The 22,000 km, six-fiber pair cable will have a capacity of 4.8 Tbps and is expected to enter service in April 2002.  Alcatel will also supply equipment for an additional transatlantic cable, 360atlantic2, to mesh with 360atlantic.

• 360atlantic is designed with a four-fiber pair, bi-directional line switched ring (BLSR) architecture.  Its initial capacity is 80 Gbps per fiber pair (protected), scaling to 480 Gbps per fiber pair (protected).

IIJ TO EXPAND IPV6-BASED SERVICES
Internet Initiative Japan will expand its IPv6 based services to include IPv6-capable data center hosting.  The service will first be available at IIJ's Tokyo data centers, and then expand to other centers nationwide. Some of the most advanced IPv6 projects in Japan, such as Nikkei BP's IPv6 portal site (v6start.net), have already decided to use the services.  IIJ also plans to launch "IPv6 Dual Stack Service" which would enable both IPv4 and IPv6- based packets to be sent and received on the same network.  IIJ anticipates launching this service in the fall.
http://www.iij.ad.jp/
IIJ, March 28, 2001

• IIJ launched Japan's first IPv6-based connectivity service in August 1999.

MICROSOFT RELEASES WINDOWS MEDIA AUDIO AND VIDEO 8 CODECS
Microsoft released its Windows Media Audio and Video 8 codec, which enable near-DVD quality video over Internet connections at rates as low as 500 Kbps and near-CD-quality audio at 48 Kbps.  The codecs are compatible with Microsoft Windows Media Player 7 and 6.4, as well as the new Windows Media Player 7 for Mac, which was also released today.  Video 8 delivers near-VHS quality at rates as low as 250 Kbps with 320x240 pixel resolution at 24 frames per second.  The near-DVD quality is attained at rates as low as 500 Kbps with 640x480 pixel resolution at 24 frames per second.  Windows Media Audio 8 achieves CD-quality sound at 64 Kbps and near-CD-quality sound at 48 Kbps, which is comparable to MP3 files encoded at 128 Kbps.  http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2001/Mar01/03-28MotionPicturePR.asp
Microsoft, March 28, 2001

• Microsoft claims that more than 18 million movies have been distributed to online viewers using its Windows Media Technologies.  Its leading content providers now are delivering more than 2 million movies a month in Windows Media format.
• CenterSpan Communications Corp. plans to adopt Windows Media Audio and Video 8 into a peer-to-peer solution to facilitate the purchase and exchange of high-quality, copyright-protected music and video between content providers and consumers.  A Scour Exchange Beta site was launched this week for downloading music, movie trailers and classic TV clips.  http://www.centerspan.com/main/

ONEPATH NETWORKS PROPOSES ETHERNET PON PROTOCOL
OnePath Networks, a start-up based in Princeton, New Jersey with R&D in Jerusalem, Israel, introduced an Ethernet passive optical network (EPON) protocol to the "Ethernet in the First Mile" Study Group, which was formed by the IEEE in November 2000.  OnePath said its protocol was designed to enable IP Ethernet PON-based FTTX equipment.  http://www.onepathnet.com/
OnePath Networks, March 28, 2001

MAYAN NETWORKS TO ACQUIRE ARIEL FOR REMOTE ACCESS EXPERTISE
MAYAN Networks, a start-up developing a next generation SONET ADM, agreed to acquire Ariel Corporation, a publicly traded provider of high-density, SS7-enabled dial-up access equipment.  The agreement calls for the acquisition of Ariel through a merger with and into Ariel.  Current Ariel shareholders, option holders, and warrant holders would retain an approximately 10% interest in the combined company.  Mayan Networks said the acquisition would lead to unique new SONET enabled solutions for carrier and ISP Remote Access Server (RAS) applications.  Ariel is based in Cranbury, New Jersey.  MAYAN Networks is based in San Jose, California.  http://www.mayannetworks.com/ 
Mayan Networks, March 28, 2001

• MAYAN's smart SONET box is designed to replace traditional add-drop multiplexers (ADMs) while integrating the functionality of a 3/1/0 Digital Cross-Connect Switch, a Frame Relay Switch, an ATM Switch and IP Router.  A key feature of the MAYAN Unifier platform is its ability to interoperate with existing SONET ADMs at the physical, control and signaling levels.  Other key features of the platform include "any protocol to any port" provisioning, multi-layer TDM and packet-based processing, and statistical multiplexing for supporting network oversubscription.
• Ariel offers a scalable SS7 enabled remote access solution for analog modem and digital ISDN call termination. Its product line also includes PCI and CompactPCI cards for adding T1/E1/PRI connectivity and 56K/ISDN dial-up access to NT and Linux systems.

HUGHES SPACEWAY SELECTS BOEING/SEA LAUNCH FOR KA-BAND SATELLITES
Hughes Spaceway, which is planning a two-way broadband satellite access service, and Boeing Satellite Systems selected the Sea Launch Company for the launch of two Spaceway satellites.  Spaceway's first Ka-band North American satellite is slated for launch at the end of 2002.  The satellites are Boeing 702 model spacecraft operating in the Ka-band.  http://www.hns.com
Hughes, March 28, 2001

• Boeing has a 40% ownership interest in Sea Launch.

NEW SKIES PLANS ITS SATELLITE OVERLAY NETWORK
New Skies Satellites selected Boeing to build an 88-transponder (46 C band, 42 Ku band) satellite providing full coverage of all the Americas.  The satellite is designed to function as an overlay to terrestrial fiber networks.  Extensive intra-satellite interconnectivity will make it possible to uplink content from key aggregation points within one region for downlink in any of the coverage areas. The contract specifies in-orbit delivery in Q3 2003 aboard a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL launcher and includes options for up to two follow-on spacecraft.  The satellites are Boeing 702 model spacecraft. Financial terms were not disclosed.  http://www.newskies.com
New Skies Satellites, March 28, 2001

• New Skies has two other new satellites under construction, one due for launch in late 2001 over the Atlantic Ocean Region and the second in late 2002 over Asia.  The company plans to offer video, voice, data and Internet communications services to telecommunications carriers, broadcasters, large corporations and Internet service providers around the world.  New Skies is headquartered in The Hague, The Netherlands.
• Boeing Satellite Systems has so far launched four similar spacecraft and has a total of 20 on order, including 12 firm orders and eight options.

TEJAS NETWORKS DEBUTS COMPACT OPTICAL ACCESS UNIT
Tejas Networks, a start-up based in Bangalore, India, introduced an optical access product supporting both TDM (SDH/SONET) and packet interfaces.  The TJ 100 features a software-centric architecture, which supports end-to-end provisioning of TDM (T1/E1, T3/E3, OC-3/STM-1, OC-12/STM-4) and Ethernet connections, auto-discovery of network topology, upgrade-ability and a fully functional Element Management System.  The compact product is offered in fully redundant as well as non-redundant configurations.    http://www.tejasnetworks.com/
Tejas Networks, March 28, 2001

• Tejas acts as Sycamore Networks' distribution partner in the Asian sub-continent. Initial investment in Tejas came from Sycamore Networks, ASG-Omni, LLC and Dr. Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande, who also serves as the non-executive Chairman of Tejas.

TATA POWER SELECTS SYCAMORE AND TEJAS FOR METRO NETWORK
Tata Power Companies Limited selected Sycamore Networks and Tejas Networks to build a metropolitan area optical network serving Mumbai, India.  Tata Power plans to use Sycamore’s SN 8000 MC and Tejas' TJ 100 optical access product.  The deployment is described as India's first intelligent optical network.  Financial terms were not disclosed.  http://www.sycamorenet.com/about/news/pressreleases.cfm?news_item_id=451
Sycamore Networks, March 28, 2001

CANADA'S SHAW ORDERS 250,000 TERAYON CABLE MODEMS
Shaw Communications will purchase 250,000 cable modems from Terayon Communication Systems to meet growing subscriber demand for broadband services in Western Canada. Shaw currently has 2.8 million cable television and Direct-to-Home satellite customers.  http://www.terayon.com
Terayon, March 28, 2001

VIPSWITCH TO BUILD OPTICAL TERABIT ROUTERS WITH XILINX'S FPGAS
VIPswitch, a start-up based in Montreal, Canada, is building its terabit class switch router using Xilinx Virtex-II Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices rather than ASICs.  A primary advantage of the FPGAs is their reprogrammability.  http://www.xilinx.com
Xilinx, March 28, 2001

• The VIPswitch router will use independent parallel processing agents, built into programmable silicon, to yield a non-blocking architecture with multi-gigabit, guaranteed throughput.

NTT SELECTS LUCENT SOFTSWITCH FOR TRIAL
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) selected Lucent Technologies' softswitch for a next generation network project.  NTT plans to test a new multi-service control system using Lucent's second-generation Softswitch.  Fujitsu proposed the project.  http://www.lucent.com/press/0301/010328.nsa.html 
Lucent, March 28, 2001

• In July, NTT DoCoMo selected the Lucent/Fujitsu alliance for a project focusing on an experimental next-generation IP core network system for mobile communications.

LUCENT COMPLETES AGERE IPO
Lucent Technologies completed an initial public offering of 600 million shares of Agere Systems, priced at $6 per share.  Agere Systems is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AGRA.  Agere offers optoelectronic components and integrated circuits as well as wireless local area networking products through its ORiNOCO product line.  http://www.lucent.com/micro/
Agere, March 28, 2001

EQUANT REPORTS RECORD REVENUES, SEES FURTHER GROWTH, MERGER ON TRACK
Equant reported record Q4 revenue of $434.8 million, up 32.8% over the same period in the preceding year.  The net loss, inclusive of non-recurring charges, was $(47) million or $(0.24) per share for the fourth quarter.  Equant said that despite the continuing turbulence in the telecom sector it continues to see strong demand for its network services and integration services.  During Q4, Equant won 47 contracts from major international corporations, each valued at more than one million dollars, including Alstom, The Coca-Cola Company, Mitsubishi Corporation, New Zealand Dairy Board, Sonera and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, as well as renewing contracts with British American Tobacco and Accor.  Equant reports continued growth in Q1 and improving gross margins.  http://www.equant.com/home.html
Equant, March 28, 2001

• In November 2000, France Telecom and Amsterdam-based Equant announced an agreement to merge Equant and Global One. Under the deal Equant will acquire Global One from France Telecom in exchange for newly issued Equant shares.  In addition, France Telecom will acquire the SITA Foundation's interest in Equant using existing France Telecom shares.  SITA was formed by major airlines from around the world to provide communications and data processing services to the air transport industry.  Equant / Global One will gain full control of the SITA / Equant network.

• The deal recently received affirmative clearance by the Merger Task Force of the European Commission and the US Department of Justice.  Closure is expected in June 2001.