• WaveSmith Networks was founded in March 2000 by Robert Dalias (formerly with Castle Networks, acquired by Unisphere Solutions), John O'Hara (a member of the start-up team at New Oak Communications, acquired by Bay Networks), Chad Dunn (a member of the start-up team at Omnia, acquired by Ciena), Jim Philippou (a founder at New Oak), Gary Styskal (formerly with Cabletron/Enterasys), Abe Schryer (Ennovate Networks) and Andrea Carr-Evans (Unisphere Solutions).
   
• WaveSmith has raised $23.5 million in equity and debt financing to date.  Key investors and lenders include Atlas Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Commonwealth Capital, Comdisco Ventures, GATX Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank.  

AXERRA INTRODUCES ITS MULTISERVICE IP CONCENTRATORS
Axerra Networks, a start-up based in Boca Raton, Florida with R&D in Tel Aviv, Israel, introduced the first of its AXN Multiservice Over IP products for performing aggregation, concentration, and service adaptation at the multiservice network edge for traffic carried over next-generation IP and IP/MPLS networks.  Axerra’s platform will offer channelized DS1/E1 and DS3/E3 customer facing interfaces, with Gigabit Ethernet and PoS OC-3/STM-1 and OC-12/STM-4 network uplinks.  Axerra’s service adaptation technology is designed to provide Circuit Emulation Service over IP (CESoIP) for Private/Leased Line Services, Frame Relay over IP (FRoIP), ATM over IP (ATMoIP), HDLC over IP, and Dynamic Bandwidth Circuit Emulation Service over IP (DB-CESoIP) for voice trunking with activity detection, echo cancellation, and dynamic jitter control.  Advanced IP services will include IPoFR, IPoPPP, IPoHDLC, and IP-VPNs.  Full traffic grooming is supported down to the DS0 level.  The technology enables any service on any port and even over any DS0 time slot.  The Axerra product line initially will include three chassis types: the AXN1600N (16 slots NEBS compliant), the AXN1600E (16 slots ETSI compliant) and the AXN600 (a compact 6-slot chassis for remote locations and smaller POPs). The largest of the three would support up to 4,032 T1 terminations per 7-foot telco rack using the channelized T3 interface, or up to 768 physical T1/E1 interfaces per 7-foot rack.  All card types (including power supplies) are fully interchangeable across the various chassis types.  Axerra plans to demonstrate the product at next month’s SuperComm 2001 in Atlanta.  Beta testing is slated to begin this month.  http://www.axerra.com/
Axerra, May 21, 2001

• Axerra Networks is led by CEO and founder Gil Biran, who formerly served as Vice President Engineering of Rad Data Communications.  The company’s management team also includes Kirk Wrigley (formerly with CacheFlow, Qtera, Argon Networks, FORE), Terence Winsky (formerly with FORE, Newbridge, Nortel), Steve Byars (formerly with Current Analysis), Alik Shemelmitz (formerly with ECI Network Systems) and others.
   
• Axerra’s product development started in September 1999.  The company raised $16 million in venture funding in August 2000.  

WHITE ROCK NETWORKS INTRODUCES INDUSTRY'S SMALLEST OC-192 SONET MULTIPLEXER
White Rock Networks, a start-up based in Dallas, Texas, introduced an OC-192 SONET add/drop multiplexer (ADM) measuring only 3.5 inches tall (two rack units of space) - one-fifth the size of the smallest competitive OC-192 multiplexer.  The NEBS Level 3 compliant platform supports a range of services from OC-48 to DS3 and is the fourth member of White Rock's family of modular, scalable and stackable "building-block" optical networking products.  The VLX2020 OC-192 ADM uses the same scalable architecture as White Rock’s VLX2010 OC-48 SONET ADM, which was introduced earlier this year.  http://www.whiterocknetworks.com/
White Rock Networks, May 18, 2001

• Last week, White Rock announced details of a software-embedded control plane supporting OSPF-TE/GMPLS inter-working between optical cross-connects and also between edge access devices.  White Rock’s “VLXconnect” control plane sets up connections between devices in the network so that multiple systems can communicate after being provisioned once.  The company said its control plane infrastructure allows carriers to establish connections in a White Rock SONET network in seconds.  When the emerging signaling standards are adopted by other equipment vendors -- such as cross-connect system vendors -- the same end-to-end provisioning will work in a heterogeneous network.
   
• In March, White Rock Networks unveiled its first product: a SONET OC-48 add-drop multiplexer measuring just one-rack unit (1.75") high.  White Rock Networks said that while many vendors are trying to integrate multiple metro service delivery applications (such as SONET, DWDM, packet processing and more) into a single hardware platform, its strategy is to provide a lower-cost SONET transport solution by packaging each application into separate stackable "building blocks."  Its forthcoming products will include SONET OC-192, DWDM and Gigabit Ethernet technologies.
   
• White Rock Networks was founded in November 1999 by Lonnie Martin (previously President of ADC’s Business Broadband Group), Tony Masella (previously Vice President & General Manager of ADC’s Transport Systems Division) and Greg Lowe (previously Vice President of Engineering for ADC’s Transport Systems Group).

VPACKET LAUNCHES IP-BASED ENTERPRISEVOICE/DATA ROUTER
Vpacket Communications, a start-up based in Milpitas, California, introduced its enterprise-class 6100 Flex series voice/data router, an IP-based platform for providing converged services over T1/E1, Frame Relay, SDSL and G.SHDSL interfaces.  Vpacket’s 6100 voice/data router uses a high performance digital signal processor (DSP) for measuring, testing and supporting precise end-to-end VoIP quality and IP Centrex features via third party softswitches and media gateways.  Vpacket’s voice quality measurement algorithms provide end-to-end voice quality measured in MOS (mean opinion score), which the service provider can use to track and troubleshoot the quality of customer voice-over-packet connections. Vpacket’s voice/data device routes voice and data traffic using class-based queuing and is designed to support various packet voice standards including H.323, MGCP and SIP.  It also provides a backup POTS port that can provide dial-out access to emergency telephone services in the event of local power loss.  http://www.vpacket.com/
Vpacket Communications, May 21, 2001

• Vpacket is headed by Abraham Wei, who previously served as Ascend Communications’ Vice President of Worldwide Sales Operations, and Vice President of Manufacturing Operations.  

STRATOS LIGHTWAVE OFFERS RJ-STYLE OPTICAL TRANSCEIVERS FOR SONET OC-3/12
Stratos Lightwave introduced miniaturized, high-density SONET-compliant optical transceivers for OC-3 and OC-12 data rates.  The modules use multi-die hybrid technology to integrate a complete optical transceiver into a package the size of an industry standard RJ-style housing alone.  Stratos will offer three different form factors: a 2 x 5 SFF (MSA-compliant) package, a single-port RJ-style package, and a quad-port RJ-style package. Each will be available in OC-3, OC-12, and a multi-rate version that will operate at either OC-3 or OC-12.
http://www.stratoslightwave.com /
Stratos Lightwave, May 18, 2001

AT&T, COX AND COMCAST REVISE EXCITE@HOME AGREEMENT
Cox and Comcast agreed to retain their stakes in Excite@Home, thus restructuring an agreement they reached with AT&T in March 2000 under which they were given the right to sell all their Excite@Home shares to AT&T at a price of $48 per share, payable, at Cox's and Comcast's option, in cash or in shares of AT&T stock on a tax-free basis.  At the time, Excite@Home traded at more than $34 per share and had a 52-week high and low of $94 and $28, respectively.  In the new agreement, which will result in a substantial tax benefit for AT&T, AT&T will issue 75 million shares to Cox and more than 80 million shares to Comcast.  Separately, AT&T said that it continues to discuss with Excite@Home the proposed restructuring of their backbone fiber agreement, and a joint initiative to maintain and improve current network performance levels.  http://www.att.com
AT&T, May 18, 2001

AOL TO ACQUIRE INFOINTERACTIVE FOR INTERNET CALL WAITING APPLICATION
America Online agreed to acquire InfoInterActive Inc., a developer of Internet Call Waiting services, for US$28.2 million in cash.  InfoInterActive launched its first Internet Call Manager (ICM) in 1997.  ICM provides customers with real-time notification of incoming calls so Internet users can stay online without missing calls or messages.  The company is based in Halifax, Canada.  http://www.infointeractive.com/   http://www.corp.aol.com/ 
America Online, May 18, 2001

• Earlier this month, Verizon selected InfoInterActive to power its Internet Call Manager service in four northeast states and the District of Columbia with the ability to expand throughout the remaining Verizon wireline territory. Verizon's current Internet Call Manager (ICM) service, available in the New York City area, uses InfoInterActive technology.

NTT DOCOMO RECEIVES NEARLY 150,000 REQUESTS TO TEST ITS 3G SERVICE
NTT DoCoMo received 147,000 requests from mobile phone users wishing to participate in its “FOMA" 3G trial service, which begins next week.  The company recently delayed the official launch of its 3G service until October 1, 2001.  During the trial period, users will monitor the service and offer comments and suggestions regarding possible improvements.  NTT DoCoMo will issue only 4,000 3G mobile phones to the monitors.   Applications for trial status were accepted for just seven days beginning May 10, 2001, so the company believes the strong response indicates pent-up demand for the service.  http://www.nttdocomo.com/new/contents/01/whatnew0518.html
NTT DoCoMo, May 18, 2001

• NTT DoCoMo will market its forthcoming WCDMA service under the "FOMA" ("Freedom Of Mobile multimedia Access") slogan. The packet based service initially is expected to deliver a maximum downlink speed of 384 kbps and maximum uplink speed of 64 kbps.