FRANCE TELECOM SELECTS LUCENT FOR 10 GBPS OPTICAL NETWORK
Lucent Technologies signed a multi-year contract with France Telecom to be a major 10 Gbps supplier for its network in France.  Under the contract, Lucent will supply its WaveStar TDM 10G platform for use in a self-healing ring architecture.  The network could be used for Gigabit Ethernet transport between customers' businesses in multiple locations.  In a separate project, France Telecom has begun testing the Lucent WaveStar LambdaRouter, a MEMS-based optical switch that routes wavelengths from fiber to fiber without having to convert them to electrical signals.  http://www.lucent.com/press/0901/010917.nsa.html
Lucent Technologies, September 17, 2001

NETS CHOOSES LUCENT'S OPTICAL EQUIPMENT FOR EUROPEAN BACKBONE
NETs, the pan-European backbone operator and member of the Tiscali group, will use Lucent Technologies' optical equipment to expand its network into Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Eastern Europe.  Under the contract, NETs will be upgrading its current 400 Gbps DWDM system to the Lucent WaveStar OLS 800G platform, which has a capacity of 800 Gbps.  Financial terms were not disclosed.  NETs pan-European network will reach 15,000 km of fiber by the end of 2001, interconnecting 60 large cities.  NETs also operates seven metropolitan networks in Paris, London, Milan, Madrid, Brussels, Amsterdam and Frankfurt adding 40 POPs to its network.  NETs is based in France.  http://www.lucent.com/press/0901/010917.nsb.html
Lucent Technologies, September 17, 2001

TELIA TESTS AXERRA’S MULTISERVICE OVER IP PLATFORM
Telia International Carrier completed lab tests and field trials of Axerra Networks’ Multiservice Over Internet Protocol (MOIP) switching platform.  The tests involved leased-line traffic utilizing Axerra's Circuit Emulation Service over Internet Protocol (CESoIP) on the carrier's IP backbone between three sites: Stockholm, New York and Warsaw.  http://www.axerra.com/
Axerra Networks, September 17, 2001

• 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 company is based in Boca Raton, Florida, and has R&D in Tel Aviv, Israel.

INTEL ANNOUNCES 802.11A WIRELESS LAN PRODUCTS 
Intel will extend its Wireless LAN product line to include systems based on the 54 Mbps 802.11a standard.  The Intel PRO/Wireless 5000 LAN family of products includes a network access point, which supports up to eight channels, and adapters for notebook and desktop PCs.  The new 802.11a products use chip sets from Atheros.  The suggested list price for the new Access Point is $699, and laptop and PC adapters are priced from $149-199.  Intel will continue to sell 11 Mbps 802.11b “WiFi” Wireless LAN systems, and will offer a dual-mode expansion kit allowing access points to service both 802.11a and 802.11b networks.  Intel’s 802.11a based products are sampling now and will begin shipping in volume in November.  http://www.intel.com/network/connectivity/products/wireless.htm 
Intel, September 11, 2001

• Earlier this month, Atheros began volume shipment of its two-chip AR5000 chipset solution, which delivers data rates up to 54 Mbps compliant with the IEEE 802.11a 5GHz wireless LAN standard, as well as speeds up to 72 Mbps in Atheros Turbo Mode.  The devices are manufactured in standard-process 0.25-micron digital CMOS.

• Intel, Intermec and TDK have all announced wireless LAN products built with Atheros’ 802.11a compliant chip sets.  Proxim/CardAccess, NetGear and Ultradevices will also use Atheros’ technology.

• 802.11b “WiFi” products, as well as Bluetooth products, HomeRF products, and some cordless phones and microwave ovens operate in the 2.4 GHz radio frequency band.  802.11a products operate in the 5.2 GHz radio frequency band, which may make them less prone to interference.

UNISPHERE TUNES ITS EDGE ROUTER FOR BROADBAND ETHERNET
Unisphere Networks released new software for enabling broadband Ethernet services using its ERX edge router. The new software features include support for up to 32,000 VLANs per chassis, VLAN to MPLS mapping and per subscriber Quality of Service (QoS).  When used in conjunction with the company's Service Selection Center (SSC) software, individual subscribers now have the ability to dynamically customize these services.  http://www.unispherenetworks.com
Unisphere Networks, September 17, 2001 

FAST-CHIP RELEASES ITS OC-192 NETWORK CLASSIFICATION PROCESSOR
Fast-Chip, a start-up based in Sunnyvale, California, announced availability of its OC-192-speed classification processor.  The new PolicyEdge device offloads processor-intensive packet classification operations from network processors or ASICs, enabling premium billable services to be supported at wire-speed.  On-chip Boundary Addressable Memory (BAM) provides single-cycle policy database checking, thereby eliminating the need for external CAM devices.  Target applications include MPLS label edge/switch routers, multi-service provisioning platforms, fast-firewalls, and VPNs.  An OC-48 version is also available.  http://www.fast-chip.com/
Fast-Chip, September 17, 2001

CPLANE SOFTWARE COMBINES SERVICE ACTIVATION WITH NETWORK OPTIMIZATION TOOLS
CPLANE, a start-up based in Sunnyvale, California, introduced its service network control software environment and three new applications that automate service creation and activation for multi-vendor, multi-technology networks.  CPLANE said its IgnitionControl architecture aims to automate service provisioning (bandwidth, response time, etc.) without binding the service to underlying network elements.  IgnitionControl software would determine the optimal way to build and activate the service, based on an understanding of network topology, resource utilization, and service network policies.  Initial applications include layer 2 VLAN connectivity and MPLS support, secure layer 3 VLAN connectivity and support of both IPsec and MPLS, and premium layer 3 Internet access with bandwidth control.  Customer trials are underway.  http://www.cplane.com/news/pr4.html
CPLANE, September 17, 2001

• In January, CPlane announced $25 million in third round funding for development of its policy-based IP network control software.  The company’s Service Control Platform (SCP) will form a distributed, real-time control layer on top of network elements from multiple vendors, creating a service-aware control layer that manages the delivery of a service, end-to-end.  Investors include Pequot Private Equity, Amerindo Investments, the Woodside Fund, CMEA Ventures and ONSET Ventures.

• CPlane was founded in 1998 by Simon Crosby, previously of the University of Cambridge and Ian Leslie, who was a professor at Cambridge University.  President & CEO Nelu Mihai joined CPlane from AT&T Labs.  CPlane is based in Los Altos, California and has offices in Ottawa and Montreal.

TELESPAZIO TO PROVIDE OPERATION & MANAGEMENT FOR ASTROLINK'S SATELLITE NETWORK
 Telespazio, a part of the Telecom Italia group, will provide real-time Operations and Maintenance (O&M) for Astrolink's forthcoming global satellite network.  The contract covers Astrolink's network operations center, the satellite operations centers, and associated satellite earth stations, some of which will be located at Telespazio Fucino Space Centre.  Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.astrolink.com/
Astrolink, September 17, 2001

• Astrolink is owned by Liberty Media, Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications, Telespazio, and TRW.

• Astrolink initially plans to launch four geostationary satellites located 23,000 miles (37,000 kilometers) above the earth's equator.  Each satellite will feature 44 "spot beams" as well as an on-board packet switch.  Astrolink expects its satellites will have a life span of 12 years, nearly double that of low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites.  An additional five satellites are planned for a complete network deployment that would cover 92% of telecom markets.

NARUS DEVELOPS TRAFFIC BILLING PLATFORM FOR GPRS AND 3G NETWORKS
Narus introduced a new interactive platform for collecting and analyzing subscriber activity over GPRS and 3G networks and turning the data over for billable action.  Specifically, Narus will offer a Prepaid Wireless Mobile Internet Services solution enabling European mobile network operators to set policies for differentiated billing and enforcement by event, protocol (VoIP, web browsing) or content.  In a mobile context, an operator can allow subscribers to view some sites -- support sites, marketing partner sites -- at no charge, while charging a fee for access to others. Similarly, an operator can block viewing of certain content.  This could be used to allow corporate users to see data only from their company's intranet.  The solution collects data in real-time from the application layer.  It also passes balance and other information back and forth from the billing and customer care application, decrementing the subscriber's balance and generating action by third part notification and messaging applications.  http://www.narus.com/news/09_27_2001_interactiveplatform.html
Narus, September 17, 2001

SYLANTRO ANNOUNCES COMMERCIAL DEPLOYMENTS OF ITS SOFTSWITCH
Sylantro Systems announced commercial deployment of its applications enabled softswitch alongside Cisco voice gateways in multiple service provider networks.  Examples of deployments include GoBeam, a real-time business communications provider that offers a suite of applications and services based on Sylantro's applications-enabled softswitch to eliminate legacy PBX and key systems.  Sylantro's applications-enabled softswitch layers deployable applications on top of softswitch infrastructures to provide Hosted PBX, IP Centrex, and other business communications applications.  Financial terms were not disclosed.  Sylantro is a Cisco Service Provider Solutions Ecosystem Partner.  http://www.sylantro.com/
Sylantro, September 17, 2001

• Sylantro’s investors include Accel Partners, Bowman Capital, Mayfield Fund, and Vanguard Venture Partners.

SS8 NETWORKS NAMES NEW CEO
SS8 Networks, a start-up developing Internet signaling and services solutions, named Grant Wakelin as the company's CEO.  Wakelin was formerly president of the Enhanced Services Division of ADC Telecommunications.  Founder Henry H. Wong remains as chairman of the board.  http://www.ss8.com/news/release.cfm?ID=65
SS8 Networks, September 17, 2001

• In February, SS8 Networks announced availability of a signaling switch for large-scale IP telephony using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), H.323 and SS7 protocols.  The SS8 SignalingSwitch, which functions as an IP Signaling Transfer Point (IP-STP) to intelligently route signaling traffic within and between global IP telephony networks, combines SIP Proxy server, Redirect server and SIP registrar functions with H.323 Gatekeeper features.  By offloading call routing and service logic functions, the platform enables carriers to increase call processing capabilities across existing Gateways and Soft Switches, while also providing a foundation for intelligent network services.  In addition to traditional IN functionality such as 8xx, 9xx, LNP, CNAM, Prepaid Calling, and Postpaid Calling, the SS8 platform also provides a range of value-added applications including One Number Services, Unified Communications, Voice VPN, IP call center, Conferencing and fixed-mobile integration.

• SS8 Networks was co-founded by Henry H. Wong, who previously was co-founder and CEO of XaQti Corp. (a network processor designer acquired by Vitesse in May 99), co-founder of Cnet Technology Inc. and founder of Combinet (ISDN access routers, acquired by Cisco Systems in Aug 95) – and Sharon Chen, previously founder and President of IP Communications, Inc., a Voice over IP gateway startup.

MPLSCON RESCHEDULED FROM OCTOBER TO APRIL 2002
The MPLScon event, originally scheduled for October 1-4 in Reston, Virginia, has been rescheduled for April 15-18, 2002 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Reston, Virginia.  A new Call for Presentations will be issued shortly.  http://www.mplscon.com
MPLScon, September 17, 2001

Daily Journal For Broadband Networking
Copyright 2001 Converge! Media Ventures Inc.
All Rights Reserved. ISSN 1084-2438
News sources are listed for your reference.
Sunnyvale, California USA