• Arris quietly picks up Auspice 
By Brian Santo

Arris has acquired service-assurance specialist Auspice Corp., giving Arris another connection as a vendor to Comcast. Bresnan Communications and Mexico’s Cablevision also use Auspice’s OpsLogic software.

The purchase price was undisclosed. Neither company has publicly announced the transaction, an indication that it is a modest investment for Arris.

Auspice’s products, which monitor IP-based services (including DOCSIS and PacketCable services), are being integrated with Arris’ line of assurance software.

• Verizon expands FiOS services in Calif. counties
By Traci Patterson

Verizon has expanded the availability of its FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services in the Los Angeles and Orange counties in California.

FiOS TV service is now available to thousands of additional homes and businesses in Azusa, Bellflower, Claremont, Granada Hills, Hacienda Heights, La Habra, La Mirada, Lakewood, Long Beach, Mar Vista, Pacoima, Pico Rivera, Rowland Heights, Santa Fe Springs, Walnut and Whittier.

In addition, new residential customers who subscribe to FiOS TV by Oct. 31 will receive their choice of a year's free use of either a high-definition (HD) digital video recorder (DVR) or an HD Home Media DVR. Verizon is also offering new FiOS TV customers, or existing customers who upgrade to a bundled package, one free month of HBO and Cinemax.

• IBBS buys Parasun Technologies 
By Mike Robuck

Integrated Broadband Services (IBBS), a provider of triple-play software and services to broadband network operators, announced earlier this week that it had closed its acquisition of Parasun Technologies Inc. from Uniserve Communications.

Following the completion of its acquisition of Parasun, IBBS now serves a cable and broadband network operator customer base of more than 200 companies with more than 750,000 end-subscribers across North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. IBBS provides its services under a software as a service (SaaS) business model.

Financial terms of the deal weren’t available. Parasun's headquarters in Vancouver, BC, will become the IBBS’ Canadian headquarters and western regional office. Parasun executives Paul Needham and Michael Schmidt will join the IBBS executive team.

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