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Daily news and top headlines for broadband communications engineering and design professionals
Cisco talks up 'Net phone technology
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsCisco Systems recently jazzed up its Internet-based phone technology with new Web surfing and speech recognition features, the latest effort by the networking giant to make old phone systems obsolete. Cisco competes against 3Com, Nortel Networks, Lucent Technologies, and others in the emerging market for 'Net-based phone systems, which are a cheaper alternative and offer more features to busine...
Conexant, Motorola to develop silicon system for broadband devices
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsConexant Systems Inc. and Motorola Inc. have signed an agreement to develop system silicon technology for broadband communications devices. Conexant will supply standard cable modem chipsets to Motorola's broadband communications sector, and will support Motorola's semiconductor products sector, as a second source for these devices.
CableLabs forms bandwidth forum, cable B2B program
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsCableLabs recently launched a couple of programs aimed at bandwidth management and cable business to business. The Bandwidth Modeling and Management Vendor Forum will establish a venue where CableLabs members can discuss upcoming bandwidth modeling and management requirements with vendors. This forum will also provide a place where vendors can meet with members to discuss bandwidth management p...
BroadJump releases consumer preference results
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsBroadJump Inc. announced key findings from a recent study measuring subscriber preferences and purchasing behavior for premium broadband services. According to the study, virus protection and firewalls emerged as the most desired services, followed by Internet telephony, instant messaging and streaming audio.
Broadband networked households offer new challenges to service providers
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsOf the 30 million U.S. households predicted to have broadband service by 2004, 17 million will have a home network, a huge potential market that presents new opportunities, and unique challenges, to service providers. Initial data from Parks Associates' latest report, "The Broadband Networked Home: Profiles of an Emerging Market," indicates that this consumer segment already places strong empha...
Agreement opens doors for next- generation PVR technology
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsPhilips Semiconductors' Nexperia Home Entertainment Engines will soon support NDS' advanced personal video recorder (PVR) technology for set-top boxes. The combination of NDS' conditional access software and interactive systems with the Nexperia family will create next-generation solutions for the digital consumer market.
Cox, EarthLink agree to high-speed Internet trial
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsEarthLink and Cox Communications Inc. recently agreed to conduct a technical trial of EarthLink's Internet services over Cox's broadband cable network. The six-month trial will allow both companies to test the service with the option of negotiating a definitive open access agreement. During the trial, scheduled to begin in the third quarter of this year, EarthLink and Cox will work together to ...
Fixed wireless will challenge cable modem, DSL markets
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsWhile the SOHO market is getting wired mainly through cable modems and DSL connections, a strong challenger to this duopoly is emerging from the fixed broadband space, according to a new study from Allied Business Intelligence (ABI). MMDS and broadband wireless access (BWA) manufacturers and service providers are poised for exponential growth; subscribers to fixed broadband services will excee...
Grande launches interactive service
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsLiberate Technologies' TV Platform software will be used to deliver interactive services to Grande Communications' subscribers throughout the central Texas corridor. Grande is building a state-of-the-art broadband network that will provide bundled high-speed Internet access, local and long distance telephone and cable television entertainment services to residents and small businesses in the Au...
Home Director provides communication/entertainment package for home builders
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsToll Brothers Inc., a builder of luxury homes, and Home Director Inc. have signed an agreement to offer Home Director's home networking systems in Toll Brothers' homes. Toll Brothers is recommending the installation of Home Director's home networking systems as a feature in its homes nationwide. The addition of Home Director to Toll Brothers' homes will enable families to equip their homes with...
Liberate teams with Concurrent on iTV and VOD solutions
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsLiberate Technologies and Concurrent Computer Corp. have formed a strategic alliance under which they have combined their technologies into an integrated interactive TV and VOD offering for the growing digital video market. The strategic agreement was reached under the Liberate PopTV Program. Integration of Concurrent's MediaHawk Broadband VOD system and the Liberate TV Platform software was co...
Liberate Technologies, Intertainer to offer entertainment-on-demand
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsLiberate Technologies and Intertainer Inc. have signed an agreement in which Intertainer will integrate its VOD application with the Liberate TV Platform software for digital set-top boxes. Intertainer's broadband entertainment-on-demand service provides customers with access to a variety of entertainment-on-demand, including movies, music and television programs.
Cable modem, DSL prices on the rise
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsVerizon and BellSouth are boosting the fees they charge for high-speed Internet access, joining AT&T in a sudden barrage of broadband price hikes made possible by the financial woes crushing their dot-com rivals. Last month,Verizon quietly boosted the monthly fee for new subscribers to high-speed DSL from $39.
Pioneer Passport IPG now deployed in Time Warner system
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsPioneer announced that Time Warner Cable Desert Cities Division, as part of its upgrade to digital service, has integrated Pioneer's Passport Interactive Program Guide (IPG) into its offering. Passport is the interactive interface by which viewers navigate programming and advanced services. Customers of Time Warner's Desert Cities Division will use Passport to navigate more than 200 video; 44 ...
ReplayTV sneaks into set-tops
May 31, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsReplayTV and Motorola recently signed a long-term licensing agreement for Motorola to use ReplayTV's digital video recording technology in high-end cable set-top boxes. Digital video recorders (DVRs) are similar to VCRs, except that instead of recording to tape, they store programming on a hard drive.


