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Daily news and top headlines for broadband communications engineering and design professionals
CableLabs debuts CableB2B royalty-free IPR pool creation
June 30, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsCableLabs recently announced that 20 companies have joined a royalty-free pool for intellectual property rights (IPR) in CableLabs' CableB2B program. The CableB2B program is an initiative to create specs to support the automation of regular, day-to-day business communication between cable system operators and Internet content providers.
AlphaStar International is providing satellite broadband access
June 30, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsAlphaStar International is providing satellite broadband access directly to commercial and institutional users as part of its SkyCrossing Direct service. It provides access directly from satellites to dishes mounted at the user's premises. SkyCrossing provides "Broadband Backbone in The Sky" based on the technology of Bandwidth-on-Demand.
CableLabs concludes 18th certification wave
June 30, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsCableLabs has concluded the 18th Certification Wave of DOCSIS equipment. A total of 17 cable modems received CableLabs' Certification in this wave. The equipment certified is part of the DOCSIS 1.0 specification. Three new companies including Hitron, Infinite and US Robotics joined the large list of DOCSIS cable modem equipment suppliers with certified products.
West Virginia changing the way the state communicates
June 30, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsThe Governor's Office of Technology (GOT) recently announced a cutting-edge initiative that will change the way West Virginians communicate electronically. The state is supporting the creation of a next-generation network. This proposed network lays the foundation for Governor Bob Wise's e-government initiative.
Optical Solutions and Motorola develop home entertainment solution
June 30, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsNetwork service providers with fiber-to-the-home networks can now offer customers an advanced set-top system for enjoying a wide range of consumer broadband multimedia services such as digital-quality broadcast TV, high-speed Web access, 2-D and 3-D games, video and music-on-demand and online shopping.
DSL industry unites for CVoDSL specs
June 30, 2001 8:00 pm | by Staff | CommentsIf Voice-over-DSL hopes to make a dent in the market and win consumers over, interoperability issues must be overcome and standards could be the answer. A group of DSL companies are banding together to promote Channelized VoDSL. CVoDSL chipsets reserve a dedicated channel of DSL bandwidth to enable up to eight simultaneous voice calls over a single phone line.
Agere to cut 4,000 more jobs, takes $900 M charge
June 28, 2001 8:00 pm | by Anne Kerven | CommentsA scant three months after it went public, and only two months after it announced 2,000 job cuts, Agere Systems says it will cut another 4,000 jobs, shut down or sell facilities, and take a $900 million charge this year — $725 million in this quarter. It also revised its guidance for the third quarter.
360Networks files Chapter 11, loses 7 on board
June 28, 2001 8:00 pm | by Anne Kerven | CommentsA day after it cut nearly half its workforce, 360networks filed for protection from creditors in Canada and the United States. It also is taking "appropriate action" to protect its assets in other jurisdictions, including initiating solvency proceedings for some of its European subsidiaries, it says.
Liberate losses widen, revenue up for Q4/FY2001
June 28, 2001 8:00 pm | by Anne Kerven | CommentsLiberate Technologies' net losses for the quarter more than doubled over last year, but its revenue nearly doubled, as well. The company reports net losses of $79.5 million, or 76 cents a share, for its fourth quarter ended May 31 — higher than the $37.0 million, or 41 cents a share, a year ago.
Alcatel may spin off, sell 40 components sites
June 28, 2001 8:00 pm | by Anne Kerven | CommentsAlcatel may sell more than 40 of its sites worldwide, Chair and CEO Serge Tchuruk told the Alcatel European Workers Council at its semi-annual meeting yesterday. The company started with 250 factories, which fell to 200 in 1998. At that time, 120 were related to telecom activities, he said. Recent sales of sites and an IPO of its Nexans unit left Alcatel with about 100 sites.
OpenTV to supply middleware in two deals
June 27, 2001 8:00 pm | by Anne Kerven | CommentsOpenTV just signed two deals over its ITV middleware, one each with Pace Micro Technology and ACTV Inc. Pace will use OpenTV's broadband software on its cable home gateway. The two have combined their technologies since 1996, but under the new agreement, they'll jointly develop digital cable technology worldwide, they report.
Study: DWDM will carry optical networks in short-term
June 27, 2001 8:00 pm | by Anne Kerven | CommentsDWDM may bail out the optical networking market, at least in the short-term, a study says. According to Cahners InStat, a sister division of CED, fiber installations during 1999 and 2000 left a "large inventory of (now-dark) fiber, specifically in the long-haul market." That market will slow "markedly," the firm reports.
AOLTW funds disadvantaged firms; hires two VPs
June 27, 2001 8:00 pm | by Anne Kerven | CommentsAOL Time Warner Inc. set up a fund that will invest about $100 million in three years in minority- and women-owned or managed businesses. The new fund will be headed by Rachel S. Lam, new VP of the company's investments unit. Criteria of the AOL Time Warner Opportunity Investment Fund include significant diversity in senior management, a target of underserved markets and operations that fit wit...
360Networks to cut 800 jobs worldwide
June 27, 2001 8:00 pm | by Anne Kerven | Comments360networks will cut nearly half its worldwide workforce, or 800 jobs, to control operating costs, it says. The cuts affect jobs in North America, Europe, South America and Asia. President and CEO Greg Maffei cited a "very challenging telecom environment and our need to operate as cost-efficiently as possible.
Gearworks' 2.0 tracks field workers on handhelds
June 27, 2001 8:00 pm | by Anne Kerven | CommentsGearworks released its 2.0 version of etrace, which includes a software platform that runs etrace via handhelds and Internet-enabled phones and pagers. An upgrade from 1.0, the product lets field service workers transmit GPS-based tracking information, accept POS credit card payments with a legal signature, get real-time driving directions and print instant receipts.
