February 15, 2013

What You Need To Know Now...

Comcast First On MEF Operator CE 2.0 List
Another big win for Comcast this week. The NBCU majority owner, which just inked a deal to buy out GE’s remaining stake in the content powerhouse (CTDaily, 02/14/13), achieved a world’s first, vetted by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) for Carrier Ethernet 2.0 (CE 2.0) certification for E-Line and E-LAN services. After receiving test results from MEF-authorized Iometrix, the international group certified Comcast Business Class Ethernet Private Line and Comcast Business Class Ethernet Virtual Private Line as CE 2.0 E-Line services, and Comcast Business Class Ethernet Network Service as a CE 2.0 E-LAN service. Another feather in the announcement’s cap is that all of Comcast’s Ethernet network-equipment suppliers are CE 2.0-certified as well. What this all means is that, as more businesses segue to Ethernet from legacy telecom services, CE 2.0 certifications will help operators and product/service providers alike navigate and interoperate across multiple networks.

Stockholder Suit Challenges Liberty Global/Virgin Media Sale
Virgin Media shareholder Jeff Grimsley and others instigated a class-action suit against members of Virgin Media’s board in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, charging it with breaching its fiduciary duties by selling the company to Liberty Global Inc. secretly and cheaply, and precluding any other suitors (CTDaily, 02/05/13). Plaintiffs argue Virgin Media has been doing extremely well, and that the proposed cash price and share swap nowhere near reflect the operator’s success. The suit now is in the investigation stage.