Weekly Erlang: A Digest of Telephony News Traffic

MV? N-O! Sprint and Cablevision have provided a clue about whether cable operators will become mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) using Sprint’s wireless minutes: not likely. The Long Island-based MSO said it would sell Sprint PCS on its Optimum Store Online, and Sprint said it would brand it Sprint PCS. And the two said they were cooperating happily together but that Cablevision is cable and Sprint is wireless. “The phones are branded Sprint,” said John Overy, director of cable solutions and business development at Sprint. “Cablevision will be heavily promoting Sprint wireless services through a variety of conventional and pretty innovative channels.” Sprint has developed a similar relationship in a trial it’s working with Time Warner Cable right now in Kansas City. Neither MSO is another Virgin Mobile, probably Sprint’s biggest MVNO customer with multiple millions of customers using Virgin phones to access—unknowingly—Sprint’s networks. “They’ve (Virgin) gone out and created their own brand, their own handsets, and are trying to build their own data applications,” Overy said. Sprint and Time Warner? They’re like the Sprint stores you see in the malls, selling phones and packages and plans for the cellular provider. Ducking New York City More than a few East Coasters would like to avoid going through New York City; Cablevision System’s Lightpath is actually accomplishing it. The MSO’s business telecommunications services division has introduced Metropolitan Continuity Service, charging business customers a premium for optical bypass private line service designed to increase network availability by avoiding traffic and other diversions in the Big Apple. Lightpath is using Nortel Networks’ WDM system to optimize business traffic—primarily data—for enterprise customers who wish to mitigate business interruption risks and for providers of enterprise data storage, business continuity and disaster recovery solutions. The service employs Nortel’s Optical Long Haul (LH) 1600 and Optical Metro 5200 platforms to transport Ethernet and 2.5G/10G wavelength-based services in a wide area ring architecture that connects Long Island, Westchester and New Jersey. VoIP in the News What’s a week without some VoIP announcements from the usual suspects? AT&T (remember them?) unveiled AT&T Dynamic Network Applications, a network-based VoIP service that combines the cost and functionality benefits of a premises-based VoIP service with the flexibility, control and capital expenditures of network-based IP services, according to a company announcement. Avaya Networks, meanwhile, unveiled a next generation of business-centric IP telephony software and applications that the company said delivers IP communications with “advanced levels of survivability, reliability and collaboration.” The product suite includes Avaya’s IP telephony software, a core part of the company’s communications applications, as well as the functionality of session initiation protocol (SIP) to support collaboration and presence. At the same time, Laurel Networks pushed outside its VoIP box with an IP video routing technology to meet the needs of DSL access providers who want to begin offering video services including IPTV and VOD. Micro-Phone? Microsoft continued to push at the edges of the telecommunications industry with an integrated software suite that streamlines call center operations by integrating services providers’ existing customer relationship management systems, operation support systems and business support systems into a unified platform. Boosting Cells Wireless Extenders announced the nationwide availability of the Wireless Extender cell phone signal booster designed to improve in-building cell phone reception for PCS (1,850-1,990 MHz) frequency users. The Wireless Extender booster uses an outdoor- or attic-mounted antenna to capture the PCS signal outside and coaxial cable to run the signal to an indoor base unit that contains a small omnidirectional indoor antenna that amplifies the signal to cover approximately 2,500 square feet. Progress Telecom has taken another approach by forming PT Wireless with the intention of building distributed antenna system (DAS) network infrastructure that helps wireless carriers boost their network capabilities without adding more capacity. “We’re providing them with a neutral host-based infrastructure that allows them to transmit their various spectrum portfolios to serve their customer base,” said Peter Neill, president of the newly formed company. PT’s DAS uses technology attached to utility poles and light standards strategically placed around a metro area. “We become the foundation for whatever it is they’re trying to transmit wirelessly,” Neill said. Ciena moving BT from Circuits to IP British Telecom has tabbed Ciena as a preferred supplier to support its 21st Century Network (21CN), a $10 billion, five-year project to transform BT’s business and enable the delivery of next-generation converged, multimedia communications across a single multiservice network. Cable doesn’t use this application yet … In an interesting use of SMS text-messaging, New York Mets’ and Knicks’ fans were sent SMS text-messages to enlist their support to put MSG Network and Fox Sports New York (FSN) back on cable TV. With tensions running high over last month’s decision by Time Warner Cable to pull MSG and FSN off the air, MSG launched a grass-roots campaign to engage the support of Knicks’ and Mets’ fans. NeuStar Joins NENA NeuStar, Inc. has joined the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) Next Generation E-911 program to help promote the understanding of emergency calling standards, policies and Internet protocol technologies.