Weekly Erlang: A Digest of Telephony News Traffic

E-MTA Leader and Entrant ARRIS announced that more than one million ARRIS Touchstone Embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapters (E-MTAs) have been shipped to date, which includes the Touchstone TM102, TM202 and TM402 versions. The Touchstone TM402 provides up to two lines of carrier grade VoIP, as well as high-speed data service. Meanwhile, digital set-top box provider Pace Micro Technology announced plans to develop an E-MTA product. It says the DV315 will be available to MSOs by year-end. Comcast Touts ‘Traditional’ 911 Comcast issued a statement earlier this month to clarify its 911/E911 capabilities for its Digital Voice Service. Point number one: “Comcast has the access to the network, systems and capabilities to handle 911/E911 calls the way traditional phone companies do.” Point number two: “Unlike other VoIP service providers, Comcast Digital Voice calls originate and travel over Comcast’s proprietary managed network as opposed to the public Internet. Because Comcast Digital Voice is a managed service, we can make sure that calls get priority handling.” Can You Read Me Now? The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) has launched a system designed to ensure that equipment used by 911 centers to communicate with hearing-impaired callers is working properly. The automated system, TTY-PASS, was developed to help 911 centers comply with federal law that mandates that every emergency operator have access to text-based telecommunications devices for the deaf, known as TTYs or TDDs. T1-over-fiber Solution Harmonic added a multi-port T1 system to its coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM)-based, passive FLXLink family to give MSOs another tool in their commercial services toolkits. The bi-directional FLXLink T1-over-fiber solution can carry enterprise and cellular digital voice/data services over the cable operator’s existing network. Safari Hits the Islands Caribbean Cable Communications has agreed to deploy Cedar Point’s Safari C Media Switching System. The deal calls for Caribbean to use the SAFARI to provide local and international calling services to business and hospitality subscribers on Anguilla. Expansion into residential and other markets on additional islands will follow. To Handset or Not Like Siemens (see related Signal to Noise story) Actiontec Electronics doesn’t need its own handset. It’s introduced a small hardware device that lets consumers make a receive-free or low-cost Internet phone calls from a regular phone using Skype Technologies’ Internet calling service. With the device, subscribers don’t need a separate phone for IP and conventional phone calls. Viper Networks , meanwhile, sees a future in the handset business. It’s going full bore into the space with a new version of its Wi-Fi-enabled phone that operates on its global VoIP network. The new Viper Wi-Fi vPhone lets users make phone calls over Viper’s global VoIP network from any hotspot location with 802.11 wireless Internet access, many times coffee shops, which brings new meaning to the term Sit and SIP. Testing 1, 2, 3…. Navtel Communications Inc. has debuted a high-performance and highly scaleable PacketCable call management server (CMS) test solution supporting NCS, Dynamic Quality of Service (DQoS) and integrated IP Security. VoIP testing systems supplier Empirix has introduced an automated environment for stress and feature testing of enhanced IP applications called the Hammer Suite Studio that is initially focused on CLASS (Custom Local Area Signaling Service) feature testing for SIP-enabled devices and switching systems. Acterna is expanding its use of Telchemy’s VQmon VoIP analysis and call quality monitoring technology. Acterna will integrate the Telchemy gear into its data network analyzers, VoIP analyzer, digital services activation meter and remote services activation meters so providers and enterprises have a comprehensive suite of problem-solving capabilities to deploy, troubleshoot and maintain VoIP networks. Drop-less Power Supply Monitoring CableServ Inc . has introduced its SM-PS-I (Status Monitor – Power Supply Interface) that helps cable operators implement power supply monitoring without adding an additional drop. The company expects this product to be useful to operators implementing VoIP, particularly those with underground applications.