Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : C-Cube -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: savolainen who wrote (41768)	6/5/1999 2:45:00 PM
From: Maya	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 50808

MediaOne reference is with respect to Cube only and was mentioned as a breakthru into the US cable world for Cube. Ultracom was mentioned as a customer of Cube. Sorry, if I had mislead you.

To: savolainen who wrote (41768)	6/5/1999 3:52:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50808

Video over copper......................... zdnet.com Video-Over-Copper Gear Rolled Out By Joe McGarvey June 4, 1999 3:17 PM ET Hoping to attract telecommunications providers that are seeking to counter the full-service plans of AT&T and other cable operators, Newbridge Networks is slated to introduce Monday hardware and services designed to enable network operators to deliver video services, as well as telephone and Internet access, over a variety of broadband pipes, including high-speed copper wire. Analysts say Newbridge's new offerings, which leverage existing and emerging technologies, are likely to be attractive to both new and incumbent service providers that recognize future survival is dependent on their ability to provide multiple services that can be bundled into a single bill. "Services are becoming the big differentiator," said Christin Flynn, an analyst at The Yankee Group, based in Boston. "You'll begin to see competitors offering services to win customers as opposed to cheaper rates." Newbridge's new product portfolio is centered on the 350 Integrated Versatile Services Node. The 350 IVSN is essentially a slimmed-down version of the company's MainstreetXpress 36170 backbone switch, which is based on Asynchronous Transfer Mode technology. By moving ATM's quality-of-service capabilities, which enable the delivery of time-sensitive data such as voice and video, from the core of the network closer to the customer, service providers can offer a full pallet of reliable services, according to Flynn. "By moving ATM closer to the edge, you provide more control over the end-to-end connection," Flynn said. "Newbridge is really playing to its strength in the ATM market." In addition to shifting intelligence to the network's end-points, which also makes it easier for service providers to deploy services, the 350 IVSN can support a number of broadband access technologies, including Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), wireless and fiber-based links. Currently, service providers that wish to offer more than one flavor of high-speed access must deploy separate equipment for each type of access technology. By configuring the 350 IVSN with the appropriate add-in module, service providers can deliver voice, Internet access and residential video over a variety of access links, said Tony Jenkins, director of broadband access at Newbridge. With AT&T and other cable operators unfolding their strategies to provide voice and data services over the same pipe that carries television programming, telecommunications providers will need to offer video services to stay competitive, according to Jenkins. "Internet plus voice is not going to be enough," Jenkins said. "What needs to be added to compete with cable is a broadcast media mechanism." In conjunction with the 350 IVSN introduction, Newbridge is unveiling the Digital Media Distribution Service (DMDS), an Internet Protocol-based service designed to enable service providers to deliver broadcast programming over ADSL links, which operate at up to 7 megabits per second. DMDS couples Newbridge's ATM technology with emerging, industry-standard multicast technology, which enables broadcasters to conserve bandwidth by sending a single stream of video to multiple recipients. Multicasting, which adheres to a one-to-many distribution model, improves on the traditional one-to-one format of the Internet, in which a separate stream of video must be generated for each recipient. The technology has been adopted by two Newbridge affiliates, PixStream and iMagicTV. As many as eight network operators are evaluating the technology, Jenkins said. The first release of DMDS focuses on ADSL technology, according to Jenkins, but Newbridge eventually will adapt the service to work with wireless and fiber-based links. "It will work with any access technology that can set aside 3 [Mbps] to 6 Mbps for video," Jenkins said. Although Jenkins wasn't clear on the number of channels of programming residential customers could receive, he said the technology enables potential programming providers to offer more granular services, allowing customers to select and pay for service on a program-by-program basis. While video and other advanced voice and data services delivered over the 350 IVSN require Newbridge's ATM gear in the core of the network, Flynn indicated that the new hardware and software also will be attractive to service providers outside Newbridge's customer base. "The installed base isn't the only play for them," Flynn said. "They are also pricing the technology for new players in the market." Pricing for the 350 IVSN or DMDS was not set at press time. Newbridge plans to ship the first version of the 350 IVSN later this year and to follow up with slimmer versions that reside on customer premises. In related news, Newbridge reported earnings this week for the fiscal fourth quarter of $33 million, an increase of only $1 million over the same period for the previous year.