From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue May 25 14:20:02 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i4PIK2l25846; Tue, 25 May 2004 14:20:02 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 14:20:02 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200405251820.i4PIK2l25846@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #257 TELECOM Digest Tue, 25 May 2004 14:20:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 257 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telecom Update (Canada) #434, May 25, 2004 (Angus TeleManagement) Pulver Gets Trademark for FWD (VOIP News) FTS to Begin Offering Customers Bundled Wi-Fi and VoIP (VOIP News) VoIP Goes Mobile (VOIP News) Free World Dialup Selects eDial for Enhanced IP Telephony (VOIP News) Brix Networks Expands and Enhances Its Free VoIP Quality (VOIP News) Vonage Has First Mover Advantage, But It's Not Your Fathers (VOIP News) Lucent Bids Over $300m for Marlborough's Telica (VOIP News) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 11:09:27 -0400 From: Angus TeleManagement Subject: Telecom Update (Canada) #434, May 25, 2004 ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 434: May 25, 2004 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** ALLSTREAM: www.allstream.com ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca ** CYGCOM INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES: www.cygcom.com ** GROUP TELECOM: www.360.net ** JUNIPER NETWORKS: www.juniper.net ** PRIMUS CANADA: www.primustel.ca ** SPRINT CANADA: www.sprint.ca ** TELUS: www.telus.com ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Bell Moves to Block MTS-Allstream Deal ** Microcell Board Rejects Telus Bid ** CRTC Says Do-Not-Call List Requires New Law ** AT&T Rejects Rogers' Buy-Back Offer ** Sprint to Test Voice on Wireless Broadband ** CLEC Business Customers Can Get Telco DSL ** Telus Loses Labour Ruling ** Industry Group Creates Telecom R&D Fund ** Bell May Offer DSL over Dry Copper ** Telus Mobility Promises GSM Roaming ** UBS Chair to Head Look ** Navigata Wins Northern B.C. Broadband Contract ** Deferral Account Proposals Filed ** Nortel Hit by Class Action Suits ** Ipsos-Reid Plans Call Centre Awards ** Bell Buys Call Centre Integrator ** IBM, Cisco to Cooperate on IP Communications ** Managing Performance in Wireless LANs ============================================================ BELL MOVES TO BLOCK MTS-ALLSTREAM DEAL: Bell Canada has asked the Ontario Superior Court for an injunction to prevent MTS from proceeding with its acquisition of Allstream. (See Telecom Update #425) Bell says the deal violates the terms of its strategic-alliance agreements with MTS, including a commitment not to set up sales operations in each others' territories. ** MTS says it believes Bell has no basis for interfering with the transaction, and it will "vigorously defend against this injunction." ** The Court will hear Bell's application, and MTS's motion that the case should not be heard in Toronto, on May 31. The MTS-Allstream deal is scheduled to close on June 1. MICROCELL BOARD REJECTS TELUS BID: Microcell's Board of Directors has urged shareholders to reject Telus's unsolicited offer to buy the wireless carrier's shares. The Board says the offer is too low and subject to inappropriate conditions, and that other bidders may submit more attractive offers. ** If it acquires Microcell, Telus will own more radio spectrum than allowed under current regulations. One of its conditions of purchase is that Industry Canada must waive the spectrum cap rules. CRTC SAYS DO-NOT-CALL LIST REQUIRES NEW LAW: In Telecom Decision 2004-35, the CRTC says there is "considerable merit" in the establishment of a national do-not-call list for telemarketers, but that new legislation is required to fund the system and to allow imposition of fines for violations. ** The Decision strengthens current rules for company- specific do-not-call lists, requires users of predictive dialers to restrict dropped calls, and expands tracking of complaints. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-35.htm AT&T REJECTS ROGERS' BUY-BACK OFFER: AT&T Wireless has rejected Rogers Communications' offer of $31/share to buy back AT&T's 34% interest in Rogers Wireless. AT&T can now seek other buyers, but cannot sell the shares for less than the price Rogers offered, and cannot sell more than a 5% stake to any single buyer. (See Telecom Update #431) SPRINT TO TEST VOICE ON WIRELESS BROADBAND: Sprint Canada plans to test the wireless broadband service provided by the Inukshuk/Allstream/NR joint venture, to see if it is suitable for residential primary-line voice and Internet services. The trial will take place over the next several months in north Toronto. CLEC BUSINESS CUSTOMERS CAN GET TELCO DSL: CRTC Telecom Order 2004-34 rules that Bell, Aliant, SaskTel, and Telus cannot refuse to provide DSL service to business customers who obtain telephone service from a competitor, if the customer would otherwise qualify for DSL. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-34.htm TELUS LOSES LABOUR RULING: The Canadian Industrial Relations Board has ruled that Telus Mobility and Telus Communications are a single employer, so formerly non-unionized Telus Mobility employees in Ontario and Quebec are now represented by the Telecommunications Workers Union. Telus says it will appeal. INDUSTRY GROUP CREATES TELECOM R&D FUND: The Montreal-based International Institute of Telecommunications says its new "pre-competitive R&D Consortium" will spend about $50 million over the next five years supporting advanced telecommunications research. Members include Bell Canada, Nortel Networks, Ericsson, Hewlett Packard, Exfo, Rogers Wireless, and Microcell. BELL MAY OFFER DSL OVER DRY COPPER: Responding to an application by FCI Broadband and Maskatel (see Telecom Update #427), Bell Canada says it may be able to offer DSL on copper loops that are not used for voice service by late 2004 or early 2005, but not when competitors are using the existing drop wires or inside wire. www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2004/8622/f18_200402321.htm TELUS MOBILITY PROMISES GSM ROAMING: Telus Mobility says that next year it will offer global roaming on GSM networks for its PCS and Mike customers, using new dual-mode phones developed by Motorola. UBS CHAIR TO HEAD LOOK: Unique Broadband Systems has appointed its Chairman, Gerald McGoey, as CEO of Look Communications. UBS, which now owns 51% of Look, says it will receive a one-time payment of $1.2 million plus $2.4 million a year, for providing the CEO and for updating Look's strategic plan, monitoring and renegotiating service provider contracts, providing technical support, and supplementing back-office services. NAVIGATA WINS NORTHERN B.C. BROADBAND CONTRACT: Navigata Communications has won contracts to provide broadband Internet connections to the Nadina and Stuart Nechako regions of Northern B.C. The $2.1 million project is scheduled for completion in 2005. DEFERRAL ACCOUNT PROPOSALS FILED: Responding to the CRTC's request in PN 2004-1, incumbent telcos and others have submitted proposals for spending surpluses accumulated in the telco deferral accounts created by the CRTC's 2002 Price Cap decision. www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2004/8678/c12_200402313.htm NORTEL HIT BY CLASS ACTION SUITS: Several organizations, including OPSEU Pension Trust and Netherlands-based pension giant Stichting Pensionfonds, have filed lawsuits against Nortel Networks in regard to accounting irregularities. The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board has asked to become co-lead plaintiff in some actions previously filed in the U.S. ** The Ontario Securities Commission has banned 161 current and former Nortel executives from trading the company's shares until two days after the company files its revised financial statements from 2001, 2002, and 2003. IPSOS-REID PLANS CALL CENTRE AWARDS: Ipsos-Reid has announced an award program for incoming call centres in Canada. The researcher will survey 100 customers and 40-50 call centre employees for each centre that registers, announce its "Call Centre of the Year" awards in December, and provide benchmark reports to participants. ** Participation costs $3,000 for centres with up to 50 seats; $4,500 for larger ones. For information go to www.ccoty.com BELL BUYS CALL CENTRE INTEGRATOR: Bell Canada has acquired a majority interest in Elix, a Montreal-based systems integrator that specializes in contact centres. The 125- employee firm will now operate as BCE Elix. IBM, CISCO TO COOPERATE ON IP COMMUNICATIONS: IBM and Cisco have announced a "broad-based initiative" to offer their IP- based communications systems and expertise to customers, including offering Cisco CallManager on IBM servers. MANAGING PERFORMANCE IN WIRELESS LANs: Wireless LANs work -- but how well, and how efficiently? This month, Telemanagement subscribers received a feature report on practical ways to improve coverage and speed in enterprise Wi-Fi. Also in this issue: ** Wireless Substitution: How Accurate Are Telco Claims? ** Toronto Airport Implements Multi-User IP Network ** Key Issues in the CRTC's VoIP Review To become a Telemanagement subscriber--including unlimited access to Telemanagement's extensive online content--visit Angus TeleManagement's website. http://www.angustel.ca/teleman/tm-sub-online.html ============================================================ HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-MAIL: editors@angustel.ca FAX: 905-686-2655 MAIL: TELECOM UPDATE Angus TeleManagement Group 8 Old Kingston Road Ajax, Ontario Canada L1T 2Z7 =========================================================== HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web on the first business day of the week at www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave subject line and message area blank. We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail addresses to any third party. For more information, see www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. =========================================================== COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2004 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail rosita@angustel.ca or phone 905-686-5050 ext 500. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ============================================================ JOHN RIDDELL jriddell@angustel.ca Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca 8 Old Kingston Road Tel: 905-686-5050 x226 Ajax Ontario L1T 2Z7 Canada Fax: 905-686-2655 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 13:13:07 -0400 Subject: Pulver Gets Trademark for FWD® Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com This is from Jeff Pulver's Blog for May 25, 2004, at http://192.246.69.231/jeff/personal/index.html FWD(R) Trademark Granted Yesterday I received the official letter from the US Trademark and Patent office that FWD(R) is now a registered and recognized trademark for Free World Dialup. [Comment: Note to Jeff: If I recall correctly, a letter "R" in parenthesis is NOT a legal equivalent for the R-in-a-circle trademark symbol, ®. So, you should probably be writing it as FWD®. In HTML you'd use "& # 1 7 4 ;" (without the quotation marks or spaces) to make the ® symbol. But I am not a lawyer, so I might be wrong about that.] How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 09:55:11 -0400 Subject: FTS to Begin Offering Customers Bundled Wi-Fi and VoIP Services Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/news_releases.mhtml?d=58130 Source: FTS Wireless, Inc. LEVITTOWN, Pa., May 25, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- FTS Wireless, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of FTS Group, Inc. (OTCBB:FLIP), an operator of retail wireless locations that market and sell next generation wireless and VoIP products and services and operate Wi-Fi HotSpot's, today announced that FTS will offer its customers bundled Wi-Fi Internet service with VoIP Telephony service combined plans starting at $39.99 per month. FTS CEO Scott Gallagher commented, "After successfully testing VoIP service provided by our strategic partner, Voiceglo.com (OTCBB:TGLO) over a wireless 802.11b (Wi-Fi) network for 3 months, we are confident the service, pricing and call quality will be well received by our wireless customers and plan to begin selling the bundled service through both our retail and Internet channels immediately." Mr. Gallagher continued, "The ability to efficiently check e-mail and make Internet Calls while on the road should radically change the communications expense structure of some 70 million business travelers often referred to as 'Road Warriors'." According to a recent article in Barron's magazine titled "Talk Gets Cheap" published 5/24/2004, Market-research firm In-Stat estimates that 4% of all U.S. businesses used some VoIP services in 2003. This year, the figure should reach 6% and the total will keep growing. Full press release at: http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/news_releases.mhtml?d=58130 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 09:52:20 -0400 Subject: VoIP Goes Mobile Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.thefeature.com/article?articleid=100667&ref=-1 By Mark Frauenfelder, Tue May 25 09:15:00 GMT 2004 VoIP is slowly moving into the mobile space, as one US company offers cellular users cheap international calls. [.....] As you probably know, VoIP (short for Voice over Internet Protocol) is a way to use the Internet -- rather than traditional phone networks -- to make telephone calls. Phone networks typically route phone calls over a dedicated circuit, but VoIP networks send voice calls as plain old digital packets, using the standard Internet protocol. Phone Bills Too Cheap to Meter There are a number of benefits (and some drawbacks) to making phone calls over the Internet, but the number one reason people use VoIP is because it dramatically reduces phone bills. For example, through Vonage, a VoIP company, you pay a flat fee for unlimited local calling, and just pennies per minute to call other countries. The traditional phone companies, which for decades have been able to get away with charging several dollars a minute for an overseas call, are trying to compete with VoIP startups, but they just can't keep their rates that low. Naturally, they're doing everything they can to kill VoIP companies by lawyering them to death, but cool technologies have always been able to mutate their way out of any impediment. (Look at what happened when the record industry shut down Napster, and as a result, help spawn umpteen all-but-unstoppable peer-to-peer networks.) Guess what -- somebody has figured out a way to sneak cheap long distance into the cellular carriers' networks. Full story at: http://www.thefeature.com/article?articleid=100667&ref=-1 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 09:57:20 -0400 Subject: Free World Dialup Selects eDial for Enhanced IP Telephony Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040525005120&newsLang=en WALTHAM, Mass. & MELVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 2004-- Leading Internet Telephony Community Deploys eDial's Audio Presenter to Offer Audio Conferencing and advanced dialing services to Subscribers eDial, Inc., a leading provider of open platform solutions and applications that enable service providers and enterprise system integrators and OEMs to quickly develop and implement rich media services that meet the specific needs of their customers, today announced that Free World Dialup (FWD) has selected and deployed the company's Audio Presenter and Instant Collaboration System (ICS) to offer audio conferencing and dialing technology to its subscribers. Free World Dialup is an IP communications service that offers broadband consumers everywhere the ability to join a community of FWD users who are able to call one another directly, at no cost, from anywhere, using their computers or IP phones and the Internet. With hundreds of thousands of members in more than 180 countries, FWD continues to provide the best-connected, standards-based services in IP communications. "eDial understands the requirements of service providers such as Free World Dialup to offer subscribers a breadth of enhanced IP communications services that provide a distinct competitive edge," said Jeff Pulver, chief executive officer of Free World Dialup. eDial's provides a complete environment for developing and deploying advanced, revenue-generating rich media services, including audio and web conferencing, IM and presence, over new and existing network infrastructures "Free World Dialup has a unique offering that has attracted hundreds of thousands of members from around the globe and we are pleased to be playing an integral role by enabling a host of highly collaborative and scaleable services," said Jill Smith, president and CEO of eDial, Inc. "Our solution empowers service providers like FWD to quickly integrate and deploy the audio and collaborative services that give them a competitive edge." About Free World Dialup FWD is the largest open network service provider for person-to-person, advanced, real-time IP communications. Lead by visionary Jeff Pulver, the breadth of useful services, interconnectivity, cool technology, and zero cost makes FWD a clear leader in the industry. For more information, please visit www.freeworlddialup.com. About eDial eDial, Inc. offers service providers, enterprise system integrators and OEMs a flexible platform for the development and deployment of customized scaleable, real-time media services over existing network architectures. eDial addresses the rapidly escalating demand by carriers and partners to have access to new premium service revenues streams that will ultimately increase profit margins and give them a true competitive edge. For more information, visit the Web site at www.edial.com or call 866-99-eDial (866-993-3425). All product and company names herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Contacts: Racepoint Group Dan Carter, 617-583-1331 dcarter@racepointgroup.com or Qorvis Communications Brian Lustig, 703-744-7826 blustig@qorvis.com ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 10:02:34 -0400 Subject: Brix Networks Expands and Enhances Its Free VoIP Quality Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040525005110&newsLang=en CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 2004 -- TestYourVoIP.com Now Offers Testing Locations In Canada And Europe, Adds New Call Setup And Signaling Quality Metrics, And Allows Users To Compare Results With Others Brix Networks (www.brixnet.com), the trusted provider of real-time service assurance solutions to operators of service-centric networks, today announced Version 2.0 of TestYourVoIP.com, the company's highly popular, free, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) quality testing portal that enables users to independently measure the quality of their residential VoIP connections via a quick, user-initiated test call. In response to increased interest in the site beyond the United States, Brix now offers new testing points in Montreal, London, and Helsinki, the latter being hosted by Creanord Oy, the company's Scandinavian partner, from that organization's SLAvision.net data center. These three new locations join the company's initial two sites in Boston and San Jose. With Version 2.0, TestYourVoIP.com provides even more insight and various performance metrics to prospective VoIP users about the ability of their broadband connections to successfully support VoIP. Specifically, TestYourVoIP.com now reports call setup and signaling quality statistics, including Post-Dial Delay, Post-Pickup Delay, Call Setup Time, and Media Delay. Other enhancements to TestYourVoIP.com that were unveiled by Brix Networks today let users: -- Identify firewall or other environmental configurations that may restrict their ability to run VoIP. -- E-mail a copy of their VoIP performance test results to themselves for future reference or, if they do not achieve the level of performance they require, even to the customer support department of their broadband provider. -- Compare how their test scores stack up against other users based on time (hour, day, week), region, country, or broadband provider. The access technology-independent TestYourVoIP.com site can be used by potential VoIP consumers who have cable, DSL, broadband over power line, satellite, or other broadband options. "With more than one million hits received since the initial launch of our TestYourVoIP.com portal less than two months ago, it has quickly become a 'must visit' site for anyone contemplating or already using a residential VoIP service," said Tom Pincince, president and CEO of Brix Networks. "With these new enhancements, TestYourVoIP.com is an even more useful and compelling tool for VoIP prospects and users alike as it accurately measures the ability of their broadband connection to support IP telephony." TestYourVoIP.com is powered by the Brix System, Brix Networks' award-winning VoIP performance management solution. The Brix System consists of distributed hardware test points, called Verifiers, which communicate with, and are managed by, the BrixWorx(TM) central-site software application. With its unique Brix Tri-Q(TM) Analysis, the Brix System provides total VoIP service testing across each of the areas that impact users' experience of quality, namely: signaling quality (call setup performance), delivery quality (media path network performance), and call quality (overall voice clarity and call experience). The Brix System improves the overall effectiveness of networks, and allows organizations to maximize their investment in -- and increase the value of -- all their business-critical IP services. About Brix Networks Brix Networks develops and markets real-time service assurance and performance management solutions that verify the quality of advanced, Internet Protocol-based services, including VoIP, VPN access, video, and Web-hosted business applications. The Chelmsford, Mass.-based company's hardware and software offerings allow carriers, service providers, cable operators, large enterprises, and government agencies to build, operate, and assure their IP networks and services by providing proactive, end-to-end, service level management (SLM) and service level agreement (SLA) verification. Additional information about Brix Networks can be found on the company's Web site at www.brixnet.com, and by calling 978-367-5600, or 1-888-BRIXNET. Brix Networks, Brix, Brixnet, the Brix Networks logo, BrixWorx, and Brix Tri-Q are trademarks of Brix Networks, Inc. All other company or product names mentioned may be trademarks of their respective holders. Contacts Brix Networks John H. Ricciardone, 978-367-5757 jricciardone@brixnet.com ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 10:00:35 -0400 Subject: Vonage Has First Mover Advantage, But It's Not Your Fathers Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040525005088&newsLang=en Vonage Has First Mover Advantage, But It's Not Your Fathers Telephone Company, Says Yankee Group BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 2004-- Better quality of VoIP offerings emerging from incumbent providers will make competition difficult In the bleak telecommunications sector, broadband telephony start-up Vonage has emerged as one of the most well known, yet, controversial companies. Vonage, a provider of SIP-based broadband VoIP services, launched its all-you-can-eat consumer voice service in 2002. Providing a best-effort service with local, long distance, and enhanced calling features for a single price, Vonage's service has appealed to the price sensitive user. In a year, Vonage signed up 100,000 users, creating a level of angst among broadband providers, and renewing interest in broadband VoIP among the investment community. "Vonage has successfully marketed itself, and its concept. The company has created a grand illusion in the marketplace," says Lindsay Schroth, Broadband Access Technologies senior analyst. "Most service providers are not only familiar with this small, privately held company, but feel threatened by the start-up and its approach to offering telephony services." "However, we anticipate Vonage will become a victim of its own success. Their eventual downfall will come because the company threatens the RBOCs, IXCs, and MSOs. As the incumbent service providers and MSOs offer wide-scale residential VoIP services with QoS at the same price point as Vonage, we believe the start-up will find it difficult to compete. Today, some RBOCs require their customers to subscribe to their telephony services to receive broadband. Tactics such as this, as well as the increased focus on the triple play and bundling discounts, will aggravate Vonage's problems," adds Schroth. Because Vonage operates over the Internet and does not own network assets, the company easily expanded its service to 125 U.S. markets. The start-up also launched its service in Canada in 2004. ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 04:46:45 -0400 Subject: Lucent Bids Over $300m For Marlborough's Telica Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2004/05/25/lucent_bids_over_300m_for_marlboroughs_telica/ Vote of confidence seen for local firms By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff Lucent Technologies Inc., a frequent buyer of Massachusetts telecommunications start-ups during the 1990's boom years, broke a four-year drought of local deal making yesterday, offering over $300 million for Marlborough equipment maker Telica Inc. The deal represents a long-hoped-for vote of confidence in the local telecom sector, especially for the voice-over-Internet protocol market in which Telica has become an increasingly strong alternative to bigger players like Nortel Networks Inc. and Sonus Networks Inc. of Westford. Telica, whose customers include Verizon Communications Inc. and some four dozen smaller phone companies, estimates its switches are now processing 4 billion minutes a month of voice and data traffic and can serve up to 3 million callers at a time. Up until last week, 251-employee Telica had been on the brink of filing for an initial public offering of stock. Lucent's integrated network solutions president, Janet Davidson, said with the market for phone company voice-over-Internet equipment expected to grow from $1 billion now to as much as $15 billion in 2008, Lucent saw adding Telica as a key way to bolster its product line. Verizon, for example, has said it expects to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in coming years converting its network to carry phone calls in the same Internet data packet format as e-mail and Web pages, which can slash the cost of handling traffic and also make it easier and cheaper to offer advanced services such as combined voice mail and e-mail. AT&T this spring has begun offering a $40-a-month unlimited calling plan over the Net called CallVantage, which requires a separate broadband connection. "Telica clearly has a product that we don't have, as well as a set of human resources and a lot of talent for us," Davidson said. Lucent has been relying on Cisco Systems Inc. and BroadSoft Inc. for key elements of its voice-over-Internet equipment packages. Full story at: http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2004/05/25/lucent_bids_over_300m_for_marlboroughs_telica/ ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. 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