Barney Robison Blog

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) will grow slowly at first in China, and then experience swift growth after the commencement of 3G services between 2008 and 2010, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). In 2005, there were about 400,000 consumer FMC subscribers, and that number will increase to 11.4 million in 2010, the high-tech market research firm says. FMC allows for collaboration capabilities between telecom networks and client devices including the ability for any terminal to access the network anywhere and anytime, regardless of bandwidth and rates.

“From 20052008, convergence in China will mainly happen in the narrow band voice field,” says Kevin Li, In-Stat analyst. “From 20082010, converged broadband voice and data will dominate the FMC market. After 2010, convergence of multimedia content will emerge.”In-Stat Read more

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:SBL) . The transaction has a total equity value of approximately $3.9 billion on a fully-diluted basis. Symbol will be the core of Motorola’s enterprise mobility business, uniquely positioning the company to take enterprise mobility to a new level. Motorola now will offer the broadest array of innovative products and technologies available that enable enterprise customers to have access to business-critical information anytime, anywhere.

As previously announced on September 19, 2006, the two companies signed a definitive merger agreement under which Motorola has now acquired all of the outstanding shares of Symbol common stock. The transaction was completed today following approval of the merger by Symbol shareholders at a special meeting of shareholders. With the closing of the transaction, trading in Symbol common stock was halted Read more

LONDON — Mobile VoIP pioneer Truphone today announced that Google Talk users can connect with Truphone mobile handsets anywhere in the world for free.

Truphone is a free piece of software that enables Wi-Fi-equipped Nokia mobile phones to make internet-rate phone calls (VoIP calls) over Wi-Fi connections. When the handset is not in Wi-Fi range it reverts from being a ‘Truphone’ to being a normal mobile phone, so people need only one phone.

‘On-net’ Truphone users show as ‘online’ in Google Talk, enabling people to know exactly when they can make a free call. Calls between Google Talk and Truphone are free because they are pure VoIP calls and take place entirely over the internet. Communication between Google’s servers and Truphone’s servers is via the standard XMPP protocol.

James Tagg, Truphone’s CEO, said: “Interoperability between Google Talk and Truphone means the web/mobile VoIP divide has Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — France Telecom, one of the principal world telecommunications operators, and LongBoard, Inc., a leading provider of software that enables personalized multimedia services, announced today that they have signed a partnership to jointly develop and deliver an innovative, IMS-compliant multimedia roaming solution.

The multimedia roaming solution, which is already being developed and is expected to be commercially available in early 2007, enables service providers to deliver seamless multimedia services with high-speed handover and service assurance across multiple access networks including GSM, GPRS, CDMA, UMTS, Wi-Fi, and WiMax.

This jointly developed multimedia roaming solution will be marketed by LongBoard to its customers.

The multimedia roaming solution being developed by LongBoard and France Telecom delivers network-based policy and enforcement capabilities that ensure quality user experiences for multimedia services. It enables Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Veraz Networks, Inc., a leading global provider of IP softswitches, media gateways and digital compression products, today announced that mobile operators in Asia and other rapidly growing markets can deploy Veraz products to realize an up to ten-fold increase in voice capacity between existing mobile switching centers (MSCs).

Veraz’s I-Gate 4000 family of media gateways allows service providers to cost-effectively accommodate the growing demand for mobile operators’

services. This solution is part of a practical stepwise migration to IMS and NGN.

To increase capacity among MSCs, mobile operators in rapidly growing markets have historically been forced to either build out their own transmission network or lease increased TDM transmission capacity from network providers.

Veraz’s voice compression technology uses VoIP to increase the capacity of existing TDM transmission links by compressing up to 10 E1s onto a Read more

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Aruba Wireless

Networks (Aruba) today announced that SAP America, the U.S. subsidiary of SAP

AG (NYSE: SAP), has standardized on its grid architecture and new wired and

wireless grid products to provide secure wired and wireless Internet Cafe

service at SAP offices around the country.

Aruba’s grid controllers are the first complete solution specifically

designed for interior network security — whether wired or wireless. Aruba’s

grid products were developed to address new interior network threats caused by

the emergence of wireless technology and mobility. With these products, SAP

can now centralize all essential security functions such as encryption,

authentication, identity management and policy-based access controls within a

single, high performance system that secures all traffic regardless of user

access to the network.

In addition, SAP Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO – News), today announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Airespace, Inc. of San Jose, Calif. Airespace is a provider of wireless local area networking (“WLAN”) systems, which provide a secure, flexible, and cost effective solution for enterprise and commercial customers. Airespace’s product portfolio will expand Cisco’s WLAN solution portfolio, accelerating delivery of key WLAN features and capabilities for Cisco’s entire customer base. Airespace’s product portfolio includes WLAN controllers, Access Points, WLAN Management and Location Software, and Security capabilities, including IDS. The acquisition will allow Cisco to address a broader set of market segments and integrate advanced capabilities into current Cisco products.

Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco will pay approximately $450 million in stock and assumed options for Airespace. The acquisition Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Extreme Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:

EXTR) is expanding its Unified Access Architecture (UAA) with convergence capabilities and a new edge switch. The new Summit(r) 300-24 is a high performance Layer 2/3 switch supporting Power over Ethernet (PoE), network resiliency and availability. Delivering on the promise of the universal Ethernet jack, Extreme Networks is mobilizing IP telephony by adding protocol support for widely deployed voice over Wi-Fi handsets.

As the edge of the network evolves with expanding communication options and wireless devices, organizations are looking to broaden yet simplify the IT infrastructure. With Extreme Networks’ UAA, enterprises gain a unique network edge solution that delivers tremendous versatility through unified management for wired and wireless, powered Ethernet ports, uniform policy management, wireless mobility capabilities and access security features. Now, enterprises don’t need to be Read more

HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. — Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:SBL) , The Enterprise Mobility Company(TM), today introduced its next generation WS 2000 enterprise wireless switch and new AP 300 802.11a/b/g wireless access port for branch offices and small and medium businesses. The launch of these products further continues Symbol’s legacy of innovation and leadership within the wireless networking industry and provides customers with additional opportunities to un-tether their networks for true mobility.

“Symbol has provided wireless innovations and technologies to customers for more than 15 years, and Wi-Fi has become a cornerstone of Symbol’s enterprise mobility strategy helping to give on-demand access to information,” said Anthony Bartolo, general manager and vice president of Symbol’s wireless infrastructure and mobility software divisions. “Small businesses and branch office customers are seeking the same functionality, security, Read more

KANATA, Ont. — BelAir Networks, a leading supplier of wide-area Wi-Fi solutions, announced today that its family of carrier-grade wireless switch routers is now available to service providers, enterprises and government accounts through Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU).

Lucent Worldwide Services (LWS) and BelAir plan to pursue joint business opportunities by making BelAir100 and BelAir200 Wireless Switch Routers available through Lucent’s global sales channels. Lucent Worldwide Services will also enhance BelAir’s offer by providing a full suite of services including deployment, maintenance, professional and managed services.

“At Lucent Worldwide Services we are always looking for innovative solutions from companies like BelAir that help our customers build the most flexible, reliable and cost-effective communications networks,” said Stef van Aarle, Vice President, Marketing and Strategy, Lucent Worldwide Services. “The combination of Read more