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Avaya
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Upfront

Cisco sues Apple over use of iPhone name
Cisco Systems sued Apple Inc. in federal court, saying the computer maker's new iPhone violates its trademark. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, came just a day after Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple iPhone in dramatic fashion at a trade show in San Francisco. But even while Jobs was trumpeting the product during his keynote address to Apple faithful, the matter of the product's naming had not been resolved behind the scenes between two of the biggest names in Silicon Valley. San Jose-based Cisco has owned the trademark on the name "iPhone" since 2000, when it acquired InfoGear Technology Corp., which originally registered the name. And in December, Cisco's Linksys division put the trademark to use, releasing an Internet phone called "iPhone" that uses the increasingly popular VoIP. But in January, Jobs unveiled Apple's own iPhone, a "game-changing" touch-screen-controlled cell phone device that plays music, surfs the Web and delivers voicemail and e-mail. Cisco said it had been negotiating for several years with Apple over a licensing agreement, but that Apple lawyers had not signed and returned the final contract. Cisco is seeking injunctive relief to prevent Apple from copying Cisco's iPhone trademark.
Visit www.cisco.com or www.apple.com.
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Avaya

Avaya swoops on Ubiquity
Avaya Inc. announced it has offered to buy SIP applications server specialist Ubiquity Software Corp. for £74.3 million (US$144.8 million) in cash.  The offer, worth 37.3 pence per Ubiquity share, is being recommended by Ubiquity's board. The news sent the SIP server's stock rocketing by 16.5 pence, more than 82 percent, to 36.50 pence on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM). Ubiquity joined the market in May 2005. Avaya needs the support of 90 percent of Ubiquity's shareholders and currently has about 58 percent. It expects the deal to close in about three weeks' time. Should the takeover bid be successful, Avaya would land itself a company with a tried and tested SIP services platform, along with extensive telecom partnerships and some high-profile carrier customers, including BT Group plc and BCE Inc. (Bell Canada). An Avaya spokeswoman says the move does not signal a new strategy to specifically target the telecom carrier sector, but the firm wants to ensure it has a SIP applications environment that's appropriate for carriers as well as its traditional enterprise customer base and that can be used by .NET and J2EE developers.
Visit www.avaya.com.


Avaya will cut 40 jobs, close some U.S. offices
Avaya Inc. will close offices in the U.S. and cut 40 jobs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, trimming payrolls to increase profitability. The moves will cost about $10 million in the fiscal first quarter, Bernards-based Avaya said in a regulatory filing. The company announced plans on Oct. 5 to cut about 150 jobs outside the U.S. in the first half of 2007. Chief Executive Officer Louis D'Ambrosio has cut more than 300 employees in the U.S. and Europe since he won his job in July. The 40 cuts, across all areas, should be done by the end of the second quarter, Avaya said. The $10 million in costs comprises about $6 million in severance and $4 million to terminate leases on some buildings. On Oct. 24, Avaya reported that net income in the fourth quarter ended Sept. 30 fell 93 percent, in part on costs to cut jobs.
Visit www.avaya.com.
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BICSI

BICSI appoints professional development director
BICSI Executive Director David C. Cranmer, RCDD, announced the appointment of Richard E. Dunfee, RCDD/OSP Specialist, as the organization’s new Director of Professional Development. Dunfee’s appointment directly correlates with BICSI’s strategic direction to advance the technical expertise, knowledge and success of BICSI’s membership, their customers and the information transport systems (ITS) industry. Dunfee is a familiar face to the BICSI membership, having served as the Training Program Manager for BICSI’s Department of Professional Development and Credentialing. He returns after working as an ITS Consultant and in various project management functions for Verizon over the last two years. Dunfee holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Kent State University and has been a member of BICSI since 1989. BICSI serves more than 24,000 ITS professionals including designers, installers and technicians. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, BICSI membership spans nearly 100 countries.
Visit www.bicsi.org.
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Hosted VoIP

Small businesses continue to fuel hosted VoIP market
Hosted VoIP telephony has experienced another year of steady growth, as the small business market continues to be the sweet spot with most deployments in the 20-to-50 seat range, reports In-Stat. Hosted VoIP will continue to experience dynamic growth over the next few years, with projected revenues exceeding $2 billion by 2010, the high-tech market research firm says. Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• In-Stat projects US hosted VoIP seats in service will continue to grow steadily to over 3 million in 2010, up from 373,000 in 2006.

• Cost savings remains the primary attraction to hosted VoIP solutions, but the value associated with business-grade solutions is resonating more strongly among businesses that are willing to pay for them.

• Multi-location businesses and those with mobile or distributed employees are most attracted to hosted VoIP solutions.

The research, "Hosted VoIP: Steady Growth, But Will the Boom Come?," discusses factors driving adoption of hosted solutions including mobility convergence and the integration of features and business processes. Differences in service provider perspectives, sales channel strategies and approach to the market are also reviewed.
Visit www.instat.com.
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Nortel

Unimax 2nd Nature now a Nortel Select Product
Unimax announced that its 2nd Nature application framework has been designated a Nortel Select Product.  Through this designation, Nortel recognizes 2nd Nature as a best-in-class technology that strategically complements Nortel Enterprise platforms, including Communication Server 1000, CallPilot and Multimedia Communication Server 5100. Unimax 2nd Nature application framework achieved Nortel Select Product status based on Nortel’s analysis of the Unimax business plan and input from Nortel customers. Additionally, 2nd Nature successfully completed compatibility testing in a Nortel lab environment, earning the designation of Nortel Compatible Product. As part of the Select Product Program, Partner Advantage contracted Nortel resellers can order 2nd Nature through Nortel. This gives Nortel customers access to 2nd Nature as a recommended third-party product via Nortel channel partners.
Visit www.unimax.com.
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Partnerships

Sphere Communications and CXtec announce partnership
Sphere Communications, a software developer of IP PBX and Services Oriented Unified Communications technology, and CXtec, a global provider of new and pre-owned networking technology equipment, announced a partnership to deliver the award-winning Sphericall IP PBX to their growing education, healthcare and enterprise customers. Sphere’s products enhance CXtec’s networking product portfolio by providing a flexible IP-based unified communications solution that operates across multi-vendor networks and that adapts well to each customer’s unique business needs. The Sphericall IP PBX is certified with Polycom IP telephones, already part of the CXtec portfolio, that deliver the latest in High Definition audio. Combined, the Sphere and Polycom solution delivers fully integrated desktop unified communications.
Visit www.spherecom.com or www.cxtec.com.
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Software

Potential tech headache looms when Daylight Savings Time returns, CompTIA cautions
The expansion of daylight-saving time in the U.S. and Canada later this year has the potential to impact the operations of computers and other electronic devices with time zone features, the Computing Technology Industry Association has warned.  Within the U.S. and Canada computers, personal digital assistants, video cassette recorders, digital video recorders, phones and any other electronic devices that have a time zone setting will require a small software update to accommodate the change in daylight-saving time. Otherwise, the internal clocks in the devices could be off by one hour for three weeks in the spring and for one week in the fall. All major computer operating systems have released a software patch to reflect the change of the start and end dates for daylight-saving time. Computers using an operating system automatic update feature will soon receive the software patch if it hasn't already. Most cable and satellite television tuners and digital video recorders will receive an update automatically with the current show schedule. However, many computers and other electronic devices will require the manual installation of a software update. This includes almost all computers, PDAs, VCRs, and mobile phones which are not connected to the Internet. Voice-over-IP phone systems, GPS navigation systems, alarm clocks, and other "smart home" appliances may also be affected. Users will have to check the settings on these devices to determine if they recognize daylight-saving time; and if the correct start and end dates are present in the settings. If not, consumers should contact the service provider or product manufacturer to find out how to update the settings for each affected device.
Visit www.comptia.org.

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