Cable
Conferences
Convergence
Emergency solutions
The FLAG: EU and International news
Mitel
New products
Nortel
Training
VoIP

Cable

ADC introduces size-reduced Augmented Category 6 UTP cable
ADC announced that it has reduced the size of its CopperTen Augmented Category 6 UTP cable. ADC’s new cable has an average outside diameter of .275” compared to the industry average of .310”, which translates into a 22 percent reduction in cross-sectional area compared to typical Augmented Category 6 cable. The benefits of implementing a smaller cable include enhanced airflow for improved data center cooling, reliability and uptime; reduced installation costs due to its lighter weight and smaller volume; and improved fill rates in cable trays, conduits and raceways. Designed to run 10-Gigabit Ethernet over 100 meters of copper cabling, ADC was able to reduce the size of CopperTen by further enhancing the company’s patented AirES technology. ADC also is introducing its new suite of TrueNet Fiber Plug-and-Play Solutions for data center applications, designed to improve reliability, scalability and cooling needs of modern data centers. The new product suite includes plug-and-play, Multi-Fiber Push-On (MPO) solutions for ADC’s line of TrueNet Fiber products within the main distribution area (MDA), backbone and horizontal and equipment distribution areas (HDA and EDA). Together, these solutions promote reliability in the data center through properly-managed cable density, which encourages proper airflow and reduces maintenance.
Visit www.adc.com.
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Conferences

Perspectives of a first-time conference attendee
BICSI is a professional association supporting the information transport systems (ITS) industry with information, education and knowledge assessment for individuals and companies. BICSI provides attendees at each conference with a First Timer’s Orientation to present a basic understanding of what to expect and how to get the most value out of their conference experience. Attendees learn about earning important continuing education credits, conference sessions and events, the BICSI Cares charity and the benefits of BICSI membership. Educational presentations are the core of every BICSI conference. This year’s Winter Conference featured presenters covering topics including AV, standards, HD TV and video, convergence, cabling and outside plant. Aside from the presentations, the Exhibit Hall is the hotspot at a conference. There were 209 exhibitors displaying products and solutions, ready to answer questions and present what their company has to offer. BICSI serves more than 24,000 ITS professionals, including designers, installers and technicians.
Visit www.bicsi.org.
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Convergence

AnchorPoint announces IP readiness program to address market demand for convergence
AnchorPoint announced that the company is offering a new service, AnchorPoint VoIP Solution Suite (IPSS). This service is the first step to producing a VoIP roadmap based on tangible information to deploy a strategic, prioritized VoIP program. AnchorPoint programs help organizations gain an accurate understanding of their complex communication environments by identifying today’s operating investment in current assets and inventories; operational spend and usage in all areas across the enterprise; and spend within the current enterprise communications topography. AnchorPoint’s IPSS provides enterprises with the strategic and operational information they need to make VoIP payback and operational management decisions.
Visit www.AnchorPoint.com.
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Emergency solutions

911 Enable joins the NENA Next Generation Program
911 Enable, a division of Connexon Telecom, announced their partnership with the National Emergency Number Association, better known as NENA. This partnership entails involvement in the NENA Next Generation Partner Program. The program is a joint public-private working group developed to further the mission of creating safer communities by advancing technology, policy and operations issues through research and planning. To date, the program is supported by 38 program partners, which include key representatives from leading communications companies, vendors of 9-1-1 products and services, and public safety-related associations. 911 Enable will also be taking part in the 26th Annual NENA Conference and Tradeshow, scheduled to take place in Charlotte, NC in June. This event brings together industry leaders to showcase cutting edge technologies in the field of 9-1-1.
Visit www.911Enable.com.
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The FLAG: EU & International news

London Internet Exchange upgrades to Foundry Networks BigIron RX backbone switches
Foundry Networks, Inc. announced that the London Internet Exchange (LINX), one of the largest global Internet Exchange Points (IXP), has installed the award-winning BigIron RX-16 Series backbone switches to meet rapid growth in its membership, which is comprised of the world's leading content and Internet service providers. The increased switch capacity is required as the volume of carried Internet traffic is growing 50 percent year-over-year; today LINX handles more than 116 Gigabits of traffic per second. LINX is a not-for-profit organisation owned by its content delivery and Internet Service Provider members, offering peering between all the parties to exchange Internet traffic in order to reduce costs and provide more direct routing of traffic. A long-standing customer, LINX has consistently powered its networks with various Foundry switches over the years and was one of the first organisations to purchase its 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10-GbE) switches in 2002.
Visit www.foundrynetworks.com.
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Mitel

Mitel signs IP telephony agreement with Rogers
Mitel announced that it has signed an agreement with Rogers Business Solutions Inc. under which it will supply the Mitel 3600 Hosted Key Systems as part of a converged IP voice and data offering from Rogers. The offering, to be launched this March, will provide voice, data and Internet connectivity on a single IP network for small businesses. The Hosted Key System is a carrier-grade communications system that allows service providers to displace traditional key systems in small businesses (five to 50 employees) with a hosted service that is full-featured, simple to use, low cost and easy to manage. Small business owners can enjoy business-quality voice using the same broadband data connection they use for Internet access, and can rely on one vendor for all their business communication needs.
Visit www.mitel.com.
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New products

Nuance launches IP-based voice dialer for employee-to-employee communications
Nuance Communications, Inc. introduced SpeechAttendant Internal Dialer, a turnkey, IP-based speech-enabled auto attendant solution for employee-to-employee communications.  Following rising corporate investment in VoIP and IP telephony, and the resulting demand for IP-based communication tools, Nuance has designed the new SpeechAttendant Internal Dialer to help organizations derive additional value and productivity from their IP infrastructures.  With support for IP standards such as session initiation protocol (SIP), Nuance's next-generation auto attendant solution eliminates the need for custom IP-based deployments.  Right out of the box, the solution is compatible with IP-based infrastructures from leading vendors such as Avaya, Cisco, Genesys and more, enabling customers to immediately benefit from employee productivity improvements.  
Visit www.nuance.com.
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Nortel

Microsoft and Nortel unveil joint offerings
Microsoft and Nortel Networks have put more flesh on the bones of their Innovative Communications Alliance, outlining a roadmap and pre-announcing three joint offerings for later this year. The first is Unified Messaging, where Exchange 2007's unified messaging capability will be integrated natively into a Nortel PBX via the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for IP telephony, enabling click-to-call functionality from within the email environment. The second is the integration of Nortel's multimedia conferencing technology with OCS, enabling Office Communicator to be the dashboard for audio and video conferences, with a variety of other forms of communication included in the same session.  Then in the fourth quarter the companies will launch an offering called the UC Integrated Branch, an agglomeration of server softwares covering what are usually a number of separate boxes in branch offices right now, namely a router, a switch, a FAX, a PBX and something to handle the interface with conventional PSTN telephone networks, which can either be the TDM side of a hybrid PBX or a media gateway where an all-IP PBX is in use.
Visit www.nortelnetworks.com.
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Training

Channel Provider & Partner Strategies for VoIP
BCR announces the development of a new vendor-neutral training program designed exclusively for channel partners, VAR's, and agents selling VoIP products and services to the SMB market. The course is based on extensive field research with both vendors and resellers.  This program will also help corporate staff marketing, training business development, sales, channel managers, operations, engineering, support and other corporate managers for VoIP providers, carriers, manufacturers, and others gain new insights in the VoIP marketplace.  Among the topics discussed: attendees will review the fundamentals of IP-Internet Protocol and platforms required for high-performance VoIP systems; understand basic and advanced VoIP concepts and features; discover business and customers applications and opportunities; probe the issues behind Integrated and Converged Access; address the issue of QoS-Quality of Service.  As SIP-Session Initiation Protocol emerges are the key VoIP communications protocol, there is a special section devoted entirely to this technology which will impact all voice communications systems from key, PBX, IP-PBX, hosted, managed and other systems.
Email [email protected].
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VoIP

Allworx reaches another sales milestone
Allworx, the product division of InSciTek Microsystems Inc., announced that demand for its VoIP phones among small and medium businesses has exceeded all expectations - illustrated by the fact that the company has reached the 15,000 unit sales milestone for its VoIP phones well ahead of schedule. The success of the Allworx 9112, and 9102 VoIP phones, as well as the Allworx 6x, 10x, and 24x VoIP systems are being driven by the flexibility they provide to enable small businesses to transition to VoIP at their own pace, without giving up the features they’re used to.
Visit www.allworx.com.
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