Analyses are solely the work of the authors and have not been edited or endorsed by GLG.
Is Tellabs Looking to Announce a New Broadband Cross-Connect?
March 12, 2009
Tellabs chief expects Supercomm to showcase innovation | telephonyonline.com
1. Is Tellabs telegraphing a new product announcement at SuperComm? 2. The term, “innovation and imagination” seems to imply more than just additional feature/functionality on existing solutions. 3. Ciena should be very interested in knowing the meaning behind Tellabs’ rhetoric.
FairPoint Likely to Wind Up in Good Shape
March 12, 2009
FairPoint reports $76m loss after Verizon acquisition | www.unionleader.com
1. The latest DSL Prime newsletter expresses some concern about the fate of FairPoint Communications. 2. The publication claims, “any financial analysis shows them soon insolvent.” 3. However, it correctly points out that Verizon has no interest in seeing FairPoint go under.
New CEO Likely to Radically Change Clearwire
March 11, 2009
Clearwire gets a new CEO; Wolff moves to co-chairman | www.fiercewireless.com
1. If there is any company that needs a total “overhaul,” it is Clearwire. 2. In the past, its new CEO, Bill Morrow, has been referred to as a “turnaround guy” and a “fixer-in-chief.” 3. It will be one tall order to do a makeover on Clearwire.
Not a Shocker that Sprint Seems to be Moving to LTE
March 11, 2009
Daily Rumor: Sprint | www.thestreet.com
1. The evidence has been slowly building that Sprint would have to go with LTE as its 4G technology. 2. In late 2007, we asserted that, “WiMAX is increasingly perceived by analysts to be just a sucking sound for large amounts of capital.” 3. Sprint’s reply to the blog, which started the speculation, winds up being yet another example of the lack of true commitment by the wireless carrier to WiMAX.
Ciena’s Four Strikes on Major Packet Equipment Acquisitions?
March 9, 2009
Ciena Cuts 200 Jobs as Sales Plummet | www.lightreading.com
1. Usually, it’s three strikes and you’re out. 2. Ciena has taken four big swings, and missed, at packet-type company purchases – and while it is very doubtful that it would take another one in the short term, of course, it could not be ruled out in the long term. 3. It has paid a high price because of its fixation on being called an Ethernet company.
Verizon Still Confident it Can Differentiate FiOS with Content
March 9, 2009
Losses Hit TW Cable | www.multichannel.com
1. There is a large amount of skepticism by industry analysts that Verizon’s FiOS can pull away subscribers from the MSOs because of unique programming and content. 2. However, Verizon hopes to offer some pretty high-quality services as a result of them being delivered over fiber. 3. On-line gaming is one example.
Cisco Systems -- Optical Transport and Switching
March 9, 2009
One on One with Cisco CEO John Chambers | www.pbs.org
1. It was not surprising that Cisco Systems was one of the last major DWDM companies to talk about a 40G strategy. 2. Of course, its preoccupation is on the router side of the house. 3. Nevertheless, in having an end-to-end strategy, it needs a minimum amount of optical transport and switching equipment.
Rough Rest of Year Expected for Ciena’s Revenues
March 9, 2009
Ciena Dips in Q1 | www.lightreading.com
1. Ciena rightly points out that the two major RBOCs are not cancelling orders. 2. However, actual deliveries have slowed down to a crawl. 3. While this space will improve in the second half of this year for Ciena, there will not be anything resembling a buying spree for the manufacturer.
Enterprise vs Long Haul on 100G
March 5, 2009
GigOptix Announces EA Modulator Driver for use in 100Gb/s Ethernet Applications | www.tmcnet.com
1. Economics is going to be the big driver in the supercomputer/enterprise space for 100GbE. 2. In the carrier sector, spectral efficiency associated with 100G will play a large role. 3. Obviously, the hope is that there will be a substantial amount of growth in both markets.
Recommended Roadmap for Alcatel-Lucent to Prevent Self-Destruction
March 5, 2009
Alcatel-Lucent deepens focus on services | www.zdnetasia.com
1. Hopefully, by now, Alcatel-Lucent has taken a hard look at Nortel’s situation. 2. There has to be the full realization that one can see the former as almost an exact reflection of the latter. 3. It would be suicidal to do anything less than in finally becoming more of a lean and mean corporation.
AT&T’s 4G Wireless Backdoor Strategy to get to More Fiber to the Home
March 5, 2009
Q&A: AT&T’s de la Vega discusses the three-screens of the future | telephonyonline.com
1. Several months ago, we pointed out the importance of the promotion of AT&T’s Ralph de la Vega to head up both wireline and wireless services for consumers. 2. He makes a statement in the original article that would have been considered extraordinarily radical not too long ago at the service provider. 3. Just as there appears little doubt that Verizon is going to tie FiOS and LTE together, the expected marriage of AT&T’s 4G network with its broadband landlines will make it easier for its CEO to make a major shift to FTTH.
New Wireless Command Group at Verizon Gives Nokia a Fresh Start
March 5, 2009
Nokia, Verizon Plan Exclusive 4G Device | www.thestreet.com
1. Any kind of a strained relationship with Nokia had to do with when there were more landline executives dominating the leadership at Verizon (especially with Siemens becoming part of the company). 2. Now, it is a whole new world at the RBOC with high-level management being controlled by the wireless side. 3. Nokia’s device could allow Verizon to get a tremendous jump on LTE in the US market.
Nortel’s Optic Business Next Best Thing to CO Switching
March 3, 2009
Et Tu, Morin? Then Fall, CESR! | www.lightreading.com
1. Even other suppliers do not necessarily believe that Nortel’s high-end optics business is finished. 2. While Nortel is in trouble financially and has a tarnished brand name, it has a huge installed base of long-haul optical equipment – and hence, customers it has already engaged with. 3. This positive view assumes that there is not a major change in support and that there will be ongoing spending on future development.
Universities May Keep Same Telecom Fees Anticipating Higher Bandwidth
March 3, 2009
University of Maryland Keeping Landline Phones, For Now | www.news8.net
1. There is undoubtedly liability concerns in not giving students the opportunity to have a landline. 2. However, the key reason for not eliminating a voice fee is evidently the expectation of having an “infrastructure to deliver voice[,] data[,] and cable over fiber optics.” 3. The university will be looking for a significantly higher fee for this level of service.
March 3, 2009
Huawei Does 40G | www.lightreading.com
1. Huawei is quite aggressive in gaining access to new technologies. 2. It studies implementations and figures out if they are viable. 3. Huawei has a few different options available to it at 40G.
Carrier Ethernet and MPLS are not in Conflict
March 3, 2009
The many flavors of carrier Ethernet | www.networkworld.com
1. For the last 5+ years, MPLS has been there as the implementation for end-to-end connectivity at Layer 2 ½, Layer 3. 2. This protocol is used to set up the communication links and tear them down. 3. It seems that with carrier Ethernet not trying to stay just local, such as with just between a couple of switches, and in becoming more broad-stroke based, it needs to form more of an MPLS kind of a handshake implementation.
Evolution of 10/40/100G Services All On Same Fiber Pair Hardly a Certainty
March 3, 2009
Fujitsu launches ADC technology for 100G | lw.pennnet.com
1. Of course, there will be a certain amount of moving from a 10G installed base to 40G capability. 2. However, from there, a 100G overlay on a different pair of fibers is likely to be the next step. 3. That would be more probable than putting all three rates on the same network today.
AT&T Trial-Balooning Several Business Lines for Price of One?
March 2, 2009
1. In at least one major city, AT&T appears to be feeling out lost small-business customers. 2. While it seems that the RBOC has not made any commitment to such a plan, it is apparently telemarketing this notion to business subscribers it has lost to Comcast, and perhaps to other MSOs. 3. Even though the carrier’s focus for margins will be on contracts with major enterprises, the loss of small-business lines is evidently causing a large amount of consternation at the company.
Not Shocking Cablevision Holding its Own Against Verizon
March 2, 2009
Verizon's FiOS effect on Cablevision still invisible | telephonyonline.com
1. As we said back in the summer of 2007, Cablevision was working hard to meet Verizon's challenge. 2. The MSO has obviously succeeded. 3. The other cable TV firms could learn a lesson in being more proactive.
New VP Should Greatly Help Adtran in International Market
March 2, 2009
Bolton Joins Adtran | www.lightreading.com
1. Adtran’s new vice president of global marketing, Gary Bolton, is the type of low-key, nuts-and-bolts person that very much fits the supplier’s culture. 2. His previous criticism of the TA 5000 as a low-performance, Ethernet delivery box may come back to haunt him. 3. But Bolton always made it clear that he had the utmost respect for Adtran’s CEO and for his team, and that he viewed the supplier as an outstanding company.
Switzerland sues Google over Street View privacy concerns
November 13, 2009
Here Come the Droids! A brief review of Verizon Wireless' new Droid line-up.
November 11, 2009
October 30, 2009
Vodafone Orange Iphone Deal Ends Two Years Exclusivity Of O2 In UK
October 5, 2009
IPhone Coma Mode puts Apple in the ICU
September 19, 2009