Cisco Systems

Belden buys Trapeze for $133M

Sue Marek — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:40:36 -0400

Component maker Belden snapped up enterprise WLAN gear maker Trapeze Networks for $133 million in cash. Belden says the deal will help it increase its position in the signal transmission market and enable it to address its customers growing need for mobility.

Trapeze Networks, based in Pleasanton, Calif., was one of many startups that pioneered the concept of the wireless LAN switch, which links the access point to a central control and allows the clients to roam seamlessly. This deal has been rumored for several weeks.

For more:
- Read this press release
- See this NetworkWorld article

Related stories:
Trapeze shifts WLAN distribution model. See this Trapeze article
Cisco comfortably leads among WLAN vendors. See this WLAN article.

Cisco to unveil WiMAX patent alliance

Sue Marek — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:49:21 -0400

Cisco is expected to announce today it has formed an alliance with Sprint, Clearwire and a handful of WiMAX manufacturers to share WiMax patents and therefore stimulate the WiMAX ecosystem. Other vendors involved in the deal include Alcatel-Lucent, Intel and Samsung. However, several notable names are missing from the group, including Motorola and Nokia, which are both providing equipment for Sprint's Mobile WiMAX initiative, Xohm.

However, just because Motorola and Nokia aren't involved in the initial announcement, that doesn't preclude them from joining the alliance. The main goal of the group is to open up WiMax patents held by various vendors and to make licensing a faster process.

For more:
- See this ComputerWorld story

Related stories:
Cisco buys WiMAX vendor Navini for $330M. Read this Cisco story
WiMAX Forum certifies first mobile WiMAX products. Read this WiMAX story

Qualcomm invests in femtocell maker ip.access

Thu, 22 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Femtocell and picocell maker ip.access received a financial boost from Qualcomm. The company joined existing investors Cisco, Intel Capital, ADC, Motorola Ventures, Scottish Equity Partners, Rothschild Gestion and Amadeus Capital Partners to fund ip.access' Oyster 3G femtocell system, which uses the residential broadband connection to deliver a 3G signal in the home. ip.access is rumored to have inked a femtocell deal with AT&T.

This move by one of the technology giants in the wireless industry is being seen as validating the concept as well as ramping up the competitive stakes. "Having [Qualcomm's] weight behind us and behind femtocells is good," Andy Tiller, VP of marketing at ip.access, told sister publication FierceWireless Europe. "It's beginning to look like this market is about scale. We need big friends in that kind of market, and Qualcomm is one of those friends."

Ovum analyst Jeremy Green says that while Ovum is still somewhat skeptical about the femtocell business case, Qualcomm's decision to invest in ip.access gives the femtocell proposition more credibility.

This is the second big European announcement from Qualcomm this week. On Monday, the firm announced it was purchasing a 40 MHz chunk of L-band spectrum, prompting speculation that it was planning to use it to deliver mobile TV service.

For more:
- see this press release

Related stories:
Qualcomm wins U.K. spectrum but coy about plans. See this story about Qualcomm's spectrum win
T-Mobile invests in femtocell maker. Read this T-Mobile femtocell article
Rumor: ip.access wins femtocell deal with AT&T. See this article on ip.access and AT&T

ABI survey identifies top three femto developers

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:53 -0400

ABI Research has released details of the top three femtocell developers using an analytical tool to determine a clear understanding of each supplier's market focus. The company stated that Ubiquisys had been ranked at the top of the list, with Alcatel-Lucent and ip.access claiming the second and third spots.

According to London-based Stuart Carlaw, a VP and research director for ABI, the market continues to see manufacturers shuffle as early RFP and trial activity takes hold. "Interestingly, major players in this market such as Cisco, Motorola, NEC and Nokia are not represented in the measurement matrix as they are positioning themselves as complete solution providers and have chosen not to produce their own products but to partner instead with dedicated box vendors."

The femtocell vendors were assessed by ABI on parameters such as innovation and implementation across several criteria unique to each vendor matrix. To view a list of the top ten firms in this vendor matrix, visit Femtocell Vendor Matrix.

For more about ABI Research's femtocell survey:
- check out this release

Rumor: ip.access wins femtocell deal with AT&T

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

According to a report from ThinkPanmure, AT&T has inked a $500 million deal with ip.access for 7 million femtocells, which it plans to sell to its subscribers for about $100. The firm says the deal was fiercely fought with companies such as Motorola, Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia Siemens Networks and Airvana heavily contending for the contract.

Further, ThinkPanmure believes such a win could push Cisco to look at ip.access as an acquisition target.

"We believe Cisco is looking to increase its profile in wireless, and that ip.access is likely next in this strategy as Cisco's femtocell play. We believe that if this were to happen, it would be integrated into the Linksys organization," said the firm.

- Check out ThinkPanmure's web site

Related articles:
Sprint launches femtocell service in two markets Report on Sprint's femtocell launch
T-Mobile plans femtocell trials Report on T-Mobile's femtocell plans

Ruckus makes aggressive push into enterprise WiFi

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Ruckus Wireless is taking aim at the enterprise WiFi market, competing head to head with the likes of Cisco, Aruba and Meru with the introduction of SmartMesh--a WiFi meshing technology that the company says enables enterprises to deploy WiFi networks in half the time and half the cost to get three times the performance of typical WLANs.

Ruckus, most known for its WiFi platform that delivers IPTV, has been playing in the mid-market enterprise market for some time with a self configurable WiFi product designed for enterprises that lack extensive IT staffs. Now the company is moving up to compete with bigger WiFi enterprise players with a new class of WLANs that self-organize, self-optimize and self-heal, eliminating the costly cabling to every WiFi access point and complex RF planning, according to the company. Ruckus' SmartMesh technology includes the company's in-house developed smart antenna technology.

"During these economic times, systems like ours become more palatable and enterprises are becoming more willing to use them even though they haven't heard of us," said David Callisch, vice president of marketing with Ruckus.

Ruckus says the cost of a typical 500-user WLAN using the industry's most popular enterprise 802.11g WLAN systems is approximately $35,000. Ruckus' SmartMesh solution with 802.11n technology is under $15,000, says the company.

Lodgian, one of the largest independent owners and operators of full-service hotels in the United States, is among the first companies to deploy the Ruckus SmartMesh and 802.11n solutions.

For more about Ruckus' new SmartMesh technology:
- read this release

Related article:
Ruckus Wireless named to Fierce 15 list

Verizon plans femtocell rollout this year

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone said at the CTIA Wireless 2008 trade show last week that the carrier would begin offering femtocell products and service plans sometime this year. The announcement follows a move by Sprint into the femtocell arena. AT&T also is said to be evaluating a femtocell offering.

What remains to be seen is what Verizon will charge for the femtocell device and the service plan. Sprint charges around $50 for the product and $15 per month for service. Verizon's commitment, broader than Sprint's thus far and the only one by a U.S. telco that has both local wireline and wireless networks, may well bring femtocell deployment to its tipping point in the U.S. market.

To read more about Verizon's femtocell plans:
- take a look at this article from AP

Also, check out our recent webinar: Fixed Mobile Convergence:
Are femtocells and UMA/WiFi solutions competitive or complementary?

Related articles:
Sprint formally launches femtocell, Airave Report
Nokia Siemens and Ubiquisys jointly push femtocells Report
Cisco pours cash into U.K. femtocell developer Report
Operators want femtocells Report

Xanadoo to offer prepaid WiMAX

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:59:55 -0400

Cisco customer Xanadoo, a wireless ISP operating in the central and southern U.S., has upgraded its market in Springfield, Ill., to 802.16e and is working to upgrade the rest of its markets that are using technology based on Cisco's proprietary broadband wireless technology. Cisco purchased WiMAX vendor Navini in December.

Xanadoo has spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band and is targeting consumers and small- to medium-sized businesses to compete with DSL and cable offerings. The ISP offers seven different pricing plans beginning at $15 per month with plans to soon launch a prepaid wireless broadband offering. This large number of pricing plans is how Xanadoo is differentiating itself from DSL and cable, which typically only offer two different plans and require bundling of services. "There are niche markets where prepaid appeals to consumers," Marshall Pagon, chairman and CEO of Xanadoo said during an interview with FierceBroadbandWireless.

"There are the credit challenged but lots of professionals and contractors that are out of the office that don't need a contract. The resources they use are web-based. Students as well as military people are also attracted to such offerings." Xanadoo covers about 8 million pops in Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and West Virginia. The operator also holds 700 MHz spectrum covering nearly 156 million pops in some major markets.

Related articles:
- Cisco buys WiMAX vendor Navini for $330M Report

T-Mobile invests in femtocell maker

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 06:59:54 -0500

T-Mobile's venture arm has invested an undisclosed amount into the U.K.-based femtocell maker, Ubiquisys. Google, Accel Partners, Atlas Venture and Advent Venture Partners had previously invested in Ubiquisys. Cisco and Intel recently invested in femtocell company ip.access and Qualcomm has put money into Airvana.

T-Mobile said it plans to test Ubiquisys' femtocell technology in trials in Germany, the Netherlands and the U.K. in the coming months. Meanwhile, its U.S. subsidiary is using WiFi hotspots in the home as an alternative to a femtocell solution to improve coverage in the home. Once T-Mobile launches its 3G network in the U.S. we could see both femtocells and WiFi.

For more on T-Mobile's investment:
- read this article from the Guardian

Related articles:
Motorola, Netgear announce femtocell products Report
Cisco pours cash into U.K. femtocell developer Report

Duke University plans extensive 802.11n network

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:59:53 -0500

Duke University will deploy an enormous 802.11n WiFi network across its campus using more than 2,500 Cisco access points. Duke plans to blanket more than 6 million square feet of its Durham, N.C. campus with 2,500 WiFi-certified Cisco 802.11n Aironet 1250 Series access points. The deployment will provide ubiquitous wireless coverage in academic halls, libraries, residence halls and other campus buildings. Cisco calls the deployment the largest planned deployment of an 802.11n network by any organization to date.

For more about Duke's 802.11n plans:
- read this release

Related articles:
Enterprise vendors put pre-802.11n stakes in the ground Editorial
Cisco introduces enterprise 802.11n equipment Report

ALSO NOTED: ComVu offers live video stream over WiMAX; NexTone, Reef Point complete merger; and much more...

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 06:59:51 -0500

> Monaco Telecom, a Cable & Wireless affiliate, announced it is working with Alvarion, Cisco and Nokia to establish a Center of Excellence on mobile WiMAX. Article

> ComVu offers live video streaming from WiMAX-enabled devices. Article

> HP integrates HSDPA into Compaq 2710p notebook PC with Vodafone partnership in Greece. Article

> NexTone, Reef Point complete merger. Article

And Finally... Where are the missing iPhones? Article

Cisco invests in femtocell company

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 06:59:55 -0500

Femtocell company ip.access Ltd. said Cisco Systems has invested an undisclosed amount in the company, reflecting Cisco's interest in reaching into the femtocell market. ip.access is one of the suppliers chosen by Vodafone for its femtocell trial.

Cisco says it wants to learn more about femtocell technology. "Our intent and purpose of our investment in ip.access is to learn more about this technology," said a Cisco spokesman. "For ip.access, we hope to provide the benefit of our industry contacts as well as our expertise in IP networks."

For more about Cisco's interest in ip.access:
- read this article from Unstrung

Related article:
Cisco buys WiMAX vendor Navini for $330M Article
The Femto Forum is born Article

Aruba to buy Airwave Wireless for $37M

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:59:55 -0500

Aruba Networks plans to acquire Airwave Wireless, a leading provider of specialized tools to centrally manage large, multi-vendor wireless LAN, mesh and WiMAX networks, for $37 million in stock and cash. The acquisition places Aruba, an enterprise WiFi network provider, in the multi-vendor network management business.

Aruba is preparing for the reality that 802.11n equipment will run alongside legacy WiFi equipment. The vendor says the AirWave platform eases technology transitions by extending the life of existing capital investments and enabling multi-vendor solutions to be run from a common, centralized network management system. Plus Aruba appears to be looking to usurp competitors such as Cisco by being able to manage their proprietary solutions.

To learn more about Aruba's acquisition of Airwave:
- check out this release

Related articles:
Aruba jumps on 802.11n bandwagon Article
Aruba moving on up in enterprise WiFi Article

ALSO NOTED: Top headlines from 2007

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 06:59:51 -0500

Top headlines from 2007

> Cisco buys Navini for $330M

> Verizon says it backs LTE, what's in store for UMB?

> It's official: Google to bid in 700 MHz auction

> Verizon Wireless embraces open access

> Aruba jumps on 802.11n bandwagon

> China continues to hedge on 3G

> AT&T makes $2.5B deal for 700 MHz spectrum

> FCC to continue white space testing

> Sprint launches femtocell service in two markets

> NextWave ships WiMAX chipset samples

> AirCell teams with American Airlines for in-flight WiFi

> Earthlink struggling with wireless initiatives

> Google pledges $4.6B if 700 MHz is open

> Amp'd Mobile to shut down service

> Muni-WiFi hit with delays and snags in several cities

Cisco to close on Navini acquisition soon

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:59:53 -0500

Cisco Systems, which announced in October its intent to acquire WiMAX technology developer Navini for $330 million, should complete the acquisition in a number of days, according to a report from ComputerWorld. Cisco originally aimed to leverage Navini's assets to bring wireless broadband to emerging markets. The deal will still help Cisco target those markets, but executives at the company recently said they may also market to the U.S. WiMAX service providers, like Sprint and Clearwire.

"We'll go where the business is," said Brett Galloway, general manager of wireless networking at Cisco.

For more on the deal:
- read this article from ComputerWorld

Related articles:
Cisco the king of vendors Report
XO deploys Cisco core routers Report

ALSO NOTED: Capex on 4G won't happen until 2990, says Alcatel-Lucent; Motorola's ex-CTO becomes Cisco's CTO; and much more...

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 06:59:51 -0500

> According to ABI Research, 6,161 hospitals out of the 7,526 in the U.S. now have WiFi networks deployed. Article

> The House of Representatives this week overwhelmingly voted yes on a bill that requires any entity offering an open WiFi connection to the public to report illegal images, such as child pornography, or face stiff fines. Article

> Capital investment in 4G technologies by operators worldwide as well as the implementation of the 700MHz infrastructure in the US are not expected to start emerging until 2009, according to Mary Chan, president of the wireless business group at Alcatel-Lucent. Article

And Finally... Motorola's ex-CTO becomes Cisco's CTO. Article

Enterprise vendors put pre-802.11n stakes in the ground

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:59:58 -0500

The enterprise 802.11n market has officially taken off now that Aruba, the last major holdout, has entered the market. Things certainly changed in this market in a matter of months. Earlier this year, Aruba had said that 802.11n wasn't ready for the enterprise since the standard wasn't finished. Cisco also warned that the draft 802.11n product had no guarantee of working together. But Cisco jumped into the 802.11n space in September. Now many enterprises are pushing video services and looking for strategic replacement of of the wired Ethernet in certain areas of their businesses. 802.11n significantly improves data throughput and coverage of existing 802.11-based technologies, and vendors are convinced that the standard won't change much when it is finally ratified. They are also comfortable that the Wi-Fi Alliance is certifying these products.

Meru, the first vendor to announce Draft 2.0 802.11n plans earlier this year, said it plans to announce a number of customers shortly in verticals such as healthcare, retail, higher education and hospitality. Girish Baht, director of enterprise solutions with Meru, said Meru is in a situation where it can't often meet customer demand for 802.11n products. In fact, its recently introduced Video Unplugged Program, a video over WLAN partner program, which aims to certify video products and guarantee QoS, was introduced partly to take advantage of 802.11n's ability to handle larger amounts of data.

All of the draft 802.11n announced deals so far are in the higher education space. Meru has a deal with Carnegie Mellon, Cisco with Duke University and Meru with Morrisville State University. These are typically the entities that are less risk-adverse and want the latest cutting-edge technology.

How many pre-802.11n deals we'll see throughout 2008 remains to be seen. Stan Schatt, vice president and research director with ABI Research, doesn't expect massive adoption because most enterprises don't like the idea of using pre-standardized equipment. We'll likely see adoption in certain verticals that need lots of bandwidth or want to heavily take advantage of VoIP, he said.

After all, no vendor can make a 100-percent guarantee that the final standard will match what it is selling today. Even though most vendors expect a software upgrade, enterprises will have to foot the bill for a full hardware upgrade. As Schatt says, "Any time you lock up a bunch of engineers in a room, you just never know what is going to come out." -Lynnette

Aruba jumps on 802.11n bandwagon

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:59:55 -0500

Enterprise WiFi infrastructure provider Aruba Network, the last major 802.11n holdout, announced its is entering the 802.11n access point game. The vendor announced a new generation of multi-service mobility controllers to enable unified communications such as FMC, along with 802.11n access points.

Earlier this year, Aruba had said that 802.11n wasn't ready for the enterprise since the standard wasn't finished. Cisco also warned that the draft 802.11n product had no guarantee of working together. But Cisco jumped into the 802.11n space in September.

What has changed? Michael Tennefoss, director of strategic marketing, told FierceBroadbandWireless that the draft 802.11n standard is far enough along that the company is convinced the final standard won't deviate much from the draft standard. Secondly, the company was sitting on its new 802.11n access point since June, but it was waiting for the second generation of chips that showed improvement in power consumption.

My how things can change in the matter of months. Cisco and Aruba, the two biggest vendors in the enterprise WiFi space, had earlier declared that most customers didn't need the throughput of 802.11n. Now many enterprises are pushing video services and looking for strategic replacement of of the wired Ethernet in certain areas of their businesses. 802.11n significantly improves data throughput and coverage of existing 802.11-based technologies.

"We're now at a point that customer can choose which is better: copper or wireless," Tennefoss said. "N has leveled the playing field with copper with respect to connectivity and performance."

For more about Aruba's 802.11n plans:
- check out this release

Wi-LAN initiates patent lawsuits against 22 companies

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 06:59:56 -0500

Wi-LAN is at it again. The Canadian licensing company, which some call a patent troll, has initiated two patent infringement lawsuits against 22 different companies over WiFi and DSL. The suits were filed in the Eastern District of Texas, where companies like to bring in lawsuits because of the courts reputation for moving swiftly on patent cases and awarding some fat damages to patent holders. Wi-LAN is charging infringement on three of its patents, two of which related to WiFi technology and one that has to do with power consumption on DSL products.

The companies being sued include some big names: Apple, Dell, Intel, Texas Instruments, Sony, Lenovo, Broadcom, Acer, Best Buy and Circuit City. During a conference call last week, Wi-LAN CEO Jim Skippen said Wi-LAN has plenty of funds to go after companies it says infringe on the company's patents.

Wi-LAN said it chose to sue now before it faces pre-emptive lawsuits from these companies. "We were concerned that we would be forced into other courts through declaratory-judgment actions if we did not sue virtually all of the likely defendants," Skippen said.

In 2005, Cisco and Wi-LAN settled their patent dispute. As part of the settlement, Cisco bought some, but not all, of the Wi-LAN's patents. Analysts at the time expected more lawsuits to come.

For more about Wi-LAN's suit against these 22 companies:
- read this article from Dow Jones
- take a look at this analysis from Tech dirt Wireless blog

Cisco buys WiMAX vendor Navini for $330M

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:59:57 -0400

The rumor was true. Cisco announced this week an agreement to buy privately held WiMAX equipment maker Navini Networks for a sum of $330 million in cash and options, giving the company instant inroads into the WiMAX market.

Cisco said it expects its entire broadband wireless solutions portfolio, which also includes 802.11-based equipment, will become an integral part of the vendor's Country Transformation and "Digital Inclusion" initiatives that are designed to spur broadband penetration to consumers and business in emerging countries.

"Emerging country service providers are in expansion mode, building out broadband wireless networks and are concerned about deployment costs and the availability of skilled resources," said Brett Galloway, vice president and general manager of the Wireless Networking Business Unit, Cisco. "Around the world broadband wireless networks based upon WiMAX have the potential to add millions of new Internet users who cannot be reached economically using copper or fiber infrastructures. Additionally, WiMAX networks will help drive the transition to open IP-based broadband wireless architectures and accelerate the roll out of new applications and services."

Navini's business fits right in since the company has pursued most of its deals in emerging markets and its base stations operate in several different spectrum frequencies. Check out Navini's commercial 802.16e deals here.

To read more about Cisco's acquisition of Navini:
- check out this report from Unstrung
- take a look at this release