March 10, 2008 - BCE buyout advances

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March 10, 2008 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise Read more at SmartBrief.com News for telecom industry leaders Search recent stories:       News of the Day    BCE buyout advances A Canadian judge has rejected legal challenges from BCE bondholders and approved the proposed takeover of the parent of Bell Canada and Bell Aliant. BCE's shares were up more than 5% this morning, on news that Quebec Superior Court Justice Joel Silcoff said he would not veto the $35.2 billion buyout deal led by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. Reuters (3/10) , TeleGeography Research (3/10)   Business & Industry Watch    Orca OKs cash offer from France Telecom unit Orca Interactive has accepted a $21.4 million cash offer from Viaccess, a unit of France Telecom, the seller said. Orca, a developer of interactive-TV applications, reported a narrowing pretax loss for the year of $4.3 million. CNNMoney.com/Thomson Financial News (3/10) Executive: Microsoft won't be hasty with Yahoo! merger Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie said in an interview last week that the company had no plans to integrate immediately its technology with Yahoo!'s once the merger of the two companies was approved. "Technology companies, if they dive in and just smash things together for smashing them together's sake, it's reckless, it's just simply reckless," Ozzie said. Financial Times (free content) (3/9) Verizon offers prizes in new Lounge promo Verizon Communications is giving away a $25,000 home-entertainment center as part of a promotion for its FiOS TV and Internet services at its new Verizon Lounge Web site. Verizon created the contest as a way of building stronger ties with entertainment and media companies, growing an opt-in e-mail list and pulling consumers into the Lounge. MediaPost Communications (3/7) Telecom switches emphasis: Preliminary analysis of the 2007 Telecom Industry Survey. To remain competitive as industry boundaries blur, telecom providers will require new sets of capabilities beyond the traditional strengths that telecom executives continue to emphasize. Learn more by downloading this IBM white paper.   Hot Topics    Top five news stories selected by USTelecom dailyLead readers in the past week. Cincinnati Bell mulls expansion (OneTRAK) Qwest may enter home-security sector (The Denver Post) Embarq taps Gerke as CEO (CNNMoney.com) High definition seen as big broadband driver (TheRetailBRIDGE.com) Gerke: Stay the course on Embarq momentum (Telephony Online) Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. Founded in 1923, Henkels & McCoy provides technology-based solutions for carriers, operating telcos, utilities, the government, the military, and private industry on a national level. It's an exciting time to be at the forefront of our nation's telecommunications construction business. We can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.   Video Upload  Deutsche Telekom adds features to IPTV Germany's Deutsche Telekom is adding Web-based digital-video recording -- among other features -- to its T-Home Entertain IPTV service in its home country. The company is one of 20 global clients of Microsoft's Mediaroom IPTV platform. C21 Media (3/10) Rhode Island regulator gives initial OK for FiOS expansion Verizon Communications, which has already received approval to provide its FiOS TV service to 238,000 homes in Rhode Island, won first-round approval Friday to serve an additional 115,000 households in 10 communities. Verizon must still gain a pair of additional approvals from the state Department of Public Utilities and Carriers before it can begin offering FiOS TV to the new areas. The Providence Journal (R.I.) (free registration) (3/8) With Bebo, ITV puts shows online for download ITV has finalized agreements that will let viewers download TV programs from the British broadcaster via the Bebo service, the first time ITV has engaged in a third-party deal for downloading full-length shows. In joining Bebo's Open Media service, ITV hopes to appeal to young Internet users who populate social-networking sites. The Guardian (London) (3/10) The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Technicians' Best Practices: Handling Reduced Bend Radius Some monumental breakthroughs have taken place in optical fiber cables and their ability to bend around sharp corners without increasing attenuation. Despite these new developments, perceiving the new fibers as being virtually indestructible is a dangerous misperception. Register for ADC's Next Gen white paper series. Making the Switch -- TDM to Softswitch that is Switch migrations require extraordinary attention to detail, and can easily go wrong. Learn how One Communications did it right -- and reduced operating expense and while delivering new applications at the same time. Download a free case study from MetaSwitch. Interested in learning more about advertising in the USTelecom dailyLead? Contact Amy Abbey at 202-737-5500 ext 250 or aabbey@smartbrief.com. Telcordia(R) Real-Time Charging 3.0 Recognized by Internet Telephony for Outstanding Online Charging Innovation   Technology Trends  China Telecom speeds Wi-Fi rollouts China Telecom gave further indications that the country's largest fixed-telecom operator is shifting quickly to deploy Wi-Fi -- and moving away from the Personal Handy-phone System, or PHS -- by saying it will bid to procure wireless-network equipment in 21 provinces, the Shanghai Securities News reported. China Daily (Beijing)/Xinhua (3/10) New BBC mobile site adds more color, content The BBC introduced a new mobile Internet site today that features more color and interactive elements with a look similar to its regular Web site. The move, which is possible because of the plethora of color screens and high-speed mobile connections in the U.K., will also enable the BBC to produce specific content for sports events. The Guardian (London) (3/10)   IP Download  Demand surges for high-speed mobile data in homes Advanced services such as push e-mail and broadband mobile video could become mainstream applications if companies like ip.access -- backed by Motorola, Intel and Cisco Systems -- succeed in getting consumers to put its femtocell networks inside their homes. The technology, composed of base stations that improve the quality of 3G mobile networks, is getting a push as carriers report surges in mobile data traffic on their networks. International Herald Tribune (3/9) Spirit touts solution to multiplayer online gaming Spirit DSP has unveiled a TeamSpirit Conferencing Engine for the multiplayer online game market which contains a codec that enables adaptation to any bandwidth connection without transcoding, a process that can result in loss of quality. The company says its scalable Spirit IP-MRT wideband codec could remove economic hurdles to bringing embedded VoIP to online games. ScreenPlays (3/2008)   LeadQuote  I think when I work 14 hours a day, seven days a week, I get lucky." --Armand Hammer, American industrialist       This dailyLead was created for webmaster@freeraovat.com Subscriber Tools       Update account information |  Change e-mail address |  Unsubscribe |  Print friendly format |  Web version |  Search past news |  Privacy policy Advertise Sales Account Director:  Amy Abbey (202) 737-5500 x250 Download Media Kit   Read more at dailyLead.com A powerful Web site for dailyLead readers including: Breaking News Industry Home Competitor News Readers' Choice Press Releases Search Archive       Recent USTelecom dailyLead Issues: Friday, March 07, 2008 Thursday, March 06, 2008 Wednesday, March 05, 2008 Tuesday, March 04, 2008 Monday, March 03, 2008     Lead Editor:  Susan Rush       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2008 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information