September 5, 2008 - Embarq debuts real-time voice-mail-screening service

Click here for wireless version: http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/mmpIoEnryBlIsLCibGzwdQcC

September 5, 2008 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise Read more at SmartBrief.com News for telecom industry leaders       News of the Day    Embarq debuts real-time voice-mail-screening service Embarq has rolled out a new, free service to its voice mail subscribers that enables them to screen voice messages in real time from their home phone and make the choice to connect with the caller or not. "The ability to screen calls, and answer them if they choose to, is actually pretty important, and it's one of those things you can't do on your wireless phone," said Harry Campbell, Embarq's president of consumer markets. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (9/5) Bharti Airtel grows at a stunning pace by keeping its focus on the customer. IBM helped Bharti Airtel - India's fastest-growing telecom company - discover ways to launch new products in days instead of weeks. Find out more by reading this IBM case study.   Business & Industry Watch  Global broadband-services market to close in on $1 trillion The Yankee Group predicts that the broadband market will be worth $900 billion by 2012. "The Anywhere revolution is gathering in steam," said Emily Green, president and chief executive officer of Yankee Group, who expects the reach of the Internet to double in four years' time. Morningstar/Dow Jones Newswires (9/4) Telefonica invests $1.16 billion to up Chinese stakes Telefonica is increasing its stake in the new Chinese telecom company that will be formed from the merger of China Netcom and China Unicom, the Spanish company said Thursday. Pending government approval, the company will invest $1.16 billion in the two Chinese entities, a pair of moves that will result in a 5.5% stake in the combined company. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (subscription required) (9/5) , Financial Times (9/4) C&W seen likely to demerge U.K., international units Analysts said Thursday that they believed the U.K.'s Cable & Wireless would likely decide to demerge their U.K. and international operations as part of an expected breakup next year. The company, which on Wednesday removed an obstacle to taking that step by disposing of $1.76 billion in pension liabilities, is thought to be considering various scenarios for extracting value out of its holdings. Financial Times (9/5) Startup begins wireless-spectrum exchange Wireless frequencies that are licensed but not in use become a trading commodity today with Spectrum Bridge's launch of an online trading exchange. With an inventory of $250 million of spectrum, the company hopes to create an organized secondary market by matching buyers and sellers of wireless spectrum won in FCC auctions but are lying idle. The Wall Street Journal (free content) (9/5) Other News Verizon sees dividend increase as proof it can deliver shareholder value Reuters (9/4) USTelecom Spotlight The price of fresh ideas goes up Sept. 8 Registration rates increase Monday for the Disruptive Technology, Demanding Consumers and Your Broadband Future Forum to be held Oct. 1 to 3 at the Dolce Hayes Mansion in Silicon Valley. Take your leadership team and leave with fresh ideas and new perspectives that can inform your company's strategic decision making. Also, make your hotel reservations by Monday to guarantee the special rate. Learn more. Learn more about USTelecom -> NXTcomm  |  News  |  Join USTelecom  |  NextGenWeb  |  Webinars   Video Upload  Survey: Online TV-episode viewing up to 20% among Web users According to a new study by research firm TNS, about 20% of homes that log on to the Internet also watch TV shows online for a variety of reasons: they can watch episodes when and where they want and they can, for the most part, skip ads. "The shift from appointment TV to content on demand is well under way," said Michael Saxon, senior vice president of brand and communications at TNS. "Fundamentally, consumers expect content to be available when they want it, and on the screen of their choice -- TV, PC or mobile." InformationWeek (9/4) , Variety (9/4) Maxcom aims to extend IPTV reach in Mexico Maxcom is looking to expand its IPTV base in Mexico to follow up on services launched in May in the cities of México, Querétaro, San Luís Potosí, and in Tehuacán and San Martín Texmelucan in the state of Puebla. The telecom also plans to bring its "Web TV" service to market by month's end. ipTVnews (9/5) The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Integrated Technologies – Global Solutions, a Volt Telecom Group division, (ITGS) delivers products and comprehensive, design, engineering and installation services to improve the security of public, private and government facilities nationwide. Contact us today for a FREE brochure on our turnkey voice, data, security, access and video systems. salesinfo@volt-telecom.com. Interested in learning more about advertising in the USTelecom dailyLead? Contact Amy Abbey at 202-737-5500 ext 250 or aabbey@smartbrief.com.   Technology Trends  Bell Canada awards optical-gear contract to Nortel Bell Canada has tapped Nortel Networks to deliver high-speed optical equipment that is said to speed Web traffic fourfold. With the need to move video and other bandwidth-rich signals down its networks, Bell Canada -- along with other telecom companies -- is in need of advanced optical engines that can support more than the 10-gigabit-a-second standard of today's equipment, according to this analysis. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (9/5) Venture firms see need for tools to enhance clouds Venture capitalists are seeing new opportunities with firms that optimize wide-area networks because of the advent of cloud computing, a Web-based system of storing information that had formerly been housed in server-based data centers. BusinessWeek/Gigaom (9/5) Gear maker debuts solar power for data centers Telco Systems will introduce later this year technology that uses solar energy to power data centers and other facilities that house equipment with heavy cooling demands. Developed by Distributed Solar Power, an Israeli startup from technology licensed from Tel Aviv University, the system produces both photovoltaic energy and very hot water, which can be used as part of a heat-exchange system with cooling units, Telco Systems said. Telephony Online (9/4)   IP Download  Companies slow to adopt mobile VoIP platform Businesses have been slow to embrace mobile VoIP, viewing it as a niche technology useful for employees traveling overseas or for boosting indoor reception, according to industry executives. They cite the VoIP carriers' priority to attract as many customers as they can, rather than establish a seamless, easy-to-use platform that enterprise users prefer. SearchUnifiedCommunications.com (9/4) Comcast appeals FCC's broadband-management ruling Comcast has filed a federal appeal to challenge a recent FCC ruling that found the country's second-largest Internet provider unfairly blocked certain peer-to-peer traffic on its broadband network. Comcast said it would abide by the commission's findings, but has consistently maintained that it manages its broadband resources so that the maximum number of users have the best possible online experience. The Wall Street Journal (free content) (9/5) , USA TODAY/Associated Press (9/4)   LeadQuote  The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure." --Francoise de Motteville, French writer       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 | Archive | 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: Thursday, September 04, 2008 Wednesday, September 03, 2008 Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Friday, August 29, 2008 Thursday, August 28, 2008     Lead Editor:  Susan Rush       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2008 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information