Orcadian Energy Share Discussion Threads

[verytense] 04/6/2005 12:24

Microsoft middleware not up to scratch yet..

JUNE 03, 2005


SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE: SBC - message board) is close to announcing delays to the commercial rollout of its fiber-based triple-play offering, stemming from difficulties in trialing its IPTV service, Light Reading has learned from sources close to the situation.

SBC has said it expects to roll out new commercial services by late 2005 or early 2006. The services will be offered over a massive new fiber network slated to reach two thirds of SBC’s customer base, or 18 million households, by the end of 2007 with a capital cost of $4 billion to $6 billion.

Our sources' talk of rollout delays underscores the complexity of SBC’s ambitious plan of rolling out a bundle of new IP-based services via a fiber-fed network in such a short time (see SBC Sheds Light on 'Lightspeed' and Swisscom IPTV Stall Sends Shivers).

“You can expect SBC to announce delays,” a source close to SBC’s procurement process told Light Reading on Wednesday. “They have said they will roll the product out commercially by the end of the year, and they are not even close to being ready for [commercial] trials.”

What's the holdup? Sources say it has to do with how quickly and elegantly the Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - message board) TV solution will scale.

In trials so far, the source says, a single server has been required to support every 10 users. This is because of the processing power needed to support the Microsoft platform's coveted instantaneous channel-changing capability, one source says.

"Things like scaleability are obviously a big part of the focus of [developing] the platform," says Ed Graczyk, director of marketing for Microsoft TV. "I would argue that one server for every 10 households -- that just doesn’t ring true. You wouldn’t have a solution then." But, he insists, "the scaleability in beta versions is not what it will be in the released version."

Microsoft's IPTV system -- and IPTV systems in general -- deliver video channels differently than traditional cable networks, where the customer's set-top box receives all available channels and channel changes happen right at the box.

IPTV is different. The 200-some available channels are delivered only as far as a network server, and only one channel at a time is sent to the set-top box in the customer's home. When a channel change is made by the consumer, it takes a couple of seconds for the box to ask the server for a new channel and for the server to send it down.

Microsoft's flavor of IPTV, according to industry sources, has a unique way of creating the experience of an instantaneous channel change. The server immediately sends a burst of buffered digital "frames" from the newly selected channel down to the set-top box, then uses buffering again to gradually catch up with the real-time broadcast. There is no latency in the signal, only a brief moment where the user is watching somewhat less-than-live programming.

Graczyk disputes our description of how Microsoft's IPTV channel changing works. He does, however, admit that buffering is involved.

Regardless, it's clear this scheme requires some heavy duty processing power, especially when numerous set-top boxes are making demands on the server at once.

SBC denies any problems serious enough to shift the timeframe of the rollout. “We said that we are going to roll out IPTV commercially by the end of ’05 or the beginning of ’06, and that is the target that we’re aiming for absolutely,” says SBC spokesman Wes Warnock.

But our sources are only piling on what's already been talked about. Jefferies & Co. Inc. equities analyst George Notter has a similar take on how SBC's project may be met with delays. “We understand that SBC is still working through a host of back office issues associated with rolling out video services in commercial volumes,” Notter writes in a brief released Tuesday.

Most people believe that Microsoft (with partner Alcatel) has the intellectual and monetary resources needed to work through any scaleability problems with its IPTV platform (see Alcatel & Microsoft Going Steady). But many believe that the software giant, like its client SBC, has simply over-promised on the time it will take to deliver a commercial-grade product.

SBC has so far completed a 10-user, video-only trial with SBC employees and family, and has moved on to a 250-user customer trial featuring voice, video, and data services, Light Reading sources say.

“We’re told that the carrier is working through issues with Microsoft’s IPTV middleware software in relation to delivery of HDTV services -- the codecs for HDTV set-top boxes aren’t ready,” Notter says in his brief (see IPTV: Microsoft's Window to Carriers).

Notter notes that SBC has already shifted the timeframe for the launch of its triple-play offering. The launch of IPTV services was originally planned for the fourth quarter of 2005, but SBC officials say it may sneak into early 2006.

Notter also believes that the delays result from overaggressive goal-setting by SBC as much as they do from actual technical obstacles. “Like so many other RBOC initiatives we’ve seen over the years, the rollout appears to be slipping from the original schedule,” he writes.

SBC’s Warnock says people within SBC are working furiously to deliver the IPTV product on time, but he is conscious of the skeptical gaze of the outside world. “Sometimes I think these things are played up a little too much,” he complains.

[istanbully] 02/6/2005 16:36

Anyone have any idea what happened at the end today.Why the sudden drop

[verytense] 31/5/2005 15:48

Orca feeds in the Artic.


ESPOO, Finland, May 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nokia and Norwegian
operator Telenor have extended their frame agreement for the supply of Nokia
VDSL broadband equipment, which will bring IP-based TV and other services to
Svalbard, one of the world's northernmost settlements.
Under the deal, Nokia will supply its latest generation D500 IP DSLAM
(Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer), which delivers integrated IP
and multicasting functionality unlike any other IP DSLAM solution in the
broadband industry. As part of a complete package, Nokia will also supply a
range of support services.
The agreement with Nokia will enable new services such as multichannel IP
TV, predominantly for the town of Longyearbyen, Norway's main administrative
center on Svalbard. At 78 degrees north, the Svalbard archipelago, also known
as Spitzbergen, forms one of the world's most northern settlements. Sixty
percent of the area is covered by glacier, and the inhabitants experience the
extremes of long polar nights and summer-long midnight sun.
"Svalbard has earned a reputation as a place for arctic adventure and we
are pleased that Telenor now will be able to offer Longyearbyen's inhabitants
telecom services ahead of the Norwegian mainland," says Mr. Vegard Gjerde,
Managing Director of Telenor Svalbard AS. "We chose Nokia to work with us on
IP TV, something new for DSL services as we see great opportunities ahead for
it and other broadband applications."
"Nokia is very pleased to bring next generation broadband services to an
unprecedented level on Svalbard as the new high speed connections will not
only accelerate normal Internet use but will also provide IP-TV services as
part of a triple play offering," says Markku Hynninen, Vice President,
Broadband Systems, Networks, Nokia. "Svalbard has the potential to be on the
forefront for early adoption of new technology. Nokia will work together with
Telenor to achieve this also in other areas of converged broadband
communication."
The Nokia D500 platform is ideal for building an IP-centric network,
which affords long-term cost savings and offers a future-proof investment for
the launch of new broadband services. It supports ADSL and faster standards
of ADSL, such as VDSL and ADSL 2 Plus, as well as features such as IP
Multicasting.
Telenor is Norway's leading telecommunication company. The Telenor Group
have substantial international mobile operations, with activities in 11
countries outside Norway in Europe and Asia. The activities are managed
through partly or fully owned companies. Telenor is listed on the Oslo Stock
Exchange and NASDAQ in New York.
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth
and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia is dedicated to
enhancing people's lives and productivity by providing easy-to-use and secure
products like mobile phones, and solutions for imaging, games, media, mobile
network operators and businesses. Nokia is a broadly held company with
listings on five major exchanges.

SOURCE Nokia

[slapdash] 30/5/2005 15:41

latest news announcement on Orca's website

[verytense] 27/5/2005 16:11

Dos'nt bode well for Microsoft.

Swisscom delays IPTV in setback for Microsoft
IDG News Service 5/27/05

John Blau, IDG News Service, Düsseldorf Bureau

Swiss users hoping to tune into new interactive television services provided over an IPTV (Internet Protocol television) platform being built by Swisscom Ltd. and Microsoft Corp. will have to wait several more months, if not longer.


Swisscom has decided to delay the commercial launch of its IPTV service from the second half of 2005 to an undetermined date next year, largely due to a lack of suitable set-top boxes and technical difficulties with the Net TV software from Microsoft, according to Swisscom spokeswoman Pia Colombo.

The Swiss company had hoped to become the first operator in Europe to provide a commercial IPTV service using Microsoft technology, according to Colombo. "Now we are going to have to wait until all the kinks are worked out," she said.

The set-top boxes provided by several vendors, including Thompson SA, are not yet suitable for the Swiss provider's commercial service, according to Colombo. "For one, they lack a hard disk," she said. "But there other issues, too."

As for Microsoft, Colombo said "they aren't as far along as they thought they would be."

Microsoft representatives in Europe were not immediately able to comment.

"We are ready on the network side," Colombo said. The operator, she added, has a relatively high penetration of fast-speed Internet connections based on ADSL (asynchronous digital subscriber line) and has already begun to roll out VDSL (very high speed digital subscriber line) systems.

The collaboration between Swisscom and Microsoft was announced in 2003. The two companies tested Microsoft's end-to-end IPTV software platform last year with 600 Swiss households and had hoped to go live with the service, called Bluewin TV, by the middle of this year, Swisscom said in a statement.

The plan now is to provide Bluewin TV for Swisscom and Microsoft employees by the end of 2005. Swisscom will announce a commercial offering after completing negotiations with its suppliers, including Microsoft, the company said.

The goal, Swisscom said, is to launch a full IPTV service that offers a broad range of television programs, a set-top box with an integrated hard disk and the possibility of recording and viewing simultaneously via a single connection.
John Blau is Dusseldorf correspondent for the IDG News Service.

[verytense] 26/5/2005 15:57

MAY 26, 2005



PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Alcatel's (NYSE: ALA - message board; Paris: CGEP:PA) North America CTO Kenny Frank says his company is perfectly happy in a supporting role to Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - message board) in telecom IPTV rollouts, such as the one under way at SBC Communications Inc.(NYSE: SBC - message board).

“The partnership with SBC and with Microsoft is really where Alcatel really wants to go as a company, you know, providing this integration role,” Frank told Light Reading shortly after his presentation (see Alcatel, Microsoft Confirm IPTV Deal). “I think this is far more on the assisting side -- in getting this product out and making it happen -- than anything else.”


“I think this is the model that is going to be used by other telcos to really improve their time to market,” Frank adds (see IPTV Scramble Is On).

Frank spoke at a Stanford University School of Engineering symposium titled “Next Generation Media Networks” here Wednesday.

Alcatel, Microsoft, and SBC are getting along swimmingly, Frank says (see Inside SBC's IPTV Factory). “That activity is doing very well and we’re showing them what we can do for them, by bringing Microsoft and partnering with them to make this happen.”

“The challenges are there, but then the challenges are there if [SBC] were to do the integration themselves,” Frank says.

Several industry sources, however, have told Light Reading that Alcatel and Microsoft are now dealing with some serious scaleability problems in their combined solution, a notion Frank firmly dismisses (see Swiss IPTV Trial Hits 'Glitches').

“That’s not true,” Frank says. “We are doing a significant amount of integration right now, so we’re going to be ready, trust me. I’m very bullish and excited about the way it’s going so far.”

While Alcatel may play a “supporting221; role in SBC’s ambitious rollout, the Paris-based company’s behind-the-scenes work may be the most crucial, Frank argues.

During his presentation, he showed a slide illustrating the chief concerns of Jeff Weber, an SBC VP in charge of planning the carrier's IPTV offering. “Jeff, what keeps you up at night?” the slide reads (see SBC: IPTV's Day Has Come).

“It’s not new compression schemes, not content deals, not content security; it’s not the new Microsoft platform, nor building access to 18 million homes,” Frank says. “The thing he’s worried about is the integration of the solution -- there’s a lot of components that must fit together to make this thing work.”

Most observers agree SBC is betting its future on its massive fiber build and subsequent triple-play offering. Sounds dramatic, but Frank believes that SBC, and all big carriers, may not have a choice.

“You have the competitive threat of the cable companies entering the voice space and with the flattening of the voice revenues, the North American telcos are having to more aggressively fight back to retain their share of the opportunity,” Frank says.

Frank says some remain very skeptical of the business case for telecom carrier IPTV, but “for carriers the business case of not doing anything is far worse.”

The groundwork for a partnership arrangement between Alcatel and Microsoft was set when the two found themselves working on IPTV projects at common customers such as Swisscom AG (NYSE: SCM - message board) and SBC.

Under the now-formalized agreement, Alcatel acts as the “sole global distributor and integrator,” while Microsoft is the “preferred partner” for the IPTV software platform, according to Frank.

Alcatel has also agreed to halt development of its own IPTV middleware platform in favor of an end-to-end Microsoft TV solution (see Alcatel's IPTV U-Turn).

— Mark Sullivan, Reporter, Light Reading

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[hotfinance14] 26/5/2005 15:34

Shares Magazine states 'Expect announcements in Orca over the next few weeks'.Let's hope these are big deals.

[ericthecat] 25/5/2005 10:21

Also alittle background for China/ORCA

[ericthecat] 25/5/2005 10:14

Added a couple news links to the header for the iptv market;-)

[ericthecat] 23/5/2005 11:27

Alcatel Names Its 21CN Partners

MAY 20, 2005


After a few weeks of hesitation, Alcatel (NYSE: ALA - message board; Paris: CGEP:PA) has named three partners it is taking into the metro nodes of BT Group plc's (NYSE: BT - message board; London: BTA) next-generation network, the 21CN (see BT's 21CN: Metro Partners Under Wraps and Alcatel Picked for BT's 21CN).

The companies are B-RAS vendor Redback Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: RBAK - message board), session border controller supplier Acme Packet, and media server vendor Convedia Corp.

While there are no great surprises in that grouping, the news will still be a significant boost for those companies, as BT's 21CN plans are being closely watched by other major carriers around the world. "There are no surprises. It's a solid list of partners to go with a good package of Alcatel products," says Graham Beniston, analyst at large at Heavy Reading.

Alcatel also added further detail to its direct engagement. In addition to its 7750 Service Router and 5620 Service Aware Manager, the vendor is also supplying its 7510 IP media gateway, says Basil Alwan, president of Alcatel's IP division. That product is already in use at a number of other carriers, including Belgacom (Euronext: BELG - message board), China Telecommunications Corp. (NYSE: CHA - message board), and Slovak Telecom.

Alwan says that Redback, which will supply its SmartEdge Service Gateway, is a long-standing partner, and that Alcatel has also "done work with Acme in the past," though he couldn't say how the relationship with Convedia came about. The combination of Alcatel and Redback technology has been deployed by at least one other major carrier recently (see Alcatel, Redback Score at BellSouth and Redback, Alcatel Close to Alliance).

Alwan says negotiations are still underway with BT about other issues, such as the level of integration and support each company will provide to the carrier, and whether the metro category vendors will provide any associated service creation and delivery platforms. BT also chose Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO - message board) and Siemens Communications Group as metro node suppliers.

Alwan says there are no plans to make any investments in either of its privately held partners, something that Fujitsu has done with at least one of its 21CN partners (see Fujitsu Invests in Meriton).

"Of course we need to ensure we can deliver to BT, but these are financially sound companies with good investors. Also, these sorts of business wins tend to attract other outside investments" that can help companies grow and meet their customers' demands, says Alwan.

So what of the partners? Redback is, naturally, chuffed about the deal, though, like every other 21CN supplier, isn't providing any financial details. Chief marketing officer Marco Wanders says that BT, an existing Redback customer, "is doing something unique in the industry. This is good visibility for every company that's selected."

He says the SmartEdge devices will "add subscriber intelligence" to the network, though it's not clear yet about the exact network design and how all the different elements will fit together. "This reflects a growing need for our gateways," adds Wanders, who cites recent contract wins at BellSouth Corp. (NYSE: BLS - message board), Atlas Interactive, and Arcor AG & Co. KG in Germany as significant deals (see Redback, ZTE Win India Contract , Arcor Picks Redback's Routers, and How Redback Won BellSouth).

[ericthecat] 18/5/2005 14:03

ORCAs contract progressing well.

[wizzkid211] 11/5/2005 06:18

from haaretz news.




Yes likely to get Video on Demand okay

By Hadar Horesh

The winners of the Bezeq tender have yet to decide with which pen they will sign their check to the Finance Ministry, but the Communications Ministry already has prepared the first sweet: Director General Avi Balishnikov has recommended to Communications Minister Dalia Itzik to allow Yes, Bezeq's satellite company, to operate Video on Demand (VoD), which would compete against the same service the cable companies have offered since the beginning of the year.

The system that Yes intends to offer clients is based on broadcasting films to customers via high-speed Internet. The client would order the film via the Internet, which would be channeled from there to the television through video streaming. VoD is a highly popular service, especially among fans of television series and old films.

The service requires setting up at least a 2Mbps broadband connection and a compatible digital transmitter. Yes and Bezeq conducted initial tests in systems to provide films through video streaming over the Internet two years ago.

The trial was done via a system that Ra'anana-based Orca Interactive, a member of the Emblaze Group, ran successfully. However, Yes' temporary permit that it received from the Communications Ministry expired last year, and the trial was halted. Sources close to Yes said that Orca is likely to be the commercial supplier of the system it will operate, but the company intends to shop around other offers as well. Orca said it has supplied several commercial systems in Europe.

It seems the cable companies' decision to begin VoD led the Communications Ministry to realize it could not allow them to retain a monopoly on the service, which thousands of customers already employ.

Bezeq can also provide the service from a technical standpoint. However, the Communications Ministry has forbidden it from supplying content services, so it decided to explore supplying Yes with such a permit.

If Itzik approves the decision, the ministry would initiate an amendment to the Communications Law forbidding Yes from supplying content services via non-satellite venues.

VoD would allow Yes to counter the advantage the cable companies have in interactive services as well, since satellite broadcasts do not allow for two-way communication.

The new service will help Bezeq maintain its control of the high-speed Internet market, in which it can force clients to be a subscriber of both Yes and Bezeq's high-speed Internet service. Bezeq controls two-thirds of the country's high-speed Internet infrastructur

[slapdash] 10/5/2005 19:32

interesting reading..

Orca's VP of marketing, Yosi Glick, says his company's software was recently installed at two Chinese carriers, including "one of the country's two major fixed-line providers." That would mean Netcom or China Telecommunications Corp. (NYSE: CHA - message board). The other engagement is with a smaller FTTH operator.

"IPTV is going to get a major boost in China in the next few years," reckons Glick, who believes the country's cable operators will also look to move towards IPTV systems. "All the market projections neglect the prospect that cable operators will move to IPTV systems sooner or later -- most likely sooner."

Glick adds that Orca is seeing competition in China from some small local players and from in-house developments at the carriers, but that "we're also starting to see Huawei, and UTStarcom will be a serious competitor with its integrated systems." (See UTStarcom, Myrio Have Their IPTV .)

THE SLAPSTER

[slapdash] 29/4/2005 12:30

not much new in the interview...

hear that they are bidding for some stuff in China and that is it..

Slap

[robow] 29/4/2005 09:02

well spotted, thanks for that

[slapdash] 28/4/2005 09:47

you are talking about BT contract announcements?

A deal for Huwaei is a positive for Orca as I understand as it does increase their chances....

However, Alcatel is also there on nodes or something which might increase their chances for the middleware... however, Alcatel aren't involved in any of the 'access' components.... not sure which is most related to middleware the access bit or the nodes?????? All a bit confusing....

Lightreading article below:



Doesn't appear that middleware has been announced?????

But we shall see

The Slapster

[ericthecat] 28/4/2005 08:43

Hauwei are there now who is supplying the middleware? I was told Microsoft were not at the tender?

[shirishg] 24/4/2005 02:36

Post removed by ADVFN

[slapdash] 23/4/2005 21:32

Eric - what do you mean???

[ericthecat] 23/4/2005 01:05

ORCA are the ones;-)

[slapdash] 22/4/2005 14:43

tomrob - well spotted....

Hopefully news of new contracts soon......

Slap

[tomrob] 22/4/2005 08:31

From FT.com's UK equity market comment:

"Among the smaller companies, Amino Technologies rose 7.9 per cent to 238½p as the supplier of set-top box technologies raised £15.3m via a massively oversubscribed placing of 7.2m shares at 220p per share conducted by KBC Peel Hunt, Amino also said £10m in new banking facilities were in the process of being finalised. Amino made some very upbeat comments about growth of the internet protocol TV market, seen as a positive for peer Orca Interactive, unchanged at 132½p. Jonathan Imlah of Altium Securities said this year will see widespread adoption of IPTV by numerous operators around the world and reiterated a “buy” recommendation for Orca"



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