New Product Recap: July 2012

This report, as you've come to expect, is a recap of many of the month's biggest product announcements in communications, organized into the following broad categories for your convenience:

For a quick view of what we have included from your favorite vendors, glance at Table 1; and if you want to see quickly what we have included under each product category, look at Table 2.

Enjoy! And don't forget that you can click here to see our list of previous long-form features and New Product Recaps.

Table 1: Vendors and products included in this Recap

Table 2: Contents of product categories in this Recap

— Tim Hills is a freelance telecommunications writer and journalist. He's a regular author of Light Reading reports.

Next Page: Broadband/Cable Access & Applications

Belkin Corp.
@TV
This works over Wi-Fi or a 3G/4G network and allows users to access all content from their home theater on tablets, smartphones and laptops. It is compatible with both standard and high-definition programming and can connect and control multiple sources, such as a digital cable box, satellite receiver or DVD player. The channel guide makes it simple to control live or recorded content directly from a mobile device, the company says, and the device has Wi-Fi built in and can record live TV directly to a mobile device for viewing when not connected to Wi-Fi or a data network. @TV works with the @TV mobile app, which is available for both iOS and Android platforms.

Clearleap
ClearPlay Authentication service
This managed service transparently authorizes and authenticates subscribers on major content provider portals, allowing service providers to enable TV Everywhere. ClearPlay Authentication is now integrated with Adobe Pass, an authentication solution supporting approximately 90 percent of all U.S. pay-TV households, offering subscribers the flexibility of a single, persistent login as they travel from site to site across the Internet or other content portals, according to the company. Adobe Pass supports a number of popular networks including NBCU, CNN, TBS, TNT, tru TV and Cartoon Network. The ClearPlay system is also integrated to provide authentication services for HBO GO and MAX GO.

Haivision Network Video
CoolSign 5.0
This new version of the digital signage system brings together digital signage with IP video, allowing delivery of combined rich media and live broadcasts across campuses and to remote signage players and mobile devices. It has a new, simplified Web-based management interface to upload, manage and distribute content from various devices, including iPad/iPhone, Windows and Android mobile devices. The drag-and-drop Web interface takes advantage of touchENDS screen devices, making it easy for anyone from retail store managers to office administrators to add local content into digital signage carrying the corporate brand, according to the company.

Viper 1.1
This is a new release of a compact appliance combining dual-channel HD encoding, low-latency secure streaming, video on demand and contextual multichannel record-review-publish workflow within a single chassis. The Viper streams and records two real-time, full-frame-rate, HD H.264 streams containing either HD video or computer graphics content. The multistream content can be streamed and recorded simultaneously, and accessed securely through the company's browser-independent InStream player. Additionally, the company has also introduced the Viper VF, a companion to the Furnace IP video distribution system, tailored to installations where many rooms need the ability to record independently and then publish the assets to a central video-on-demand system. To simplify contributor and consumer privileges, users can assign media rights for each Viper via the central Furnace conditional access administration.

Motorola Mobility LLC
WT24004 (Workgroup Terminal)
This consolidates passive optical LAN (POL) connectivity in applications with a high concentration of end users and IP-enabled devices. It is a high-density rack-mounted modular workgroup terminal providing up to 16 Gigabit Ethernet ports and is designed to support a full range of advanced data, IP voice and IP video services over a converged fiber-based LAN, and to simplify LAN deployment. The WT24004 also supports Power over Ethernet (PoE), and suit the needs for most high-density-Ethernet deployments found in health care, financial services, campus, government agencies and military applications, according to the company.

RAD Data Communications Ltd.
ETX-220A
This is a 10 GbE NTU with intelligent demarcation and aggregation capabilities for Carrier Ethernet access. It is designed to deliver SLA-based Carrier Ethernet services for enterprise and carrier-to-carrier applications, such as managed service handoff at an enterprise headquarters handling a large volume of traffic, at carrier hotels or between provider networks. The same device can also be used as an aggregation solution at the concentration point, where a single unit can support numerous services and concurrent OAM sessions, according to the company. Conforming to emerging Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) CE 2.0 specifications, the ETX-220A NTU is optimized for bandwidth-intensive Ethernet access services, with a system throughput of up to 40Gbit/s. It has sophisticated traffic management and supports extensive hardware-based tools for managing the service lifecycle.

Technicolor (Euronext Paris: TCH; NYSE: TCH)
MediaAccess TG233
This is a 5GHz wireless video bridge for in-home wireless video distribution. It Supports up to four HD TV channels. It enables real-time wireless traffic from gateway to IP set-top box, reducing wiring complexity within the home, and results in a very low packet error rate in most customer scenarios, according to the company, and is easy to install, upgrade and manage with no impact on quality of service or the end-user experience.

Tilgin AB
HG2200
This is a family of next-generation service gateways with high capacity and advanced service capabilities. These include new-generation DECT, gigabit-speed routing and VDSL2 built in, and the company says that the family is designed to handle future needs for home control and home automation.

Next Page: Carrier Transport & Optical Networking

Optelian
FLX-1610
This multiservice networking card to the LightGAIN portfolio provides high-density, multiprotocol aggregation and flexible deployment options. It has 14 SFP ports aggregating any mix of client services, and two XFP line ports to handle both linear and ring topologies. Any combination of protected or unprotected Ethernet, Sonet/SDH, storage and video client services (155Mbit/s to 4.25Gbit/s) can be supported up to a cumulative bandwidth of 10Gbit/s per XFP port. The line interface is OC-192 with optional G.709 OTU2 encapsulation and tri-FEC for enhanced reach. The deployment options include 10 and 20Gbit/s point-to-point muxponder modes, as well as a distributed add/drop networking mode where services can be crossconnected between any FLX-1610 within a linear ADM chain or UPSR-protected 10G ring.

Next Page: Components & Devices

Alliance Fiber Optic Products Inc. (Nasdaq: AFOP)
MPO Fiber Optic Loopback Assemblies
For burn-in and testing of MPO network components and systems, these assemblies offer an effective solution to test transmitter capability and receiver sensitivity of network equipment, particularly for telecom and datacom requirements, according to the company. They are available in a compact housing for high-density use and are available with or without attenuation. Standard products include a female MPO interface with 8-fiber QSFP, 12-fiber or 24-fiber, SM or MM ferrules. The streamlined, ruggedized housing design provides high stability and reliability.

Avago Technologies Pte.
AFBR-81uVxyZ and AFBR-82uVxyZ
These are 120Gbit/s multichannel optical transmitter and receiver modules for inside-the-box data-center applications and a CXP pluggable transceiver for board-edge box-to-box and rack-to-rack communications. These standalone MiniPODTM transmit and receive modules each contain 12 unidirectional channels (lanes) that can each transfer data at 10.3125Gbit/s using 64b/66b encoding for an aggregate data rate of 120Gbit/s for each module. The CXP pluggable edge-mount transceiver module (AFBR-83PDZ) is an integrated solution that contains 12 transmit and 12 receive lanes that operate at the same data transfer rates as the MiniPOD modules. The MiniPOD modules deliver the highest front panel density in the industry with 36 times the density of standard SFP+ solutions, according to the company.

Emcore Corp. (Nasdaq: EMKR)
J-Type Medallion 6000
This provides a series of externally modulated 1550nm cable television (CATV) fiber-optic transmitters. The transmitters have been developed specifically for Japan and other markets requiring long-distance and concurrent fiber-optic transport of CATV and satellite-intermediate frequency signals (SAT-IF). The J-Type Medallion 6000 supports operational bandwidths up to 2.8GHz with an adjustable SBS (stimulated Brillouin scattering) suppression range from 11 to 17dBm, plus extended adjustable automatic gain control and very high optical modulation index for high link performance. In parallel, the company has announced the next-generation Web GUI and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) software service offering for the Medallion 6000 platform. These new interfaces offer many new advanced capabilities, according to the company.

NXP Semiconductors N.V. (Nasdaq: NXPI)
Eighth-generation (Gen8) LDMOS RF power transistor portfolio for wireless base stations
The portfolio covers all main cellular frequency bands between 700 and 2700MHz and increases efficiency of Doherty amplifiers by as much as three points and gain by as much as 1 dB. Designed for cost-sensitive applications, the transistors offer P1dB powers up to 270W in SOT502-sized packages, and 400W in SOT539-sized packages. The power density helps to reduce the size and weight of Doherty amplifiers -- and ultimately the base station cabinet -- significantly, according to the company. Combined, these enhancements also reduce total expenditures related to cooling and operation.

Next Page: Mobile Devices & Software

Antenova Ltd.
A10453
This LTE antenna reference design for smartphones is for a fixed-frequency LTE antenna that covers LTE 700, GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900, WCDMA2100, LTE B7 (2500-2690MHz), LTE B38 (2570-2620MHz) and LTE B40 (2300-2400MHz) bands. When utilized in Antenova’s MIMO configuration, the antenna system provides:

The A10453 can be realized using flexi or LDS on a plastics carrier and customized to fit specific mechanical IDs.

Avago Technologies Pte.
AGPS-F001
The filter-LNA module is designed to simplify portable navigation systems and embedded GPS/GNSS systems in tablets and cellphones. It pairs an FBAR filter with a low-noise GaAs E-pHEMT amplifier in a single package. The combination gives a rejection across the cell/DCS/PCS/WLAN bands that ranges from 43 to 53dBc, depending on the frequency band of the signal, and linearity is 10dBm higher in OOB IIP3 versus competing solutions, according to the company. It has a typical noise figure of 1.7dB, and the noise-figure distribution is tightly controlled to ensure consistent performance from unit to unit. A CMOS-compatible shutdown pin allows the AGPS-F001 to shut down and reduce its current draw to less than 1µA; during normal operation the filter/amplifier draws 5.5mA from a 2.7V supply and provides a gain of 16.5dB at a frequency of 1.575GHz.

Broadcom Corp. (Nasdaq: BRCM)
BCM4335
This 5G IEEE 802.11ac Wi-Fi combo chip for smartphones and tablets integrates a complete 5G Wi-Fi system, including the MAC, PHY and RF, with Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio and software on a single chip using a 40nm CMOS process. The company says that it is the only combo chip to address the interference challenges in systems with both 4G LTE cellular radios and wireless connectivity, and that its platform-agnostic design ensures the chip can be added to any smartphone or tablet.

Google (Nasdaq: GOOG)
Nexus 7
This is the company’s first own-brand tablet. Specifications include: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system; an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor; seven-inch display; Android Beam near-field communication (NFC) support; up to eight hours of active battery use; free cloud storage; and tight integration with Google apps.

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.
E5776
Presented as the world's first LTE Category 4 multimode mobile Wi-Fi product, it supports Wi-Fi 2×2 and an LTE network download speed of up to 150Mbit/s. With a battery life of up to 10 hours, the E5776 can simultaneously support the connection of 10 devices with Wi-Fi access to an LTE network. the Mobile Control function allows users to monitor, access and edit the E5776’s settings via their mobile phone. The device’s SD Share function enables the sharing of pictures, documents, music and video files from their SD cards via Wi-Fi.

MediaTek Inc. (Taiwan: 2454)
MT6577
This is a dual-core platform developed specifically for sub-US$200 smartphones. Features include a dual 1GHz Cortex-A9 application processor from ARM, a PowerVR Series5 SGX GPU (graphics processing unit) from Imagination Technologies and MediaTek's 3G/HSPA modem, and it runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. By integrating a dual-core application processor architecture, the MT6577 boosts application and browser performance by up to 40 percent compared to single-core platforms, the company says.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT)
Surface
This is the company’s upcoming tablet device. Two models of Surface will be available: one running an ARM processor featuring Windows RT, and one with a third-generation Intel Core processor featuring Windows 8 Pro. Windows RT tablets will initially use the dual-core 1.5GHz MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 Central Processing Unit (CPU), followed by a quad-core version in future tablets.

Mozilla
Firefox for Android
This version of the Firefox Web browser for Android mobile devices is based on the same open technology platform as the desktop version of Firefox. Firefox for Android offers the highest level of privacy and security features in mobile browsing, according to Mozilla, and offers security features such as Do Not Track, Master Password and HTTP Strict Transport Security. New HTML5 capabilities in Firefox for Android enable developers to create rich Web apps and websites based on HTML5, JavaScript, CSS and other open Web standards.

Firefox Mobile OS
This is a planned open mobile ecosystem based on HTML5. Mozilla says that the Firefox OS for mobile devices is built on its Boot to Gecko project, which unlocks many of the current limitations of Web development on mobile, allowing HTML5 applications to access the underlying capabilities of a phone, previously only available to native applications. The optimization of the platform for entry-level smartphones and the removal of unnecessary middleware layers are intended to give mobile operators the ability to offer richer experiences at a range of price points including at the low end of the smartphone price range.

BlackBerry
BlackBerry 10 Developer ToolkitsThe update adds new features and enhancements, such as including two key sets of APIs for BlackBerry 10 developers -- an application invocation framework, which will allow BlackBerry 10 applications to seamlessly interact with each other, and the Push APIs that let developers leverage the global BlackBerry infrastructure to send notifications and other content to BlackBerry 10 devices, the company says.

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC)
Mobile Security additions and enhancementsThese include Mobile Security for Android, Mobile Management for Configuration Manager, Mobile Management and Nukona App Center Mobile Security for Android, which uses the company's proprietary technology that monitors and analyzes millions of android apps available on app stores around the world, and uses anti-malware detection technology from Norton Mobile Security. Mobile Management for Configuration Manager now offers three deployment options for mobile device management (MDM) -- a standalone MDM solution, an integrated MDM with Altiris IT Management Suite from Symantec and an integrated MDM for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager. All Symantec Mobile Management products now integrate with the NitroDesk TouchDown enterprise email client for Android to provide secure mobile email services. Nukona App Center now can secure apps and data on iOS devices with FIPS 140-2 certified encryption.

Next Page: Switching, Routing & Network Platforms

Technicolor (Euronext Paris: TCH; NYSE: TCH)
Cirpack Small SBC
This is a small version of the company’s session border controller, delivering multimedia and interactive communications services while securing customer IP networks. It is dimensioned for session requests of below 1,000 (less than 10,000 users). The Small SBC includes access, interconnect and media controllers in a single platform. There are three variants:

Optionally, the Small SBC S500 and Small SBC S1000 offer transcoding functions.

Ulticom Inc. (Nasdaq: ULCM)
Diameter Signaling Controller (DSC) upgrade
This includes full 3GPP Diameter Routing Agent (DRA) compliance. In addition, the upgrade includes extensions to Diameter Routing Rules (for use in centralized routing situations) and advanced load-balancing features to optimally manage server load. Dynamic load distribution enables advanced scaling of Diameter-based service applications like Online and Offline Charging (OCS/OFCS) and Home Subscriber Servers (HSS). The Ulticom DSC can be used to implement multiple strategies to manage resources based upon changing requirements, the company says.

Next Page: Telecom Software & Service Provider IT

Actix Ltd.
ActixOne
This enhancement adds small-cell analytics to allow operators to prioritize small-cell rollouts, understand small-cell performance and measure the impact on their macro networks. As a result, according to the company, operators are provided with a single solution for small-cell and macro network visualization and optimization. Actix maps live small cells, showing their exact location, the amount of data traffic being offloaded, and the subscribers using them. During the rollout phase, the system shows where small cells need to be deployed, highlighting network demand, both indoors and out, and the devices and subscribers responsible. Network planning teams can prioritize areas then select the appropriate technology to address the problem, the company says. Integration with customer care systems means customer complaints can be tracked against dropped calls identifying locations and subscribers that would benefit from small-cell deployments.

Arris Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRS)
WorkAssure
Integration of the existing workforce management solution with SkyCreek's automated multichannel customer-contact technologies will allow a service provider already employing the Arris WorkAssure system to automate communications to customers, confirming their availability for scheduled appointments. Combined with the WorkAssure AutoETA module, this will enable service providers to provide automated day-before reminder times, notification for tech arrival time within a 30min window, and post visit surveys.

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.
OceanStor T series and Tecal series
These are unified storage products and high-end servers. The OceanStor T series delivers high-performance levels in an all-in-one solution that unifies the file-level data, block-level data, storage protocols, and the interface management, while leveraging efficiency improvement mechanisms to maximize customers’ return on investment, according to the company. There are four models: OceanStor S2600T, OceanStor S5500T, OceanStor S5600T, and OceanStor S5800 for a wide scope of applications, including large database OLTP/OLAP, high-performance computing, digital media, Internet commerce, central storage, data backup, disaster recovery and data migration. The Tecal Series has been extended with 4-socket and 8-socket servers. The 4-socket rack server, H2485 V2, 4-socket blade server, BH640 V2, (based on Intel E5-4600) and the 4-socket and 8-socket top-end servers RH5885 V2 (based on E7-4800 and E7-8800) are concurrently launched with the fourth-generation PEIe SSD card ES3000.

ip.access Ltd.
Network Orchestration System (NOS)
This is a next-generation management tool for the small-cell layer of mobile operator networks, which the company says combines a full suite of tools that will enable operators to quickly deploy small cells and introduce new services. The solution also brings operators the ability to manage and improve small-cell performance and the interaction between the macro network and the small-cell layer to drive down dropped call rates (DCRs). There are four main tools:

Keynote Systems Inc.
Mobile Device Perspective (MDP) 6.0
Enhancements to the mobile Web performance monitoring product add mobile diagnostic capabilities to speed mean time to detection (MTTD) and mean time to repair (MTTR) for operations teams. Enhancements include:

MACH
Bill Shock Prevention solution
For mobile data roaming, Bill Shock Prevention monitors subscriber data roaming usage in real-time and provides immediate alerts. Operators can predefine usage thresholds that then trigger alerts to the operator and send SMS notifications to subscribers. End-users are also able to query data usage when roaming through SMS to gain real-time insight into their current usage levels. In certain cases, operators can block data traffic when consumption reaches particularly high-levels, thereby avoiding the risk of bad debt. The solution is part of M Serve cloud-based portfolio of fast-to-market mobile-data monetization services.

Openet Telecom Ltd.
Interaction Gateway
This enables operators to extend Policy and Charging Control (PCC) system capabilities to the device for improved customer experience and optimization of network resources. Interaction Gateway evolves what was previously known as the Subscriber Engagement Engine (SEE). In addition to the real-time insight of usage and spend provided by SEE, Interaction Gateway coordinates communication between an operator's existing PCC infrastructure and a specialized on-device Interaction Agent for policy enforcement. According to the company, Interaction Gateway provides the advantage of enabling on-device enforcement of policies to reduce signaling congestion. By optimizing the signaling created by chatty apps that constantly query the network for updates, mobile-device battery life can improve by up to 50 percent, and mobile infrastructure resources such as DHCP IP address allocation and AAA capacity can be preserved. Customer experience then improves through more robust mobile connectivity and better device performance.

Next Page: Test & Measurement

Anritsu Corp.
easyTest Tools
This is an enhancement to E series Site Master and Cell Master handheld analyzers. Engineers and field technicians can use easyTest Tools to create, deliver, and display cable and antenna analyzer work instructions that allow for more accurate tests to be conducted, more repeatable results to be achieved, and improved overall productivity when deploying, installing, and maintaining wireless networks, the company says. Detailed work instructions, called easyTest files, for the respective instrument's cable and antenna analyzer mode can be created on a PC using easyTest Tools. The files can be written with a few simple tools, allowing experienced users to conveniently share their knowledge with less experienced technicians. All setups, procedures and images are stored in an ETT file, for delivery via email. The E series Site Master and Cell Master models have modified firmware to recognize the files, which are conveniently displayed on the analyzer screen. Once initiated, the setups in the ETT file are recalled automatically, so the instrument is in the proper measurement mode.

MS272xC Spectrum Master enhancement
This burst-detection enhancement can capture up to 20,000 measurement/s and make it easier for field engineers and technicians to find narrow signals that may cause interference and adversely affect the performance of wireless networks, the company says.

Empirix Inc.
Regression Testing as a Service (RTaaS)br/>This is a quality-assurance solution for ensuring that existing services are not negatively impacted when changes are introduced into complex contact-center environments. It combines the company's Hammer Test technology with customizable services for auditing contact-center operations, assessing customer experience and designing test plans. It measures the impact of changes on switching, routing, interactive voice response (IVR) and agent desktop solutions prior to their deployment in order to pre-empt customer-impacting issues, to speed deployment cycles and to cut project costs, according to the company.

Ixia (Nasdaq: XXIA)
IxCatapult small-cell validation solution
For LTE femto, pico and microcells, the solution’s features and capabilities include:

JDSU (Nasdaq: JDSU; Toronto: JDU)
In-Service PMD (I-PMD) analyzer
This qualifies fiber-optic networks and tests polarization mode dispersion (PMD) without having to shut down links or reroute live traffic. It is billed as a world first to allow such testing without disrupting customer service, and the analyzer also captures all relevant data in a single snapshot, reducing the time it takes to troubleshoot an issue. I-PMD cuts the number of technicians required to troubleshoot a problem in half and reduces the number of test instruments for a technician to carry by three, the company says.

Tektronix Inc.
Medius
Upgrades to the centralized management server have been made to give video service providers a more comprehensive and clearer view of the condition of programs flowing in large, geographically distributed networks. The new program alert dashboard provides new views of Sentry reports, delivering more program status and alert status information per screen to let users identify issues more quickly and take action sooner. The new views include a geographical view that displays all of the monitoring points on a map and quickly highlights problem areas or regions; a grid view that shows a program's alert status across all monitoring points for fast identification and repair of the source locations having video and audio problems; and a tile view that provides a quick snapshot of the alert status of all programs or services and quickly highlights which programs need the most attention.

Next Page: Wireless Infrastructure

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU)
Metro Cell Express
This is a service for wireless small-cell network rollout based on the lightRadio metro portfolio and is intended to enhance mobile services in high-density urban centers such as railway stations, shopping malls and sports stadiums. The company would build the network and operation of the metro network would be transferred to network providers only once the metro network has been installed, fully integrated, and shown to be delivering the technical performance required for the wireless service.

Avago Technologies Pte.
MGA-16x16 series
These balanced ultra-low-noise amplifiers include integrated active biasing and a shutdown functionality. They are suitable for cellular infrastructure applications such as base-station transceiver cards, remote radio heads, tower-mounted amplifiers and base-station combiners. The balanced LNAs deliver superior return-loss characteristics (S11, 18dB minimum) and have a noise figure of 0.25 dB at 900MHz. The first three members in the family, the MGA-16116, 16216, and 16316, are targeted at the 450 - 1450, 1440 - 2350 and 1950 - 2700MHz frequency bands, respectively. They have a gain of 18.5 dB and deliver twice the linearity of competing devices at 19.1dB at 900MHz, according to the company. A direct voltage applied to a control pin will shut down the amplifier and bypass it when the system already has sufficient signal strength, thus preventing overamplification and signal distortion.

MGA-43x28 series
These are power amplifiers providing final-stage gain for picocell and enterprise femtocell systems. They offer 34 - 40dB of gain and a power-added efficiency ranging from a high of 15 per cent to 13.8 per cent. The power amplifiers are implemented as a three-stage design, having a 50dBc adjacent-channel leakage ratio (ACLR) at 27.3dBm output power when biased with a 5V supply. The first three amplifiers in the family, MGA-43428, 43528, and 43628, are each targeted at a different frequency band: 3GPP bands 5, 2/25, and 1, respectively. All are fabricated using a 0.25-µm GaAs enhancement-mode pHEMT process and also include a detector block integrated on the chip. The amplifiers are packaged in a 5 x 5mm package that has a footprint 50 per cent smaller than comparable devices, according to the company.

Cambium Networks Ltd.
PTP 810
The point-to-point (PTP) wireless backhaul solution supports native E1/T1 and native Ethernet in a single platform. The company says that this hybrid solution enables carriers, utility, public safety and enterprise operators to seamlessly and cost effectively migrate existing TDM traffic to an IP-based Ethernet network. The PTP 810 also features XPIC functionality, enabling operators to double throughput capacity as differentiated data is transmitted simultaneously on both vertical and horizontal polarizations in a single channel.