News of the Day

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DSL leads broadband adoption, study says
DSL connections account for 65.7% of the worldwide broadband market -- the technology attracted 185 million subscribers by the close of 2006, according to Point Topic. The U.S. has the most broadband customers, but China is on pace to take over the top spot by year's end. CED Magazine (3/2007)

Business & Industry Watch

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Verizon sets GPON rollout in motion
Verizon Communications plans to use gigabit passive optical network equipment from Alcatel-Lucent, with initial deployments planned in Texas and Pennsylvania. Along with the GPON rollout, Verizon also intends to continue to deploy its broadband passive optical network. Converge! Network Digest (3/27)

Best Buy buys Speakeasy for $97 million in cash
Best Buy has purchased nationwide broadband provider Speakeasy as part of its small-business strategy. Speakeasy provides broadband and voice services to small businesses, and will retain its name and employees as it tries to expand its brand recognition, the company's chief executive said. The Seattle Times (3/28)

AT&T to offer free Napster services
AT&T will offer its customers a year of free access to Napster's Napster To Go service. The announcement is the latest from the company as it looks to bolster its multimedia services for mobile users. E-Commerce Times/Associated Press (3/27)

Indian regulators examine Vodafone-Hutchison Essar deal
In a move sparked by a complaint, the Foreign Investment Promotion Board will investigate the terms of Vodafone's stake purchase in Hutchison Essar to ensure they are within the boundaries of the law. Hutchison Telecommunications has said the deal is within the law. The Register (U.K.) (3/28)

Sprint Nextel JV with cable targets small businesses
Sprint Nextel's joint venture with cable companies Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox and Advance/Newhouse will add wireless services to small businesses into cable's bundle of offerings. The joint venture will expand their combined cell-phone service fivefold to 40 metropolitan areas by the end of 2007. The Wall Street Journal/Associated Press (subscription required) (3/27)

SK Telecom takes HSDPA nationwide
SK Telecom extended the reach of its HSDPA service to cover 99% of the population in South Korea. The operator expects to have 20 HSDPA-enabled handsets available by year's end. The Korea Times (3/28)

Motorola invests in GoTV
Motorola announced an undisclosed investment in GoTV Networks, which delivers TV to mobile phones. AT&T and Verizon Wireless offer GoTV's programming to their subscribers. Chicago Tribune (free registration) (3/28)

NXTcomm Announces Conference Affiliates
NXTcomm 2007 is the global forum for the new business of information, communications and entertainment technology (ICET). Attend these outstanding conferences, all @ NXTcomm: ATIS TechThink Technology Conference; BICSI North: Central U.S. and Canadian Region Meeting; Digital Hollywood; FierceMarkets: WiMAX Strategies 2007; IEC Communications Forums; Stifel Nicolaus Investor Conference; Telecommunications Magazine: IP Video Village; Wiley Rein: A Communications and TechLaw Conference. Contact the appropriate conference affiliate about the availability of speaking opportunities. Register today!

Technology Trends

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Ericsson wins IMS contract in Poland
Poland's Telekomunikacja Polska has tapped Ericsson to deliver IMS equipment to enable the delivery of multimedia telephony and IP centrex services to TP's customer base. Forbes/AFX News Limited (3/28)

Apple, Sony, Dell added to Bluetooth suit
The Washington Research Foundation has expanded the scope of its Bluetooth patent-infringement suit to now include Apple, Sony and Dell as defendants. The complaint was originally filed against Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Samsung Electronics Co. and Nokia. Seattle Post-Intelligencer/Bloomberg (3/27)

Cisco adds 3G module to ISR router
Cisco Systems has added 3G to its line of Integrated Services Router branch and small-business routers, which will now support EV-DO and HSDPA connections. Cisco says that the price of the new offering is on par with DSL and cable-modem access and that it offers faster speeds than ISDN. InfoWorld/IDG News Service (3/27)

Other News

• Motorola signs on to deliver 802.16e WiMAX network in Chile
  Unstrung (3/28)

Regulatory & Legislative

FCC chief sees wireless as essential to universal access
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said that wireless technology was essential to broadband-deployment policies and hailed the commission's ruling last week classifying wireless broadband as an information service. InfoWorld/IDG News Service (3/27),  Multichannel News (3/27)

Preparing for the DTV deadline
Broadcasters have earmarked millions of dollars to help educate the portion of the viewing public that depends on broadcast TV about the coming DTV transition. Los Angeles Times (free registration) (3/28)

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