BRIEFS

Cable World, June 23, 2003

COX GETS READY FOR VOIP

Cox Communications has begun to take steps toward offering IP-based voice services. The MSO last week announced it will leverage gear from Nortel Networks and Nuera Communications to enable it to carry long-distance telephone calls over its IP backbone. Cox will deploy Nortel's Succession Server 2000 softswitch and Nuera's ORCA GX-21 and GX-8 media gateways, a combination which it says will help "reduce operational costs."

WESTERN SHOW LOOKS TO BOOST SALES, ATTENDANCE

The Western Show is looking to make a love connection between tech vendors and prospective buyers. The annual Anaheim-based expo will take part in the Commerce Department's International Buyer Program, an initiative which facilitates gear buys and helps businesses generate greater export sales. Western Show organizers hope the program will boost attendance, which has dwindled significantly as the market has sputtered.

CAM SYSTEMS UNVEILS SOFTWARE UPGRADE

CAM Systems announced it will roll out Eclipse 3.2, an upgrade of its proprietary traffic and billing software. According to CAM System president Martino Mingione, the latest version of Eclipse offers superior performance, regardless of the system or market size. "With this upgraded version of the application, we can provide maximum flexibility for allocation, scheduling, traffic, verification and billing to serve the needs of increasingly complex ad sales operations," Mingione said in a statement.

AURORA IN USA MEDIA WIN

Aurora Networks has begun supplying USA Media Group with optical transport equipment for use in a system upgrade in Truckee, Calif. "Aurora Networks equipment has many user-friendly features that will help operations be more efficient in their day-to-day activities," said Sam Richardson, chief technical officer of USA Media Group.

P-CUBE PLAYS TRAFFIC COP FOR JAPANESE CABLE ISP

Japan's largest cable ISP, @NetHome, has deployed P-Cube's Engage platform to monitor P2P applications and help rein in bandwidth hogs. Engage was deployed following extensive lab and field-trial evaluation.