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April 18, 2007 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise Read more at SmartBrief.com News for telecom industry leaders       News of the Day    Bell Canada owner weighs its strategic options Bell Canada's parent BCE has acknowledged that it is in talks with pension funds to go private, saying it is looking at all of its options, including doing nothing. The company said any decision would be designed to increase shareholder value. The New York Times (free registration) (4/17) Q&A: Understanding the Canadian government's role in BCE: BCE, being the largest telecom operator in the country, must operate under the guides of the Bell Canada Act and can only field purchase offers from domestic entities. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (4/17) Deploy SIP devices from multiple vendors with a single provisioning system. Configure IP phones, MTAs and ATAs "on the fly," with custom service bundles and minimal administration. Incognito eliminates complexity, resulting in lower costs, faster time to market, and more deployment options. Download a SIP provisioning white paper.   Business & Industry Watch    Verizon throttles back on Massachusetts franchises Verizon Communications plans to concentrate on pending projects right now rather than trying to win franchise agreements in Massachusetts for its FiOS TV service. While Verizon has won statewide franchise agreements in some states, Massachusetts requires the company to apply in each town. The Boston Globe (4/18) Verizon gets the green light to bring video to Oregon county: Verizon Communications intends to launch video services in Washington County, Ore., early next year or sooner, after winning service approval from county officials. The Oregonian (Portland) (4/18) Looking beyond AT&T's Olimpia bid The Financial Times forecasts that AT&T will hunt for more international business opportunities now that it has pulled the plug on its bid for an indirect stake in Telecom Italia. "Asia, the Middle East and even Europe all interest us," AT&T's chief operating officer, Randall Stephenson, recently told the paper. Financial Times (free content) (4/18) Opinion: Recent privatization in telecom might be sign of what's to come With Canada's BCE possibly in line for a private-equity takeover, it joins a series of partial or full private buys of telecom companies in Europe. While buying BCE would be exceedingly difficult for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, it may constitute a serious trend in the future. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (4/18) Vonage may file for bankruptcy The $58 million court ruling imposed on Vonage Holdings may spell financial ruin for the VoIP company, according to a recent SEC filing. CNET (4/17) Icahn wants a more active Motorola Carl Icahn, who owns 68 million shares of Motorola, argues that CEO Ed Zander must be held accountable for money lost after the company changed direction last year to compete with larger rival Nokia. In a letter to shareholders, Icahn characterized the directors as "passive" and said the company needed to act faster to correct problems in such a competitive market. Chicago Tribune/Bloomberg (4/18) Hatteras Networks is redefining how Carriers deliver Ethernet services. Hatteras' customers are leveraging Mid-Band Ethernet to extend the Ethernet Service Edge over existing copper facilities to capture part of the $15 billion Mid-Band Ethernet worldwide services opportunity. To learn how Mid-Band Ethernet creates new opportunities for Carriers, visit www.hatterasnetworks.com. USTelecom Spotlight THE must-attend event for the telecom industry: NXTcomm! NXTcomm 2007 is the only venue that brings outstanding keynote speakers -- including the CEOs of AT&T, Bell Canada, Cisco, GE/NBC Universal, Motorola and Verizon -- and educational programs from leading industry organizations -- including ATIS, BICSI, Digital Hollywood, FierceMarkets, IEC, Stifel Nicolaus, Telecommunications Magazine and Wiley Rein -- to one convenient location: NXTcomm, June 18 to 21 in Chicago. Register today! Learn more about USTelecom -> NXTcomm  |  News  |  Join USTelecom  |  NextGenWeb  |  Webinars   Technology Trends    Apple and Cisco meet again Apple and Cisco Systems are now in talks to discover ways that their respective iPhone devices can work together. The talks represent the second collaboration between the two companies, as the two agreed on sharing the iPhone moniker earlier this year. Bloomberg1/ClipSyndicate (4/17) , SeattlePI.com/Bloomberg (4/17) Text messaging helps get the word out in an emergency Given the ubiquity of mobile communications, text messaging is seen as a viable method for college campuses to alert students quickly in an emergency. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, interest among college campuses in the technology as an emergency-response system has been sparked as colleges turn to such companies as Rave Wireless and E2Campus. The Wall Street Journal (4/18) , USA TODAY (4/17) Intel releases info on future chips Intel has announced several chip advancements that the company plans to release by next year to advance notebooks, ultra-mobile PCs and other "mobile Internet devices." Intel's new chips make use of its 45-nanometer manufacturing process, which allows for higher transistor density on a chip. Yahoo!/InformationWeek (4/17) The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Volt Telecom Group provides disaster recovery service support nationwide. We can dispatch service technicians, linemen/crew, splicers, tree trimming crews or any other necessary telephony personnel with the skills needed to handle almost any situation within 24 hours of receiving your phone call. For more information, visit us online. Coastcom - From the Edge to the Core Bridge the technology gap with Coastcom's Core-Metro-Access solutions offering leading edge technologies that include CWDM, ROADM, Next Generation SONET/SDH (EoS), MSPP, IP-DSLAM, WiFi Mesh, DACs, and Broadband IADs. For more information, click here. Attend CONNECTIONS: The Digital Living Conference and Showcase, May 1-3, Santa Clara. Hear Keynotes from CISCO, Yahoo! Digital Home, Motorola, Texas Instruments, Verizon and HP! Don't miss this one-of-a-kind event. Event Topics include: IPTV, Mobile Broadband, Digital Health, Home Management, Gaming and more! www.connectionsconference.com Interested in learning more about advertising in the USTelecom dailyLead? Contact Amy Abbey at 202-737-5500 ext 250 or aabbey@smartbrief.com.     Regulatory & Legislative  Don't text and drive, say Washington legislators Washington House legislators have approved a measure that would effectively ban area drivers from text messaging while behind the wheel. Those who violate the bill would likely face a $101 fine. SeattlePI.com/Associated Press (4/18)   LeadQuote  The person that loses their conscience has nothing left worth keeping." --Izaak Walton, English writer       Subscriber Tools       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 Get this RSS Feed Publish your Press Release       Recent USTelecom dailyLead Issues: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 Monday, April 16, 2007 Friday, April 13, 2007 Thursday, April 12, 2007 Wednesday, April 11, 2007     Lead Editor:  Susan Rush       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2009 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information