digiGO! — The Digital (R)Evolution™

Alianza, Inc. has signed a definitive agreement with Open Range Communications Inc., wherein Alianza will power Open Range’s residential and small/medium business voice offerings that will be bundled with its wireless broadband services and deployed in more than 500 communities in 17 states. Alianza will provide all components of the hosted voice platform, including soft switch, application features, rating, CPE provisioning, monitoring, security, E911, CALEA, reporting, back-office integration, and end-user self-support interface. Alianza will deliver underlying carrier services in cooperation with Level 3 Communications® and SinglePipe Communications. Alianza’s end-to-end voice platform is built using a unified set of web services and APIs that will facilitate the platform management and end-user support functions that will be seamlessly integrated with Open Range’s back office management system provided by SAP. Alianza’s SaaS-based model enables Open Range to eliminate voice related capital expenditures and maximize operating margin on voice services beginning day one.

The IMS Research study IPTV: A Global Market Analysis, reveals that IPTV deployments globally are largely attributed to tier 1 telcos. By the end of 2014, IMS Research forecasts 40.1 million TV households will be subscribers of tier 1 telco IPTV services. Rebecca Kurlak, research analyst and author of the study, states, “Tier 1 telcos have the advantages of both scalability and the imminent opportunity for solid ROI that has placed forerunners like AT&T and France Telecom in a very compelling position in the pay-TV environment. Not only will AT&T and France Telecom continue to see uptake in their acquisition of subscribers, but China Telecom, BBTV, NTT, FREE, Neuf Cegetel, Telefonica’s Imagenio and BT will also see extraordinary uptake of their IPTV services.” In addition to television household forecasts (split by picture quality and DVR functionality), the study provides detailed analysis of IP and IP+DTT STB shipments and revenues for three major global regions and three sub-regions, with further analysis on 64 individual countries. Two new features of the report include forecasts for IPTV Households by Telco Tier and segmentation of IP STB Shipments by MPEG-2 vs. MPEG-4 AVC compressions. IMS Research is the first to incorporate these segmentations in their reporting.

In Comments filed responding to the Federal Communications Commission‘s (FCC) inquiries into wireless technology innovation, investment, and market competition, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) urged the FCC to increase the amount of commercial spectrum available, support R&D that will produce innovative wireless technologies, and embrace pro-competitive regulations that will drive wireless market competition, increase investment and innovation, and speed new wireless products to market. In its comments in the FCC’s Innovation proceeding, TIA made clear that scarcity of spectrum for commercial use is among the most significant threats chilling wireless market innovation and investment. TIA urged the Commission to consider possible benefits from handset exclusivity to wireless market competition and to avoid returning to failed spectrum cap regulations. TIA’s filed comments are available on the FCC filings page at tiaonline.org.

And speaking of Alianza, Xanadoo, LLC, has signed an agreement with that Company to power its new residential and small business voice offering. Xanadoo’s WiMAX-enabled voice service will be available immediately in Springfield and Decatur, Illinois, and Lawton, Oklahoma, and will be available in its Texas markets later this year. The new voice offering can easily be bundled with its wireless broadband service, giving residents and small business owners a new, affordable phone and Internet option.

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