In brief: Global broadband prices fall sharply

Global broadband prices fell sharply in the first half of the year as cable operators moved to meet the challenge of lower prices from DSL, according to a research report. Monthly rental fees for broadband cable services dropped 16% in the first six months of this year, while DSL fees were slashed by 13%, reported researcher Point Topic.

Broadband cable service providers aggressively cut prices during the first half of the year to bring their fees closer to those of DSL services, which previously were reduced to attract new subscribers. Cable operators surveyed said the average monthly rate for entry-level cable modem services declined from $39.20 to $32 over the period, while DSL prices dropped by $2.50 to $29.50.

Amedia Networks, a developer of Ethernet broadband access products, last week announced that it has expanded its technology licensing agreement with Lucent. Lucent has delivered to Amedia several Bell Labs-developed technology designs for Amedia's PG1000 premises gateway and AS5000 Aggregator Switch.

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Global broadband prices fell sharply in the first half of the year as cable operators moved to meet the challenge of lower prices from DSL, according to a research report. Monthly rental fees for broadband cable services dropped 16% in the first six months of this year, while DSL fees were slashed by 13%, reported researcher Point Topic.

Broadband cable service providers aggressively cut prices during the first half of the year to bring their fees closer to those of DSL services, which previously were reduced to attract new subscribers. Cable operators surveyed said the average monthly rate for entry-level cable modem services declined from $39.20 to $32 over the period, while DSL prices dropped by $2.50 to $29.50.

Amedia Networks, a developer of Ethernet broadband access products, last week announced that it has expanded its technology licensing agreement with Lucent. Lucent has delivered to Amedia several Bell Labs-developed technology designs for Amedia's PG1000 premises gateway and AS5000 Aggregator Switch.

As part of the agreement, Lucent will provide additional technology designs for further product enhancements for the PG1000 and AS5000. Amedia also is enhancing its CS1200 Ethernet core switch with a suite of software features to improve traffic management and security, and design improvements to reduce its production cost.

Tata Consultancy Services, which provides offshore outsourcing services, is adding what it calls a safety net to its application development offerings. The consultancy is partnering with iRise to add iRise's Application Simulator technology to its list of services.

IRise specializes in providing companies with tools to look at and review applications before a single line of code is written so that service providers and customers have a clear understanding of the intended result.

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