Michael Martin

Telecom firm Cable and Wireless PLC has begun notifying customers that it will be exiting the domestic voice services, frame relay and ATM markets in the U.S.

Despite the acquisition activity over the past few weeks from Cisco Systems Inc., Juniper Networks Inc. and Alcatel SA, experts say the industry isn't about to return to the wheeling and dealing of 2000. Nor do they envision a bargain-buying binge by the bigger players.

The recent demise of voice-over-DSL equipment provider Jetstream Communications Inc. raises questions about the future of voice-over-DSL technology.

Waters Corp. has been putting its WAN through some testing. The subject of the test: whether to stick with a reliable but expensive frame relay network or move to an IP VPN that promises to deliver more bandwidth for less money, but possibly with lower performance and other unpleasant surprises.

Sprint Corp. may have waved goodbye to its integrated on-demand platform last year, but the company's goals in the post-ION era remain essentially the same.

Residential customers still buy the majority of DSL connections, but U.S. providers are enhancing their DSL offerings to make the technology more appealing to business users.

Metro Ethernet services are a hot commodity, according to research firms, but recent events indicate some early entrants into the market aren

Start-up Narad Networks Inc. last month unveiled a plan designed to let cable operators offer high-speed Ethernet services over existing hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) cable networks.