COMNEWS WEBWATCH.

China's Great Backbone lures imports

Washington, D.C. hosted the China Telecom 2000 Conference in early June, organized by Information Gatekeepers (www.igigroup.com). The focus? The China fiber-optics market. Projections for the next several years are that most optical fiber will be imported to answer the annual demand for five million km. Over 174,000 km of the currently installed fiver-optic cables are national and inter-provincial backbones. The gathering provided foreign telecom companies a chance to explore that particular market, along with other business opportunities in China.

Cellular carriers blossom in Japan

Meanwhile, along the Pacific Rim, DDI-one of Japan's leading cellular carriers-partnered with Puma Technology of San Jose, Calif. (www.pumatech.com). Puma provides DDI with Intellisync software necessary to enable Internet use for real-time wireless synchronization of critical data with a new class of devices. From its handheld or palm computing platform products to one of the new-wave devices capable of displaying HTML information, DDI, along with Japan's DoCoMO-the world's largest cellular carrier-is changing the way Japan communicates.

From Russia with wireless

Leap Wireless International, Inc. in San Diego, Calif. (www.leapwireless.com), wireless communications carrier and partial owner of Metrosvyaz, wireless carrier and operating company in Russia, announced the launch of state-of-the-art wireless local loop (WLL) telephone service in its first market in that country. Metrosvyaz is forming or in negotiations to form joint ventures in 26 regions in Russia. "We believe the demand for phone lines in Russia remains strong, and improving infrastructure-including telecommunications, transportation, and power-is the cornerstone to building a healthy, stable economy," says Tom Bernard, executive v.p. of Leap and a director of Metrosvyaz. In Russia, teledensity (telephone lines per 100 inhabitants) is only 19% compared to 64% in the U.S.A.

Argentina boasts gauchos, pampas, Web

In late 1998, World Wide Wireless Web Corp. (W4), San Diego, Calif. (www.w4.net) got the go-ahead from the University of La Rioja in northwest Argentina to provide satellite-based Internet service to the University. The service extended to five additional universities during the first six months of this year. Argentina's president, Carlos Saul Menem Bizarre, placed a very high priority on getting the country's universities connected to the Web and the research portion of the Internet. Argentina's literacy rate of about 95% is one of the highest in Latin America.

Down under, they're on top

Well-known Australian broadband microwave pioneer John Stannard, leading Digital Microwave Solutions in association with the University of South Australia, has developed a receiver/transmitter currently in use by the Australian-Victorian Police Department and endorsed by the largest telco in Australia, Telestra. The radically different DRFL is a departure from the conventional compression and link techniques and is based on a high-speed digital algorithm, allowing three channels of high-quality signals to be placed where-normally-only one would go. (www.209.84.43.137/Microwave/index.html)

Resources

* For weekly updates from the software and information industry, check out the Global Forum Web site at www.siia.net/news/ source.htm, maintained by the Software & Information Industry Association, principal trade association of the code and content industry representing some 1,400 members. SIIA recently released Code, Content and Commerce, a document which brings together all facets of Internet and e-commerce policy in one place.

* Find out what the leading PC, networking, and telecommunications companies belonging to the Universal ADSL Working Group (UAWG) have to say about new developments on the acceleration of the G.lite standard and interoperability at www.uawg.com or www.uawg.org.

* The ADSL Forum, formed in late 1994, gathers its 300 members four times yearly to discuss the market potential of ADSL and to untangle ADSL's inherent technical complexity. Take a look at its Web site at www.adsl.com

* The first All-Optical Networks (AON) ComForum was sponsored by the International Engineering Consortium (IEC) in Orlando, Fla., in early April. The ConForum is designed to help organizations explore optical technologies, including an all-optical architecture. What does the future hold for optical networking and the next-generation service provider? Check out www.iec.org.

* ISDN services are alive and kicking nationwide in the form of the National Integrated Services Digital Network Council, a forum for advancing the use of ISDN technology. Its members, telecommunications service providers, and manufacturers focus on the evolution and deployment of integrated voice and data digital services. Find out more at www.bellcore.com/nic.

* Earlier this year, the new Quality of Service Forum (QoSF)-founded by leading technology companies-adopted a charter, defined its objectives, and scheduled its first steering group meeting. Lucent is a charter member and has pioneered a suite of networking solutions that adhere to stringent. QoS parameters. Learn more at Stardust Forums, QoSF's manager, at www.stardust.com.

* Download a free information kit compiled specifically for IT professionals in the telecom industry. Just point your Web browser to www.actuate.com/telecom-then, when prompted, enter priority number T19C09. The kit provides all the information needed to evaluate the potential for enterprise reporting. A demo CD-ROM of the Actuate Reporting System is also available to help solve reporting headaches and help you gain a competitive edge by improving the productivity of call-center, help-desk, and customer-service applications.