Int’l Bytes: Emerald, VTLWaveNet, KDDI, BroadSoft, Cisco

TGIF everyone.  Here’s a quick look at some interesting news from the international markets this week:

Emerald Networks continued driving forward its new transatlantic and Icelandic cable, Emerald Express. They have now signed a system supply contract with TE Subcom, and the marine cable route survey is already partially complete. The project makes the dual promises of low latency, high bandwidth connectivity between New York and London and huge pipes for the budding Icelandic data center business. Interesting, they are also planning a stubbed branching unit off the Irish coast for a later direct link to Portugal. The target date for the Emerald Express is late 2013.

Viatel’s VTLWaveNet subsidiary says that it has helped AMS-IX with connectivity to its 100th PoP on Europe. The new site in Paris will offer direct connectivity to the giant Amsterdam peering exchange via Viatel’s fiber backbone. The VTLWaveNet assets have hung around as an independent entity for much longer than I would have thought, I wonder what their financials look like these days.

Over in the Far East, KDDI has partnered with Japanese venture capital firm Global Brain Corporation in a new $66M investment fund. They’re hoping to help jump-start mobile startups in the Asia/Pacific theatre. Global Brain will manage the fund, while KDDI hopes to seed complementary new technologies for its telecommunications ecosystem.

BroadSoft is helping New Zealand’s Gen-i serve the PBX needs of Christchurch enterprises in the aftermath of last year’s earthquakes, which left parts of the region’s fixed line network in tatters. Their mobile PBX software solution lets employees be fully functional while operating from homes and temporary office locations. New Zealand, like is larger neighbor Australia, has been spending a greater than normal portion of its national effort on telecommunications and internet infrastructure of late.

And Cisco is back on the acquisition warpath, announcing its intent to acquire the Israeli-derived NDS Group.  NDS combines video software and content security services, which Cisco will use to supplement its overall video delivery platform.  It will also give them more firepower in some international markets where NDS is strong, such as the major potential markets of China and India.  The $5B deal is expected to close in the second half of 2012.

 

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Categories: Mergers and Acquisitions · Software · Telecom Equipment · Undersea cables