Allot Lands $4.5 million Tier-1 Contract for Service Gateway

Allot Communications announced a contract valued at $4.5 million to supply its flagship Service Gateway to a Tier-1 fixed network operator (name not disclosed). This multi-site deployment is intended to initially handle more than 1 terabit of traffic.


Allot's SG-Sigma is a deep packet inspection (DPI) platform that integrates network intelligence, policy control, and revenue-generating services in a single platform. It facilitates value-added network and subscriber services , including TierManager, Quota Manager, NetPolicy Provisioner, CellWise, MediaSwift, WebSafe and ServiceProtector .
http://www.allot.com

• Tests conducted in December 2009 by the Tolly Group confirmed that a single fully loaded SG-Sigma can deliver throughput of over 75 Gbps with less than 16 microsecond latency. According to Allot, performance can scale up to 360 Gbps with a clustered configuration of SG-Sigma platforms.

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Stoke Validates Mobile Data Offload with Ixia

Stoke is using IxNetwork and Ixia hardware to demonstrate that its Stoke Session Exchange mobile broadband gateway device processes high volumes of Generic Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP) traffic quickly and accurately. GTP specifies a tunnel control and management protocol required for communications between network elements in 3G packet core networks and LTE evolved packet core networks.


The Stoke Session Exchange (SSX) is a highly reliable, high density gateway platform designed and developed to deliver a wide range of network gateway functions that meet the challenges of rapidly growing mobile broadband data services for 3G and LTE network deployments. Ixia's IxNetwork test solution enables Stoke to validate its ability to reliably process GTP for mobile data offload deployments today, while paving the way for expanding the SSX's role in LTE's evolved packet core tomorrow. Ixia's IxNetwork works with its test platform to transmit and receive control and data traffic to the device under test. It can simulate IPv4 and IPv6 traffic over millions of GTP tunnels while applying dynamic traffic profile control and real-time per-flow analysis across hundreds of test ports at full-line rate.
http://www.ixiacom.com

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Ralink Intros 2x2 MIMO Dual-band 802.11n and Bluetooth Chipset

Ralink Technology introduced a chipset capable of simultaneous 300 Mbps 2x2 MIMO dual band 802.11n and Bluetooth 3.0+HS operation. The half MiniCard, which is designed for PCs, notebooks, netbooks and connected mobile devices, provides concurrent operation of dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth's highest performance modes. Peer-to-peer gaming, shared and tethered connections can now be initiated via Bluetooth 3.0+HS detection and setup while 2x2 MIMO 802.11n dual-band Wi-Fi boosts data rates to 300Mpbs. The company said its chipset eliminates interference by allowing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth components to coexist in the same band or to function in separate frequency bands. It dynamically adjusts WLAN and Bluetooth transmission parameters to reduce interference, maximize performance, and automatically adjust to the presence and operating characteristics of nearby Wi-Fi networks.


Ralink Technology also introduced its two next generation xDSL2+ 11n Wi-Fi IAD (Integrated Access Device) solutions/ The ADSL2+ and 802.11n CPE solution, which is applicable for ADSL single-port 1T1R/2T2R and four-port 1T1R/2T2R 802.11n Wi-Fi gateways, also supports a variety of peripherals via USB2.0 host interface to meet customer demand for digital home peripherals and applications such as connecting media server disk drives and optional 3G connections.
http://www.ralinktech.com

• Earlier this year, Ralink Technology, a leading supplier of WiFi silicon solutions, acquired TrendChip Technologies Corporation, a leading supplier of DSL chipsets. Both companies are listed on the listed on Taiwan's TAIEX exchange.

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Brocade Shows Three New Blades

Brocade unveiled three new blades for its flagship NetIron MLX Series and the Brocade DCX Backbone platforms.



The new Brocade 8×10G-M Series Blade for Carrier Ethernet networks and 8×10G-D Series Blade for the data center double the wire-speed 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) density for the NetIron MLX to 256 ports on a single chassis. The new Brocade 8×10G-M Series blade provides full IPv4/IPv6 functionality, MPLS, VPLS and 512K forwarding information base (FIB) capacity. The new Brocade 8×10G-D Series blade for the NetIron MLX also supports IPv4/IPv6 functionality with a FIB capacity of up to 256K IPv4 routes. The company said these blades also help deliver a 45 percent reduction in power and cooling over Brocade's current offering.


Brocade also unveiled the new 64-port 8 Gbps Fibre Channel blade for the Brocade DCX, enabling a density of up to 512 ports per chassis. The new blade increases port density by more than 33 percent to 512 ports per chassis.


The 8×10G-M Series for Carrier Ethernet customers is currently available with pricing starting at US$39,995. The 8×10G-D Series for data center customers will be available in mid 2010 and will start at US$27,995. The Brocade FC8-64 blade for SAN customers will be available through Brocade OEM and channel partners.
http://www.brocade.com

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Ceragon Cuts Power Consumption with Latest Long Haul Radio

Ceragon Networks introduced the newest member of its FibeAir RFU (Radio Frequency Unit) solutions family -- a Green Mode RFU-HP model offering for 1 Gbps IP trunks. The new RFU-HP can reduce radio link power consumption by as much as 30% compared with existing solutions.



Ceragon said its Green Mode RFU-HP offers automatic control of both the power consumption as well as the transmission power, ensuring that no excess energy is used while the network operates in "steady state." Under fading conditions the power is automatically increased to compensate for signal loss and to ensure the link continues to meet the required performance level. Additional capabilities include:

• Transmit power of up to 32dBm, both in split and all indoor configurations. The Green Mode RFU-HP feature also allows carriers to use smaller, less costly antennas without compromising the link's reach or performance.
  
  
• High capacity -- Operating in any standard channel bandwidth up to 56 MHz, Green Mode RFU-HP delivers up to 500Mbps on a single channel, and up to 1Gbps using cross polarization Interference Canceller (XPIC).
  
  
• All-outdoor Trunk IP Networks -- RFU-HP can be deployed in combination with Ceragon's FibeAir IP-10 solutions family in all-outdoor configurations.
  
  
• Support for asymmetric transmission -- the RFU-HP can be used in asymmetric mode (higher bandwidths downstream, lower bandwidths upstream).
  
  
• Adaptive Transmit Power & Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) -- Ensuring that each microwave radio is automatically optimized to provide the best performance under changing weather conditions. Adaptive transmit power is used to lower the signal output power when environmental conditions are good in order to reduce power consumption and network interference.

http://www.ceragon.com

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AboveNet Launches Core Wave Services

AboveNet has expanded its Metro portfolio with the launch of Core Wave services, enabling 1Gbps and higher connectivity over a dedicated wavelength between key data centers and/or enterprise locations within a metro area.


AboveNet's Core Wave uses ROADMs (Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexers) on a metro fiber ring. The ROADMs provide dynamic wavelength Add/Drops and inter-ring connectivity with flexible traffic routing. The technology is scalable, with the ability to grow to 40G and 100G. Some of the features of Core Wave services include:

• Multi-protocol capability: Ethernet, TDM, Storage and Video


• Protection options and transparency advantages


• Dedicated fiber access to enterprise locations


• Faster turn-up of services


• Space and power savings


• Latency guarantee via AboveNet's Agility Guarantee program

Core Wave is currently available in the Washington DC and Los Angeles metro areas, with additional markets to be announced shortly.
http://www.abovenet.com

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Tata Communications Opens Public TelePresence Room in Singapore

Tata Communications has opened a public Cisco Telepresence room at The Rendezvous Hotel in Singapore. The facility is located next to the Singapore Management University and in between the renowned shopping district, Orchard Road, and Singapore's economic hub, Raffles Place CBD. It is the latest addition to Tata Communications', and their community of partners', existing network of 13 public Telepresence rooms worldwide. An additional 25 new public Telepresence rooms are planned for 2010. Scheduled locations include Hong Kong and Malaysia.
http://www.cisco.com

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NSN's New GSM base station + antenna Promises Double Capacity

Nokia Siemens Networks announced a new base station and antenna combination doubles GSM network capacity by improving spectrum efficiency and network performance.


The company said this new GSM base station allows network operators to increase capacity by up to 100% within their existing spectrum to support drastically increasing subscriber numbers and provide a better mobile experience.


The new GSM base station site offering - a combination of a compact base station and latest dual beam antennas - follows the launch of Nokia Siemens Networks' High-Performance Site Solution for WCDMA/HSPA/HSPA+ and Internet-HSPA (I-HSPA) networks last year. It enables a six-sector site, instead of the traditional three-sector site used in most network rollouts today, to improve network capacity and coverage. The new offering also increases the signaling capacity that is crucial to support applications like push email, Facebook, Twitter, etc for smartphone users and added subscriber base in the existing network resources.


"Our base station site innovation helps operators across the world to significantly increase their network coverage, and enhance customer experience and loyalty," said Prashant Agnihotri, head of Product Management for GSM/EDGE, Nokia Siemens Networks. "We are already deploying this technology in India, and it marks our commitment to constantly improve network efficiency. Our software increases network capacity and optimizes spectral efficiency in all markets where spectrum is scarce."http://www.nsn.com

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Cisco Forecast: 4X Internet Traffic by 2014

Global Internet traffic will increase more than fourfold to 767 exabytes, or more than 3/4 of a Zettabyte, by 2014, according to the latest Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast issued by Cisco. This amount is 100 exabytes higher than the projected level in 2013, or an increase the equivalent of 10 times all the traffic traversing Internet Protocol networks in 2008.


Cisco said this growth in traffic will continue to be dominated by video, exceeding 91 percent of global consumer IP traffic by 2014 -- especially HDTV and 3DTV. By 2014, 3-D is forecast to comprise 4 percent of total consumer Internet video traffic, while HDTV will account for 38 percent. The total global audience for online video is expected to be over one billion by this date, and the sum of all forms of video (TV, VoD, Internet video, and peer-to-peer) will continue to exceed 91 percent of global consumer traffic.


Some other highlights:

• Global file sharing traffic is projected to reach 11 exabytes per month in 2014, 22 percent CAGR from 2009-2014.



• P2P will grow at a CAGR of 16 percent, while web-based and other file sharing will grow at CAGR of 47 percent from 2009-2014.



• By 2014, global P2P traffic will be 17 percent of global consumer Internet traffic, down from 36 percent in 2009.



• Global business IP Traffic is forecast to reach 7.7 exabytes per month in 2014, more than tripling from 2009-2014.



• Business video conferencing is projected grow ten-fold over the forecast period, growing almost three times as fast as overall business IP traffic, at a CAGR of 57 percent from 2009-2014.



• Web-based video conferencing is the fastest growing sub-category, growing 180-fold from 2009-2014 (183 percent CAGR from 2009-2014).



• Global mobile data traffic will increase 39 times from 2009 to 2014.



• By 2014, annual global mobile data traffic will reach 3.5 exabytes per month (or a run rate of more than 42 exabytes annually).



• Consumer IP traffic is projected to grow faster than business: For 2009, consumer IP traffic represented 79 percent of monthly total global IP traffic and business IP traffic was 21 percent of monthly total global IP traffic. By 2014, consumer IP traffic (web surfing, instant messaging, user-generated videos, etc.) will represent 87 percent of monthly total global IP traffic; while business IP traffic (email, voice, Internet, HD and web-based video conferencing, etc.) will represent 13 percent of monthly total global IP traffic.

http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2010/prod_060210.html

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AT&T Updates Mobile Data Pricing, Eliminating Unlimited Plan

AT&T updated its mobile data pricing plans to eliminate the option of unlimited data, including for iPhone users, while lowering the monthly cost for the majority of users. Current smartphone customers are not required to switch to the new plans, but can choose to do so without a contract extension. AT&T is also providing unlimited access at no additional charge to more than 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots in the U.S. Customers can also use unlimited Wi-Fi at home, in the office or elsewhere if available.


The new AT&T plans are:

• DataPlus. Provides 200 megabytes (MB) of data for $15 per month. This plan, which can save customers up to 50 percent off their wireless data charges. If customers exceed 200 MB in a monthly billing cycle, they will receive an additional 200 MB of data usage for $15 for use in the cycle. Currently, 65 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 200 MB of data per month on average.



• DataPro. Provides 2 gigabytes (GB) of data for $25 per month. Should a customer exceed 2 GB during a billing cycle, they will receive an additional 1 GB of data for $10 for use in the cycle. Currently, 98 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 2 GB of data a month on average.



• Tethering. Smartphone customers -- including iPhone customers -- who choose the DataPro plan have the option to add tethering for an additional $20 per month. Tethering lets customers use their smartphones as a modem to provide a broadband connection for laptop computers, netbooks or other computing devices. Tethering for iPhones will be available when Apple releases iPhone OS 4 this summer.



• iPad. A new $25 per month 2 GB plan will replace the existing $29.99 unlimited plan. iPad customers will continue to pre-pay for their wireless data plan and no contract is required. Existing iPad customers who have the $29.99 per month unlimited plan can keep that plan or switch to the new $25 per month plan with 2 GB of data.



• Customer Text Notifications On Data Usage. When customers begin to approach their monthly usage limit, AT&T will send three text notifications -- after they reach 65 percent, 90 percent and 100 percent of the threshold. Customers will also be sent emails if AT&T has their email address.

http://www.att.com

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