Brocade Delivers 100GigE 2-Port 100 GbE Blade to CERN

Brocade has now delivered over 100 of its two-port 100GbE blades to CERN, the European particle physics laboratory.


CERN’s demanding environment exceeds 15 petabytes or 15 million gigabytes of data traffic per year. To put this number in perspective, 15 petabytes is equivalent to approximately 200 years of continuously running HD-quality video.


“We first selected the Brocade MLXe routers one year ago because it was a perfect fit for our stringent networking requirements in the near-and-long term (we test products to destruction); now that we are ready for 100 GbE, it was a simple line card addition to multiply our network performance,�? said Jean-Michel Jouanigot, Communication Systems Group Leader, IT Department, at CERN. “I do not see our appetite for data waning in the future, so with the addition of the Brocade MLXe with 100 GbE in our environment, I am confident we have a blueprint for success.�?


Tithe Brocade MLXe router offers 32 wire-speed 100 GbE ports and a total switching capacity of 15.36 Terabits in a single chassis.
http://www.brocade.com

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AppliedMicro Delivers Embedded Processor for 802.11ac Wireless Access Points

AppliedMicro introduced its new Catalina APM86491 embedded System-on-a-Chip (SoC) processor for next generation IEEE 802.11ac wireless access points with an enterprise-class QoS engine, TCP offload engines, a 4 Gbps packet classification engine and application aware offloads. These advanced capabilities will be essential in supporting the new class of all-in-one home appliances that serve as a router, wireless access point and networked storage drive.


Catalina’s highly integrated design supports a variety of high speed interfaces within the device. Two PCI-Express 2.0 interfaces support dual concurrent 802.11ac radio devices; two SATA interfaces support internal storage connectivity and two USB 3.0 ports - one host and one OTG - provide external storage connectivity. Additionally, four Gigabit Ethernet ports are available for a variety of network configurations.


AppliedMicro said this combination enables next generation 802.11ac wireless access points to be integrated into all-in-one network appliances. Catalina APM86491 is the industry’s first embedded processor equipped to handle the bandwidth requirements of this new class of consumer home network systems.


AppliedMicro also offers the industry’s first integrated software programmable co-processor within the APM86491 Catalina SoC for application specific customizable offloads. Performance is also provided by Catalina’s 1 GHz Power Architecture 465 CPU featuring a dual issue, out-of-order processor core. Catalina features an advanced hardware-based QoS engine with support for DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) for prioritization of real-time and latency sensitive traffic. The SoC leverages its queue manager and classifier to perform bandwidth management with 256 queues, 1024 search filters, and 128 traffic policers and shapers. This provides a richer video experience while voice and web traffic remain unaffected by multiple simultaneous streams and applications.


Catalina provides 64-byte L2 bridging performance with a classifier offload equal to 762Mbps, delivers 100 percent Ethernet line rate performance with no CPU utilization. IP forwarding 64-byte performance with classifier offload delivers 621Mbps at 100 percent CPU utilization. IP forwarding 1500-byte performance with classifier offload delivers 986Mbps at zero percent CPU utilization. Catalina’s Robocopy NAS writes equal 110 Megabytes per second (MBps) at 80 percent CPU utilization. Iometer NAS writes are 110 MBps at 35 percent CPU utilization and Iometer NAS reads are 108 MBps at 40 percent CPU utilization.


“Current integrated radio and processor SoC solutions are unable to deliver the performance demanded by IEEE 802.11ac base systems, providing Catalina with unique positioning in this market. The latest WLAN standard offers longer range and improved wall penetration for better wireless network service. Additionally, 802.11ac supports more users and higher throughput to enable a richer media experience,�? said Vinay Ravuri, Vice President and General Manager of the Embedded Processor Business Unit of AppliedMicro. “In order to build next-generation systems, it is essential to have a CPU with the throughput that delivers a high quality video streaming experience and support for multiple simultaneous streams. Catalina’s SLIMpro™ co-processor, TCP offload engines for both transmit and receive, queue manager, classifier and security engine divert CPU intensive tasks into hardware to deliver the industry’s best throughput performance for next-generation wireless access point designs.�?http://www.apm.com

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Taoglas Brings LTE Antenna to Verizon LTE Innovation Center

Verizon Wireless is showcasing a new LTE antenna from Taoglas, which specializes in external, embedded and base station antenna solutions for M2M applications. Taoglas' LTE antenna will be featured in two remote-presence solutions: VGo's all-in-one robotic telepresence solution and also InTouch Health's monitors and tablets for remote-presence telemedicine.


The Taoglas "Viking" antenna is a septa-band, surface mount antenna (SMT) covering all worldwide cellular bands from 700 MHz to 960 MHz and 1710 MHz to 2170 MHz for GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, DCS, PCS, UMTS, HSDPA, GPRS, EDGE and LTE.
The company says its design delivers efficiency of over 65% while being significantly smaller than current market wide-band antennas.


Taoglas is a Verizon LTE Innovation Center participant, providing antenna and RF testing and design expertise to Verizon's machine-to-machine (M2M) LTE device manufacturers.


Dermot O'Shea, joint managing director for Taoglas, said, "Taoglas was selected by Verizon to be an LTE Innovation Center participant because of our understanding and extensive experience delivering 2G and 3G M2M antenna solutions successfully to Verizon customers over the years. We already have an LTE antenna solution approved and in use in two M2M products. It is encouraging to see Verizon's fast-paced and innovative center that is realizing the great potential for 4G LTE in the M2M market."http://www.verizonwireless.com
http://www.taoglas.com

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T-Mobile USA Continues HSPA+ Expansion

T-Mobile USA announced the continued expansion of its HSPA+ network and the coming availability of the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G smartphone and the Nokia Lumia 710 Windows phone. T-Mobile has doubled the speed of its 4G network in 12 additional markets, offering faster 4G (HSPA+ 42) to 184 million Americans in 175 markets. In addition, T-Mobile expanded the reach of its nationwide 4G (HSPA+ 21) network to nine additional markets, now covering 217 markets across the country and reaching more than 200 million people.


T-Mobile USA noted that the AT&T breakup concessions give it valuable spectrum. T-Mobile will receive, pending regulatory approval, a large package of AWS mobile spectrum in 128 Cellular Market Areas (CMAs), including 12 of the top 20 markets.


"Our 4G network is better than ever heading into 2012," said Neville Ray, chief technology officer, T-Mobile USA. "HSPA+ will continue to deliver a competitive mobile broadband experience for our customers in the coming years as we evaluate our options for continued investment and evolution of our 4G network."


The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G will be the third smartphone to take advantage of 4G HSPA+ 42 technology running on T-Mobile USA's network.
http://www.T-Mobile.com

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Corning Gorilla Glass 2 is 20% Thinner

Corning unveiled its Gorilla Glass 2 delivering a 20 percent reduction in glass thickness while maintaining damage resistance, toughness, and scratch resistance for a mobile devices, tablets and other consumer devices/appliances.


Corning says its thinner Gorilla Glass 2 enables slimmer and sleeker devices, brighter images, and greater touch sensitivity. Product qualification and design implementation are underway.


Corning Gorilla Glass is expected to reach more than $700 million in 2011 sales, nearly triple 2010 results.
http://www.corning.com

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Novatel Wireless Demos 10 4G Solutions with Verizon Wireless

At CES, Novatel Wireless is showcasing an array of mobile computing, mobile Internet and media platforms utilizing the Novatel Wireless Expedite E362 PCI Express Mini Card running on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, including:


Ambient Smart Grid Communication Node – a network device designed to support utility applications on the distribution grid supporting Smart Metering, Distribution Automation, Distribution Management, Demand Response, Distributed Generation and more.


BL Healthcare Access Tablet – an all-in-one, touchscreen, remote care patient management platform that provides vital sign monitoring, interactive messaging and queries, multimedia education, and multi-party video conferencing.


Consert Smart Meter – a solution designed to create a more reliable electric grid by offering real-time, integrated load management through the pairing of utility and consumer offerings.


In Motion In-Vehicle Router/Gateway – a "Mobile ER" with real-time mobile video and voice that is essential to improving EMS operations and patient care.


Manley Solutions Air Quality Monitor – a 4G LTE-enabled air quality monitor that delivers Multi-Point Indoor Air Quality Sensors utilizing wireless telemetry communication. This product will provide healthcare professionals with a clear look into a patient's living and working conditions.


Manley Solutions Alarm Panel Tablet – a 4G LTE-enabled Control Panel that delivers Multi-Point Alarm Sensors utilizing wireless telemetry communication. This device enables user control and monitoring of a home or office through the use of sensors and video surveillance.


Seagate Personal Cloud – a pocket-sized, rechargeable personal server, compatible with all iOS, Android, and Windows smartphones, tablets, PCs and Macs to match a user's wireless lifestyle without the need for power cords or USB cables and provide access to 500 GB of content on the go.


Systech Financial/POS Gateway – a single device that connects a wide range of retail equipment (POS, building management, security, etc.) into a single and secure network.


VGo Robotic Telepresence – an all-in-one robotic telepresence solution that serves as a productivity improvement solution that enables a person to replicate himself or herself in a distant location with the freedom to move around as if they were physically there.


TouchTunes Virtuo – an Interactive Media Center/Juke Box that provides an interactive entertainment, advertising and commerce network, reaching and engaging consumers online and in-venue where they socialize, dine and shop.
http://www.novatelwireless.com/

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Qualcomm and Microsoft Target LTE + Windows 8

At CES, Qualcomm is collaborating with Microsoft to demonstrate pre-release Windows 8 on Snapdragon S4 processors with LTE. The demo uses the AT&T 4G LTE network.


Snapdragon-enabled Windows 8 PCs, including tablets, convertibles and notebooks, will also be enhanced by Qualcomm's mobile Internet connectivity platform, Gobi, which provides advanced 3G/4G connectivity and integrated LTE world mode support. Qualcomm's Gobi 4000 platform allows device manufacturers to offer both LTE/HSPA+ and LTE/EV-DO.
http://www.qualcomm.com

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Motorola Mobility to Use Intel in Smartphones

Intel and Motorola Mobility announced a multi-year, multi-device strategic relationship that includes smartphones. Motorola will offer its first Android smartphone powered by an Intel Atom processors later this year. The collaboration also covers tablets.
http://www.intel.com

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BridgeWave Secures $10.3 Million for 4G Millimeter Wave Backhaul

BridgeWave Communications, which supplies 4G millimeter wave backhaul solutions, has secured an additional $10.3 million in financing to support accelerating growth in the backhaul for network deployments. The round was led by Intel Capital and Morgan Creek Capital Management, with full participation from existing investors Core Capital Partners and Cipio Partners.


"This investment will allow us to ramp up production of our carrier-grade wireless backhaul products as we go into 2012,�? said Amir Makleff, BridgeWave president and CEO. “As mobile operators and carriers continue to see a substantial increase in traffic due to data-hungry mobile devices, they will turn to systems like ours to meet their network needs."



http://www.bridgewave.com

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NEC Carries 1.15 Tbps Superchannel over 10,000km

NEC Corporation (NEC) announced a successful experimental demonstration of 1.15-Tbps ultra-long haul optical transmission over 10,000 kilometers using optical superchannel technology.


The terabit/s channel generated was generated from a single laser source. NEC's test transmitted four of these superchannels using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) to achieve a total capacity of 4 Tbps and a spectral efficiency of 3.6 b/s/Hz.


Optical superchannels allow phase-locked carriers with independent modulation to overlap in frequency following the principles of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). This enables efficient bandwidth utilization, allowing higher spectral efficiency and higher data rate per laser through parallelization.


NEC said these results demonstrate that practical high-capacity transmission for transoceanic communication can be achieved using superchannel technology. Its system leverages optical multi-tone generation, large-core/ultra low-loss fiber, intradyne digital coherent detection, and digital equalization at higher oversampling, along with well-established technologies such as EDFAs and DP-QPSK modulation. The experiment yielded a 2-dB system margin above the hard decision FEC threshold without using processing-intensive MAP or MLSE algorithms.


"This success is another example of NEC's continuing leadership in high capacity, long distance optical communication technologies, following its record achievements of 101.7 Tb/s per fiber for single core fiber transmission, the first terabit field trial with coexisting 100G, 450G and 1T signals on the same fiber, and the highest order QAM optical transmission of 1024QAM" confirmed Dr. Yasuhiro Aoki, General Manager for NEC's Submarine Network business.
http://www.nec.co.jphttp://www.nec.co.jp/press/en/1201/1001.html

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BSkyB Deploys 100G Optical Backbone with Alcatel-Lucent

BSkyB (Sky), the UK’s leading home entertainment and communications company, has deployed a 100G optical transmission network to support its broadband and video services. Alcatel-Lucent has provided Sky with its 100G next generation optical coherent technology, including its 1626 Light Manager, enhanced with 100G next-generation coherent technology through the 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS). Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

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Mercedes-Benz USA Pushes "mbrace2" Telematics

At CES, Mercedes-Benz USA introduced its next generation "mbrace2" telematics platform for delivering safety, infotainment, personal assistance and vehicle care capabilities.


mbrace2, which is powered by Hughes Telematics, works seamlessly inside and outside the vehicle and offers a revamped control module with two all-new categories of services: Internet and remote access capabilities. It also includes a solution to remotely update all software modules via cloud networks. Specifically, mbrace2 features 3G network connectivity and enhanced integration with other vehicle networks. The new Internet-based service called "Mercedes-Benz Apps" includes features such as Facebook, Google, open browsing, stocks, Yelp! and news headlines. New remote access capabilities include Travel Zones/geo-fences, remote vehicle health diagnostics, Curfew Minder, Driving Journal, Speed Alerts, Valet Protect, and Remote Horns & Lights.


mbrace2 launches in 2012 with the MY13 SL-Class in the spring and will be standard in most MY13 passenger vehicles.
http://www.mbusa.comwww.hughestelematics.com

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Iliad's Free Mobile Launches EUR 19.99 Unlimited Service in France

The Iliad Group launched a new mobile service in France offering unlimited domestic and international calling to 40 countries, along with unlimited SMS and MMS, for only EUR 19.99 per month. The price can be further reduced to EUR 15.99 per month by subscribing to the Free broadband service as well. A more limited service for only EUR 2 per month provides 60 minutes of calling and 60 SMS messages per month.


The aggressive market entry is expected to set off a price war for mobile services in France.http://mobile.free.fr

• In September 2011, Free Mobile was awarded an LTE license covering a duplex frequency block of 20 MHz in the 2.6 GHz range, for which the company bid the sum of €271,000,000.



• In March 2011, Free Mobile (Iliad) and Orange announced a national roaming agreement covering their respective 2G and 3G networks in France. This agreement will take effect once Free Mobile has deployed a network that offers coverage for 25% of the French population. Under the terms of its license, Free Mobile has taken a clear commitment to deploy a network that offers coverage to at least 90% of the population by 2018.



• As of 30-September-2011, The Iliad Group had 4,790,000 subscribers for its Free and Alice broadband services.

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Consumer Electronic Sales to Hit $1 Trillion in 2012

Sales of consumer electronics (CE) are forecast surpass $200 billion in overall revenues in the U.S. during 2012, up 3.7% over last year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). Worldwide this figure is expected to top $1 trillion.


Tablet computers are the fastest growing category in CE history and will continue to see strong growth in 2012 with a projected 37.6 million units being shipped, an increase of 28 percent, resulting in $18.3 billion in revenue.


Smartphones will continue to be the primary revenue driver for the industry. Smartphone unit sales will increase 24 percent in 2012 with 108.8 million units projected to ship, resulting in $33.7 billion in revenue.


Laptop sales continue to rise as unit sales will increase to 23.5 million units accounting for $15.2 billion in revenue in 2012.


"Sales of mobile connected devices continue to drive the overall industry to historic highs," said Steve Koenig, CEA’s director of industry analysis. "A raft of innovative products hit the market late in 2011, and, as we’re seeing here at the 2012 International CES, many more devices will be introduced in the months ahead. Technologies that may have seemed cutting-edge in the past are now an integral part of consumers’ everyday lives."http://www.cesweb.org

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