Aruba Posts Record Revenues, 1,500 New Customers in Latest Quarter

Aruba Networks reported record financial results for its fiscal second quarter 2012 ended January 31, 2012. Revenue for Q2’12 was $126.3 million, an increase of 35 percent from the $93.9 million reported in Q2’11. GAAP net loss for Q2’12 was $11.4 million, or $0.11 per share, compared with $2.8 million, or $0.03 per share, for the same period in the previous year. Non-GAAP net income was $19.4 million, or $0.16 per share, compared with of $16.3 million, or $0.14 per share, in Q2’11.


“Second quarter revenue grew by 35 percent over last year as new and existing customers looked to Aruba’s differentiated solution to solve some of their most strategic IT needs,�? said Dominic Orr, president and chief executive officer. “Our differentiation in security, scalability and mobility software has been built over the last ten years and continues to help us win. To further address our customers mobility needs, we continue to expand our innovative product portfolio with software solutions leveraging our Avenda and Amigopod acquisitions.�?


The company added over 1,500 new customers in Q2 to surpass 19,000 cumulative customers.
http://www.arubanetworks.com

Read More

Vantage Data Centers Sees Strong Silicon Valley Demand

Vantage Data Centers reports robust demand in the heart of Silicon Valley. The company, which took over a former 18-acre Intel facility in Santa Clara, California, is accelerating the construction and availability of V1, the third data center on its three-building campus. The first two data centers building in the complex (V2 and V3) are 100% leased.


The new V1 facility is a 198,000 square feet, two-story data center that will support 22 MWs of IT load when complete. Approximately 40% of V1 is already under contract and the company anticipates the facility will sell out before construction is complete. In December, Telx announced that it had leased 5.7 MWs of capacity in V1. Telx is a strategic tenant who offers a complementary mix of colocation and interconnection services, allowing Vantage to offer more options to current and future customers.


In addition, Vantage Data Centers reported that its V2 facility is delivering a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.12, making it one of the most energy-efficient data centers in the industry. V2 was constructed and leased two years ahead of Vantage’s original business plan and developed in close collaboration with the single tenant now occupying the building.
http://www.vantagedatacenters.com

Read More

Sony Ericsson Divestiture Completed

Sony completed the buy-out of Ericsson's 50% stake in their joint venture, Sony Ericsson.


Ericsson's gain on the transaction will be approximately SEK 7.5 billion (approx. US$1.1 billion).
http://www.sony.com
http://www.ericsson.com

• The Sony Ericsson joint venture was created in 2001.

Read More

AppliedMicro Samples 28.1 Gbps CMOS PHY for 100GBASE-LR4

AppliedMicro has begun sampling the world's fastest CMOS PHY at 28.1Gbps. The new S28010 Gearbox integrated circuit is designed for next generation CFP optical modules compliant with 100GBASE-LR4, 100GBASE-ER4 and OTU4.4 standards, supporting optical connection speeds from 10Gbps to 100Gbps for high-end switching and routing equipment.


Until now, industry adoption efforts have been slowed by high-cost, power-hungry SiGe or FPGA integrated circuits that are limited and unable to provide transport-quality performance and reliability.


AppliedMicro said its 28010 Gearbox delivers SiGe-like performance in a reliable, low-power CMOS process and enables system designs with the flexibility to transport Ethernet, Fibre Channel and Optical Transport Network traffic.


AppliedMicro will demonstrate the S28010 Gearbox at OFC/NFOEC 2012 from March 6-8 in Los Angeles.


“Data center and access network developers have been eager for 100GBASE-R4 Gearbox devices that lower power and cost while improving reliability and availability,�? said George Jones, Vice President of AppliedMicro’s Transport Business Unit. “The S28010 is designed to allow module vendors to supply CFP-based solutions that support Ethernet, Fibre-channel and Optical Transport Networks using a single chip, exceeding jitter requirements in the process. The 28Gbps interface contains enhanced equalization for line-card compatibility with CFP2 and potentially CFP4 modules when they become available. The S28010 also integrates ODB precoding and decoding to support metro applications."


AppliedMicro’s Gearbox translates the 10-lane, 10Gbps CAUI electrical interface to 4-lanes operating from 25.7 up to 28.1 Gbps. It is compliant with IEEE802.3ba, the CFP MSA and OIF-28G-SR standards. The fully-integrated single-chip solution reduces module bill of materials and with power consumption below 4 watts, it is less than 50 percent of comparable 2-chip BiCMOS solutions. The result is reduced system heat and lower operational costs without compromising performance.
http://www.apm.com

Read More

NEC to Leverage 60GHz Microwave for Small Cell Backhaul

NEC announced plans to leverage 60GHz radio as its key technology for the backhaul of small cells. The company's first field trials are expected later this year.


NEC cited license-free bandwidth availability at 60GHz and the uniquely high channel re-use characteristics of this spectrum as reasons for this strategic decision. The company believes 60GHz is ideally suited to deliver high capacity and low latency connections to hundreds of cell sites, which will be rapidly deployed in concentrated coverage areas of busy city squares and avenues. Furthermore, the choice of the zero-cost 60GHz spectrum allows the design of compact products, which can be easily installed and aesthetically concealed within a wide variety of urban environments. In addition, NEC has developed features for intelligent provisioning of backhaul resources and protection against performance degradations, resulting in improved capacity efficiency and elimination of costly manual maintenance and troubleshooting.


"NEC was one of the first companies to set the vision for small cell networks and today we follow this up by taking a pioneering role in small cell backhaul,�? said Dejan Bojic, senior product manager, Backhaul, NEC Corporation. “We complement the 60GHz wireless technology with intelligent network resource management to deliver the backhaul solution with performance and costs tailored to small cell deployment requirements. Our customers’ response has been enthusiastic and we are looking forward to field trials.
http://www.nec.co.jp

Read More

Blue Coat's Privatization is Complete

An investor group led by private equity investment firm Thoma Bravo has completed its previously announced acquisition of Blue Coat Systems. Blue Coat shareholders will be entitled to receive $25.81 in cash per share of common stock they currently possess. The company's listing on NASDAQ has been withdrawn.


"Blue Coat will be an excellent addition to our portfolio of software and technology companies," said Thoma Bravo managing partner Orlando Bravo. "We believe we can help it achieve its strategic vision and aggressively advance its leadership in the Web security and WAN optimization markets."http://www.bluecoat.com

Read More

Colt Deploys ADVA FSP 3000 Multi-Degree ROADM in Dublin

Colt has selected ADVA Optical Networking's FSP 3000 as the foundation of its new ROADM-based network in Dublin, Ireland. The infrastructure enables incremental bandwidth to be added on demand with fast provisioning through the FSP Service Manager. The eleven-node, ring-based network spanning 100km is capable of flexible service routing that reduces operational costs, planning time and lead times when deploying new services.


"The multi-degree ROADM architecture provides us with a flexible provisioning option, allowing us to easily provide access at nodes as demand grows with point-and-click technology, giving us a competitive advantage to attract customers through reduced lead times�? said Ken Sherry, operations director for Colt in Ireland. http://www.advaoptical.com

Read More

Leap Hires Former T-Mobile USA CIO

Leap Wireless International announced the appointment of Robert A. Strickland as executive vice president and chief technical officer, a position in which he will have responsibility for the company's information technology, engineering and network operations. Strickland is charged with setting and managing Leap's long-term network technology strategy. Previously, Strickland was senior vice president and chief information officer at T-Mobile USA, responsible for all software development including handsets and related infrastructure elements, the company's billing, customer care and other related systems and all telecommunications platforms.


Leap also announced the appointment of Bill Ingram as executive vice president, strategy and as acting chief financial officer, effective March 1, 2012.
http://www.leapwireless.com

Read More

LightSquared Fires Back at FCC, Claims $4 billion Spent

Following the NTIA's finding that there is "no practical solution" to the GPS interference issue with LightSquared's proposed network, and the FCC's subsequent decision to rescind its conditional approval of the network, LightSquared fired back. In a press statement, Sanjiv Ahuja, Chairman and CEO of LightSquared states:


"After years of receiving regulatory approvals, the FCC approved LightSquared to build its ground network in 2005. In 2010, the FCC amended that plan, requiring LightSquared to build a national broadband network that reached 260 million Americans. At the government's mandate, LightSquared began investing billions of dollars in America's infrastructure – without asking for any money from the American taxpayer. Yesterday, after LightSquared had already spent nearly $4 billion, the FCC changed its mind. There can be no more devastating blow to private industry and confidence in the consistency of the FCC's decision-making process." http://www.lightsquared.com

Read More

Gigamon Adds High-Accuracy Packet "Time-Stamping" to Network Monitoring

Gigamon has enhanced its Traffic Visibility Fabric solutions with an FPGA-based, high-speed time-stamping capability that can be applied to packets directly at the ingress ports with nanosecond accuracy.

Accurate time-stamping of traffic traversing production networks enables architects, engineers and operators of High Frequency Trading (HFT), financial and service provider infrastructures to analyze, evaluate, manage and tune the latency of transactions.

Gigamon has previously provided a GigaSMART Time Stamping module as part of its GigaVUE-2404 platform. This time-stamping module allows enterprise customers to accurately measure application response times, jitter and latency by marking incoming packets with microsecond precision.

The new H Series GigaPORT-X12-TS line card improves this time-stamping to nanosecond level accuracy, thereby supporting applications such as high frequency trading.

It also supports the PTPv2 timing standard (IEEE 1588), dramatically improving the timing accuracy and visibility into enhanced latency, jitter and bidirectional transactional performance.

Gigamon said this new time stamping technology enables out-of-band network analysis to occur at a single location, which drives operational efficiency and reduces infrastructure complexity and cost. Combined with GPS synchronization, GigaPORT-X12-TS enables enhanced accuracy across networks that span hundreds or thousands of miles.
http://www.gigamon.com

Read More

OIF to Demonstrate Ethernet over OTN

Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom/Orange, KDDI and Verizon are hosting a global test of Ethernet services over OTN transport. The testing is proving out updates to the existing OIF ENN-I 2.0 and UNI 2.0 Implementation Agreements under development, with extensions for both multi-layer and OTN. The goal of the interoperability testing is to marry Ethernet as the predominant access and client interconnect technology, and OTN as the dominant transport technology.


A demonstration of the interoperability tests will be on display at next month's OFC/NFOEC in Los Angeles.


Vendors participating in the interoperability test include ADVA Optical Networking, Alcatel-Lucent, Ciena, EXFO, Huawei, Marben Products, Metaswitch, and Tellabs. Additional carriers consulting on the interoperability test include AT&T, China Telecom and NTT.

"The combination of Ethernet services and OTN transport is compelling and there is momentum in the industry to converge these technologies,�? said Jim Jones of Alcatel-Lucent and the OIF’s president and Networking Interoperability Working Group chair. “The OIF continues to bridge those worlds, making them dynamic and synergistic."http://www.oiforum.com

Read More

NEC Release Small LTE Base Station

NEC introduced a compact all-in-one LTE base station designed for installation in areas with limited space, such as rooftops and compact indoor spaces.


The MB4300 series features a high function processor with a volume of less than 10L, a weight of less than 10kg and an output power of 2 x 5W (MIMO). It can serve up to 200 subscribers.


NEC also features an advanced SON (self-organizing network) capability for autonomous network configuration, optimization and automated network management, which reduces time for deployment and enables telecom carriers to reduce their CAPEX and OPEX.
http://www.nec.co.jp

Read More

Comcast Posts Strong Results, Increases Dividend and Share Repurchase Plan

Comcast reported solid cable customer metrics for Q4 2011 and good results from theme parks and NBCUniversal, leading the company to increase its dividend by 44% and adopt a new $6.5 billion share repurchase plan.


Including the integration of NBCUniversal, Comcast's revenue increased 54.7% in the fourth quarter of 2011 to $15.0 billion, while Operating Cash Flow increased 32.3% to $4.9 billion and Operating Income increased 45.0% to $2.9 billion.


"Last year was a very important year for our company. Cable continued to drive innovation, increase new product introductions and transform the customer experience, and we successfully integrated NBCUniversal. We also reported strong financial and operating results in both the fourth quarter and for the full year. Specifically, cable had another terrific quarter of improving customer metrics, demonstrating that our new XFINITY brand and our intensified focus on service and innovation are making a real difference. Our results at NBCUniversal underscore the strong performance of the cable networks and theme parks, and we continue to make progress enhancing the franchise values of its businesses," stated Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast.


Earnings per Share (EPS) for the fourth quarter of 2011 was $0.47, a 30.6% increase from the $0.36 reported in the fourth quarter of 2010. Excluding NBCUniversal transaction and related costs and other non-recurring items, EPS increased 34.3% in the fourth quarter of 2011.


Cable revenue increased 4.7% to $9.5 billion compared to $9.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010. This increase was driven by a 10.1% increase in high-speed internet revenue and a 36.8% increase in business services revenue. Advertising revenue decreased 9.3%, reflecting lower political advertising in the fourth quarter of 2011.


Monthly average total revenue per video customer increased 7.1% to $141.24, reflecting a growing number of residential customers taking multiple products, rate adjustments and a higher contribution from business services.


Comcast added 336,000 High-Speed Internet customers in Q4 2011 and ended the year with 18,147,000 customers.


Cable capital expenditures decreased 12.4% to $1.3 billion, primarily reflecting lower spending on customer premise equipment. Cable capital expenditures equaled 13.9% of Cable revenue in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to 16.6% in last year's fourth quarter.
http://www.comcast.com

Read More

FCC Streamlines 800 MHz Cellular Service Licensing

The FCC adopted rules aimed at providing licensees with greater flexibility to provide advanced communications service in areas currently unlicensed in the 800 MHz Cellular Service (Cellular Service). Specifically, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and Order proposes to revise the licensing model for the Cellular Service from a site-based to a geographically-based approach.


Since its inception approximately 30 years ago, the Cellular Service has transformed the
communications landscape by making mobile services broadly available to the American public. For
many years, the Cellular Service’s licensing model helped successfully drive widespread construction and
initial service to the public.


The FCC noted that Cellular Service markets today are almost completely licensed, with
only limited unlicensed Cellular Service area remaining; as such, the site-based model is yielding
diminished returns. As regions become substantially developed, the significant administrative burdens on
licensees associated with the site-based model may no longer outweigh the public benefits.


The proposal for a geographically-based model would bring the Cellular Service into harmony with more flexible licensing schemes used successfully by other similar mobile services, such as PCS, the 700 MHz Service, and AWS.


FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski commented: "Today we take another important step in our work to reform the FCC, reduce unnecessary administrative burdens, and increase regulatory parity. We are proposing to migrate the 800 MHz cellular spectrum from a site-based to a geographic-based licensing system, which will reduce licensing and filing burdens relating to use of the spectrum."


"The 800 MHz Cellular Radiotelephone Service is the band that spawned the mobile revolution roughly 30 years ago, and its unique site-by-site licensing model helped bring mobile service to all Americans, even in remote rural areas. But the original licensing model has outlived its original utility. It’s time to transition from the old site-based licensing model to a more flexible geographically-licensed model."http://www.fcc.gov

Read More

T-Mobile Poland and Orange Poland Agree to Radio Network Sharing

T-Mobile Poland and Orange Poland have selected Nokia Siemens Networks as one of the vendors to deploy and upgrade their GSM and HSPA networks, enable radio network sharing and prepare for LTE.


Nokia Siemens Networks will provide its Single RAN (radio access network) platform and related services to improve the network performance, reduce costs and make the shared network LTE-ready. Flexi Multiradio Base Stations will replace a large part of the existing GSM and HSPA radio access sites. The platform will also allow a percentage of the existing sites to be re-used, thereby lowering costs while protecting investments. In addition, NSN will supply its NetAct network management system to ensure a single view of all the different network technologies, consolidating network monitoring, management and optimization within this shared environment. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Currently, Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa operates the T-Mobile network, while PTK Centertel runs the Orange network, and these will be managed by a joint venture called NetWorkS!http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

• In January, PTK and the Polish Digital Telephony SA announced contracts with both Huawei and Nokia Siemens Networks for NetWorkS! The network sharing deal between the operators was first announced in July 2011.

Read More

FCC Requires VoIP Outage Reporting

In an effort to boost the nation’s 9-1-1 services, the FCC will begin requiring interconnected VoIP service providers to report significant network outages that meet specific criteria and thresholds.


Specificantly, the FCC’s Report and Order defines outage reporting for interconnected VoIP service, establishes reporting criteria and thresholds, and discusses how the reporting process should work, what information should be
reported, and confidential treatment of the outage reports.


The FCC plans to use outage reports to track and analyze information on interconnected VoIP outages affecting 9-1-1 service and determine if action is needed to prevent future outages.


According to the FCC’s most recent Local Competition Report, almost one-third of the more than 87 million residential telephone subscriptions are now provided as interconnected VoIP service. This means that interconnected VoIP platforms are carrying a substantial volume of 9-1-1 calls.


The FCC deferred action on a number of questions, including the possibility of setting thresholds for reporting outages of broadband Internet service, and measurements for outages of both interconnected VoIP and broadband Internet services based on performance degradation, as opposed to complete service outage.
http://www.fcc.gov

Read More

Digging Deeper into Cisco's Global Mobile Data Forecast 2012

http://youtu.be/p9Tz-ijDDfA

Read More