Telstra International Deploys Infinera's 40 Gbps DTN to Undersea Cable

Telstra International has deployed Infinera’s 40 Gbps DTN solution for its optical subsea network in Asia. The deployment spans approximately 9,000 kilometers between Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Infinera’s DTN platform enables service providers to upgrade existing submarine cables with coherent 40 Gbps waves supporting FlexCoherent. The Infinera solution is upgradable in the future to 100 Gbps FlexCoherent, including Soft Decision Forward Error Correction, which will deliver 7.3 terabits per second (Tbps) of capacity over Telstra’s Reach North Asia Loop (RNAL) fiber plant.


Infinera noted that Telstra has now become its 100th customer.


"This is an exciting announcement for us,�? said Tom Fallon, Infinera’s CEO. “We are pleased to announce Telstra International as our first named 40 Gbps customer and Infinera’s 100th customer since shipping our market leading solutions in 2004. Leading global providers, like Telstra, trust us to deliver solutions that are simple, scalable and efficient to meet the needs of their customers. For Telstra’s subsea network, Infinera’s 40 Gbps solution delivers just that."http://www.infinera.com

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ADTRAN Selected for Broadband Stimulus Project in Missouri

Socket Telecom, a Missouri-based CLEC and Internet provider with the largest service area in the state, has deployed ADTRAN's Total Access 5000 broadband platform for its FTTH Broadband Stimulus project. Socket Telecom is utilizing the Total Access system to deploy high speed data services, voice and video to several underserved markets in central Missouri.
http://www.adtran.com
http://www.socket.net

• Last year, Socket was awarded $23.7 million by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build a fiber-optic network in rural Callaway County and parts of Fulton, Mo. The funding consisted of a $16.6 million grant
  and a $7.1 million loan.

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Orange Supplies 132-Site IP VPN for Aggreko

Orange Business Services announced a 36-month contract extension and renewal with Aggreko, the world leader in the provision of temporary power and temperature control services. Orange is providing managed IP VPN services to 132 sites in 31 countries, particularly in emerging markets – including nine South American countries, as well as China and India. Orange supports Aggreko’s core business applications, including ERP, Business Intelligence, financial and billing systems as well as new and planned telephony services such as video conferencing and IP Telephony, which will enable enhanced collaboration across Aggreko’s group-wide offices.
http://www.orange.com

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IEEE Enhances 802.22 White spaces Spec

The IEEE P802.22b Amendment Project for Enhanced Broadband Services and Monitoring Applications has officially been approved. The new amendment enhances the IEEE 802.22-2011 standard to accommodate a wide variety of applications using cognitive radio technology in Television White Spaces (TVWS). These applications include long range and regional area smart grid, critical infrastructure monitoring, triple play services like providing voice, video and data, backhaul for broadband access, offloading cellular telephony traffic, regional area public safety and homeland security networks, emergency broadband services, monitoring rain forests, monitoring livestock, and border protection etc.


Additional information on this amendment PAR can be found on the IEEE 802.22 WG webpage.
http://www.ieee.orghttp://www.ieee802.org/22

• In July 2011, The IEEE published the 802.22 standard for Wireless Regional Area Networks (WRANs) using the favorable transmission characteristics of the VHF and UHF TV bands. 802.22 enables broadband wireless access over a large area up to 100 km from the transmitter. The standard specifies up to 22 Mbps per channel without interfering with reception of existing TV broadcast stations, using the so-called white spaces between the occupied TV channels.
  
  
  IEEE 802.22 incorporates advanced cognitive radio capabilities including dynamic spectrum access, incumbent database access, accurate geolocation techniques, spectrum sensing, regulatory domain dependent policies, spectrum etiquette, and coexistence for optimal use of the available spectrum.

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MTN Nigeria Picks ZTE to Build 2G/3G Networks

ZTE announced a contract with the MTN Nigeria to build GSM/UMTS networks in Nigeria. The deployment covers two of the country’s most economically developed regions (including 8 states) by providing its ZTE's SDR-based Uni-RAN solution. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.zte.com.cn

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Hong Kong's PCCW Implements Huawei's 3GPP R8 Signaling Optimization

Hong Kong's PCCW mobile has adopted Huawei's 3GPP-Release-8 (3GPP-R8)-based smartphone signaling optimization solution to increase the performance of its UMTS network.


The preponderance of smartphones with "heartbeat" applications, which frequently transmit small data packets, along with smartphones' frequent changes from active to idle mode create high signaling traffic.


A joint effort between Huawei and PCCW mobile during the past few months has delivered a solution that optimizes smartphone signaling behavior. Huawei said live network statistics have shown that the solution reduces by over 25% of redundant signaling load from PCCW mobile's 3GPP-R8 smartphone signaling process while significantly enhancing network performance and improving mobile broadband connectivity.


Mr. Adam Wong, Head of Engineering, Wireless Business of HKT, said, "We really appreciate Huawei's solution. Signaling traffic produced by smartphones brings real pressure to networks. With this smartphone signaling optimization solution, networks can bring customers a much better experience."


Mr. Ying Weimin, President of GSM&UMTS<E wireless networks, Huawei, said, "It took several months for Huawei and PCCW mobile to finish the testing of our signaling solution on existing networks. The high performance of this solution shows that Huawei is capable of innovation to help customers succeed."http://www.huawei.com

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BT Tests Cable Tracking Technology to Deter Thieves

In an effort to deter copper theft, BT has been testing a tracking technology that can detect when a cable has been cut or damaged, accurately pin-pointing an incident to a road or street.


RABIT (Rapid Assessment Bt Incident Tracker), which was trialled in December 2011, alerts BT’s Security Control Centre and Police response teams when a cut is detected. The system has already forced cable thieves to flee the scene of the crime in Essex.


BT noted that the numbers of arrests related to cable theft are continuing to rise, with the average number of arrests per month up nearly eight per cent on last year. In the last 11 months the number of arrests has reached more than 480, already more than the 446 arrests in 2010. It is estimated that around 80% of BT’s cable theft is carried out by organised crime gangs. BT recovered 240 tonnes of stolen metal in the past eleven months, as a result of visits to scrap metal dealers and working with Police forces on targeted operations and national metal theft days of action. http://www.btplc.com

• In 2010, BT's Openreach division introduced an invisible, "SmartWater" forensic ink in its cabling across the UK as a deterrence to metal thieves. BT's Metal Theft Taskforce is using the SmartWater as a means to tag anyone tampering with its lines. SmartWater is a forensic marking liquid that is unique to a particular location. It will be used to mark the outer shell and inner core of Openreach cable, along with tools and other equipment. This will allow police to irrefutably identify where any stolen items have come from. Any thieves who target Openreach property face being sprayed with the liquid.
  
  
  BT and the British Transport Police the system, which is also interconnected with GPS, will be used in hot-spot areas to capture criminals red-handed.

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Level 3 Provides Low-Latency for FXCM Currency Trading

Level 3 Communications will deliver bandwidth connectivity to FXCM, a global online provider of foreign exchange trading and related services. Level 3 said it was selected to optimize the security, reliability and performance of FXCM's trading applications. Level 3's Ethernet private line (EPL) service will interconnect FXCM's headquarters in New York with remote data centers to ensure efficient, redundant access to its trading applications. Additionally, FXCM will use Level 3's MPLS service for global data center connectivity and high speed Internet protocol (HSIP) service to improve online efficiency for its global customer base.
http://www.level3.com

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AT&T Offers Nokia Lumia 900 LTE SmartPhone for $99 + Contract

AT&T will begin offering the Nokia Lumia 900 LTE Windows Phone on April 8 for $99.99 with a new 2-yr wireless agreement with voice (min $39.99/mo) and min monthly data plan ($20/mo).


The Nokia Lumia 900 boasts a 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display and is powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8055 + MDM9200. It runs Windows Phone Release 7.5 – Mango Commercial Release 2 (Mango + LTE). Its 8 megapixel camera includes Nokia's exclusive Carl Zeiss optics, with large aperture (F2.2) and wide angle focal length (28mm).


This will be AT&T's first LTE-enabled Windows Phone.
http://www.att.com

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Oclaro and Opnext Merger Brings Great Consolidation to Optical Components

Oclaro and Opnext agreed to a merger, creating a leader in key components for core optical networking for long-haul, regional and metro DWDM, and positioned to become a leader in data communications for enterprises and
data centers, as well as industrial and consumer laser diodes market. The merger brings trans formative consolidation to the optical components market.


The deal is structured as a stock-for-stock tax-free exchange at fixed exchange ratio of 0.42x, with an implied pro forma ownership of 42% for Opnext and 58% for Oclaro.


The companies said their product sets are highly complementary with minimal overlap, and as a result there should be minimal changes to the existing portfolio.


Oclaro was formed in 2009 through the merger of Bookham and Avanex Corporation, both suppliers of optical networking components. Its product set includes tunable lasers, modulators, dispersion compensation components, wavelength selective switches, modules and sub-systems. In mid-2009, the company acquired the Newport Spectra Physics high power laser diodes business.


Opnext was established in September 2000 from the spinoff of Hitachi's Fiber Optic Components Business Unit. The new company was funded by the Clarity Group and Marubeni Group. The Opnext product line includes transceivers, pluggable modules (XENPAK, X2/XPAK, XFP, SFP+, SFP), TOSA/ROSA, and communications laser diodes and photodiodes; 40G muxponders, transponders, regenerators, tunable dispersion compensators, PMD compensators, and shelf controllers; and red laser diodes and infrared laser diodes.


Financially, the merger is expected to have a positive impact on gross margins and on operating margin. Both companies have been moving to an outsourcing model. Oclaro recently signed a definitive agreement to transition its internal assembly and test to Venture in Malaysia. On a non-flood basis, about 30% to 35% of Oclaro’s, and about 40% to 45% of Opnext’s assembly and test are with Fabrinet.


"This merger clearly will be a unique and transformational opportunity for both Oclaro and Opnext," said Alain Couder, chairman and CEO, Oclaro. "Our respective customers want to work with fewer, more strategic suppliers who can deliver the breadth of technologies they need. Through this merger, the companies' complementary and vertically-integrated product portfolios, scale, and heritage of technology innovation will put the merged company in that valued strategic partner and leadership role. By doing so, and at the same time saving significant costs, we also expect to generate substantially more long-term value for shareholders than either company could deliver alone."


Upon closing, the combined company will be led by Alain Couder, who will serve as chairman and CEO, and Harry Bosco will join the board of directors.
http://www.oclaro.com
http://www.opnext.com

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Australia's NBN Awards A$300 Million for Tasmanian Construction

Visionstream Australia, part of the Leighton Holdings Limited group of companies, has been awarded a contract valued at up to A$300 million over four years by Australia's National Broadband Network. Under the contract, Visionstream will replace copper telephone lines with fibre optic lines in cities, towns and suburbs covering around 200,000 homes and businesses across Tasmania. The contract is expected to see the creation of up to 800 new jobs at the peak of the rollout


Plans have already been announced to roll the NBN out to 91,300 Tasmanian homes and businesses. Of these, the NBN is currently being rolled out to an area covering 11,300 premises in the state. The network is already up and running in an area covering 4000 premises in Smithton, Scottsdale and Midway Point of which close to 700 are using NBN services.
http://www.nbnco.com.au

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