AT&T and IBM Collaborate on SDN-enabled Cloud Services

AT&T and IBM announced a partnership to deliver secure, network-enabled cloud services.

The service, which will launch early next year, will combine AT&T virtual private networking and IBM SmartCloud Enterprise+ cloud capabilities using software from AT&T Labs to create a new, fast and highly-secure shared cloud service.  This will enable enterprises to quickly and reliably move data and applications between their own data centers (private clouds) and this new cloud service.  The software from AT&T Labs dynamically allocates networking resources to computing resources, automating functions that are often performed manually. The companies said more than 70 security functions are built-in, ensuring that traffic never leaves the protection of the VPN.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

"AT&T and IBM are delivering a new, network-enabled cloud service that marries the security and speed of AT&T’s global network with the control and management capabilities of IBM’s enterprise cloud,” said Andy Geisse, CEO of AT&T Business Solutions. “This new service gives companies yet another way to innovate, create new value, and transform their businesses and industries."

“As more organizations realize that cloud can be secure, easily managed, and a key part of their business strategy, cloud will quickly evolve as a tool for innovation rather than just for infrastructure,” said Erich Clementi, senior vice president, IBM Global Technology Services. “We believe this new service from two recognized leaders in cloud computing provides a compelling way for large organizations to exploit cloud’s transformational power.”

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Altera Intros 28 nm Midrange FPGA

Altera introduced its Arria V GZ variant FPGA featuring 36 backplane-capable transceivers that can operate at speeds up to 12.5 Gbps and enable of a variety of protocols. In addition, the variant features four separate DDR3 DIMM interfaces at 72 bits wide, operating at 1600 Mbps.


Altera said its Arria V GZ device is the first midrange FPGA supporting hardened PCI Express Gen3 protocol stacks as well as anti-tampering anc security features.

“Customers face many challenges when designing high-performance systems, including the need to balance power and performance while increasing bandwidth to off-chip memory,” said Patrick Dorsey, senior director of component product marketing at Altera Corporation. “The Arria V GZ variant provides both the high-speed serial transceivers and the external memory capability that designers need to build today’s bandwidth-hungry data processing systems.”


Soft intellectual property (IP)-based memory controllers allowing for maximum flexibility
Most digital signal processing (DSP) in a midrange FPGA for high integration
Industry-leading, anti-tamper features, including enhanced advanced encryption standard (AES) and easy-to-use on-board and off-board key programming>
About Arria V FPGAs

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Overture Releases 4000cp High Density Ethernet Edge

Overture announced the general availability of its new Ethernet demarcation device, the Overture 4000cp, as part of its Ethernet over bonded copper (EoC) family.


The Overture 4000cp Ethernet demarcation device can bond up to 24 voice-grade copper pairs to deliver hundreds of Mbps to business customers and mobile towers. The product fits into the Overture product line between the 2-, 4-, or 8-pair Overture 400 series and the 32 pair demarcation capabilities of the Overture 6100. It supports service delivery at speeds ranging from 1 Mbps to more than 300 Mbps over single bonded copper infrastructure. As with other products from Overture, the 4000cp incorporates automated pair bonding capabilities for 24 pairs at up to 15 Mbps per copper pair to expedite service turn-up and eliminate errors typically associated with manual configuration.

“Our customers asked us to bring to market a new edge solution that can cost-effectively bond up to 24 copper pairs for their high-bandwidth applications. The catch was that it had to incorporate all of the advanced service features and powerful management capabilities of our other EoC and optical products,” said Vijay Raman, vice president product management and marketing, Overture. “With our new 4000cp, service providers can quickly capitalize on unrealized revenue opportunities by extending high-speed performance assured Ethernet services beyond their current optical boundaries.”

http://www.overturenetworks.com

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Sprint Suffers Dual Fiber Cut Leading to Outage at Alaska Airlines

At 7:30 a.m. PST, Sprint suffered a dual fiber cut in its network leading to a major disruption at Alaska Airlines. The faults are believed to have occurred in Wisconsin and Oregon.  The company has not yet confirmed on the nature of the outage and whether the fiber cuts are coincidental.

Sprint provides the airline with connectivity to SABRE, the system used for reservations, check-in and to purchase tickets.

Alaska Airlines said the outage is preventing customers from checking in and has caused significant systemwide delays in all cities it serves.

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Reuters: Cisco Breaks Ties with ZTE

Cisco has ended a long-running sales partnership with ZTE, according Reuters, following allegations that ZTE illegally shipped Cisco gear to Iran.  The report cites an a Cisco investigation, as well as investigations by the U.S. Commerce Department, a congressional committee, and the FBI.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/08/us-cisco-zte-iran-idUSBRE89709N20121008

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GlobeNet Upgrades Cable Linking the Americas

GlobeNet, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oi (formerly Brasil Telecom), is nearing completion of a major upgrade to its submarine cable network connecting the Americas. This upgrade will bring GlobeNet’s network capacity to 1.2Tbps, doubling its current lit capacity.

GlobeNet operates a dual ring-protected subsea network spanning more than 22,000 km connecting North and South America.

GlobeNet also announced the completion of extensive trials with multiple coherent 100G technology platforms, demonstrating its capability to carry over 12Tbps over its four fiber pair subsea cable system, delivering more than ten times the capacity than the original design.

"Our network is ready today to support the future growth in Latin America, and in particular Brazil, where we are already seeing an increase in demand for networks to address high performance applications and services, such as 4G/LTE, FFTH, IPTV including HD and 3D video programming, and support of major sporting events taking place in Brazil in the coming years," stated Erick W. Contag, COO of GlobeNet.

http://globenet.net/

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U.S. House Report Recommends Blocking Huawei and ZTE on Security Concerns

Huawei and ZTE pose a threat to the United States telecommunications supply chain and U.S. firms are advised to avoid using their equipment, according to 52-page report issued by the U.S. House of Representatives' Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The report follows an 11-month investigation be the committee into the companies.

The report call on U.S. enforcement agencies to investigate unfair trade practices. including Chinese state support of these key companies in the Chinese telecommunications sector. The report also recommends that Huawei and ZTE be blocked from any future mergers or acquisitions in the United States.

The report is posted online.

For its part, Huawei issued a statement saying the Committee "appears to have been committed to a predetermined outcome" and that this report "failed to provide clear information or evidence to substantiate the legitimacy of the Committee's concerns." Huawei further states that the real purpose of the reports is "to impede competition and obstruct Chinese ICT companies from entering the US market."

ZTE issued the following statement: “ZTE recognizes and fully respects the Committee’s obligation to protect US national security.  ZTE believes the Committee focused its examination too narrowly on vendor locations not on equipment security. The Committee omitted the Western vendors and their Chinese manufacturing partners, which provide most of the US equipment now in use. The Committee also overlooked the opportunity to advance universal application of the Trusted Delivery Model which protects critical telecom networks on a vendor-neutral basis.”

http://intelligence.house.gov/press-release/investigative-report-us-national-security-issues-posed-chinese-telecommunications

http://www.huawei.com/en/about-huawei/newsroom/press-release/hw-194454-hpsci.htm

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Broadcom Expands its StrataGX Silicon for 802.11ac Gigabit Wi-Fi

Broadcom added five new chips to its StrataGX line of SoCs for delivering Gigabit connectivity in enterprise and small-to-medium business (SMB) networks, including support for gigabit Wi-Fi (802.11ac).

The five new SoCs, which are now sampling, combine a high performance processor, Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switch, GbE physical layer transceivers (PHYs), USB 3.0 and traffic accelerators all on a single chip.

Broadcom said these new devices deliver more than 10x speed and 40 percent more power efficiency to enterprise and carrier class access points, branch office routers and business class integrated services routers.

http://www.broadcom.com
http:://www.5gwifi.org

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