Saturday, March 30, 2013

Clearwire Takes $80M in Sprint Financing, Continues Discussions with DISH


Clearwire elected to take an $80 million April draw under the terms of its agreements with Sprint.  The funding is in the form of exchangeable notes, which will be exchangeable under certain conditions for Clearwire common stock at $1.50 per share.

Clearwire also stated that it continues discussions with DISH over its proposal and that it intends to pursue the course of action that it believes is in the best interests of Clearwire's non-Sprint Class A stockholders.

http://corporate.clearwire.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=751927


Friday, March 29, 2013

D-Link Ships 802.1ac Cloud Wi-Fi Router


D-Link introduced its Wireless AC1200 router (DIR-850L) featuring 802.11AC supporting dual band speeds of up to 300Mbps (2.4GHz) and 867Mbps (5GHz). The unit is optimized for wireless HD video streaming inside the home. It also offers four Gigabit Ethernet ports.

D-Link features a "mydlink Cloud Management" capability that enables the user to monitor and manage the network from anywhere, including remote file access by mobile devices.

http://www.dlink.com/us/en/home-solutions/connect/routers/dir-850l-wireless-ac1200-dual-band-gigabit-cloud-router

KPN Picks VMTurbo's Operations Manager


KPN has selected VMTurbo's Operations Manager to automate and control cloud operations.

VMTurbo is an intelligent workload management system that serves as an automated control plane for cloud and virtualized data centers. It allocates infrastructure resources in service provider data centers.

The VMTurbo platform first launched in August 2010 and the company claims more than 9,000 deployments by cloud service providers and enterprises worldwide, including BT, Colgate, CSC and the London School of Economics.

http://www.vmturbo.com


IBM to Build Tier IV Data Center for Telkom Indonesia

Telkom Indonesia has selected IBM to build a state-of-the-art data center. The new Tier IV facility will be built to the highest standards of energy efficiency. http://www.ibm.com

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Infonetics: OTN Switching Sees Strong Growth

The OTN transport and switching equipment market grew 8% in 2012 to $7.3 billion and is expected to reach $13 billion by 2017, according to a new report from Infonetics.

“OTN spending, and particularly OTN switching, is benefiting from a rise in investment in coherent core networks,” explains Andrew Schmitt, principal analyst for optical at Infonetics Research. “Many service providers rolling out 100G are using the opportunity to upgrade their optical switching infrastructure. In the metro, investment is rapidly rotating away from legacy SONET/SDH to packet-optical transport systems that combine optical and Ethernet circuit switching in the same chassis.”

Some highlights of the report:
  • The bulk of the growth comes from the OTN switching segment, up 46% in 2012 from 2011
  • Having embraced OTN technology early, North America leads the world in overall OTN deployments, while China is the frontrunner in OTN switching deployments
  • Infinera was #1 in OTN switching in North America in 2012, despite only recognizing revenue in the 2nd half of the year
  • Sales of P-OTS gear climbed 7% in 2012, to $1.2 billion
  • Tellabs and Fujitsu together hold the lion’s share of the P-OTS market as a result of their aggressive deployments at Verizon, while Ciena, Cisco, and Alcatel-Lucent remain in a tight 3-way horse race.

Vertical Systems: 2012 Global Provider Ethernet LEADERBOARD

Vertical Systems Group reported a realignment of carriers in its Year End 2012 Global Provider Ethernet Leaderboard, as BT Global Services surged forward to challenge Orange for market leadership. Market shares are calculated using the base of enterprise Ethernet services installations, plus input from Vertical's surveys of Ethernet providers throughout the world.

"As we forecasted in our mid-year readout, the final 2012 Global Provider Ethernet market share results show a realignment at the top of the Leaderboard," said Rick Malone, principal at Vertical Systems Group. "Orange remains the market leader, however BT Global Services gained significant share to move up to second position ahead of Verizon and Colt. The outlook throughout 2013 is heightened competition for market share in this demanding customer segment."

Other Global Providers offering Ethernet services outside of their home countries have port shares that are below the Leaderboard threshold. These companies are segmented by share into two tiers: the Challenge tier and the Market Player tier.

For year-end 2012, the Challenge tier companies are the following (in alphabetical order): Cable & Wireless Worldwide (U.K.), Cogent (U.S.), Reliance Globalcom (India), SingTel (Singapore), Tata Communications (India) and T-Systems (Germany). Moving up from the Market Player to the Challenge tier during 2012 were Cable & Wireless, Cogent and SingTel.

The Market Player tier covers all other Global Providers selling Ethernet services throughout the world. Service providers in the Market Player tier include the following companies (in alphabetical order): Airtel (India), Bezeq (Israel), CAT Telecom (Thailand), CenturyLink (U.S.), China Telecom (China), China Unicom (China), Easynet Global Services (U.K.), Embratel (Brazil), euNetworks (U.K.), Exponential-e (U.K.), Globe (Phillipines), GlobeNet (Brazil), GTS (Poland), GTT (U.S.), Interoute (U.K.), KDDI (Japan), Korea Telecom (Korea), KPN International (Netherlands), Masergy (U.S.), PCCW Global (Hong Kong), PLDT (Phillipines), StarHub (Singapore), Swisscom (Switzerland),Telecom Italia International (Italy), Telefonica Worldwide (Spain), Telenor (Norway), TeliaSonera (Sweden), Telkom Indonesia (Indonesia), Telkom South Africa (South Africa), TelMex (Mexico), Telstra (Australia), Telus International (Canada),Time (Malaysia), TM (Malaysia), Vector (New Zealand), Zayo Group [includes AboveNet] (U.S.), and others.

http://www.verticalsystems.com

ZTE Posts 2.4% Sales Drop for 2012

ZTE reported 2012 annual of RMB 84.2 billion, representing a decline of 2.4% for 2012.

In China, revenue of RMB 39.6 billion was stable compared to a year earlier, accounting for 47% of the company’s total. Overseas revenue dropped 4.5% to RMB 44.7 billion, representing 53% of the company’s total The company recorded a net loss attributable to shareholders of listed company of RMB 2.84 billion. ZTE posted positive operating cash flow of RMB 1.87 billion. In 2012, ZTE recorded positive free cash flow for the first time in three years.

In 2012, ZTE saw an improvement in its business mix. Combined revenue for Europe and the Americas increased 1.6% from a year earlier, after strong growth in sales in the United States market. In the Asia Pacific market, revenue increased 2.8%. In the network infrastructure division, the company shifted towards higher-margin business. In the terminals division, the mix shifted towards smart devices.

Revenue by technology division:

  • Network infrastructure sales were RMB 41.6 billion. 
  • Terminal sales were RMB 25.84 billion, in line with the company’s target. 
  • Software and services sales were RMB 16.8 billion.

Despite the pressure on its operations in 2012, ZTE boosted spending on research and development by 4% to RMB 8.83 billion. The company noted that it ranked first in international patent applications by the World Intellectual Property Organization in each of the past two years, and was the first Chinese company to reach the Top-10 in patent applications to the European Patent Office.


VDSL2 G.Vector Plugfest Attracts 15 Vendors


A plugfest for equipment implementing ITU-T G.vector for VDSL2 attracted fifteen vendors earlier this month in Durham, New Hampshire.

The interoperability testing event, which was organized by the Broadband Forum and hosted by the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), was focused on detailed testing of G.vector functionality.

The participating companies were Actiontec Electronics, Inc., ADTRAN, Alcatel-Lucent, AVM GmbH, Broadcom, Calix, Cisco, EXFO, Ikanos, JDSU, Lantiq, Metanoia Communications, NETGEAR, Real Communications and Technicolor, with the support of Telebyte and TraceSpan Communications.

"There is no doubt that VDSL2 has a pivotal role to play in the future of high speed broadband services. It is rapidly becoming a widely deployed technology and the addition of G.vector functionality is helping to achieve the increased bandwidth needed for today’s applications and consumer expectations. Our role is to ensure that implementations of G.vector are interoperable and perform well, and the plugfest is a key step towards that goal," stated Robin Mersh, CEO of the Broadband Forum.

http://www.broadband-forum.org

Fujikura Develops 40-60 Gbps Silicon Photonics Modulator

Fujikura Ltd. announced the world's first 40-60 Gbps silicon photonics modulator in both Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (QPSK) and Differential QPSK (DQPSK) versions.

The modulator comprises two silicon phase-shifters that are integrated in a nested Mach-Zehnder configuration. The company optimized electrode arrangements and doping profiles in the phase-shifters, which materializes high-speed performance of >40 Gbps DQPSK and >60Gbps QPSK modulation at less than 10dB fiber-to-fiber loss. Moreover, dispersion tolerance of more than +/-80 ps/nm is recorded at the 44.6 Gbps DQPSK transmission.

http://www.fujikura.co.jp/eng/newsrelease/2037592_3501.html

NTT Opens R&D Center in Silicon Valley


Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation is opening a new R&D center in San Mateo, California,

The NTT Innovation Institute will pursue the development and provisioning of highest-grade information security and cloud computing technologies.  NTT I3 will initially focus on promoting the development of services tailored to the North American market. Best practices concerning intellectual property solutions applied in a modular format in North America will be rolled out globally, including Japan and emerging countries.

"Establishing a new R&D center in North America will enable NTT and its group companies to quickly develop intellectual property tailored to the specific needs of the most rapidly-changing market in the world," said Hiroo Unoura, President and CEO of NTT. "The NTT Group is committed to accelerating global business expansion in order to provide value-added services to its customers."

http://www.ntt.co.jp/index_e.html

Digital Realty Acquires Data Center Space Near Toronto

Digital Realty Trust acquired a 120,000 square foot data center development property in Markham, Ontario (Canada), approximately 17 miles north of Toronto's central business district. The facility is capable of supporting approximately 5.4 megawatts of IT load. The purchase price was C$8.65 million.

"We have been tracking a significant amount of demand for enterprise-quality data center space with very limited supply in the Toronto market," said Michal F. Foust, chief executive officer of Digital Realty. "The acquisition of this property expands our existing footprint and enables us to support our customers' data center requirements in the Toronto market."

http://www.digitalrealty.com

Lockheed Martin Forms Silicon Valley Alliance


Lockheed Martin is establishing a Silicon Valley Alliance aimed at helping innovative companies in the region meet the diverse technology needs of the federal government.  The goal is to provide the federal government with greater visibility into innovative technology solutions developed in Silicon Valley, especially software and cyber security solutions.

"Lockheed Martin has played an ultra-high-tech role in the Silicon Valley story since 1956 when we opened our facility in Sunnyvale, adjacent to Moffett Field," said Tory Bruno, Lockheed Martin's president of Strategic and Missile Defense Systems. "The government market catalyzed the initial growth of all high-tech industries in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now, through the Lockheed Martin Silicon Valley Alliance, we can help to reconnect today's companies to that market, which continues to be substantial despite a challenging economy."

https://lmco.sbirsttr.dodapps.com/silicon-valley-alliance

MTS and VimpelCom Bid to Acquire Tele2 Russia


Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), the leading telecommunications operator in Russia and the CIS, and VimpelCom announced a joint bid to acquire Tele2 Russia, a subsidiary of Tele2 AB, for between US$ 4.0 - 4.25 billion, including US$1.15 billion of net debt.  This represents a premium of up to 30% for Tele2 AB and its shareholders relative to the equity value of the recently announced offer from VTB Capital.

In a letter to Tele2 AB, the CEOs of MTS and VimpelCom, write, "We
would like to express our strong interest in providing an alternative offer to the shareholders of Tele2 AB and we think this is a distinctly more attractive proposal.  We remain convinced that we can create vastly superior value for your shareholders and would be prepared to enter into discussions immediately with the aim of being able to conclude a transaction within a short timeframe and hence deliver the sort of transaction certainty we imagine Tele2 would be seeking."

http://www.mtsgsm.com/news/2013-03-28-50505/

Metaswitch Opens Near Cambridge University


Metaswitch Networks opened a new product development facility in Cambridge, UK.  Located in the heart of the University of Cambridge, the new Metaswitch office will house current employees, new recruits and interns.

“We have a long-standing association with Cambridge, with many of our graduate intake coming from the University of Cambridge,” says John Lazar, CEO of Metaswitch. “We are both centres of technology excellence and innovation, so Cambridge was a logical choice for our expanded product development team.” 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Cloudflare: The DDoS That Almost Broke the Internet


San Francisco-based Cloudflare reported that a Distributed Denial of Service attack against Spamhaus has surpassed all other known DDoS attack in volume --  exceeding peak loads of 300 Gbps.

The DDoS attack, which was profiled in The New York Times, the BBC and other media outlets on Wednesday, involves a dispute between Spamhaus and Cyberbunker, a Dutch web host.

Cloudflare began providing web optimization and DDoS protection for Spamhaus earlier this month after an initial wave of DDoS traffic hit Spamhaus, which maintins a blacklist of I.P. addresses of known spammers.

Cloudflare said the DDoS attack has grown in recent days as traffic crossed several major Tier 1s, primarily in Europe.

Beyond attacking CloudFlare and its direct peers, the attackers also attacked the core IX infrastructure on the London Internet Exchange (LINX), the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), the Frankfurt Internet Exchange (DE-CIX), and the Hong Kong Internet Exchange (HKIX).  Cloudflare estimates the attackers were able to generate more than 300 Gbps of traffic.

A blog posting describes the attack:

http://blog.cloudflare.com/the-ddos-that-almost-broke-the-internet

Egyptian Navy Captures Saboteurs Cutting SEA-ME-WE 4 Cable

The Egyptian navy reported the capture of three scuba divers who were cutting an undersea cable off the coast of Alexandria.

The BBC said that the affected cable is the SEA-ME-WE 4 and noted a drop in Internet speeds in Egypt on Wednesday.

https://www.facebook.com/Egyptian.Navy


  • On March 22, Seacom suffered multiple subsea cable cuts off the northern coast of Egypt.  These cuts disrupted a number of cable systems in Africa, Middle East and Asia connecting to Europe. SEACOM has been providing daily updates since then as it scramble to re-route customer traffic, establish other restoration options on other cables across the Mediterranean, and add further IP capacity in Asia.  http://www.seacom.mu/news/article-126/seacom-outage-08-00-gmt/


Amazon Web Services Offers Dedicated Hardware Security Appliances

Amazon Web Services introduced "CloudHSM," a new service offering dedicated Hardware Security Module (HSM) appliances within the AWS Cloud. 


The CloudHSM service, which is aimed at companies data security compliance requirements,  allows customers to securely generate, store and manage cryptographic keys used for data encryption in a way that keys are accessible only by the customer.
Previously, contractual or regulatory mandates for managing cryptographic keys prevented some organizations from migrating their most sensitive data to the cloud.
AWS said its CloudHSM service enables customers maintain full ownership, control and access to keys and sensitive data while Amazon manages the HSM appliances in close proximity to their applications and data for maximum performance. 

Equinix Offers NetApp Private Storage for AWS

Equinix has begun offering NetApp Private Storage for AWS.

The service is now available in Equinix International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers where AWS Direct Connect is deployed including the United States and Asia.

NetApp Private Storage for AWS allows organizations to balance private and public cloud resources to best meet their business needs. This enables companies to maintain control of their data, comply with the most stringent privacy and security standards, and deliver sub-5ms performance.

The service enables sub-5ms response times on data traveling between the hosted NetApp array and AWS.

"Equinix’s robust cloud ecosystem makes Platform Equinix an ideal place to combine NetApp Private Storage with AWS Direct Connect. By taking down the barriers of cloud service adoption, we believe the solution will help both cloud consumers and cloud service providers accelerate business and maximize revenue streams,” Greg Adgate, general manager global alliances and partnerships, Equinix.

http://www.netapp.com
http://www.equinix.com


KT Expands its CDN Partnership with Akamai

KT has agreed to leverage technology from Akamai to provide CDN services to its customers in Korea.

Specifically, KT will use Akamai's Aura Managed CDN for its own content applications and for third party CDN services.  KT has been an Akamai NetAlliance Partner since 2011.

"The era has come where culture and digital content are leading the market.  Our main priority is to ensure access to content from any device, at anytime, anywhere," said Heekyung Song, Senior Vice President, Enterprise IT BU, KT.  "Through this partnership with Akamai, KT will provide a CDN platform specializing in media delivery, web performance and security so companies can focus on developing quality content and web applications without concerns about delivery."

http://www.akamai.com

SiTime Offers 32kHz MEMS Oscillator for Smartphone Market


SiTime introduced a family of 32 kHz MEMS oscillators designed to replace legacy quartz crystal resonators in mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, fitness monitoring and watch products, medical monitoring and wellness devices, etc.


As with the company's other MEMS timing solutions, the new SiT15xx family of oscillators compare favorably to existing quartz-based devices in several ways; SiTime’s MEMS are 85% smaller, use 50% less power, and significantly exceed the reliability metrics of quartz by 15 times.

The SiT153x family operates from a 1.2V to 3.63V regulated power supply, making them ideal for smartphones that use a coin-cell or super-cap battery backup. The SiT154x family also replaces quartz crystal resonators and operates from a 2.7 to 4.5V unregulated Li-Ion battery.

“SiTime’s groundbreaking silicon MEMS and analog technology deliver innovative timing solutions that leapfrog decades of quartz industry development. Large infrastructure and consumer electronics companies have already adopted SiTime’s solutions and are profiting from our remarkable combination of highest performance, lowest cost and best reliability,” said Rajesh Vashist, CEO of SiTime. “Now, we are bringing these exceptional benefits to the booming mobile market. Our focus, passion and execution has allowed us to get 80% share of the MEMS timing market and with the new SiT15xx family, we continue to extend our lead.”

http://www.sitime.com/

Network Instruments Intros 2U Analysis Appliance for 1G, 10G


Network Instruments introduced a smaller version of its GigaStor appliance supporting gigabit and 10G retrospective analysis for enterprise network teams.

The new appliance, which is offered in a 2U form factor, is a scalable, monitoring tool that can be expanded from 2 TB – 16 TB in the field.

Features ensuring its availability for monitoring heavy traffic loads include the Gen2 card, exclusively engineered by Network Instruments to maximize performance on critical links; plus hot-swappable drives, Lights Out Management (LOM), and redundant fans and power supplies.

“We have continually been a performance monitoring innovator, providing the fastest, most flexible solutions for service delivery management within the world’s largest datacenters,” said Charles Thompson, director of product strategy for Network Instruments. “We've developed the first platform capable of monitoring saturated full-duplex 10 Gb links at line rate, without dropping a packet. And we're the only company to offer field-scalable retrospective analysis appliances with a product robust enough to handle large datacenter demand – but small enough for deployment at the edge or within a medium-sized enterprise.”

http://www.networkinstruments.com

nTelos Picks Alcatel-Lucent for LTE

nTelos Wireless, which operates in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, and North Carolina, has selected Alcatel-Lucent's LTE solution for portions of its network.

Specifically, Alcatel-Lucent is supplying its multi-technology base stations equipped with Remote Radio Head (RRH) technology.  The rollout also includes much of Alcatel-Lucent's Evolved Packet Core infrastructure. Close to 200 existing CDMA 3G-1X base stations will be replaced with Alcatel-Lucent's CDMA 3G and EVDO Rev A base stations.

Broadcom Names VP of Worldwide Sales


Broadcom has promoted Michael Hurlston to Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales.

He replaces Thomas Lagatta, who will continue with Broadcom until he retires at the end of 2013, serving as Executive Vice President of Business Development. Hurlston most recently served as Senior Vice President and General Manger of the Wireless Connectivity Combo business. He joined Broadcom in 2001.

http://www.broadcom.com

Ericsson Completes Job Cuts in Sweden


Ericsson reduced its operations in Sweden by cutting 1,399 positions.  This resulted in 919 employees being given notice.  The majority of cuts are in Ericsson's Networks unit.

Ericsson said its expects to incur approximately SEK -1.5 billion in restructuring costs.

http://www.ericsson.com


  • As of 31-Dec-2012, Ericsson had 17,712 employees in Sweden.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

T-Mobile USA's "Un-carrier" Attitude Eliminates Contracts

Adopting what it calls an "Un-carrier" attitude, T-Mobile USA announced a radical simplification of consumer rate plans and the first activation of its LTE network in an initial 7 cities.

T-Mobile USA is promoting a Simple Choice Plan that replaces restrictive annual contracts with a flat price of $50 per month for unlimited talk, text and Web with 500MB of data.  Customers can add a second phone line for $30 per month, and each additional line is $10 per month. They can also add 2 GB of high-speed data for $10 per month more per line. Unlimited 4G data is $20 more per month per line.

T-Mobile's 4G LTE network is launching today in Baltimore; Houston; Kansas City; Las Vegas; Phoenix; San Jose, Calif.; and Washington, D.C.  The advanced 4G LTE network is expected to reach 100 million Americans by midyear and 200 million by the end of 2013.

“These bold moves serve notice that T-Mobile is canceling its membership in the out-of-touch wireless club,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile USA, Inc. “This is an industry filled with ridiculously confusing contracts, limits on how much data you can use or when you can upgrade, and monthly bills that make little sense. As America’s Un-carrier, we are changing all of that and bringing common sense to wireless.”

http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/articles/t-mobile-makes-un-carrier-moves

In May 2012, T-Mobile USA announced multi-year agreements with Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks to support its $4 billion 4G network evolution plan.

T-Mobile USA, which acquired AWS spectrum from AT&T as part of the failed merger deal, aims to launch LTE in 2013. This new spectrum, in addition to the refarming effort, enables the launch of LTE in AWS spectrum and up to 20 MHz of LTE in 75% of the top 25 markets.

As part of the agreements, Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks will provide and install state of the art, Release 10 capable equipment at 37,000 cell sites across T-Mobile's 4G network this year. T-Mobile also expects to be the first carrier in North America to broadly deploy antenna integrated radios, enabling accelerated deployment and reduced site loading.

T-Mobile also plans to launch 4G HSPA+ service in the 1900 MHz band in a large number of markets by the end of the year, thereby supporting the iPhone. 

Nokia Siemens Networks confirmed that it will modernize T-Mobile’s GSM and HSPA+ core and radio access infrastructure in key markets to improve existing voice and data coverage. It will also deploy LTE as part of T-Mobile USA’s 4G evolution initiative in 2013. Specifically, NSN will supply T-Mobile with its Evolved Packet Core platform, including Flexi NS (Network Server) and Flexi NG (Network Gateway). The company will also provide for the LTE deployment its Single RAN Advanced platform based on its Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station.

Ericsson noted that T-Mobile USA will be the first in North America to deploy its AIR technology. Ericsson will install the radio, tower and switch room equipment, as well as provide consulting and systems integration and rollout services. Ericsson will also provide turnkey services in the areas of installation, commissioning, integration and migration. In 2006, Ericsson expanded its existing network contract with T-Mobile USA to include a nationwide 3G network. In 2010, Ericsson further enhanced T-Mobile USA's network with the deployment of HSPA+ 21 technology, and again in 2011 with HSPA+ 42 technology.

Overture Intros New Switching/Aggregation Platform for CE2.0 and SDN


Overture introduced a new switching platform for Carrier Ethernet 2.0 (CE2.0) Ethernet aggregation over any access method, it includes support for fiber, E-Access, copper, SONET/SDH, and TDM.

The new Overture 6500, which will be offered in several slot configurations, is designed for the company's new Ensemble Open Service Architecture for transforming the metro edge with software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization technology. Key applications include Ethernet aggregation for business and cloud services, macro cell and small cell mobile backhaul, metro inter-office infrastructure, or wholesale E-Access service presentation and termination.

Highlights of the Overture 6500 include:

  • CE2.0 Ethernet aggregation for any access method, including fiber, E-Access, copper, SONET/SDH, and TDM
  • Scalability supporting more than 3,000 subscriber services, leveraging centralized and distributed switching, and available in multiple chassis options
  • Multiple resiliency options that include card, power, device, network facility, and multi-site redundancy
  • Ready for future software-defined services and integration Overture’s Ensemble Open Service Architecture.

Overture said its new platform represents an entry point to software-defined services at the metro edge.  The goal it to transform static infrastructure into dynamic, virtualized, and automated environments for service creation and delivery. This would let service providers rapidly configure and activate customized connectivity offerings in step with enterprise demands while also simplifying the management of their own infrastructure.

The company is initially introducing 3-slot configuration of the high-availability chassis for performance-assured Ethernet over fiber access and wholesale Ethernet applications.
Larger versions and line card variants for access over other media types will follow.

http://www.overturenetworks.com/products/overture-6500

Earlier this month, Overture  unveiled its Ensemble Open Service Architecture for automating essential tasks in service creation, activation, and assurance at the metro edge.


Overture's Ensemble OSA will leverage open API standards, including OpenFlow.  It is comprised of three layers, each of which may include Overture developed components and those developed by service providers or third party vendors:
  • Resources – Elements that provide connect, compute, and storage functionality. They may consist of physical devices such as switches, servers and storage arrays, and/or software functions running on virtual machines.
  • Orchestration and Control – Software building block functions for data plane control, resource abstraction, and network management that provide the glue connecting the resources to the applications.
  • Network Applications – Software packages that leverage one or more of the Orchestration and Control building blocks and tie into a service provider’s back office systems and that of their business partners to create a service or network function.


Big Switch Offers Open Source OpenFlow Software


Big Switch Networks took the wraps off of its Switch Light, a thin switching, open source software platform that can be deployed as a virtual switch for server hypervisors and in merchant silicon-based physical switching platforms.  The open source software is based on the Indigo Project, a sub-project within Project Floodlight, which is an SDN developer community that already includes some 200,000 lines of code.

Big Switch said the aim of its Switch Light is to accelerate the adoption of OpenFlow-based networking by empowering commodity "white box" hardware.  Initially, Switch Light will be available to run on a range of merchant silicon-based physical switches (Switch Light for Broadcom) and virtual switches (Switch Light for Linux), and will be ported to other data plane devices in the future.

"In making our open-source thin switching platform available to the market, we aim to accelerate the development of OpenFlow-based switches, both through ODM and OEM partners, thereby catalyzing the deployment of OpenFlow networks,” said Guido Appenzeller, CEO of Big Switch Networks. “Customers are demanding choice in Open SDN hardware and want to unite their physical and virtual platforms. Switch Light is an important step down that path."

Big Switch cited a number of industry partners for Switch Light, including Broadcom as a leading merchant silicon partner, and Accton and Quanta for merchant silicon-based switches. Extreme Networks, a key Big Switch data center switching partner, will be enhancing their hybrid switch offerings by supporting Switch Light.

http://www.bigswitch.com


Extreme Networks Looks Toward Lightweight SDN Switch


Extreme Networks announced a commitment to offering an open source, OpenFlow thin switching platform in line with Big Switch Networks' Switch Light initiative.

Later this year, Extreme Networks plans to introduce its first such switch, the Slalom -- an optimized SDN switch supporting lightweight software and network services based on the OpenFlow protocol.  The company said this new Slalom switch will provide an evolutionary progression of its Open Fabric portfolio, complementing its ExtremeXOS based SDN-capable stackable and chassis-based switches.

"Extreme Networks Open Fabric is designed to offer customers an open and broad portfolio of next generation data center networking solutions that support emerging SDN solutions in hardware and software," said Oscar Rodriguez, president and CEO for Extreme Networks.  "Providing customers with the widest amount of choice and performance for their networks is what reduces their costs and helps them scale."

http://www.extremenetworks.com


  • In February, Extreme Networks began shipments of OpenFlow with the release of ExtremeXOS 15.3 and SDN applications from Big Switch Networks.  These applications include Big Tap, providing traffic monitoring and dynamic network visibility with flow filtering, and Big Virtual Switch (BVS), an application for virtualized data center networks which provisions the physical network into multiple logical networks across the stack, from Layer 2 to 7. 


IBM Releases SDN Virtual Overlay Tool


IBM introduced a new Software Defined Network for Virtual Environments (SDN VE) solution for automating the process of setting up am networks.

The software helps network administrators to speed up traditionally time-consuming tasks such as network provisioning.  In addition to management and provisioning, the IBM SDN VE, which is based on IBM’s DOVE (Distributed Overlay Virtual Ethernet) architecture, automates network virtualization.

“Our vision of the Software Defined Environment is one of an intelligent data-driven ecosystem that is easily managed and scaled to meet ever-changing market demands,” said Dr. Inder Gopal, IBM vice president of System Networking Development.

http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/40726.wss

Former Foundry Exec Charged with Insider Trading Ahead of Brocade Acquisition

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged David Riley, the former chief information officer at Foundry Networks, and Matthew Teeple, a former hedge fund investor, with insider trading.

The SEC alleges that David Riley tipped off Matthew Teeple in advance of a July 2008 announcement that Foundry Networks Inc. had agreed to be acquired by Brocade Communication Systems for approximately $3 billion.  Teeple used the tip to buy Foundry shares in large quantities in the days leading up to the public announcement, and the hedge funds managed by the firm reaped millions of dollars in profits when Foundry’s stock value increased upon the news.  The SEC claims that Teeple also shared this information with others at his firm who also benefitted from the insider information.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has also filed criminal charges against Teeple, Riley, and another associate.

Tabula Looks Beyond FPGAs with 100G Programmable Processing

Tabula, a start-up based in Santa Clara, California, introduced its suite of high-performance packet processing solutions aimed at 100G applications.

The technology focuses on routing of high-performance buses, on-chip RAM throughput, and timing closure for the ultra-high-performance functions required by 100G systems. Tabula will also leverage Intel's 22nm Tri-Gate technology.

The packet processing solutions, combined with Tabula’s new ABAX2P1 3PLD, deliver processing of four 100G streams on a single chip, a search engine capable of supporting 100G packet traffic, and a 12x10G-to-100G bridge.

Tabula's high-performance packet processing reference design suite is composed of:

  • A 12x10G-to-100G bridge reference design kit, implementing an aggregation function commonly used in communications systems and using the ABAX2P1 device’s unique high performance commonly used in communications systems and using the ABAX2P1 device’s unique highperformance bus-handling capabilities.
  • A 4x100G switch reference design kit, targeting data center migration from 10G to 40G and 100G, is made possible by the ABAX2P1 device’s ability to process multiple 100G streams.
  • A 2nd-generation Ternary Search Engine (TSE) reference design kit, delivering the highperformance search capabilities required for leading-edge routers and NGFW while showcasing the ABAX2P1 device’s unmatched RAM capabilities.

The company said its solution leverages innovations four key areas: Programmable 3D architecture, RTL compiler, leading-edge process technology using Intel's 22nm Tri-Gate technology, and 3PLD devices.

“The capabilities we have demonstrated are simply out of reach of even the most advanced FPGAs,” said Dennis Segers, Tabula’s Chief Executive Officer. “With this comprehensive suite of programmable solutions, we are uniquely supporting the migration from 10G to 40G and 100G that is currently underway.”

http://www.tabula.com

Brocade Deepens its SAN Management, Debuts 96-port FC Switch

Brocade outlined its new "Fabric Vision" technology for simplifying SAN deployment and management and announced a new high-density fixed-configuration SAN switch in its Gen 5 portfolio of 16 Gbps Fibre Channel products.

Brocade Fabric Vision, which combines Brocade hardware, its embedded operating system (Brocade Fabric OS) and management software (Brocade Network Advisor) with the goal of helping administrators anticipate and preempt problems in the network.  The solution combines diagnostics, monitoring and management capabilities.  This includes:

  • Policy-based tools that simplify fabric-wide threshold configuration and monitoring
  • Management tools that allow administrators to identify, monitor and analyze specific application data flows, without the need for expensive, disruptive, third-party tools
  • Monitoring tools that detect network congestion and latency in the fabric, providing visualization of bottlenecks and identifying exactly which devices and hosts are impacted
  • Customizable health and performance dashboard views, providing all critical information in one screen
  • Cable and optic diagnostic features that simplify the deployment and support of large fabrics.


 The new Brocade 6520 Switch offer 96 Fibre Channel ports in a 2U form factor.  In addition to Gen 5 Fibre Channel advanced functionality, reliability and performance, the density of the Brocade 6520 means fewer inter-switch links, fewer cables and fewer switches to manage.  The product offers up to eight in-flight encryption and compression ports, delivering data center-to-data center security

http://www.brocade.com

Telus Picks Fujitsu FLASHWAVE 9500 Packet Optical

TELUS has selected the Fujitsu FLASHWAVE 9500 Packet Optical Networking Platform (Packet ONP) to bring 100G to its network.  Financial terms were not disclosed.

Fujitsu said its 100G solution will help TELUS to meet the bandwidth requirements for high-speed data services, Internet video services, and smart phones, while ensuring a better cost per unit and a lasting technology foundation for their evolving packet-centric regional and national network.

“Our partnership with Fujitsu enables us to continue providing the reach, bandwidth and reliability that our customers require,” said Zouheir Mansourati, Vice President, TELUS Fixed Network Planning & Engineering. “Additionally, by utilizing the FLASHWAVE 9500 Packet ONP for 100G connectivity, TELUS can deliver a high level of service while achieving more efficient regional network utilization, better cost per gigabit of IP traffic, and lower operating cost. Our customers know that TELUS will always support their communications needs with the most advanced and reliable technologies available.”

http://www.fujitsu.com/us/news/pr/fnc_20130326.html

Level 3 Activates Metro Networks in Bogota and Buenos Aires


Level 3 Communications launched new metropolitan networks in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Bogota, Colombia. Level 3 has established multiple nodes in both of these cities, with each network boasting a total capacity of 80x40Gbps and the potential of upgrading to 80x100Gbps.

Level 3 is offering fiber capacity of up to 40 Gbps.   Wholesale and enterprise customers also can build their own backbones and dedicated networks, and interconnect with Level 3's and others' data centers to build SAN, disaster recovery and cloud services solutions.

Level 3 has existing metropolitan high-speed networks in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"Level 3 is always working to meet all the needs of our customers, and by launching these metropolitan networks, we will be able to address our customers' increasing demand for capacity in two very important markets in Latin America," said Leonardo Barbero, Level 3's senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Latin America.

http://www.level3.com

Zayo Appoints VP for Europe -- Alastair Kane


Zayo Group announced the appointment of Alastair Kane as Vice President of Europe.  Kane has held a variety of executive roles throughout his career in the Telecommunication industry in Sales Management and Marketing, for organisations such as 2e2, British Telecom, Level 3 and MFS.

Zayo expanded into the European market with the acquisition of AboveNet in July of 2012, and currently has 72,800 fibre route miles world-wide.

http://www.zayo.com

Monday, March 25, 2013

Oracle's Acquisition of Tekelec Expands its Telco Presence


Oracle agreed to acquire Tekelec, which supplies network signaling, policy control, and subscriber data management solutions for telecom operators.  Financial terms were not disclosed.

Tekelec’s main solutions include its Diameter and SS7 Network Signaling platform, its Policy Control platform and its Subscriber Data Management system, which tracks dynamic subscriber data. The Diameter and SS7 Network Signalling offers integrated applications such as Local Number Portability, Equipment Identity Register, 3G to Voice over LTE Migration, load balancing, congestion control, and protocol mediation.


In LTE networks, Tekelec's solution include its:

  • Home Subscriber Server, which serves as the central authentication and mobility management point in LTE Evolved Packet Core and IMS networks, and supports the latest 3GPP standards, including Idle-Mode Signaling Reduction. The HSS is an application on Tekelec's Subscriber Data Server, which also includes the Subscriber Profile Repository (SPR), the Equipment Identity Register (EIR), the next-generation Home Location Register (ngHLR) and an HLR-proxy to ensure seamless 3G/LTE services and device management.
  • Diameter Signaling Router, which scales and manages services and applications in LTE core networks for hundreds of millions of subscribers. The DSR centralizes routing, traffic management and load-balancing tasks associated with Diameter traffic.
  • Policy Server, a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) that integrates with the HSS and acts as the brain for policy coordination, dynamic bandwidth control, charging, consumption and other factors for a subscriber's entire data session.
  • Performance Intelligence Center (PIC), a performance management system that converts network traffic information into useful business intelligence for service providers to improve the customer experience. The PIC integrates with the DSR to eliminate the need for additional probes and network elements to analyze how subscribers are using IP-enabled devices and applications.

Oracle plans the acquisition boosts its own Communications portfolio, helping service providers to rapidly create and deploy innovative communications services, engage customers, improve operations, and control network resources.  Oracle's existing Communication products include telco support systems, service delivery platforms, and business support systems.

As connected devices and applications become ubiquitous, intelligent network and service control technologies are required to enable service providers to efficiently deploy all-IP networks, and deliver and monetize innovative communication services,” said Bhaskar Gorti, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Communications. “The combination of Oracle and Tekelec will provide service providers with the most complete solution to manage their businesses across customer engagement, business and network operations, service delivery and end user applications.”

http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/press/1924225

  • In February 2013, Oracle agreed to acquire Acme Packet, a leading supplier of session border controllers, for $29.25 per share in cash, representing an enterprise value of $1.7 billion net of cash.

    Acme Packet supplies session delivery solutions to both carriers and enterprises. Oracle said it would make Acme Packet a core offering in its Oracle Communications portfolio to enable customers to more rapidly innovate while simplifying their IT and network infrastructures.
  • In January 2012, a consortium led by Siris Capital Group completed its acquisition of Tekelec for approximately $780 million, or $11.00 per share in cash.

NETGEAR Renews its Ethernet Switching Line

NETGEAR introduced a new line of managed Ethernet switches for small and medium businesses.

The NETGEAR Intelligent Edge M4100 series consists of 12 fully managed switch products in desktop and rackmount form factors, ranging from 8-port Fast Ethernet and Power over Ethernet (PoE) to 50-port Gigabit Ethernet and PoE Plus (up to 30W), and power budgets ranging from 66W to 1,440W.

Key Features of the Intelligent Edge M4100 series:

  • IPv4/IPv6 Layer 2+ with IPv4 L3 static routing
  • 16K MAC addresses
  • Protocol-based Auto-VoIP and Voice-VLAN
  • ACLs, CoS and L3/L4 Diffserv prioritization
  • Multicast VLAN Registration (MVR)
  • Advanced Multicast filtering with IGMP/MLD, Proxy and Querier modes
  • Proxy ARP and Private VLANs advanced security
  • Optional Redundant and External Power Supply (RPS/EPS)
  • Ingress granularity down to 1Kbps
  • HTTPs Web GUI and Telnet/SSH CLI
  • EEE Energy Efficient Ethernet compliance

http://www.netgear.com

TV White Space Trial Set for Cape Town

The first TV White Space (TVWS) trial in South Africa will test wireless broadband in ten schools across the Cape Town area.  The trial is led by Google, Carlson Wireless and other partners.

The trial will attempt to show that broadband can be offered over white spaces without interfering with licensed spectrum holders. To prevent interference with other channels, the network utilizes Google's spectrum database to determine white space availability. Carlson's RuralConnect Broadband Solution, enabled by the Neul Horizon software, provides the communications backbone for the trial; outputting broadband Internet while interacting with the Google database to ensure proper channel assignment.

Jim Carlson, President of Carlson Wireless, stated, "'This is a small example of TVWS spectrum overcoming a need that exists all over the world...providing connectivity to underserved areas is more than an interest to us, it's specifically what got us into the game. We are overjoyed to participate in such a project, helping to provide schools with a fundamental service."

http://www.carlsonwireless.com

Shell Renews with AT&T for 5 Years


Shell renewed a five year contract under which AT&T serves as Shell's global provider of secure, advanced communications and mobility solutions.

The Shell contract is the largest retail communications services contract signed by AT&T with a company headquartered outside the United States. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"It's been enormously rewarding to work with Shell, which operates in a very dynamic and highly globalized industry," said Mark Shine, AT&T Senior Vice President.  "By providing global networking solutions accessible from just about every corner of the planet, AT&T is delivering what it does best, so that Shell can focus on its core business – providing energy products and solutions for consumers and businesses around the world.  And with the world of business now going mobile, we know we can deliver an even higher level of value to them."

http://www.att.com

Arvig Upgrades with Cyan in Minnesota


Arvig Communications, which serves some 66,000 customers in rural Minnesota, has selected Cyan's packet-optical transport solutions to upgrade its network.

The deployment includes Cyan's Blue Planet, a software-defined network (SDN) system, and Z-Series packet-optical transport platform.  Financial terms were not disclosed.

http://www.cyaninc.com

Interoute's 2012 Revenue Grew 12% Thanks to Enterprise Cloud Services


Interoute Communications reported 2012 top line revenues of €410 million, a 12% increase over the same period in 2011.  The company cited strong growth in sales of its enterprise Cloud and computing services (up 28% from 2011), and increased demand for international pan-European private network services (up 12.5% from 2011).

2012 EBITDA rose 16%, to €79 million for the full year, while profits rose 140% to €18.4 million.

"Interoute’s Cloud and network services combine to provide an integrated platform that brings our customers real benefits. The network provides reach, speed and security at a very competitive cost and enables the Cloud to be as private or as public as our customers need.  The Cloud benefits from the availability, redundancy and high capacity of the network, with customers gaining benefits such as free data transit between Interoute Virtual Data Centres. In essence, we combine the unprecedented scale of the platform with the operational agility that comes with an ever increasing virtualised service offering," stated Gareth Williams, Interoute CEO.

Interoute's infrastructure now encompasses over 60,000 km of lit fibre, 10 hosting data centres and 31 collocation centres, with connections to 140 additional third-party data centres across Europe.

http://www.interoute.com

Tehuti Intros Compact 10GbE Card


Tehuti Networks introduced a 10GbE adapter with integrated 10GBase-T support.

The company said its card, which it believes to be the smallest in the industry, offers a low-power, small form factor and low-cost 10GbE solution enabling 10GBase-T connectivity. It hosts the latest Tehuti TN4010 controller, an optimized 10GbE controller designed for low-power, low-cost, single-port applications required in application servers, high-end workstations and personal computers. The TN4010 MAC is paired with the Marvell® Alaska 88X3120 transceiver, a single-port, low-power, high-performance 10GbE PHY, to enable tri-speed connectivity (10GBase-T, 1000Base-T and 100Base-TX) over low-cost standard CAT-6a Ethernet cabling, supporting up to 100m. (Cat-5e and CAT-6 are supported compliant to link segment specifications.)

http://www.tehutinetworks.net

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Infonetics Forecasts Small Cell Market to Hit $2.7B in '17


The global small cell market to grow from a very small base now to $2.7 billion by 2017, according to a new forecast from Infonetics. Given the current pace of LTE rollouts worldwide, 4G small cell shipments are anticipated to overtake 3G shipments by the end of 2013.

“2013 is shaping up as a kick-off year for small cells, driven by 4G small cells deployed for capacity upgrades,” expects Stéphane Téral, principal analyst for mobile infrastructure and carrier economics at Infonetics Research. “AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon Wireless in the U.S., Vodafone in Europe, LG U+ in South Korea, and NTT DOCOMO in Japan have all announced major small cell plans, driven by the need to enhance the capacity of saturated macrocellular networks as they seek to deliver denser, higher-capacity coverage to tech-savvy populations in urban areas.”

Some highlights of the report:

  • South Korea’s SK Telecom has deployed close to 40,000 small cells and is the leading adopter of 4G public access femtocells to date.
  • Backhaul is no longer an inhibitor to small cell growth, but could remain an issue depending on factors such as location or mobile operator.
  • Geographically, Infonetics expects Asia Pacific to lead the small cell market in 2013 with 50% of all units shipped, followed by EMEA with 34%, and North America with 14%.

http://www.infonetics.com

Apple Data Centers Now 100% on Renewable Power

Apple's data centers are now 100% powered by renewable energy.

In a blog posting last week, Apple announced that its flagship data center in Maiden, North Carolina, boasts the nation’s largest end user–owned, onsite solar photovoltaic array -- a 100-acre, 20-megawatt (MW) facility with  an annual production capacity of 42 million kWh.  Apple is currently building a second 20-MW solar photovoltaic facility on nearby land that should be operational in late 2013.  Apple has also built an onsite 10-MW fuel cell installation that uses directed biogas and provides more than 83 million kWh of 24/7 baseload renewable energy annually.  In total, Apple will be producing 167 million kWh of onsite renewal energy.  The Maiden data center has earned LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Apple's older data center in Newark, California is now using 100% renewable electricity sourced from wind farms in California.  New data centers under construction in Prineville, Oregon and Reno, Nevada will also use renewable energy.

http://www.apple.com/environment/renewable-energy/