Telstra's Acquisition of Pacnet Brings Asia-Pac Submarine Cables

Telstra announced plans to acquire Pacnet Limited, which owns and operates a pan-Asian submarine cable network and offers managed services and data center services to carriers, multinational corporations and governments across the region, for US$697 million acquisition is subject to completion adjustments. In addition to its submarine cables and 21 landing stations in China, Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, Pacnet’s...

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Elemental Lands Investments from Sky and Telstra

Elemental Technologies, a start-up focused on software-defined video (SDV) solutions for multiscreen content delivery, announced a $14.5 million series D round of funding led by Telstra and joined by Sky in the UK, along with participation from existing investors. Elemental, which is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, uses software-based video processing to distribute video over IP networks. Elemental helps media companies connect consumers with...

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Sierra Wireless to Acquire M2M Service Provider for $90M

Sierra Wireless agreed to acquire Wireless Maingate AB, a provider of machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity and data management services for US $90 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in February 2015. Wireless Maingate, which is based in Karlskrona, Sweden, provides managed M2M connectivity and information management services to more than 500 customers across Europe, reaching a subscriber base of more than 500,000 connected devices....

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NJIT: The Evolution of Wireless Networks

The New Jersey Institute of Technology’s online Master of Science in Electrical Engineering program has created an infographic that traces the development of wireless technology from Gugliemo Marconi's wireless telegraph in the 1890s to the emergence of 4G technologies, followed by predictions for the coming decades. http://electricalengineering.online.njit.edu/resources/infographics/the-evolution-of-wireless-networks/ New Jersey Institute of...

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Windstream Deploys Cyan for 100G Metro Upgrade

Windstream has selected Cyan to help upgrade its regional and metro networks to 100G utilizing Cyan’s Z-Series packet-optical hardware. Initial deployments of this new infrastructure are underway with the introduction of a new packet-based 100GbE network across major Windstream markets.  Financial terms were not disclosed. Cyan said its Z-Series Packet Optical Platforms have been an important part of Windstream’s network architecture for many...

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Cisco Seeks ITC Exclusion Order Against Arista

Cisco has filed a petition request with the US International Trade Commission asking for an exclusion order to blocking Arista from importing and selling products that use Cisco’s patented technologies in the United States. In a blog posting, Mark Chandler said the petition cites the same twelve patents asserted in Cisco's recently filed lawsuit against Arista. http://blogs.cisco.com/news/protecting-innovation-cisco-seeks-injunctive-relief In...

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Blueprint: 2015 and the Rise of the Multicloud Enterprise

by Chris Sharp, Equinix VP of Cloud Innovation  Those enterprises deploying hybrid and multicloud infrastructures will be the ones to watch in 2015 and beyond. According to Gartner, global cloud adoption is expected to reach $250 billion by 2017, with 50% of enterprises having hybrid clouds. It’s exciting to be in the center of this skyrocketing market, along with our pioneering cloud partners and enterprise customers who are leading the way...

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Blueprint: Tectonic Shifts in Telco Market Start to Appear

by Lars Mansson, Senior Director of Product Management and Strategy at DigitalRoute December, with the end of the year approaching, lends itself to both reflection and speculation. Of particular importance is weighing up what will come next. In business, we know that preparation is critical for success; accurate speculation today will enable us to build the right foundation for the sort of impactful future action that leads to long-term success. Some...

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Vertical Systems: 3+ Million Carrier Ethernet Ports Worldwide by 2018

Worldwide installations of Carrier Ethernet services, including retail Ethernet services at speeds ranging from Sub-10 Mbps to more than 10 Gbps, will expand to more than three million ports by 2018, according to latest research from Vertical Systems Group. Some highlights of Vertical's Worldwide Carrier Ethernet Outlook: Worldwide installations of retail Carrier Ethernet services will surpass three million customer ports by 2018. More than one...

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Arianespace Launches four O3b Satellites, Completing Constellation

Arianespace successfully launched four Ka-band satellites for O3b Networks aboard a medium-lift Soyuz rocket from the Spaceport in French Guiana. This marked Arianespace’s tenth Soyuz launch from the Guiana Space Center and the third launch for O3b Networks, following the successful launch of the first eight satellites in the O3b constellation in June 2013 and July 2014. Payload lift performance for this flight is approximately 3,180 kg., including...

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Time Warner Cable (TWC) and Boingo Launch Passpoint Wi-Fi Roaming

Time Warner Cable (TWC) and Boingo Wireless have activated the industry's first reciprocal Passpoint roaming agreement, enabling their customers to seamlessly connect to secure WiFi networks at thousands of locations, including 25 of the highest traffic airports in the U.S. Boingo subscribers can access thousands of Time Warner Cable’s Passpoint-enabled hotspots in cities including New York, Austin and Kansas City, with Passpoint roaming access...

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Comcast Pushes Ahead with 4K Ultra High-Definition

Comcast announced the launch of Xfinity in UHD, a 4K Ultra High-Definition (UHD) On Demand programming app for 2014 Samsung UHD TVs. The app provides access to the full current seasons of TV shows from NBC and USA Network.  The company said it is working to expand its Xfinity in UHD app library across multiple networks. “Our top priority is providing our customers with the best entertainment experiences, so we are excited to give them the...

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Sprint to Drop NASCAR Sponsorship after '16 Season

Sprint has decided not to renew its sponsorship of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series after the current agreement expires at the end of the 2016 season. The sponsorship extends back to 2004 when Nextel signed a 10-year partnership with NASCAR for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. http://www.sprint.c...

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Ixia Boosts its Network Visibility Architecture

Ixia rolled out a series of enhancements to its network visibility product portfolio, extending the capabilities of its Visibility Architecture. Updates include: Application filtering technology – Using Ixia’s ATI Processor, administrators are able to select precise geo-tagged application traffic for forwarding to specific monitoring tools. File transfers to suspicious locations or VoIP connections from a branch office with performance problems...

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Red Hat Posts Revenue of $456 million, up 15% YoY

Red Hat reported total revenue of $456 million for its fiscal year 2015 third quarter, an increase of 15% in U.S. dollars from the year ago quarter, and 18% measured in constant currency....

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ONOS: ON.Lab's SDN Open Network Operating System

Earlier this month, the Open Networking Lab (ON.Lab) released its open source SDN Open Network Operating System (ONOS) for Service Providers that enables agile service creation and deployment at scale on any hardware, including white boxe...

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Infinera Ships its New Cloud Xpress Metro Platform

Infinera announced commercial shipments of its new Cloud Xpress metro optical platform, which is designed for network operators delivering cloud-based services. The company said its Cloud Xpress has shipped for production deployment as well as field trials to multiple customers. Cloud Xpress customers include Internet content providers, data center operators and large enterprises. "Meeting our commitment and shipping the Cloud Xpress in Q4 2014...

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Vitesse Delivers SDN/NFV-Ready Carrier Ethernet Switch Engine

Vitesse Semiconductor introduced its Serval-2 Lite (VSC7436) Carrier Ethernet switch engine for service provider IP Edge and Ethernet/MPLS access applications, including mobile backhaul and business-class service delivery. The chipset and software is aimed at small form factor, low-power network interface devices (NIDs) and lower port count customer premise equipment (CPE) to connect the Enterprise to Carrier networks. Serval-2 Lite features Vitesse...

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Broadcom Intros 40/50/100GbE PAM-4 Physical Layer Device

Broadcom announced the first high speed 4-level Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM-4) Physical Layer transceivers (PHYs) supporting transmission rates of 40/50 Gbps serially over multiple physical media, including direct attach cables (DAC) and optical fiber. Broadcom said its new 28 nanometer (nm) BCM82040 and BCM82004 PHYs support higher data throughput over existing low bandwidth channels by transmitting more bits per symbol. PAM-4 enables the transmission...

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ETSI's Mobile-edge Computing ISG Gets Underway

ETSI’s newly created Mobile-edge Computing (MEC) Industry Specification Group (ISG) kicked off its development work earlier this month with a first meeting hosted by Nokia Networks in Munich. The group is aiming to complete five documents by mid-2015: Terminology, Service Scenarios, Technical Requirements (including use cases and their benefits), a Proof of Concept Framework leading to a Framework and Reference Architecture. When the first documents...

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OpenPOWER Foundation Builds Momentum for its Architecture

Rackspace is the latest member to join the OpenPOWER Foundation – an open development alliance based on IBM's POWER microprocessor architecture.  One year after its formation, the OpenPOWER Foundation now has 80 members. For 2015, OpenPOWER said it is planning a slate of development activities through its work groups as well as collaborative member projects. For example, currently 12 members are designing OpenPOWER systems, and several universities...

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Safaricom Renews Key Supplier Agreement with Aviat

Safaricom, the leading mobile operator in Kenya, awarded a new multi-year, preferred supplier agreement to Aviat Networks. Aviat will support Safaricom in the modernization and capacity expansion of its microwave backhaul network leveraging the Eclipse radio installed base and further optimize performance using IP networking technology when the carrier begins taking delivery of Aviat's next-generation CTR microwave routers at a future date. Details...

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Absolute Software Partners With Brazilian OEM Positivo Informática

Absolute Software, which offers a persistent endpoint security and management module that can be embedded in the firmware of computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones, announced a partnership with Positivo Informática S.A. (Positivo), Latin America’s largest computer manufacturer. Under the deal, Absolute persistence technology – which can endure operating system wipes, hard drive reformats as well as hard drive replacements – will be embedded...

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Cisco Supplies Virtualized Packet Core for Mobile Virtual Network Enabler

Cisco will supply its virtualized Packet Core solution to a Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) that aims to deliver network functionality to mobile network operators and mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) using a virtualized platform. ASPIDER, which is based in the Netherlands, uses an application service provider model to provide MNOs and MVNOs with OPEX-based, revenue-generating services with better control costs and margin than infrastructure...

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Verizon's Secure Cloud Interconnect Adds HP Helion and Salesforce

Verizon Enterprise Solutions' Secure Cloud Interconnect (SCI) service is now delivering HP Helion Managed Cloud Service and the Salesforce Customer Success Platform. The connectivity features dynamic bandwidth allocation, strong security (encryption), application performance throughput and quality of service options. Rapid, on-demand provisioning reduces deployment time and maintenance requirements for Verizon SCI customers. Verizon's SCI already...

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T-Mobile ‘Un-carrier 8.0’ Intros Data Stash

T-Mobile announced its Un-carrier 8.0 move − allowing users to roll-over their unused data. The company said data you don’t use each month will automatically roll into a personal "Data Stash" so you can use it when you need it for up to a year. In addition, T-Mobile announced they will start every Data Stash with 10 GB of 4G LTE data. T-Mobile also announced its LTE network now covers 260 million POPs across the U.S.  The Wideband LTE now...

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Procera Ships its 100GE Interface Cards

Procera Networks confirmed several-million dollars of orders from Tier 1 operators for 100GE-equipped PacketLogic 20000 Platform. These deployments will leverage the 100GE interfaces deployed in existing or new PL20000 systems delivering Subscriber Experience solutions for fixed and mobile operators. Most of the revenue from these orders is expected to be recognized in the fourth quarter of 2014. The PacketLogic 20000 offers up to 600Gbps of capacity...

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Broadcom's GPS-enabled Satellite Receiver Paves Way for Geo-locked Content

Broadcom introduced the industry's first GPS-enabled satellite outdoor unit (ODU), enabling operators to better track the location of subscriber equipment and pinpoint subscriber's service issues in the home.  The unit Broadcom's BCM4551 satellite TV device with its BCM4771 GPS receiver. Broadcom said its new satellite dish solution can locate and validate a subscriber's home location. GPS technology within the low-noise block (LNB) of a...

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Big Switch Achieves Red Hat Certification

Big Switch Networks' flagship Big Cloud Fabric has achieved certification with Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 5. The certification enables customers to replace complex and costly legacy box-by-box networking with SDN fabric. The Big Cloud Fabric plug-in for OpenStack Neutron provides dynamic creation of network segments on the physical leaf/spine SDN fabric. Additional support for OpenStack Nova networking provides increased flexibility...

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NBASE-T Alliance Builds Momentum for 2.5 and 5 GbE

The newly formed  NBASE-T Alliance, which promotes the development of 2.5 and 5 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) over twisted pair copper cabling (2.5GBASE-T and 5GBASE-T) for enterprise network infrastructure, announced a dozen new members:  Aruba Networks, Brocade, Cavium, Centec Networks, CME Consulting, Intel, Microsemi Corp., Qualcomm, Ruckus Wireless, Shenzhen GLGNET Electronics Co., Tehuti Networks and Vitesse Semiconductor. NBASE-T Alliance...

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Carrier Network Virtualization Outlook - @Mavenir Carlos Molina Responds

Which elements of carrier networks should be virtualized first? Carlos Molina, Director of Product Strategy at Mavenir Systems, gives his one-minute take. http://youtu.be/e2oavLrzTAY ...

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Carrier Network Virtualization Outlook - @RADdatacomms Eitan Schwartz responds

Which elements of carrier networks should be virtualized first? Eitan Schwatz, VP, Service Provider Line of Business, North America, at RAD, gives his one-minute take. http://youtu.be/n325BU4pZag ...

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Carrier Network Virtualization Outlook - @GENBAND Sanjay Bhatia responds

Which elements of carrier networks should be virtualized first? Sanjay Bhatia, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Genband, gives his one-minute take. http://youtu.be/Tcqg5TfBd7Q ...

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MRV Appoints New CEO

MRV appointed Mark J. Bonney, 60, as President and Chief Executive Officer, replacing David Stehlin, who resigned as an officer and director of MRV to pursue other interests. Bonney has been a member of the MRV Board of Directors since April 2013 and served as Executive Vice President and CFO from August 2014 until December 2014. From January 2013 through August 2014, he served as the President and CEO of On Board Advisors, LLC, a strategic and...

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Sonera Delivers 230 Mbps on Live LTE-A Network in Helsinki

Sonera is delivering peak downlink rates of up to 230 Mbps in certain areas of Helsinki over its commercial LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, with a theoretical top speeds of 300 Mbps. The network aggregates a total bandwidth of up to 40 MHz using the 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz frequency bands. Sonera offers Samsung Galaxy Alpha and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphones to use LTE-A and new devices are being added to the portfolio at the beginning of 2015. Nokia...

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BT Confirms Negotiations to Acquire EE

BT confirmed exclusive negotiations to acquire EE from Deutsche Telekom and Orange. EE would provide BT with an advanced 4G network across the UK, accelerating its mobile strategy. The key headline terms, which are non-binding: A purchase price of £12.5bn (US$19.5 billion) for EE on a debt/cash free basis through a combination of cash and new BT ordinary shares issued to both Deutsche Telekom and Orange. Following the transaction, Deutsche Telekom...

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Orange Tests FDD LTE-A in 3.4 - 3.6 GHz with Ericsson

Orange and Ericsson have successfully used the 3.4-3.6 GHz (3.5 GHz) frequencies for testing data speeds, coverage and FDD carrier aggregation. Orange has conducted a live LTE-Advanced FDD trial using the 3.4-3.6 GHz (3.5 GHz) frequencies.  The tests, which were conducted with Ericsson, were  carried out in October-November 2014 on Orange's network in Bordeaux using Ericsson's pre-commercial equipment. The companies said the testing established...

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T-Mobile's Wideband LTE Hits NYC

T-Mobile's Wideband LTE service is now live throughout the greater New York City metro area, boasting speeds up to 50 percent faster than before. The company saind customers in the metro area are seeing download speeds in excess of 100 Mbps. In addition to Manhattan, Wideband LTE now covers T-Mobile customers in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island and Northern NJ. All of Westchester County, including White Plains and Scarsdale...

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