Tuesday, December 30, 2014

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 core assets comprise an integrated network with 109 PoPs across 61 cities in the Asia-Pacific region, along with 29 data centers in key locations. Seven of the data centers have Tier III accreditation. In addition, Pacnet controls two of the five fibre pairs on the Unity trans-Pacific submarine cable network connecting Japan to the United States.

In the year ended December 2013, Pacnet generated revenues of US$472m and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$111m. Pacnet is headquartered in both Singapore and Hong Kong with approximately 815 employees across 25 offices (including PBS China).

Telstra Chief Executive Officer, David Thodey said the acquisition was aligned to Telstra’s growth strategy and was a significant step for Telstra as it continued to expand the business beyond Australia.

“Asia is an important part of our growth strategy. We believe this acquisition will help us become a leading provider of enterprise services to multinational companies and carriers in the region,” stated David Thodey, Telstra's CEO.  “The enterprise services market is evolving rapidly and Pacnet will strengthen our networks; data centres and submarine network as well as boosting our service offerings and people capabilities."

Pacnet Chief Executive Officer Carl Grivner said: "The addition of Pacnet’s subsea fibre network, data centre assets, capability in China, and dedicated employee base to Telstra's world-class infrastructure and management will give it the ability to accelerate business growth in the region.

http://www.telstra.com.au/
http://www.pacnet.com


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 video content across multiple screens – including connected TVs, computers, tablets, smartphones, set-top, and other IP devices – using software-defined video solutions to ensure high quality, high definition viewing experiences.  Elemental’s key multiscreen accounts include the BBC, Comcast, Foxtel, HBO, Media Prima, NHK, Telefónica, and TrueVisions.

“Telstra’s equity investment, soon to be combined with a commercial agreement that is currently being negotiated, will allow the company to integrate solutions from Elemental into the company’s network. This will provide media and broadcast customers with access to an award winning video solution for multiscreen content delivery and offer flexibility and scalability to ensure a great customer experience," stated Telstra Ventures Managing Partner, Mark Sherman. "We also plan to use Elemental’s solutions internally, across our large portfolio of media properties such as IPTV, Foxtel on T-Box, AFL, NRL and BigPond movies to deliver high quality video performance across a multitude of devices for customers.”

http://www.elementaltechnologies.com


Wednesday, December 24, 2014

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. Maingate’s value-added services include leading-edge over-the-air subscription provisioning and tailored connectivity solutions for a broad range of M2M industries. The company claims a strong base of recurring revenue and expects 2014 turnover of over US $19 million and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of US $6 million. Sierra Wireless expects the transaction to be immediately accretive to earnings.

“The acquisition of Maingate is a strong strategic fit for Sierra Wireless, helping us to accelerate our device-to-cloud mission with the addition of leading edge wireless M2M connectivity and managed services,” said Jason Cohenour, Sierra Wireless President and CEO. “Maingate has a strong base of top-tier M2M customers and a proven technology platform that we believe will enable market expansion and accelerated services growth through our channels.”

http://www.sierrawireless.com

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 Technology’s Online Master of Science in Electrical Engineering


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 years, initially serving wireless backhaul and consumer broadband applications,  The Z-Series will now support a wide-breadth of high-performance applications across Windstream’s footprint.

“Windstream is clearly taking the lead in evolving their regional and metro networks to 100G and we’re proud to support them in this transformation. This evolution was discussed early in our relationship with Windstream and it’s exciting to see it now coming to fruition,” said Mike Hatfield, President, Cyan.

http://www.cyaninc.com

Friday, December 19, 2014

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 response, Charlie Giancarlo, a former Cisco executive who now sits on Arista's Board of Directors, writes on the company blog that Arista "invented a new operating system and basically re-invented the switching market to become more software and merchant-silicon driven." He refutes any copying comparison to Huawei and quotes Mahatma Gandhi: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
http://www.arista.com/blogs/?p=1096


  • Earlier in December, Cisco filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Arista Networks, claiming that a dozen key switching features covered by 14 different U.S. patents held by Cisco were copied.  Specifically, Cisco's complaint cites the following technologies that are incorporated by Arista in their entirety into Arista’s products:
  • System Database (“SysDB”) (Arista uses Cisco’s networking device implementation covered by Cisco Patent No. 7,162,537)
  • Zero-Touch Provisioning (“ZTP”) (Arista uses Cisco’s implementation covered by Cisco Patent No. 7,290,164)
  • On Board Failure Logging (“OBFL”) (Arista uses Cisco’s implementation covered by Cisco Patent No.7,340,597)
  • Control Plane Policing (“CoPP”) (Arista uses Cisco’s implementation covered by Cisco Patent No. 7,224,668)
  • Spanning Tree Loop Guard(Arista uses Cisco’s implementations covered by Cisco Patent Nos. 7,460,492 & 7,061,875 )
  • In-Service System Upgrades (“ISSU”) (Arista uses Cisco’s implementation described by Cisco Patent No. 8,356,296)
  • Virtual Port Channels (“vPC”) (Arista uses Cisco’s implementation covered by Cisco Patent No 8,051,211)
  • Access Control ListsImprovements (“ACL”) (Arista uses Cisco’s implementation covered by Cisco Patent Nos. 7,023,853 & 6,377,577)
  • Private Virtual Local Area Networks (“Private VLANs”) (Arista uses Cisco’s implementation covered by Cisco Patent Nos. 6,741,592 & 7,200,145)
  • Generic Command Interface (Arista uses Cisco’s implementation covered by Cisco Patent No. 7,047,526)
  • CLI Command Data Translation (Arista uses Cisco’s implementatio

Thursday, December 18, 2014

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 in hybrid and multiclouds migrations. Earlier in 2014, we introduced the Equinix Cloud Exchange, which automatically enables the provisioning of one-to-many virtual, cloud connections on-demand.  The Exchange’s unique hybrid and multicloud interconnection capabilities have compelled leading platform providers Google Cloud Platform, Cisco Intercloud and IBM’s SoftLayer to come onboard.  They join AWS and Microsoft Azure and our expanding ecosystem of more than 450 cloud service providers (CSPs) in bringing cloud services to a growing global market.

From our vantage point, we can clearly see how the cloud industry is lining up to expand its footprint and forever change the IT landscape. Here are some critical trends in 2015 that we believe are making cloud more integral than ever in how companies conduct business well into the future.

The number and types of cloud services embraced by enterprises will rise

Responding to ever-increasing pressures to reduce costs while increasing productivity, enterprise IT departments will sharply increase their adoption of cloud services, definitively shifting the balance from client-server to cloud-delivered applications. While it is currently assumed that most enterprises use 30 to 40 cloud services, most applications continue to be delivered on-premise. By the end of 2015, most enterprises will have the majority of their data storage, backup, disaster recovery and business intelligence applications delivered by CSPs. A recent survey by Dimensional Research, showed that 77% of IT professionals are planning to deploy to multiple clouds within the next 12 months.

Hybrid cloud will be everywhere 

From the Fortune 500 to small and medium enterprises, companies in every sector and every geography will embrace hybrid cloud architectures and service delivery. Hybrid cloud strategies offer businesses the best performance at the lowest cost, whether users are accessing collaboration applications via the public cloud or performing disaster recovery via a private cloud within a multitenant data center. Finding a company using only client-server applications could be extremely difficult by the end of the year. However, there will always be those cases where making the change to cloud does not make technical, business or “political” sense.

Global expansion will be driven by the cloud from now on  

High-growth enterprises, driving increased revenue through globalization, will increasingly turn to cloud services, regardless of geographic location. Why build expensive and expansive data centers and applications worldwide and hire the local IT support staff needed to run them, when you can lease them from a growing pool of global providers? Why commit CAPEX when there’s much more cost-effective OPEX solution? Global cloud deployments speed time-to-market, keep costs low and maintain consistency of providers and services. In 2015, CIOs at winning companies will commit to the cloud and never look back.

SaaS will be demanded 

CIOs will require SaaS delivery of the applications they need as a foundational element of RFP development and application selection criteria, eschewing on-site deployments. Winners in the software industry will recognize that server-based deployments are the exception, not the rule, and will place the majority of their development and sales focus on SaaS.

Self-provisioning cloud services will become the norm 

While cloud services offer clear benefits in terms of cost reduction and increased performance, how companies select, secure and maintain them is in flux. Few CIOs have comprehensive visibility into the hundreds of cloud providers developing applications and other services that can help their companies excel. Smart companies will even outsource the outsourcing of their cloud services. The rise of a new type of uber-cloud provider – with the unlimited ability to access and interconnect multiple cloud providers and the software technology necessary to dynamically and seamlessly provision connections on demand  ̶  will greatly accelerate hybrid and multicloud adoption.

Enterprises will say “Farewell” to vendor lock-in

Companies will continue to adopt a variety of best-of-breed solutions that ensure performance and flexibility, which provide choice and interoperability. This gives both network and cloud service providers who have embraced opportunities to peer with others through third party exchanges multiple opportunities for success. Those who rely on vendor lock-in will be scrambling to re-evaluate their previously successful business models.

Third party multitenant data centers will dominate 

The current trend of businesses (cloud providers and enterprises alike) migrating to multitenant data centers will dominate the cloud landscape. According to the 2014 Talkin’ Cloud100 survey, 86% of cloud providers host their services in colocation data centers. On the enterprise side, Dimensional Research reported that 45% of new cloud-based applications deployed over the next year will be hosted by colocation providers. Multitenant data centers bring more companies closer together to access a vast number of resources, including cloud and network service providers, industry partners and prospective customers. This dense ecosystem allows for vendor neutrality, fast time to market and access, flexibility, ease of service and cost-savings when deploying and consuming cloud services.

Companies will adopt private cloud connections to address security concerns 

Enterprises deploying multicloud architectures will require secure, high-performance private connections that are scalable, on-demand and provide access to multiple clouds using multiple network technologies, across multiple global access points. Dimensional Research reported that 72% of IT professionals note security as a top benefit of a direct connection to cloud providers, recognizing the clear benefits that they provide over access via the public Internet.

Out over the clouds 

Hybrid and multicloud computing are paving the way to a plethora of new markets, such as the Internet of Things and the Industrial Internet; new enabling technologies, such as cloud-based predictive analytics for big data; and many new innovations that have yet to be discovered. 2015 is posed to be the year when enterprises will take that next “giant leap” to the cloud.

About the Author

As the vice president of cloud innovation, Chris Sharp leads the development of cloud services solutions at Equinix. Prior to his role at Equinix, Chris held VP positions at Reliance Globalcom, FLAG Telecom and MCI/VerizonBusiness.



About Equinix

Equinix, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQIX), connects more than 4,500 companies directly to their customers and partners inside the world's most networked data centers. Today, businesses leverage the Equinix interconnection platform in 32 strategic markets across the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. www.equinix.com



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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 years see subtle change and incremental progress in the Telco market. Others bring a more radical shift in the landscape. Still less frequently, some introduce a change in the fundamental tectonics of the market. I think 2015 may open the door to the latter.

Why have I reached this conclusion? LTE/4G services are bedding in, and nascent NFV and SDN implementations are gradually picking up speed and will, eventually, redefine the character of the network and its management. Customer experience is fast becoming a trend and a reality to which more than just lip service is paid. Lean approaches to replace and/or complement parts of the legacy IT stack (particularly in BSS) are taking hold.

By 2016, my guess is that many of the commercial drivers we’ve become familiar with in recent years may be consigned to the past. In their place, a new operating model is arriving. 2015 is likely to be the year that a number of dramatic changes related to it take root. Let’s look at them:

Enhanced voice services (a.k.a. VoLTE, ViLTE, VoWIFI, RCS) are going to change the competitive equation for Communications Service Providers. 

The widespread launch of VoLTE services will continue and expand next year and will fuel the pace of industry change. But despite the usual degree of marketing hype, my guess is that operators will still use charging models that are data-centric so the first instances of these services will be imperfectly conceived and executed.

Still, enhanced voice will finally and fully enable CSPs to compete like-for-like with OTT’s and the operator’s advantage will be the control of quality and the ownership of the mobile number (a unique, global way of being reached). Charging-wise, the thing to remember is that enhanced voice will drive more data through the network (video calling, file sharing during calls, etc.) and thus a higher likelihood of customers upgrading their data packages.

There’s an interesting corollary question here, too. It’s this: Will the CSP’s really drive this revolution or will they instead try to follow a wave led by the Over-the-Top players? Though they might be loath to admit it, the OTT’s have innovation in their DNA to a far greater extent than is the case with most CSPs. Either way, though, whoever leads the revolutionary charge the result will be the same to the extent that it will drive data usage in the CSP’s network.

LTE could play out in more than one-way too. For one thing, if OTT players deliver the dominant services then network operators will increasingly find their futures lie in a partner game. Conversely, if the operators become the key providers then next generation Quality of Service will become critical simply to protect, let alone to grow, the value chain.

Whether or not the enhanced voice predominates in 2015 is unclear. That it will start to rise up the agenda, as an issue of central importance I think is certain.

Hand-in-hand with the above, partner enablement (done in a new way) will also become a central issue for Telcos

My guess is that in 2015 operators will have to finally stop hedging their best and the ones that ENABLE partners, OTT’s and MVNO/SP’s will, in the long term, be the winners.

The plain fact is that walled gardens and other unsubtle attempts at protecting traditional territory are dead. They haven’t worked and they’re not going to start working now. Enablement can best be done by smart integrations for OTT partners/MVNOs/SPs in a way that lets them influence the quality of service delivered to the end-customer sitting on the host operator’s infrastructure. This means things like allowing split billing scenarios (most often an end-customer and partner split), etc. The key to success here is once again going to be deploying smart, lean applications as the enabler and not engaging in a massive MVNE (partner enablement) approach that will deliver an infrastructure as dense as existing BSS and OSS together for the host operator to build and manage.

If the two trends above are my focal predictions, I also foresee developments in other areas of the market, among them:

  • Network Cloud hype turns into reality - Network Function Virtualization (NFV) will continue to grain traction though in my view, 2016 is when things will really move ahead with larger, hosted installations managed by the big NEP players running virtualized core networks for many of their operator customers.
  • IT Cloud means “lean will be mean” – more of the lighter ‘agile’ type of applications in BSS/OSS will be installed on a virtualized basis, or in an “IT-cloud” (for instance, mediation, service orchestration/activation, OSS fault management systems etc. all fit into this category).
  • OSS is being reshaped, starting now. The growing focus on CSP customer experience means service monitoring will become precedent over network monitoring. At the same time, a focus on CSP network quality. This means the ability for networks to cost effectively generate and distribute the massive data volumes (streaming session/signaling traces etc.) required for the reshaping of OSS, but without massive investments in probe systems etc.
  • Lean approaches to BSS and OSS are inevitable as more and more operators conclude that buckets/bundled services are best executed and supported when counting is managed close to the network via a very cost effective BSS solution that ideally leverages an application that they have already invested in. 

In the end, 2015 will be a year, I think, for stage-setting even larger changes in 2016. As usual there will be winners and losers on all sides of the market – vendors and operators alike. By 2017, don’t expect the landscape to look much like it does today!

About the Author
Lars Mansson is DigitalRoute’s senior director of product management and strategy. In this role, he is the owner of the company's product portfolio, go-to-market and the long-term development of its products & solutions as well as its product strategy, roadmap and thought leadership. Lars has a background in technical pre sales and was previously a system architect and technical coordinator for mediation systems at Tele2 in Sweden.

About DigitalRoute

DigitalRoute has been providing new approaches to enterprise data management since 1999. Its software platform offers high throughput and provides a unique degree of user configurability, processing all usage and statistical data extracted from the networks, including both billable and non-billable events. Over 300 leading companies worldwide actively use DigitalRoute technology to meet their data management needs, including a number of OEM partners who use our platform as a central part of their own offerings. DigitalRoute is built on the core values of Expertise, Open- Mindedness and Commitment. DigitalRoute is a venture-backed, privately held company with a turnover of 30m EUR in 2013 and a record of profitability since 2005. With close to 200 employees, the company is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden with regional offices in Gothenburg, Atlanta, and Kuala Lumpur. http://www.digitalroute.com/




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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 million of these ports will be installed in the U.S.
  • Ethernet providers selling retail services will continue to deliver the majority of new customer ports completely on-net, while relying on multiple wholesale partners to reach off-net customer locations.
  • The projected five year cumulative revenue opportunity for retail Carrier Ethernet service providers exceeds $200 billion worldwide.
  • Carrier Ethernet is growing at double digit rates in every region of the world. Asia/Pacific is the largest market based on revenue, followed by the U.S., Europe, and the Rest of World (RoW) region.
  • Globally, the volume of Ethernet bandwidth has already surpassed legacy data services bandwidth. By 2018, Ethernet will contribute greater than 75% of worldwide business data bandwidth.

http://www.verticalsystems.com/vsgpr/carrier-ethernet-services-3-million-ports-worldwide-by-2018/

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 about 2,800 kg. for the four Ka-band satellites, which were produced by Thales Alenia Space for O3b Networks.

The four Ka-band satellites are being directed into an equatorial orbit at an altitude of about 8,000 km, where they will join the first eight satellites. With this latest launch, the O3b constellation is now fully deployed and operational. O3b Networks started commercial service on September 1, 2014.

O3b's constellation provides optimal coverage between 45˚ north/south latitudes, with a minimum of 10 beams per region (7 regions) totalling 70 remote beams per the initial 8 satellite configuration. The satellites are able to deliver up to 1.2 Gbps per beam (600 Mbps x 2). Transponder bandwidth: 216 MHz; 2 x 216 MHz per beam. Because they are medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, O3b can guarantee latencies of less than 150 milliseconds.  The company says its satellite network is fully capable of enabling telcos to extend their mobile networks into remote and underserved regions.


http://www.arianespace.com
http://www.arianespace.com/images/launch-kits/launch-kit-pdf-eng/VS10-launchkit-EN.pdf
http://www.o3bnetworks.com/

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 launching in additional cities including Los Angeles and Charlotte in early 2015. Boingo customers already have access to TWC’s more than 60,000 hotspots in major cities across the U.S., per the roaming partnership launched earlier this year.

TWC residential Internet customers with Standard Service and above and all TWC Business Services Internet customers can now seamlessly roam on to Boingo’s “Passpoint Secure” WiFi networks at 25 of the highest traffic airports in the U.S., including Chicago’s O’Hare International (ORD), Los Angeles International (LAX), Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS), and New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark Liberty International (EWR) airports.

The Passpoint roaming functionality allows customers with Passpoint-certified devices and account credentials to experience seamless, secure connections between the two networks with no action needed on their part, simplifying the roaming connectivity experience during holiday travel and day-to-day mobile device use. TWC and Boingo’s Passpoint-enabled hotspots feature powerful WPA2 enterprise-grade encryption technology, providing enhanced security on the go.

“Passpoint technology provides significant value to our customers. Our Passpoint roaming integration with Boingo will keep our users connected to this advanced technology during their travels, helping us provide maximum wireless security to our TWC Internet consumers when they’re surfing the Internet out of home,” said Rob Cerbone, VP of Wireless Product Management for Time Warner Cable.

“The launch of reciprocal Passpoint roaming in the U.S. marks a significant milestone for the wireless industry, but more importantly it makes the best possible WiFi connectivity experience available to even more customers in key locations throughout the U.S.,” said Dr. Derek Peterson, Boingo Wireless Chief Technology Officer. “Our partnership with TWC gives our customers truly widespread access to simple, seamless and secure WiFi in key markets nationwide.”

https://passpoint.boingo.com

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 opportunity to be among the first to enjoy current seasons of some of the most popular TV shows in pristine Ultra High-Definition,” said Matt Strauss, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video Services for Comcast Cable. “Next year, we will not only debut the full Xfinity in UHD catalog across our Xfinity TV Go platforms for all customers to enjoy, but we will begin distributing a new X1 set-top box that will deliver 4K content.”

http://www.comcast.com

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.com

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 can be automatically highlighted and directed to the appropriate tools for immediate analysis.
  • New high-density platform – Ixia’s ATI Processor is available in the new NTO 6212 packet broker, which enhances Ixia’s NTO family with application brokering and NetFlow generation in an efficient 48-port 1U package.
  • Advanced packet processing and 100G support – Ixia’s NTO 7300 now supports 100Gb interfaces and 1.8Tb of advanced processing (such as header stripping and deduplication), the highest capacity and density in the industry by a substantial margin.
  • Monitoring of financial feeds – Ixia’s recent TradeView release allows for the monitoring of market data down to the channel level, providing early warning of health issues with channel feeds that can save millions in revenue lost to trading errors.


 http://www.ixiacom.com

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.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

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 boxes.

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 is a key milestone for Infinera as we enter the metro Cloud market,” said Stuart Elby, senior vice president of Cloud network strategy and technology at Infinera. "The Infinera Cloud Xpress marks a better way to bring innovative Intelligent Transport Network solutions to the metro Cloud market by delivering a purpose built product with the right form factor, space and power profile.”

http://infinera.com/j7/servlet/NewsItem?newsItemID=435


In September, Infinera unveiled its Cloud Xpress, a compact, high-density, optical system optimized for the transport network that interconnects multiple data centers within a metro area. It leverages existing Infinera technologies, including its Photonic Integrated Circuit (PICs) and super-channel aggregation, to provide massive bandwidth in a form factor that data center operators can rack-n-stack and easily integrate into their operations.

In a press event in Santa Clara, California, Infinera predicted that hyper-scale cloud operators now building data centers packed with hundreds of thousands of servers, will soon need vast numbers of 100G connections between their metro data centers.  The Cloud Xpress aims to provide point-to-point hyper-scale bandwidth over distances of up to 200km without amplification.  On the client side, it supports 10GbE, 40GbE, 100GbE interfaces and on the line side its offers 500 Gbps WDM super-channels. It can be managed with a wide range of tools: CLI, the Infinera Network Management System—DNA as well as an API-driven SDN control.  The Cloud Xpress is currently in customer trials and commercial release is expected in December 2014.

Infinera said the key benefits of its Cloud Xpress for the metro cloud include:
  • Hyper-scale Density – The Cloud Xpress delivers one terabit per second (Tb/s) of input and output capacity in just two rack units (RU).  This means a single 42 RU rack can support an industry leading 21 Tbps of input and output capacity.
  • Simplified Operations – The Cloud Xpress is designed with a rack-and-stack form factor and a new software approach that will enable it to plug into existing cloud provisioning systems using open SDN APIs. By offering an experience similar to the server and storage infrastructure currently deployed in the cloud, the Cloud Xpress enables smooth integration into existing operational processes enabling cloud providers to scale quickly, reduce human errors and lower operational costs.
  • Lowest Power – The Cloud Xpress consumes half as much power as the current leader of the market for comparably-sized metro cloud solutions.

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 Service Aware Architecture (ViSAA) for delivery of MEF CE 2.0 services in packet-based mobile and cloud access Ethernet networks. When combined with Vitesse's CEServices software, Serval-2 Lite delivers a turnkey SDN-ready solution for touchless provisioning and remote control of MEF CE 2.0 services over Carrier networks.

Key attributes include:

  • Vitesse Service Aware Architecture delivering hardware-based advanced fault detection, service activation test and performance monitoring features for business-class Ethernet service delivery;
  • VeriTime IEEE 1588 timing technology, the industry's only 1588 solution that meets and exceeds the new stringent ITU specifications for 4G TD-LTE and LTE-Advanced wireless networks;
  • Hierarchical QoS (H-QoS) for robust support MEF CE 2.0-compliant delivery of SLA-based Carrier Ethernet services.


"Vitesse's turnkey solutions will be imperative for Carriers to keep up with the network demands of the future and enable SDN/NFV service automation," said Uday Mudoi, vice president of product marketing at Vitesse. "Vitesse's service-aware portfolio is unique in the industry and designed to help service providers efficiently scale network capabilities with traffic demand and improve business agility. We have customers using OpenDaylight today in conjunction with our solution to remotely provision and control services in Carrier deployments. This is vital for Carriers to realize the full benefits of #SDN and #NFV in their networks."

Sampling is expected in January.

http://www.vitesse.com
http://investor.vitesse.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=888044

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 of 40 Gbps at a baud rate of 20Gbaud, resulting in improved signal integrity while re-using existing channels for higher data throughput and enabling the use of lower cost cables and optics. The PAM4-line code in the new PHYs require half the bandwidth of Non-Return-to-Zero (NRZ) line code, resulting in higher throughput and lower total system cost and power consumption.

Key features include:

  • Single 40/50GbE PHY drives 40/50G serial over various media
  • Supports a variety of DAC reaches from multiple suppliers
  • Enables SMF/MMF optics and silicon photonics
  • Low-power 28 nm CMOS design
  • Small 7x7mm package fits within QSFP+ form factor, cable assembly and optics modules

"Our new PAM-4 PHYs provide the ideal solution for OEMs and data center operators looking for cost and performance optimization," said Lorenzo Longo, Broadcom Vice President and General Manager, Physical Layer Products.

http://www.broadcom.com

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 get to the required maturity level, work on platform services, APIs and interfaces will commence.

Mobile-edge Computing provides IT and cloud-computing capabilities within the Radio Access Network (RAN) in close proximity to mobile subscribers. Located at the base station or at the Radio Network Controller, it also provides access to real-time radio and network information such as subscriber location or cell load that can be exploited by applications and services to offer context-related services.

For application developers and content providers, the RAN edge offers a service environment characterized by proximity, ultra-low latency, high-bandwidth, as well as real-time access to radio network information and location awareness. Mobile-edge Computing allows content, services and applications to be accelerated, maintaining a customer’s experience across different radio and network conditions.

So far, the MEC ISG has attracted 24 member and participant organizations, including network operators, vendors, technology suppliers and content delivery network (CDN) providers.

https://portal.etsi.org/tb.aspx?tbid=826&SubTB=826

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 are conducting research with OpenPOWER based technologies.  These projects and other member work underway build upon a growing set of OpenPOWER compatible solutions introduced in the last quarter of 2014 including:

  • Nallatech collaboration with Altera produced the OpenPOWER CAPI Developer Kit for IBM POWER8
  • Tyan launched the TYAN GN70-BP010, the world’s first OpenPOWER customer reference system
  • NVIDIA and IBM collaboration produced the IBM Power S824L server with GPU acceleration
  • Redis Labs, Altera, Canonical and IBM collaboration produced the IBM Data Engine for NoSQL, a CAPI-enabled solution for NoSQL data stores


The OpenPOWER Foundation’s Technical Steering Committee has chartered six work groups.  The latest one formed addresses interoperability, allowing different server component technologies to work together.  Named the 25G IO Interoperability Mode Work Group, this new work group focuses on physical interfaces — the wiring that connects componentry — and will provide members a forum to work out an interoperability mode for custom 25Gbps PHYs. The interoperability work group joins the previously established Systems Software, OpenServer Development Platform, Hardware Architecture, Compliance and Accelerator work groups.

“We’re very excited with what we’ve accomplished over the past year, not just in terms of our expanding roster but as measured by our ability to tap into the unique talents each member brings to our growing community of innovators,” said OpenPOWER Chairman Gordon MacKean.

In addition, the foundation plans to host the first OpenPOWER Summit on March 17-19, 2015, at the San JoseConvention Center in California.

http://openpowerfoundation.org/

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 of this latest customer win include:

Planned migration of current operator traffic to protected microwave rings augmented by MPLS routing capability
Support services for 60 percent of Safaricom's wireless network upgrade and expansion
"We are delighted to continue our partnership with Safaricom," says Michael Pangia, CEO and president, Aviat Networks. "We look forward to supporting the ongoing expansion of the network and range of enabled services for Safaricom, who has been a key Aviat customer for years."

"Aviat Networks has been a valued business partner to Safaricom and has worked closely with us from the time we started to build a GSM network in Kenya 13 years ago," says John Tombleson, CFO of Safaricom. "With Aviat's ability to deliver a robust and cost-effective microwave solution, it made perfect business sense to choose them as one of our microwave transmission partners."

http://www.aviatnetworks.com

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 into the firmware of Positivo devices.

Absolute persistence technology is built into the BIOS or firmware of a device during the manufacturing process. Once activated, customers who purchase these devices benefit from an extra level of security.

Customers can monitor and secure devices on or off the corporate network.  If a computer is stolen, the Absolute Investigations team will work closely with local law enforcement to assist in the investigation and recovery of the device. The Investigations team has recovered more than 30,000 devices from over 108 countries.

“Positivo is one the world’s largest computer manufacturers and their presence in Latin America is well recognized,” said Geoff Haydon, CEO at Absolute Software. “This partnership gives us the opportunity to bring our technology and comprehensive security solutions to a priority market, working with a respected manufacturer to grow our presence in this strategic region.”

http://www.absolute.com

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

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 deployed on their own. The company currently offers a "configure on-demand" IaaS platform and will now be moving to a virtualized packet core.

Specifically, ASPIDER has selected Cisco UCS C (rackmount) servers as compute platform for deployment of Cisco's virtualized Packet Core and Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN). This enables ASPIDER to enhance its Access Point Name (APN) gateway functions and policy integration to provide customers with more configuration flexibility to support Quality of Service management. Telindus serves as systems integrator.

"The Cisco virtualized Packet Core solution gives ASPIDER the flexibility they need to deliver the same scalability, flexibility, and integrated network policy control as their Cisco GGSN platform. Cisco virtualized Packet Core supplies ASPIDER with a faster time to market, at lower cost of entry, while providing the same Cisco StarOS software assets necessary to offer their hosted mobile Internet services. We are thrilled about ASPIDER's continued confidence in us and we look forward to further working together to deliver industry-leading services," stated Mike Iandolo, vice president and general manager, Mobile Internet Technology Group, Cisco.

http://newsroom.cisco.com/press-release-content?type=webcontent&articleId=1562524



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 provides secure connectivity to Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and its own Verizon cloud service.

“Verizon SCI now connects to more cloud services, offering enterprises a premier choice when choosing their cloud interconnect partner,” said Shawn Hakl, enterprise networking platforms and managed products for Verizon. “HP and Salesforce customers will find that SCI delivers an unmatched combination of security, resiliency, application performance, simplicity and efficiency while enabling a wide range of applications and use cases, making it a great fit for enterprises with discriminating requirements.”

http://news.verizonenterprise.com/2014/12/cloud-interconnect-hp-salesforce-verizon/
http://cloud.verizon.com/enterprise-cloud-report

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 reaches 121 metropolitan areas across the country. By mid-2015, the company plans to convert all of its Edge spectrum to LTE.

“Can you imagine your gas station siphoning unused gas from your car each month? The US wireless industry is even worse,” said John Legere, president and CEO for T-Mobile. “Americans have been gamed by the carriers into buying huge data plans – all to avoid getting screwed with overage penalties. Only to find out they bought more than they need which is then confiscated by the carrier. For the consumer it’s lose, lose."

http://www.t-mobile.com/offer/data-stash-data-roll.html

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 and up to 8 ports (4 channels) of 100GE interfaces, enabling a fixed or mobile operator to handle millions of subscribers traffic flows with full subscriber experience visibility in both real-time and with historical visibility into the subscriber experience metrics that matter. The intelligence gathered from Procera's Perspectives solutions (RAN, Video, Subscriber, Device, Routing, Traffic, Content, and Topology) is displayed in real-time using Dynamic LiveView or streamed using IPFix, and then stored in the PacketLogic Intelligence Center for visualization in the Insights Product family (Engineering, Customer Care, and Marketing) or an external Big Data solution. The PL20000 can then act to improve the subscriber experience through Congestion Management, Policy and Charging, Advanced Traffic Steering, or Mitigation.

http://www.proceranetworks.com


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 subscribers' satellite dish also allows operators to geo-lock content to subscribers. Content geo-locking uses a subscriber's location to deliver video content specific to the subscriber's service address.

"By combining Broadcom's field-proven satellite ODU technology with GPS functionality, we are able to provide operators with the capability to more conveniently and cost-effectively track the location of their equipment and prevent redistribution of content to nonsubscribers," said Nicholas Dunn, Broadcom Vice President of Direct Broadcast Satellite Marketing. "This integrated technology can also open the door to operator delivery of location-based social media and business applications, providing subscribers with targeted content such as information on local service providers, retail operations and restaurants, or a specific televised event."

http://www.broadcom.com/

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 to customers. To speed up diagnostics, online fabric connectivity testing is exposed directly into OpenStack Horizon GUI, so each tenant can verify workload connectivity without involving a cloud operations team. Such self-service diagnostic tools, enabled through Big Cloud Fabric's native REST APIs, further reduce the customer's operational expenses.

http://bigswitch.com/press-releases/2014/12/16/big-switch-networks-big-cloud-fabric-achieves-red-hat-certification-for


  • In July 2014, Big Switch Networks unveiled its new flagship product -- Big Cloud Fabric, a switching fabric designed for hyperscale data centers powered by SDN software and bare metal switch hardware.  The Big Cloud Fabric leverages the company’s Switch Light Operating System on physical leaf and spine bare metal switch hardware.  It supports the latest Trident II silicon from Broadcom and is designed for 10G and 40G scale and resiliency, featuring headless mode high availability, zero-touch provisioning, L2/3 forwarding options, application-centric policy and service chaining. Management is available via OpenStack, Cloudstack, REST, CLI, or GUI.

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 is working on a new standard to enable multi-gigabit speeds over existing Cat5e and Cat6 cabling.  The technology is especially relevant for supporting Wave 2 of 802.11ac access points without requiring enterprise customers to engage in the costly upgrade of their wired infrastructure.

Member companies gain access to the recently-released NBASE-T 1.0 specification – a specification based on silicon-proven, production-ready devices.  In addition, participants have the opportunity to join the alliance’s newly-formed Technical Working Group and Marketing Working Group.  The Technical Working Group will define a comprehensive end-to-end solution, including additional specifications to address application needs beyond the physical layer.  The NBASE-T Alliance and its participant companies are also working closely with IEEE to ensure rapid standardization and drive industry-wide adoption of multi-gigabit rates in enterprise infrastructures.

“Our diverse membership ensures that the broadest range of opinions and perspectives will be reflected when our working groups gather,” said Peter Jones, Chairman of NBASE-T Alliance. “We believe this level of diversity and collaboration is a requirement when driving new standards and building the product ecosystem required to support them.”

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.







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.





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.





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 financial advisory firm.

MRV also promoted Stephen Krulik, 42, who has served as Vice President of Finance since May 5, 2014 to Chief Financial Officer. These appointments were unanimously approved by the independent members of the Company’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Bonney commented, “Since taking on the role of CFO four months ago I have become increasingly confident in our people, our technology and our product and service offerings of both our Network Integration and Network Equipment businesses. I am excited to expand my role and work more closely with an excellent management team as we drive the MRV strategy forward.”

http://ir.mrv.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=103858&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1999306

Monday, December 15, 2014

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 Networks delivered the network upgrade. The agreement includes systems integration services and Nokia’s Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station.

http://networks.nokia.com/
http://www.sonera.com


  • Sonera first launched LTE service in Helsinki in November 2010.

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 would hold a 12% stake in BT and would be entitled to appoint one member of the BT Board of Directors.
  • Orange would hold a 4% stake in BT.
  • BT expects significant synergies mainly through network and IT rationalisation, back-office consolidation and savings on procurement, marketing and sales costs.

http://www.btplc.com/News/Articles/ShowArticle.cfm?ArticleID=C166A667-9C87-4128-8A2C-03E2DD8E017C


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 that 3.5 GHz is suitable for the deployment of macro-cells in FDD mode in cities.

The first phase of the trial was performed at the Orange Labs in Paris. In this trial, speeds of 300 Mbps were achieved by using the 3.5 GHz band in aggregation with the 2.6 GHz band, thereby confirming the potential of 3.5 GHz FDD technology to increase mobile broadband capacity. The second phase was carried out on Orange's live mobile network and was based on Ericsson's pre-commercial FDD 3.5 GHz radio base station equipment.

For the trial, new antennas supporting the 3.5 GHz band were installed at the Le Ponant and Meriadeck sites in the city center of Bordeaux. A range of streaming-based services were tested allowing the team to continuously monitor network performance between the base station and the mobile prototype throughout the live trial. The data throughputs acquired during the tests were measured, both before and after carrier aggregation of the two bands. A peak performance of 150 Mbps at a distance of up to 700 meters was achieved in the 3.5 GHz band when used alone, and speeds of 300 Mbps was attained when used in aggregation with the 2.6 GHz band.

"This live FDD trial demonstrated that the 3.5 GHz band can be successfully used in urban and suburban environments in stand-alone mode or in aggregation with another band to provide advanced mobile broadband services using a FDD access scheme for high peak data rate applications to enhance user experience," said Alain Maloberti, Senior Vice President, Orange Labs Networks.

http://www.orange.com
http://www.ericsson.com

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 as well as Central New Jersey will be added soon.

T-Mobile noted that its customers in and around New York City have been using an average of 2.6 GB of data per month with average download speeds of 22.2 Mbps.

http://www.t-mobile.com


  • T-Mobile has defined Wideband LTE as at least 15+15MHz.  The carrier is also starting to roll out its new low-band 700 MHz A-Block spectrum.