Thursday, January 30, 2014

Sprint Selects BroadSoft for VoLTE/IMS Transformation

Broadsoft announced that Sprint selected its BroadWorks platform to enhance VoIP services made available by Sprint to both its consumer and business customers. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Broadsoft said its BroadWorks' Service Centralization and Continuity application server enables mobile network operators to deliver next-generation, Unified Communications (UC) services over their existing legacy GSM and/or CDMA networks.  The platform's Voice Call Continuity capabilities enable these UC services to transition from legacy networks as an operator migrates to VoLTE.

"We were seeking a single voice and video application server platform to support our IMS network transformation in order to provide the communication services both our consumer and enterprise customers are demanding today" said Iyad Tarazi, Vice President of Network Development, Sprint.

Michael Tessler, president and chief executive officer, BroadSoft, said "We are committed to providing superior technical capabilities that enable our service provider customers to offer the highest quality communications experience and look forward to helping Sprint achieve these objectives through our BroadWorks platform."

http://www.broadsoft.com/news/2014/sprint-selects-broadsoft-to-deliver-next-generation-ims-and-voice-over-lte-services/

Sprint Deploys Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Backup Power

Sprint will continue deploy hydrogen fuel cells technology as backup power to cell sites with financial assistance from the Department of Energy (DOE).

Sprint has been testing and using hydrogen fuel cells since 2005.  In 2009, the DOE provided a $7.3M grant for Sprint to support fuel cell technology advances. Under the new grant, fuel cell deployments will continue this year.  Final terms of the award are being worked out.

“We are excited to once again partner with the DOE to bring a new fuel cell technology solution to the market,” said Bob Azzi, chief network officer at Sprint. “To date, we’ve deployed approximately 500 hydrogen fuel cells in our network. This technology will provide backup power for our network and could extend to other industries as well.”

Sprint noted as much as 30 percent of total network cell sites are located on rooftops in some major metropolitan areas. Light weight fuel cells are an alternative to diesel generators and do not require a crane for installation.

http://newsroom.sprint.com/news-releases/sprint-takes-hydrogen-fuel-cell-technology-to-rooftops-with-help-from-department-of-energy.htm

JDSU Acquires Trendium and Time-Bandwidth

JDSU announced two acquisitions:  Trendium, a provider of real-time intelligence software solutions for customer experience assurance, asset optimization and monetization of big data for 4G/LTE mobile network operators; and Time-Bandwidth Products, a provider of high-powered and ultrafast lasers for the industrial and scientific markets. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Trendium, which is based in Boulder, Colorado, helps mobile operators improve the quality of services by leveraging application and traffic analysis with correlation technology. JDSU said the acquisition enables it to introduce a new paradigm of customer experience assurance (CEA) in 4G/LTE networks.  Trendium will become part of JDSU's mobile assurance and analytics solution, which recently selected by one of the top five mobile operators in the world.

Time-Bandwidth Products, which is a spin-off from the Ultrafast Laser Physics group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, offers a range of OEM and customized picosecond and femtosecond laser systems. The company specializes in ultrafast diode-pumped solid-state laser systems (DPSSLs). JDSU said this acquisition strengthens its position as a leading provider of lasers for micromachining applications. Ultrafast lasers can rapidly and precisely process parts at high volumes and use very short light pulses during the manufacturing process to minimize heat, which can negatively impact the quality and functionality of the processed part. Time-Bandwidth Products is based in Zurich.

“Technology is evolving at a rapid pace, making mergers and acquisitions an important part of JDSU’s growth strategy as a diversified technology company,” said Tom Waechter, president and CEO of JDSU. “These two acquisitions reflect our approach to selectively acquire technology and talent that help meet our customer’s rapidly evolving needs in the markets we serve.”

http://www.jdsu.com/
http://www.time-bandwidth.com/
http://www.trendium.com/

Ericsson Reports Flat Sales for 2013

Ericsson sales for Q4 and for full year 2013 were flat (0% growth) compared to the year earlier, although up 5% for the full year when adjusted for currency conversion and comparable units.  Net sales for Q4 2013 came in at SEK 67.0 billion (about US$10.29 billion).

The company said the long-term fundamentals in the industry remain attractive and that in Q4 sales began to grow in some of its key European markets.

"Ericsson's sales for comparable units, adjusted for FX, grew 5% for the full year. I am pleased that we have successfully closed the IPR cross-licensing agreement with Samsung. Our industry is built on scale and a strong tradition of sharing technologies through licensing on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. The agreement shows the value of our R&D investments and enables both companies to continue to innovate and bring new technologies to the market," says Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC).

"Our focus on profitability started to pay off and operating margin for the group gradually improved in 2013, despite significant currency headwind, driven primarily by improvements in Networks and Network Rollout.

http://www.ericsson.com/news/1757959

Here is a snapshot for the Q4 2012



ONF Selects Bangalore's CNLabs as SDN Test Facility

The Open Networking Foundation (ONF) named Criterion Network Labs (CNLabs) in Bangalore as its fourth international conformance and interoperability testing facility.

CNLabs joins the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), Beijing Internet Institute (BII), and the Indiana Center for Network Translational Research and Education (InCNTRE) in testing SDN products for compliance with the OpenFlow™ specification through the ONF OpenFlow Conformance Testing Program.

As an ONF-accredited testing facility, CNLabs establishes OpenFlow conformance testing capabilities in India and provides SDN testing services to global clients. CNLabs evaluates vendors’ networking products for conformance, performance, and interoperability, and offers vendors the opportunity to receive OpenFlow certification through ONF’s Conformance Testing Program.

“The networking industry is undergoing a refreshing change. SDN provides a framework through which networks can be administered, programmed, and made to scale seamlessly,” said Jayaprakash Kumar, director of Criterion Network Labs. “OpenFlow provides the method for ensuring consistency, promoting device interoperability, and allowing for a level of flexibility to the network operator that has not been seen before. We are delighted to be named the first ONF-approved testing facility in India and the second in Asia.”

https://www.opennetworking.org/
http://www.criterionnetworks.com/lab/

CenturyLink Tech. Ties into IO's Phoenix Data Center

CenturyLink Technology Solutions (formerly Savvis) will enhance its colocation footprint using IO's Intelligent Control technology platform, with initial deployments at IO Phoenix and nearby IO Scottsdale.

Under the partnership, CenturyLink Technology Solutions (formerly Savvis) will enter the Phoenix market as a hosting and colocation provider, making up to 9 megawatts of additional capacity available to its clients through rapidly deployable IO technology. CenturyLink has a deep understanding of the Phoenix market, where it maintains a substantial network services business and employs more than 1,700 employees.

The IO Intelligent Control technology platform consists of IO.Anywhere data center modules and the integrated IO.OS data center operating system, which provides integrated control, data collection and business intelligence across data center infrastructure, IT equipment, applications and users of the data center. In the CenturyLink data center space, IO's technology will be complemented by CenturyLink's broad set of colocation, managed services, cloud and network offerings. Clients will also gain access to CenturyLink's ClientConnect, an online gateway for businesses to expand their capabilities by locating, connecting and sharing services with other businesses residing across CenturyLink's global data center footprint.

CenturyLink operates more than 50 data centers worldwide, with more than 2.5 million square feet of gross raised floor space throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

http://www.centurylink.com.
http://io.com.


Riverbed Hits Record Quarterly Revenue

Riverbed Technology reported record quarterly revenue of $283 million (GAAP) for Q4 2013, up 8% compared to the third quarter of fiscal year 2013 and 19% compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2012.  GAAP net income for Q4'13 was $8 million, or $0.05 per diluted share. This compares to $4 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, in Q3'13 and $5 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, in Q4'12.

For FY'13, Riverbed reached GAAP revenue was $1.0 billion, up 24% compared to FY '12.

"Riverbed is executing well on a strategy to create sustained growth for our business, strategic value for our customers, and profitable returns for our shareholders," said Jerry M. Kennelly, chairman and CEO, Riverbed. "Our strong 2013 finish demonstrates progress across our major product lines and all geographies, and strength in enterprise sales. For the full year we are reporting more than $1 billion in revenue, an important milestone in the Company's history, and a good base from which we will drive our next leg of growth."

http://www.riverbed.com

Broadcom's Q4 Revenue Dips to $2.06 Billion

Broadcom posted Q4 2013 net revenue of $2.06 billion, down 3.8% compared with the $2.15 billion reported for Q3 2013 and down 0.8% compared with the $2.08 billion for Q4 2012.  Net income (GAAP) for Q4 was $168 million, or $0.29 per share (diluted), compared with GAAP net income of $316 million, or $0.55 per share (diluted), for Q3 2013 and GAAP net income of $251 million, or $0.43 per share (diluted), for Q4 2012.

Net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2013 was $8.31 billion, up 3.7% for the year.

"In 2013 Broadcom delivered record revenue in all three business groups. Continued strength in our Infrastructure Business Group drove Q4 revenue and earnings ahead of expectations," said Scott McGregor, Broadcom's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Looking into 2014, we are building momentum in LTE, setting the stage for Ultra HD and powering next generation service provider and data center networks."

http://www.broadcom.com

JDSU Beats Guidance with Revenue of $448 Million

JDSU posted GAAP net revenue of $447.6 million, with net income of $8.8 million, or $0.04 per share, for its second quarter ended December 28, 2013.  Prior quarter net revenue was $429.0 million, with net income of $0.3 million, or $0.00 per share. Net revenue for fiscal 2013 second quarter was $429.4 million, with net income of $4.1 million, or $0.02 per share.

“Our fiscal second quarter results exceeded our guidance expectation with gross margin improvements across all three segments,” said Tom Waechter, JDSU’s President and Chief Executive Officer.  “We are pleased with the performance of our organic business, the progress of our continuing investments in new offerings which align with customer requirements and market trends, and our continuing M&A strategy to expand our product portfolio into mobility and service enablement.  We believe JDSU is well-positioned to leverage our technical leadership in new markets in network infrastructure, commercial lasers and anti-counterfeiting in calendar 2014.”

http://www.jdsu.com

PMC Posts Q4 Revenue of $126.1 Million, Down 2%

PMC-Sierra reported Q4 2013 revenue of $126.1 million, a decrease of 2.2 percent compared to $128.9 million in the third quarter of 2013, and a decrease of 2.6 percent compared to $129.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2012.

GAAP net loss in the fourth quarter of 2013 totaled $16.7 million, or $0.08 per share, compared to a GAAP net loss in the third quarter of 2013 of $2.7 million, or $0.01 per share. This included a provision for income taxes of $12.8 million.

“Fourth quarter results were above the midpoint of our expectations and reflected solid growth in our storage business,” said Greg Lang, PMC president and chief executive officer. “It is encouraging to see our storage and server businesses finish the year strong.”

http://www.pmcs.com

SiTime Extends Lifetime Warranty for MEMS Timing Devices

In a testament to the durability of its MEMS oscillators and clock generators, SiTime has decided to extend a lifetime warranty that the devices will conform to specifications for the life of the system.

“Since 2007, SiTime has shipped 200 million units of our silicon MEMS timing solutions with zero MEMS failures. The outstanding quality and reliability of SiTime’s products is due to two unique factors – single crystal silicon material and the EpiSeal manufacturing process. Unlike other manufacturers who use poly crystalline silicon and oxides, SiTime constructs the MEMS resonator from pure single crystal silicon, which ensures that the performance of the resonator does not change with time. The EpiSeal process anneals the MEMS resonator and encapsulates it in a perfectly clean vacuum for maximum durability and reliability,” said Piyush Sevalia, executive vice president of marketing at SiTime. “SiTime’s reliability is two orders of magnitude, 100 times better than quartz."

http://www.sitime.com

Dell'Oro Group Releases Small Cell Forecast

Carrier spending on licensed and unlicensed small cell equipment will continue to increase over the next five years, according to a new forecast published by Dell'Oro Group.

Some highlights of the 5-year forecast report:

  • Service Providers to deploy almost 670 K small cell backhaul links between 2013 and 2018
  • Licensed non-residential small cell BTS shipments to grow from 160 K in 2015 to 625 K in 2018
  • SP WiFi revenues to more than double between 2013 and 2018.

"While there is no secret at this point that service providers would prefer to roll out macros as long as possible, we firmly believe as the focus continues to shift from outdoor coverage to improving performance in high-traffic areas and indoors, that the case for small cells will eventually not only make sense from a spatial efficiency perspective, but it will also be compelling from a business point of view," said Stefan Pongratz, Director of Dell'Oro Group's RAN and Small Cell Programs. "While we have lowered our expectations for SP WiFi, we have raised our licensed small cell expectations to account for new product announcements by Ericsson, NSN, and Huawei increasing the likelihood service providers will include small cells in their budgets," continued Pongratz.

This report provides a five-year unit and revenue forecast for the following small cell segments: RAN (WCDMA/LTE), Backhaul (LOS/NLOS microwave and fiber/copper), and SP WiFi (enterprise-class devices and outdoor mesh nodes that ship to service providers).

http://www.delloro.com