SMIC to Manufacture 28nm Qualcomm Snapdragon Processors

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMCI), of China's largest and most advanced semiconductor foundries, inked a deal with Qualcomm to manufacture Snapdragon processors using 28nm process technology.

The companies said the deal will help accelerate SMIC’s 28nm process maturity and capacity, and will also make SMIC one of the first semiconductor foundries in China to offer production locally for some of Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon processors on 28nm node, both PolySiON (PS) and high-K dielectrics metal gate (HKMG).

“We are delighted to enter this collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies since this marks a significant milestone on the readiness and competitiveness of SMIC’s 28nm process technologies,” said Dr. Tzu-Yin Chiu, chief executive officer and executive director, SMIC. “This step forward demonstrates SMIC’s capabilities and commitments on bringing up the needed advanced node technologies for addressing customers’ demands and product roadmaps. With Qualcomm Technologies’ support, we are confident that our 28nm technologies will become one of the most important growth drivers for the company. We expect that the 28nm product life cycle longevity will exceed previous nodes, which will help better position SMIC to service the needs of Qualcomm Technologies, as well as others.”

http://www.qualcomm.com
http://www.smics.com

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CTERA Raises $25 Million for its Cloud Storage Service Platform

CTERA Networks, a start-up based in Petach Tikvah, Israel, announced a $25 million Series C funding round to accelerate its cloud storage services platform.

CTERA's Cloud Storage Services Platform combine enterprise endpoint backup software, enterprise file sync and share software, and cloud storage gateway appliances. It can be used large enterprises and service providers to sync, serve and protect data from one centrally managed solution that is 100% secure and deployable on the cloud infrastructure of their choice.

The financing round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners who join existing CTERA investors Benchmark Capital, Cisco, and Venrock. CTERA’s existing investors also participated in the Series C round.

Earlier this year, the company announced that more than 21,000 businesses are powered by CTERA technology, and marked the shipment of more than 30,000 CTERA Cloud Storage Gateways to date. Some examples:

• A large multi-national insurance firm has deployed CTERA Cloud Storage Gateways across thousands of its branch office locations.
• A large multi-national financial services firm has successfully deployed CTERA’s Enterprise File Sync and Share and Endpoint Backup software to more than 50,000 users across their enterprise.
• The business services unit of a large telecommunications company has delivered CTERA-powered services to more than 10,000 business customers in less than 12 months.

http://www.ctera.com/

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Zayo Files for IPO

Zayo Group Holdings filed an S-1 statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to a proposed public offering of its common stock.

Zayo operates a fiber network spanning 77,000 route miles across the U.S. and Europe, as well as 28 data centers in markets across the U.S.

The company was founded in 2007 and has completed a number of acquisitions since then. The company has about 1,400 employees.

http://www.zayo.com

From Edgar: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1608249/000119312514259283/d715611ds1.htm

From its founding in 2007 through June 30, 2014, Zayo completed acquisitions with an aggregate of $3.7 billion. These include:

Acquisition	Date
Memphis Networx	July 31, 2007
PPL Telecom	August 24, 2007
Indiana Fiber Works	September 28, 2007
Onvoy	November 7, 2007
Voicepipe	November 7, 2007
Citynet Fiber Networks	February 15, 2008
Northwest Telephone	May 30, 2008
CenturyTel Tri-State	July 22, 2008
Columbia Fiber Solutions	September 30, 2008
CityNet Holdings Assets	September 30, 2008
Adesta Assets	September 30, 2008
Northwest Telephone California	May 26, 2009
FiberNet	September 9, 2009
AGL Networks	July 1, 2010
Dolphini Assets	September 20, 2010
American Fiber Systems	October 1, 2010
360networks	December 1, 2011
MarquisNet	December 31, 2011
Arialink	May 1, 2012
AboveNet	July 2, 2012
FiberGate	August 31, 2012
USCarrier	October 1, 2012
FTS	December 14, 2012
Litecast	December 31, 2012
Core NAP	May 31, 2013
Corelink	August 1, 2013
Access	October 1, 2013
FiberLink	October 2, 2013
CoreXchange	March 4, 2014
Geo	May 16, 2014

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Nokia Networks Acquires 3-D Geolocation Tool from NICE Systems

Nokia Networks has acquired a 3-D geolocation solution from NICE Systems that can be used to enhance the planning and optimization of mobile networks.  The dead includes the tools, technical expertise, and the right to further develop these capabilities.  Nokia plans to build up a competence center in Israel, develop its future portfolio around 3-D modeling, and increase automation in its services. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Nokia said three dimensional modelling can deliver unparalleled accuracy of network performance for multivendor networks.  Combined with Nokia’s services expertise, this technology helps to provide deep insight into traffic trends and the performance of mobile broadband networks.

 “Advanced network planning and optimization services are at the forefront of Nokia Networks’ strategic services to mobile operators.  The evolution of small cells and LTE necessitates more accurate 3-D geolocation capabilities. Nokia Networks  intends to enhance this unique solution in order to offer superior services to our customers, regardless of which network gear they use,” said Dennis Lorenzin, head of Network Planning and Optimization** at the Global Services business unit of Nokia Networks.

http://nsn.com/

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Zayo Acquires Data Center in Atlanta

Zayo has acquired Colo Facilities Atlanta ("AtlantaNAP"), an Atlanta data center and managed services provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.

AtlantaNAP has over 72,000 square feet of total data center space, including 42,000 square feet of conditioned colocation space. The Atlanta colocation facility is connected to most major carrier hotels and data centers via high-count and diverse fiber rings, providing customers with increased connectivity options. The SSAE 16 type II compliant facility offers 5Mw of fully redundant 2N UPS power, serviced from diverse utility feeds.

Zayo said AtlantaNAP complements its metro fiber network in the region, which spans over 600 route miles. The deal brings Zayo's number of data centers to 28, with over 570,000 square feet of capacity.

“Atlanta is a high demand colocation market and a growing hub for healthcare, technology, and large enterprises,” said Greg Friedman, vice president of zColo. “The AtlantaNAP facility offers customers a highly secure and redundant infrastructure, and will now be able to leverage Zayo’s existing fiber footprint to provide a connectivity-driven colocation offering in Atlanta for new and existing customers.”

http://www.zayo.com

In March, Zayo acquired CoreXchange, Inc., a data center, bandwidth and managed services provider in Dallas, Texas. Financial terms were not disclosed.  The purchase adds one new data center to Zayo's zColo portfolio. In addition, zColo will secure an additional 12,000 square feet in CoreXchange’s suite at its existing data center in the Dallas Infomart at 1950 N. Stemmons Freeway.

The acquisition yields over 18,000 square feet of total data center space and brings zColo’s national data center count to 27 locations. As a part of the acquisition, Zayo will also assume ownership of ColoUnlimited, CoreXchange’s online presence that facilitates simple, real-time online sales and ordering of colocation services. zColo will continue operating ColoUnlimited in the Dallas market before integrating into Zayo’s recently announced Internet Portal, Tranzact, in the second quarter of 2014. Tranzact will enable transactional ordering capabilities across zColo’s national data center footprint.

In 2013, Zayo acquired CoreNAP, establishing zColo’s presence in Austin, Texas.  

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Gowex Suspended for Financial Irregularities

Shares of Gowex, a provider of free municipal Wi-Fi services based in Madrid, Spain, were suspended from trading following reports of financial irregularities.

Over the weekend, the founder and CEO of Gowex, Jenaro Garcia Martin, resigned.  Insiders said Garcia Martin indicated to the board that financial records had been manipulated for some time.  The company subsequently announced plans to file for bankruptcy protection.

Gowex has previously announced multiple partnerships with cities and public transport companies to deploy a free Wi-Fi service supported by its business model.

Public transport Wi-Fi projects included with Madrid & Barcelona City Tour, the Subte and the Metrobus of Buenos Aires, the intercity buses of Madrid Arriva de Blas, etc.

http://www.gowex.com

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Google Chrome to support WebRTC

Google Chrome is implementing WebRTC to enable users to launch Hangouts in the browser without needing a plug-in.

The capability is already available for Chrome Dev and Canary users.  Google plans to update Chrome shortly.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/103171586947853434456/posts/39TCW3PcLye

• WebRTC is a free, open project that enables web browsers with Real-Time Communications (RTC) capabilities via simple JavaScript APIs.  http://www.webrtc.org/

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