Verizon Confirms 100G Metro Ethernet Client Performance

Verizon confirmed that 100G traffic can be successfully carried over its regional Ethernet network between two 100G network interface devices while maintaining carrier-grade performance.

In a trial, Verizon transmitted 100G using the Canoga Perkins 9145E100G CloudBuster network interface device (NID) over the Verizon regional switched Ethernet services network in the Dallas area. Splice Communications, a Verizon Global Wholesale customer, provided connectivity to CyrusOne, a global data center provider that served as the end user in the trial.

Verizon said key metrics for the trial were well above industry standards for Ethernet virtual connections. The metrics consisted of frame delay; delay variation; and throughput, the amount of data successfully delivered.

“This accomplishment, which we believe is an industry first, is a significant step forward along the evolution of 100G technology in preparation for the day when demand for higher network speed and capacities outgrows current technologies,” said Guru Pai, chief product officer and senior vice president of corporate technology. “Having 100G network access will be important for businesses that operate data centers and for mobile backhaul and other service applications.

“And while the pace of advancement is important, we’re equally focused on performance – and this trial proves we can carry 100G traffic to customer premises while maintaining the level of quality they demand,” Pai said.

http://newscenter.verizon.com/corporate/news-articles/2014/07-16-100g-nid-trial/

• Verizon is using the Fujitsu FLASHWAVE 9500 platform and the Coriant 7100 in its metro deployment, which is the “last-mile” connectivity from the network to the customer. 
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• As of April 2014, Verizon had 39,000 miles of 100G technology deployed on its global IP network. 

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Nitero Unveils 60 GHz 802.11ad Silicon

Nitero, a start-up based in Austin, Texas with a design studio in Melbourne, Australia, unveiled its 60 GHz chip implemented in CMOS and based on the IEEE 802.11ad. standard.  The device uses Samsung’s advanced 28nm RF process based on 28nm HKMG LPP technology.

Nitero said its design is up to 10x more power efficient than 802.11ad solutions designed for the PC, while bringing cost and form-factor in-line with existing 802.11ac Wi-Fi solutions.  Nitero’s NT4600 supports low-latency 4K display and peer-to-peer wireless connectivity at USB 3.0 data rates.  In addition, while single-antenna 802.11ad solutions sacrifice in-room performance to get to low power, the NT4600 supports transmit and receive beamforming to provide full coverage throughout the office, living room or conference room.

“802.11ad, the next generation of Wi-Fi, is the missing link to allow for the long-awaited convergence of PC, gaming and entertainment platforms onto a single mobile device. 802.11ad solutions built for the PC and slimmed down for mobile simply can’t meet the power, performance, and form-factor requirements of Tier 1 mobile customers,” said Pat Kelly, CEO of Nitero. “At Nitero, we targeted the smartphone from day one. The result is 60G.”

Key features of Nitero’s 60G:

• Samsung 28nm RF CMOS process technology
• Power reduced by up to 10x over PC 802.11ad solutions
• Industry-leading output power, noise figure and sensitivity to maximize performance
• Transmit and receive beamforming to support non-line-of-sight conditions
• Low-latency 4K wireless display support in living-room, desktop, and conference-room environments
• Peer-to-peer wireless connectivity using 16-QAM modulation at up to 4.6 Gbps
• PCI Express host interface to support the latest mobile applications processors while minimizing software overhead
• Fully-compliant to the ratified IEEE 802.11ad standard
• Android driver support

Nitero is currently demonstrating the NT4600 to select partners and customers and will start production shipments in 2015.

http://www.nitero.com

• Nitero is funded by leading venture capitalists with deep semiconductor roots – Austin Ventures, Southern Cross Venture Partners and Trailblazer Capital. 

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Broadcom Intros Next Gen Small Cell Silicon for Wi-Fi + 3G + LTE

Broadcom introduced its next generation silicon for residential, enterprise and outdoor small cell networks.

The new BCM617x5 Series baseband system-on-a-chip (SoC) devices integrate residential multi-mode and triple-mode 3G, 4G/LTE support.  The third generation, low-power, small cell baseband processors double the capacity for operators and carriers to offload data traffic from increasingly congested networks.  The enhanced devices deliver data rates up to 300 Mbps to client Wi-Fi devices (802.11n and 802.11ac).

"Our new generation of residential and triple-mode enterprise baseband processors for small cells provides global carriers with a powerful solution as 3G technology matures and global operators prepare to transition to 4G/LTE mobile networks," said Greg Fischer, Broadcom Vice President and General Manager for Broadband Carrier Access.

Key Features of the BCM617x5 Series

• Includes 3G and 4G/LTE small cell transceiver
• Supports multiple networks and configurations, including:
  * 3G TDSCDMA and WCDMA
  * LTE in frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD)
  * Carrier WLAN with dedicated WLAN processor core
  * China ZUC security algorithm
• Combines PCI-Express and driver integration for Broadcom Wi-Fi solutions, enabling multimode access points and addition of carrier Wi-Fi to cellular solutions
• Full support for Broadcom RF cellular devices and dual-band concurrent 802.11n and 801.11ac Wi-Fi technologies, including the BCM43460 and BCM43520
• Software- and pin-compatible with existing BCM617xx series
• Integrates power-reducing crest-factor reduction (CFR) and envelope tracking for RF
• Embedded advanced DFE algorithms increase spectrum efficiency while minimizing overall system power consumption.

The launch also includes a new 3G/ 4G LTE RF transceiver, the BCM61297.

Broadcom noted that its previous SoC have been deployed in more than two million small cells to date.

http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=s860085

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Microsoft Commits to 175 MW Wind Farm for Chicago Data Center

Microsoft announced its largest purchase of wind energy to date -- a 20-year agreement with EDF Renewable Energy to purchase up to an estimated 675,000 MWh of renewable energy from the 175 MW Pilot Hill Wind Project in Illinois.

The Pilot Hill Wind farm is located 60 miles from Chicago and is on the same electric grid that powers the Microsoft data center in Chicago. Pilot Hill construction has already commenced and will begin delivering green power in 2015.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft-green/archive/2014/07/15/microsoft-announces-largest-wind-project-to-date.aspx

• In November 2013, Microsoft announced a similar wind energy deal with the 110 MW Keechi Wind Project in Texas.

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A10 Adds Application Networking Appliances for Policy Enforcement

A10 Networks introduced a new line of high-speed, high-capacity application networking appliances that leverage specialized hardware to perform security and policy enforcement at ultra high speeds, including protection against large-scale DDoS attacks, without impacting system performance.

The new Thunder SPE appliances leverage A10's new Security and Policy Engine (SPE) to implement security and policy enforcement functions at up to 155 Gbps.  The company claims up to a 40 percent processing performance boost relative to current systems. All models are dual power supply-capable, feature solid-state drives (SSDs) and can be configured with 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps port options. Thunder SPE appliances start at $164,000.

A10 said the new appliances are particularly adept at dealing with volumetric DDoS attacks. Recently, the frequency and volume of DDoS attacks has risen dramatically, resulting in costly network and service outages.

"Threat detection and mitigation are rapidly becoming a performance game, where the sophistication and volume of attacks are specifically designed to overwhelm lesser performing network devices, thus rendering a provider's network infrastructure and applications vulnerable to downtime and further threats," said Jason Matlof, A10 Networks vice president of marketing. "With leading high-performance hardware systems, A10 is able to offer protection against aggressive attacks to customers in the most challenging threat environments."

A10 also announced integrated DDoS protection capabilities for its Thunder CGN product line.

http://www.a10networks.com

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IIX Raises $10 Million for Direct Cloud Interconnects

IIX Inc., a start-up based in Palo Alto, California, secured $10.4 million in Series A Funding for its direct interconnection solutions has for enterprises, content providers, cloud providers and other network operators.

The IIX PeeringCloud lets customers connect to leading Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) via a single interconnection. IIX launched its first Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) in 2011. The company has since established presence in various markets in the U.S., Canada and Europe and is continuing to expand globally. IIX also has a growing ecosystem of customers that includes industry leading companies such as Microsoft, Box, Blue Jeans Network, GoDaddy, LinkedIn and TripAdvisor.

The funding came from New Enterprise Associates (NEA).

http://www.iixinc.com

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Dell'Oro: LTE RAN Revenues Approach $22 Billion by 2018

The Mobile Radio Access Network (RAN) LTE equipment market for both macro and small cell radios will witness tremendous growth over the next five years, with LTE RAN revenue levels expected to outdo the RAN revenue peaks of GSM in 2007 and WCDMA in 2011, according to a new 5-Year Forecast Report from Dell'Oro Group.

Some highlights:

• Total RAN market—macro and small cell—to grow for a second consecutive year in 2014 and decline at a low single-digit CAGR between 2014 and 2018.
• Macro investments to remain strong throughout the forecast period with more than 1 M macro (RRU, antenna integrated radio, active antenna system) radios shipping in 2018 configured using both distributed and centralized baseband architectures.
• LTE-TDD to account for nearly 40% of LTE RF carrier shipments in the forecast period.
• The top 4 vendors in the LTE RAN market on a revenue basis in the first quarter 2014 were Ericsson, Huawei, Alcatel-Lucent, and Nokia.

“The momentum around LTE coverage build-outs and subscriber adoption is stronger than anything we have experienced with previous mobile technologies,” said Stefan Pongratz, Analyst of Dell’Oro Groups RAN and Small Cell Programs. “The pace of the LTE radio deployments during the coverage phase and the variety of band combinations available for LTE is enabling service providers to deploy radios in multiple bands optimized for coverage and capacity. This is driving investments to remain high even after the initial LTE coverage phase,” continued Pongratz.

http://www.delloro.com/news/lte-ran-revenues-to-approach-22-b-by-2018

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Dell'Oro: Metro Optical Market to Reach $9 Billion by 2018

Metro optical transport equipment revenues are forecast to reach $9 billion by 2018, according to a new Optical Transport 5-Year Forecast Report from Dell'Oro Group.  WDM equipment sales are expected to drive the majority of the metro optical market’s growth for the next five years and comprise the vast majority of revenue by 2018.

“The metro market is in a state of transition as it moves away from SONET/SDH multiplexers and towards high capacity transport equipment,” said Jimmy Yu, Vice President of Optical Transport Market Research at Dell’Oro Group.

“We believe the result of the network transition will be the continuous decline of SONET/SDH equipment sales at an average annual rate of over 30 percent a year.  In place of those equipment, service providers will shift their focus to higher capacity packet friendly systems such as optical packet-switches and WDM metro.  We  predict the market demand for optical packet-switch to grow at a 3 percent compounded annual growth rate until 2018 and for WDM metro to grow at an average annual rate of 9 percent,” added Mr. Yu.

http://www.delloro.com

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