Qwilt: iOS 8 Update Causes Big Spike in Network Traffic

Qwilt, a provider of online video delivery and analytics solutions, published data showing a huge spike in Internet traffic due to Apple's release of iOS 8 on Wednesday.  iOS 8 weighs in at 1.3GB (compared to 750 MB for iOS 7) and over the coming days is expected to be installed by hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads worldwide.

Qwilt has been tracking the effects of iOS 8 in networks where its transparent caching solutions are deployed.

Daily media traffic across ISP network that Qwilt monitors was 50% higher than normal daily peaks, as of 4pm PT on Weds, September 17th.  In France at midnight local time, Apple was the No.1 source of Internet traffic, while in the U.S. Apple ranked No.2 behind Netflix at 6pm local time.

Qwilt says it is able to cache 90% of iOS 8 download traffic for its ISP customers.

http://www.qwilt.com

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Cisco to Acquire Metacloud for OpenStack-as-a-Service

Cisco plans to acquire Metacloud, a start-up with a unique OpenStack-as-a-Service model that delivers and remotely operates production-ready private clouds in a customer’s data center. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Metacloud, which is based in Pasadena, California, uses its software management platform to deploy and operate private clouds for global organizations. Metacloud OpenStack delivers a full public cloud experience, but in a private environment that could be the client's owndata center, a colocation facility, or one of the Metacloud hosting facilities. Remote dashboard capabilities are included.

Cisco said Metacloud’s OpenStack-based cloud platform will accelerate its own strategy to build the world's largest global Intercloud, a network of clouds, together with key partners to address customer requirements for a globally distributed, highly secure cloud platform capable of meeting the robust demands of the Internet of Everything.  Cisco's Cloud Services architecture also uses OpenStack open source software for building private and public clouds.

“Cloud computing has dramatically changed the IT landscape. To enable greater business agility and lower costs, organizations are shifting from an on-premise IT structure to hybrid IT – a mix of private cloud, public cloud, and on-premise applications,” said Hilton Romanski, senior vice president, Cisco Corporate Development. “The resulting silos present a challenge to IT administrators, as choice, visibility, data sovereignty and protection in this world of many clouds requires an open platform. We believe Metacloud’s technology will play a critical role in enabling our customers to experience a seamless journey to a new world of many clouds, providing choice, flexibility, and data governance.”

Upon completion of the acquisition, Metacloud employees will join Cisco’s Cloud Infrastructure and Managed Services organization led by Faiyaz Shahpurwala, senior vice president.

http://thenetwork.cisco.com
http://www.metacloud.com

• Metacloud was founded by Sean Lynch (previously Sr. Vice President of Technology Operations at Ticketmaster Entertainment) and Steve Curry (who previously managed global storage operations at Yahoo!).

• In March 2014, Cisco announced plans to build "the world’s largest global Intercloud" – a network of clouds – together with a set of partners.  The idea is to leverage a distributed network and security architecture designed for high-value application workloads, real-time analytics, “near infinite” scalability and full compliance with local data sovereignty laws. Cisco's open Intercloud promises APIs for rapid application development and a new enterprise-class portfolio of cloud IT services for businesses, service providers and resellers. It will support OpenStack and multiple hypervisors. It will also leverage Cisco's recently announced Application Centric Infrastructure. Cisco plans to invest over $1 billion to build its expanded cloud business over the next two years following a "partner-centric" business model.  The Cisco Intercloud will be hosted across a global network of Cisco data centers and partner data centers. It will offer value-added application- and network-centric cloud services to accelerate the Internet of Everything.

• In May 2014, Cisco announced partnerships with Dimension Data (part of NTT, Sungard Availability Services and Telstra to extend its vision of the Intercloud.  The partners will align their public cloud infrastructure to the Cisco Cloud architecture and deliver Cisco Cloud services to customers and resellers. Cisco's open Intercloud allows local hosting and local provider options that enable data sovereignty. The hybrid cloud capabilities that differentiate the Cisco Cloud are built upon the Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) and Cisco Intercloud Fabric technologies.

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Carriers and Vendors Conduct Transport SDN Testing

Nine vendors and several global are planning to conduct an interoperability test and demonstration of Transport SDN.

The demo, which is organized by the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) and the Open Networking Foundation (ONF), includes participation of ADVA Optical Networking, Alcatel-Lucent, Ciena, Coriant, Fiberhome, Fujitsu, Huawei, NEC Corporation of America and ZTE. China Mobile, China Telecom, TELUS and Verizon are hosting the testing in their labs.

OpenFlow extensions developed in the ONF Optical Transport Working Group are being prototyped and tested in the demo in both CDPI and CVNI forms. Vendors are also testing prototypes of Controller Northbound interfaces for Service Request and Topology functions developed as an OIF activity. The framework of the demo is cloud-bursting or application-based bandwidth-on-demand between data center sites. Testing based on this real-world use case illustrates potential deployment of Transport SDN technology, common interfaces required, needs for interoperability and any operational challenges.

Results will be shared in October in a whitepaper and at the Layer123 SDN and OpenFlow World Congress.

“The ability to bring vendors into carrier labs to test prototype technology provides unparalleled opportunity for industry-wide collaboration,” said Vishnu Shukla of Verizon and president of the OIF.  “This joint work is an initial step in solving the practical issues of implementing transport SDN in commercial networks with the shared goal to make transport networks more programmable in order to enable a new era of dynamic services.”

“We are pleased to join forces with the OIF to demonstrate OpenFlow-based transport SDN capabilities for and with the world’s leading operators,” said Dan Pitt, executive director of ONF. “ONF is committed to combined efforts like this to achieve interoperability and widespread adoption of open SDN in the service provider community and beyond.”

http://www.layer123.com/
http://www.oiforum.com/public/Global_Transport_SDN_Demo_2014.html

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SK Broadband Plans UHD 4K VOD with Set Top Boxes powered by Broadcom

SK Broadband is preparing to launch an Ultra High-Definition (UHD) 4K video on demand service in South Korea later this month.  The service will use an Ultra HD set-top box powered by Broadcom's Ultra high-definition (HD) system-on-chip (SoC) technology.

SK Broadband's B UHD tv STB delivers striking 60 frame-per-second (fps) video with vivid 10-bit color to the newest generation of high contrast ratio 4K TVs. High quality graphics and picture-in-picture (PIP) capabilities allow consumers to further optimize the Ultra HD viewing and user experience.

Broadcom said its advanced HEVC decoder substantially reduces the bandwidth required for Ultra HD content transmission over fiber, DSL or cable networks.

"Our HEVC-enabled chips are a key enabler in the reliable delivery of Ultra HD content to viewers' homes whether via over-the-air broadcasts, pay TV or OTT and we're very pleased that SK Broadband is launching their services with our BCM7252 SoC," said Dan Marotta, Broadcom Executive Vice President and General Manager, Broadband & Connectivity Group. "We see particularly strong adoption in Korea and SK Broadband is clearly demonstrating they have prepared for this next generation viewing experience in response to customer demand."

Key Features of the Broadcom BCM7252 Ultra HD SoC:

• High-performance dual-core Brahma15 10000 DMIP CPU
• 2180p60, quad 1080p60 HEVC decode, dual HD AVC encode
• Integrated high-performance connectivity peripherals, including USB 3.0, PCIe, Gigabit Ethernet
• High Performance DDR3/DDR4 system memory interface
• Enables more efficient operator content delivery for increased footprint, higher resolution or additional channels

http://www.broadcom.com

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Rackspace Names New CEO, Drops Company Sale Evaluation

Rackspace formally ended its evaluation process under which it was looking for a potential acquirer of the company. In doing so, the company declared its commitment to remain an independent provider of managed cloud services.

Rackspace also announced the appointment of Taylor Rhodes as CEO to lead and drive its managed cloud strategy. Rhodes is a Rackspace veteran who has served in a variety of leadership positions within the company since 2007, including several roles directly responsible for delivering Rackspace’s renowned Fanatical Support® to customers globally. He retains his previous role as president.

Rackspace co-founder, Graham Weston, who has served as CEO and chairman since February, now is non-executive chairman of the board.

“We ran a thorough process under the direction of our board of directors, independent advisors, and a Strategic Transaction Committee of the Board,” said Graham Weston, Rackspace co-founder and chairman. “In this process we talked to a diverse group of interested parties and entertained different proposals. None of these proposals were deemed to have as much value as the expected value of our standalone plan. We concluded that the company is best positioned to drive value for shareholders, customers and Rackers through the continued execution of its strategic plan to capitalize on the growing market opportunity for managed cloud services.”

http://www.rackspace.com

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VMware Updates its Software-Defined Data Center Portfolio

VMware released a series of updates to its product set targeting data centers.  The new releases include:

VMware NSX 6.1 -- several additions such as further advancement of network micro-segmentation capabilities, scale-out NSX Edge (equal cost multi-path routing), enhancements to VMware vCloud Automation Center 6.1 integration, and improved hybrid cloud connectivity.

VMware vCloud Suite 5.8  -- adds new policy-based provisioning capabilities and integrations that enable organizations to add disaster recovery services via VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 5.8 as well as enhanced networking and security services to their applications and infrastructure. Learn more here.

VMware vRealize Operations Insight -- a new integrated offering that delivers performance management, capacity optimization, and real-time log analytics as an add-on solution to VMware vSphere with Operations Management. Learn more here.

VMware vRealize Suite 6 -- a new cloud management platform that combines the capabilities of VMware's existing cloud automation, cloud operations and cloud business management solutions into a single offering.

VMware vSphere Data Protection Advanced 5.8 -- introduces enhanced support for business-critical applications, augmented replication capabilities as well as customizable proxies and backup work streams to protect VMware vSphere environments.

VMware vSphere Remote Office Branch Office -- a new solution using VMware vSphere 5.5 Update 2 that enables organizations with multiple sites seeking to take advantage of virtualization to rapidly provision servers, minimize of host configuration drift, and enhance visibility into regulatory compliance.

http://www.vmware.com

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Spirent Acquires Mobilethink for MDM Expertise

Spirent Communications has acquired Mobilethink A/S and its wholly owned subsidiary, Tweakker, for US$20 million in cash.

Headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark, Mobilethink is a provider of mobile device management, device analytics and intelligence solutions for mobile operators. Tweakker is a cloud-based mobile device configuration solution specifically targeted at Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).  The solutions allow operators to correctly detect mobile devices, configure them for data usage, analyze device population trends, and run marketing campaigns with the goal of increasing average revenue per user (ARPU).

Eric Hutchinson, CEO of Spirent commented: “Hosted and cloud-enabled device intelligence solutions give operators and MVNOs the ability to significantly improve subscriber’s service experience. The acquisition of Mobilethink combined with Spirent’s extensive portfolio of mobile device performance and customer experience management solutions will help drive our overall growth with additional recurring revenue potential.”
“Mobilethink has been part of the Mobile Device Management (MDM) market for over a decade and the core of the business is about enabling mobile operators of all types to seamlessly deliver services to their customers,” said Lars Houbak, CEO of Mobilethink. “Mobilethink along with Tweakker will provide Spirent customers a more comprehensive and intuitive way to better manage and improve the subscriber’s device experience.”

http://www.spirent.com/

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IEEE Publishes 802.19.1 Standard for TV White Spaces

IEEE released its 802.19.1 “Standard for TV White Space (TVWS) Coexistence Methods”.

IEEE 802.19.1 specifies radio technology independent methods for coexistence among dissimilar or independently operated wireless networks operating in TVWS. The standard is also intended to do the following:

• Leverage the cognitive radio capabilities of the TVWS devices, including geolocation awareness and access to information databases;
• Specify a coexistence discovery and information server, which gathers and provides coexistence information regarding TVWS networks;
• Specify a coexistence manager, which utilizes the information from the coexistence server in order to enhance the coexistence of the TVWS networks; and
• Define common coexistence architecture and protocols, as well as several profiles to enable cost-efficient and flexible deployment of the coexistence system in various scenarios.

“The IEEE 802.19.1 standard enables the family of IEEE 802® wireless standards to effectively utilize the TV white space,” said Steve Shellhammer, chair of the IEEE 802.19™ Wireless Coexistence Working Group. “This is accomplished by providing standardized coexistence methods among dissimilar or independently operated TVWS networks. The TVWS is made up of vacant frequencies made available for unlicensed use and provides good RF propagation characteristics for unlicensed wireless communications. The IEEE 802.19.1 standard is intended to help achieve fair and efficient spectrum sharing.”

http://www.ieee802.org/19/

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PMC Delivers 16-port SAS Controllers for Hyperscale Servers

PMC-Sierra announced commercial shipment of the first 16-port 12Gb/s SAS and 16-port 6Gb/s SATA I/O controllers designed for data center servers used in hyperscale deployments, such as Open Compute, Windows Cloud Servers, OpenStack and Project Scorpio.

The data center I/O product line supports the PCI Express 3.0 specification and includes the following devices:

16-port 12Gb/s SAS I/O controller: PM8076
8-port 12Gb/s SAS I/O controller: PM8074
16-port 6Gb/s SATA I/O controller: PM8006

“The diversity of customized solutions that hyperscale data centers are deploying and the demanding density, power and cost requirements present significant challenges to our OEM and ODM customers,” said Pete Hazen, vice president of the Data Center & Server Group at PMC. “PMC’s I/O controllers are designed to address these challenges. It’s the only solution that enables a three-in-one design, and our higher port count and lower power give our customers the advantage they need in this competitive market segment.”

http://www.pmcs.com/storage

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Germany's E-Plus Picks ZTE for VoLTE

ZTE is working with Germany's E-Plus on the deployment of an IMS based core network infrastructure that will be the basis for a commercial voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) service in the E-Plus network. Trials are underway.  ZTE has been a supplier of 3G and 4G products to E-Plus since 2009.

Christoph Bladoschewski, Department Manager Voice and Services at E-Plus said: “It has become a tradition that E-Plus, with our strategic partner ZTE, leads the market in introducing new technologies in the core network. The introduction of IMS in such a short time is a true masterpiece by ZTE.”

Li Jun, CEO of ZTE Deutschland GmbH, said: "We are very honoured to provide IMS network and VoLTE solutions for E-Plus. ZTE's VoLTE solution will help E-Plus to provide high-quality voice services and guarantee high-bandwidth data services based on LTE access. ZTE’s implementation of the VoLTE technology will also help improve E-Plus's network profitability."

http://www.zte.com.cn

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