Sprint Hits 275 Mbps with LTE 3-Channel CA with LG5

Sprint reached peak speeds of 275 Mbps in three-channel carrier aggregation lab tests using the LG G5, one of the first devices on the market to support the functionality.

“Our holdings of more than 160 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum in the top 100 U.S. markets give us more capacity than any other carrier in the U.S. In combination with our Densification and Optimization strategy we futureproof our network for our customers,” said Günther Ottendorfer, Sprint COO, Technology. “This capacity enables us to reach very high speeds, as well as provide innovative unlimited data plans to our customers while keeping pace with the growing demand for data.”

Sprint currently offers 22 devices that actively support two-channel carrier aggregation on its LTE Plus network. Two-channel carrier aggregation delivers peak speeds of more than 100 Mbps in 237 LTE Plus markets across the country using 40 MHz of spectrum on the company’s 2.5GHz cell sites.

Six devices currently offered by Sprint are three-channel carrier aggregation capable: the HTC 9, HTC 10, LG G5, Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, and Samsung Note 7. With three-channel carrier aggregation Sprint will utilize 60 MHz of spectrum to provide peak speeds of more than 200 Mbps on capable devices. Three-channel carrier aggregation is slated for enablement on capable devices via an automatic software update following network deployment.

http://www.sprint.com

• Earlier this month, Sprint reached peak lab speeds of 295 Mbps in three-channel carrier aggregation lab tests using the HTC 10.
• In March, Sprint demonstrated speeds of more than 300 Mbps using three-channel carrier aggregation on a Samsung Galaxy S7. 

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ZTE Picks Sequans for LTE-Advanced CPE

ZTE has selected Sequans Communications' Cassiopeia LTE-Advanced chipset platform for a new line of high-performance CPE for LTE networks operating on LTE bands 42 and 43, primarily used in regions including southeast Asia, Latin America, Middle East, and Europe.

The ZTEWelink WF830 is an outdoor, fixed wireless router matched with an indoor multiservice gateway that supports advanced networking and WLAN AP functionalities.. It offer dual-carrier aggregation and category 6 throughput. The unit could be used for advanced residential or small business services delivered over the LTE network.

“We chose Sequans technology for the WF830 because of the robust LTE-Advanced capabilities of the Cassiopeia platform that has been well-proven in the marketplace,” said Sanqiang Liu, Product General Manager, ZTEWelink. “Cassiopeia’s carrier aggregation capability is flexible and robust, allowing for advanced MIMO operation and very high throughput. Sequans’ support was excellent throughout, especially during the operator certification process.”

“We are pleased to contribute our technology to the new LTE-Advanced ZTEWelink CPE,” said Craig Miller, Sequans VP of marketing. “It provides very high LTE performance enabling integrated access for data, voice, and Internet in one powerful unit.”

The LTE-Advanced chip inside the ZTEWelink WF830 is Sequans’ Cassiopeia LTE-Advanced platform, compliant with 3GPP Release 10 specifications. Cassiopeia supports highly flexible dual-carrier aggregation that allows the combination of any two carriers of any size up to 20 MHz each, contiguous or non-contiguous, inter-band or intra-band. Cassiopeia also supports other Release 10 enhancements such as new MIMO schemes, enhanced inter-cell interference coordination (eICIC) schemes for heterogeneous networks (HetNets), and improvements to eMBMS (evolved multimedia broadcast multicast service) or LTE broadcast. Cassiopeia features Sequans’ advanced receiver technology for improved performance. Cassiopeia can support additional optional features, including envelope tracking and secure boot, at customer request.

http://www.ztewelink.com/en

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ZTE Outlines Vision for Next 5 Years

ZTE outlined a vision of societal and technological change to guide the company for the next five years.

ZTE’s M-ICT 2.0 strategy is based on 5 key trends:

Virtuality — integration of the physical world and the virtual world with enhanced experience through Big Video, VR and AR
Openness — transition from the traditional competition-based business model to close collaboration on an open basis
Intelligence — intellectualization of all things, enhanced interaction and growing intelligence on multiple levels
Cloudification — cloud platforms to the basis for enabling the digital economy
Internet of Everything — including collaborative operations

In a whitepaper, ZTE says the future is to be built on an open and sharing digital economy, with service cloudification,  interconnection of everything, ubiquitous intelligence, and the integration of virtual and physical realities. The company expects openness and the sharing economy to reconstruct R&D models, industry chains, and the value network.

http://www.zte.com.cn/global/about/press-center/news/201608/201608241601

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ZTE Posts 1H16 Revenue Rises 4% YoY

ZTE reported revenue of RMB47.76 billion (US$7.12 billion) for the first six months of 2016, up 4.05% compared to the first half of 2015.

Domestic operating revenue amounted to RMB27.8 billion, accounting for just over 58% of overall operating revenue. International operating revenue is RMB19.95 billion, accounting for almost 42% of the group’s overall operating revenue. Net profit attributable to holders of ordinary shares of the listed company rose to RMB1.77 billion for the six months ending 30 June 2016. Basic earnings per share amounted to RMB0.43.

Some highlights:

• The reported operating revenue for carriers’ networks business in H1 was RMB28.74 billion. 
• Operating revenue for government and enterprise business amounted to RMB4.61 billion. 
• Operating revenue for the consumer business amounted to RMB14.42 billion. 
• In H1 2016, ZTE invested close to 15%, or RMB7.06 billion, of their total revenue in R&D, the largest such investment the company has made to date. 
• ZTE said it now ranks 1st in 4G global shipments to mobile network operators (as it has for three consecutive years) and has successfully increased its market share in both wireless and wired markets. 
• In Q2 2016, ZTE rose to join the ranks of the Top 6 global smartphone manufacturers. ZTE Mobile Devices market share is ranked 2nd in Russia; 4th in North America, Sweden, Spain and South Africa; and 5th in Mexico and Australia.
• In the enterprise business, Smart City remains a key engine of ZTE’s growth. ZTE rapidly expanded this business in the first half of 2016 and new orders have increased 40% YoY. 

http://www.zte.com.cn/global/about/press-center/news/201608/201608251615

Huawei's First Half Sales Hit CNY245.5 billion, up 40% YoY

Monday, July 25, 2016  China, Financials, Huawei  No Comments

Huawei reported sales revenue for the first half of 2016 of CNY245.5 billion (US$36.75 billion), an increase of 40% comparing with the same period last year. The company's operating margin was 12%. "We achieved steady growth across all three of our business groups, thanks to a well-balanced global presence and an unwavering focus on our pipe strategy," said Sabrina Meng, Huawei's Chief Financial Officer. "We are confident that Huawei will maintain...

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Dell'Oro: Optical Transport Market Almost Hits $4B in 2Q16

The optical transport equipment market almost hit $4 billion in 2Q16, growing six percent year-over year, according to a recently published report from Dell’Oro Group.

Some highlights:

• Huawei, the market leader by revenue share, surpassed the $1 B quarterly revenue run rate for the first time. 
• Revenue from deployments in China grew 20 percent year-over-year.
• Shipments of 100/200 Gbps DWDM wavelengths doubled year-over-year.
• DWDM Long Haul revenue grew at 18 percent year-over-year, much higher than expected.
• Excluding sales to China, the Optical Transport market revenue stagnated with a zero percent year-over-year growth rate.
• Average market prices for 100/200 Gbps DWDM wavelengths declined at a higher than typical rate due to the rising sales in China and competition among equipment manufacturers.
• WDM Metro revenue grew at only three percent year-over-year, less than expected.

“The second quarter of 2016 was another great quarter for the Optical Transport market,” said Jimmy Yu, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “However, it wasn’t an outstanding quarter. It was actually quite turbulent with a number of highs and lows,” added Yu.

http://www.delloro.com/news/optical-transport-market-almost-hits-4-b-2q16-according-delloro-group

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Singtel's odd but patient long term strategy - Part 1

Preamble

SingTel is an odd organisation, halfway between a telecom assets holding company and a real operational hands-on telco. It fully controls only two telcos, namely Singtel Singapore and Optus of Australia, which are consolidated into its financial reports, but holds very substantial financially unconsolidated minority positions in key operators in several major Asian countries and through its share of Bharti Airtel affiliate relationships with operators in 16 African countries as well. Singtel claims the core company and its regional mobile associates, all 'leading players' in their respective markets,

reach over 600 million mobile subscribers across the region.

The company's long term strategy is not completely clear, but it is assumed, other things being equal, that in the longer term Singtel hopes to build up its holdings in some or all of the telcos in which it is invested. Singapore is an extremely rich, very technology-based society and telecommunications is a core platform for broad-based, knowledge-centred social innovations in such societies. Continued success in developing and implementing such innovations will probably be crucial to Singapore's future and ensuring it maintains its position as one of the world's leading economies. Ownership of a broad

range of quality Asia and Asia-Pacific telecommunication assets is not only a potentially good investment in its own right due to high economic growth rates, but also with time and increased investment offers a scale of operations commensurate with operators in countries like China and Japan, which can be used as a platform whereby those social and technical innovations can be fanned out economically worldwide and give Singapore a new source of quality exports.

The argument for already having full operational control of operations in Singapore and Australia is obviously because these are the most sophisticated countries in the Singtel portfolio, and markets in which those innovations are most likely to be generated or be piloted.

Singtel telecom assets portfolio

SingTel's holdings include the following:

Singapore: Singtel, the incumbent operator in the city state.

India: Singtel currently owns 32.9% of Bharti Telecom, the No. 1 Indian operator, and is in process of raising that to 36.2%.

Australia: Singtel owns 100% of Optus, the No. 2 operator in Australia.

Philippines: Singtel has an effective interest in Globe Telecom via a mix of directly held common shares and indirectly held preferred shares held by Asiacom, a 50/50 JV with Ayala Corporation.

Thailand : it holds a 23.3% direct stake and is in process of raising that to 31.8% through an additional indirect holding.

Indonesia: Singtel has a 35% stake in Telkomsel, the No. 1 mobile operator.

Bangladesh: it owns 45% of Citycell, a rapidly declining operator that looks likely to close.

Singtel relationship to Temasek Holdings

It is impossible to discuss Singtel without referring to the company's controlling shareholder Temasek Holdings (otherwise known as Singapore's Sovereign Wealth Fund), which is an investment company owned by the government of Singapore. Incorporated in 1974, Temasek owns and manages a net portfolio of S$242 billion ($180 billion), mainly in Singapore and Asia. It is an active shareholder and investor, and its portfolio covers a

broad spectrum of sectors including financial services, telecommunications, media and technology, transportation and industrial, life sciences, consumer, real estate, as well as energy and resources.

Temasek revenue for the financial year ended March 31, 2016 was S$101.5 billion, up from S$74,6 billion in 2007 with a CAGR of 3.5%. Temasek net profit in FY 2016 was S$15.6 billion and over the same nine-year period has been rather flat, averaging about S$14.6 billion within the range S$6.8 billion to $22.5 billion.

As of the end of the company's last financial 2015/16 year in March 2016, Temasek held a 51.0% stake in the company (and together with five other local investors owned over 90% of Singtel). Apart from holding a majority of Singtel's stock, Temasek Holdings also has a huge range of equity positions in a very wide range of other businesses in Singapore and elsewhere, some of which could be of immediate or longer term interest to Singtel as it leverages its telecommunications assets to encompass all other sectors of a fully smart society.

Singtel five year financial history

For years ending March 31st, in S$ billions, it reported:

                                     2016;        2015;           2014;           2013;          2012.

Group revenue:         16.961;        17.223;        16.848;        18.183;       18.825.

Singtel:                         7.663;         7.348;          6.912;          6.732;         6.551.

Optus:                           9.298;        9.875;           9.936;        11.451;       12.275.

EBITDA:                        5.013;        5.091;           5.155;          5.200;        5,219.

Share of associate PTP: 2.791;       2.579;               2.201;          2.106;        2.005.

Underlying net profit:     3.805;        3.779;               3.610;;         3.611;        3.676.

Group FCF:                      2.718;        3.549;               3.249;          3.759;       3,462.

Cash capex:                      1.930;       2.238;               2.102;          2.059;       2.249.

Comments by Group CEO Ms. Chua Sook Kong

Telkomsel was the standout performer, with pre-tax earnings for the year jumping 15% to S$1.1 billion on the back of increased voice and data usage. It also saw a significant increase in 3G and 4G subscribers, which now make up 42% of its total customer base.

In Thailand, AIS continued with its migration of 2G customers to 3G or 4G networks, against an accelerated network rollout with the 1800 MHz spectrum acquired last year. Airtel has secured pan-Indian spectrum for its 4G services, allowing it to provide seamless data services across the country. Globe in the Philippines continues to take share, thanks to increased network investment and innovative offerings.

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Tempered Raises $10 Million for Identity-Defined Networks

Tempered Networks, a start-up based in Seattle, has raised $10 million in a series B funding round, for its Identity-Defined Networking (IDN) paradigm.

Tempered Networks' elastic and fully encrypted IDN fabric protects every connected resource with a unique crypto identity, instead of a spoofable IP address. This enables network administrators to cloak any IP or serial-enabled endpoint, machine or network--with no IP modifications. Device-based trust is flexible and portable and extends from any external and public cloud network to internal network hosts and clients.

The new funding was led by Rally Capital LLC with participation from existing investors, including Ignition Venture Partners, IDG Ventures, and Fluid Capital. This brings total funding raised to date to approximately $32 million.

http://www.temperednetworks.com

• Tempered Networks is headed by Jeff Hussey (co-founder, President and CEO). Hussey was also the founder of F5 Networks.

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Brocade Posts Q3 Revenue of $591 Million, up 7% YoY

Brocade posted Q3 revenue of $591 million, up 7% year-over-year and up 13% quarter-over-quarter, along with GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.02, down from $0.21 in Q3 2015 and from $0.11 in Q2 2016. The results include approximately two months of financial results from Ruckus Wireless.

"Against the backdrop of a mixed macro environment, we posted solid results, with total revenue at the high end of our outlook range," said Lloyd Carney, CEO of Brocade. "During Q3, we also continued the momentum of new product innovations across our portfolio, building a solid foundation for business growth and expansion of our addressable markets. Furthermore, with the successful completion of our acquisition of Ruckus Wireless in the quarter, we are pleased to welcome this talented and committed team to the Brocade family. Our combined strengths open up new opportunities and distinguish Brocade as a pure-play networking company for the digital transformation era."

Some highlights:

• On May 27, 2016, Brocade completed the acquisition of Ruckus Wireless.
• SAN product revenue of $282 million was down 9% year-over-year. The year-over-year decline was primarily the result of lower Fibre Channel director sales, which decreased 23%, partially offset by fixed-configuration switch sales which increased 3%. Sequentially, SAN product revenue decreased 5%, with directors declining 20%, partially offset by fixed-configuration and embedded switch sales growing 7% and 8%, respectively. 
• During the quarter, Brocade launched the Brocade X6 Director, the industry's first Gen 6 Fibre Channel director for mission-critical storage connectivity. This highly reliable, high-performance, low-latency solution is specifically designed for all-flash data centers. IP Networking product revenue of $209 million, including $73 million of product revenue from Ruckus Wireless, was up 36% year-over-year. The increase was due to the acquisition of Ruckus Wireless, partially offset by lower U.S. federal revenue, which was down 26% year-over-year, primarily due to the timing of large orders. Sequentially, IP Networking product revenue increased 59% due primarily to the inclusion of Ruckus revenue.

http://www.brocade.com

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