Telstra Demos 1 Gbps LTE with Ericsson, Qualcomm

Telstra, in collaboration with Ericsson and Qualcomm, demonstrated LTE speeds of up to 1Gbps LTE on the downlink and up to 150 Mbps on the uplink using a single device on its live network.

More precisely, the tests measured over the air downlink speeds of 979 Mbps and uplink speeds of 129 Mbps using UDP using a Qualcomm Snapdragon X16 LTE modem. Speedtest.net speeds of up to 926 Mbps were recorded end-to-end over the Internet, including speeds up to 883 Mbps over the air. The gigabit downlink achievement, both indoors and outdoors, was powered by Ericsson Baseband 5216 hardware that supercharges radio signal digital processing power.

Ericsson said 4×4 MIMO doubles peak rates with no additional spectrum. Additional boost in peak data rates is achieved by 256 QAM on the downlink and 64 QAM on the uplink.

Mike Wright, Group Managing Director Networks, Telstra, says: “We are getting closer to delivering commercial 1Gbps download speeds on our network. This will bring both speed and capacity outdoors, along with deeper coverage and performance indoors. The pairing of higher data speeds on the downlink and the uplink is a key milestone in the ongoing delivery of the ultimate data experience. Our tests also highlight the joint engineering capability we bring to such a complex blend of new software and hardware technologies in real world end to end conditions.”

Thomas Norén, Head of Radio Product Management, Ericsson says: ”Leading operators such as Telstra, continue to push boundaries of the LTE standard, utilizing LTE Advanced carrier aggregation, 4x4 MIMO and higher order modulation with 64 and 256 QAM, to ensure their networks are ready to meet continuing growth in data traffic and high performance expectations of customers.”

Serge Willenegger, Senior Vice President of Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, says: "This joint demonstration is another significant milestone toward our universal wireless gigabit vision; we are thrilled to contribute to the realization of such a transformative journey with the Snapdragon X16 LTE modem and we can't wait to see Snapdragon users enjoy another wave of innovative device and cloud based services which fully exploit this new level of wide area network connectivity."

http://www.ericsson.com

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Juniper Supplies QFX Switches for NCAR Super Computer

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has selected Juniper Networks to provide the networking infrastructure for a new supercomputer that will be used by researchers to predict climate patterns and assess the effects of global warming.

The new supercomputer, which will be installed at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC), will enable more accurate and actionable projections about the impact of weather and climate change and is expected to perform 5.34 quadrillion calculations per second, making it one of the top performing supercomputers in the world.

The network will use Juniper's QFX10008 Switch, a high-performance, high-density switch that is a foundational element of the Juniper MetaFabric Architecture. NCAR  already uses Juniper's EX Series Ethernet Switches, QFX Series Nodes and MX Series 3D Universal Edge Routers.

http://www.juniper.net

Juniper Debuts Spine Switches for Cloud Scalability

Wednesday, March 11, 2015  #Cloud, Data Centers, Juniper, Switching  No Comments

Juniper Networks is introducing a new line of spine switches for bringing physical and logical scale, performance and port density to cloud data centers.

The new QFX10000 line, which builds on the company's MetaFabric architecture, is powered by Juniper’s latest, Q5 custom ASIC. The new chip offers deep buffers and an architecture that supports virtualization for SDN with the logical scale for applications such as big data, video and IP storage.

Some highlights:

• The new Juniper QFX10002 is a fixed configuration, 2-rack unit form-factor unit designed for from 40GE and 100GE within the same switch. 
• The QFX10008 is a modular, eight slot chassis that delivers ground breaking 100GE port
• density and up to 48Tbps of total system capacity.
• The QFX10016 will deliver unprecedented system capacity of up to 96Tbps, combined with leading port density in a powerful 16-slot chassis. 
• The QFX10000 line supports orchestration, automation and management solutions from market leaders like VMware, as well as open source solutions, like OpenStack and OpenContrail, will simplify and automate network management and provisioning.

Juniper is also introducing its Junos Fusion automation-enabled software architecture for data centers.  It enables coherency through automation and manages the entire data center as a single network rather than individual network elements. The company said Junos Fusion will make it easy to automate the turn-up and configuration of new networks while reducing the risk of configuration errors. In conjunction with EVPN/VxLAN, it simplifies application placement across multiple layers of the network.

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Hibernia Joins Equinix Media Cloud Ecosystem

Hibernia Networks is joining the Equinix Media Cloud Ecosystem for Entertainment (EMCEE), which is an ecosystem of media and entertainment (M&E) businesses, network and cloud providers. The expansion allows customers to seamlessly cross-connect with those facilities on demand.

“The low latency performance and sheer volume of bandwidth capacity available on Hibernia Networks’ global footprint is exactly what Equinix requires for EMCEE,” states Matt George, Senior Manager, Content & Digital Media at Equinix. “More than ever, media and entertainment businesses need to efficiently manage content creation, storage and distribution utilizing high speed network infrastructure combined with cloud technologies. This ecosystem does so with unprecedented speed and ease of implementation.”

“This cloud ecosystem is paramount for all technology driven content production companies,” states Wes Hanemayer, VP of Video Services at Hibernia Networks. “Our focus is to bring next-generation video transport technology to the marketplace that benefits our customers. We’re excited about this new milestone in our well-established partnership with Equinix aimed at better serving the evolving needs of M&E customers.”

http://www.hibernianetworks.com
http://www.equinix.com

Hibernia Extends Ethernet to Equinix Cloud Exchange

Monday, November 02, 2015  Cloud Exchange, Equinix, Hibernia  No Comments

Hibernia Networks is extending its Ethernet connectivity to and within the Equinix Cloud Exchange in Asia, Europe and North America.

The Hibernia Networks’ EtherReach Cloud Exchange service, which the companies describe as one of the largest network connectivity deployments for Equinix’s Cloud Exchange to date, initially includes 12 major cities located across six countries.  The second phase, slated for completion in the first quarter of 2016, will expand the reach to 18 cities in eleven countries.

“EtherReach Cloud Exchange provides enterprises, system integrators and wholesale customers with a secure, dedicated global network connectivity solution to the robust selection of cloud service providers available on the Equinix Cloud Exchange,” states Al DiGabriele, senior vice president of product and marketing at Hibernia Networks. “Combining a more consistent and lower latency network experience with access to cost-effective cloud services allows customers to simplify operations, improve efficiencies and accelerate time to market.”

“With locations in 33 markets worldwide, Equinix’s data centers are a major hub for cloud services, and Equinix Cloud Exchange is available in 21 of those markets, and growing,” states Jim Poole, vice president of service provider marketing at Equinix. “Being able to tap into Hibernia Networks’ high capacity, low latency network infrastructure provides customers with a cost-effective, secure and reliable dedicated connection as an alternative to the public Internet.”

http://www.equinix.com/industries/cloud-providers
http://www.hibernianetworks.com/hnservices/wholesale-services/

New Hibernia Express Cable Timed at Record 58.95ms Latency for NY-London

Thursday, September 24, 2015  Hibernia, Submarine Cable, Undersea  No Comments

The new Hibernia Express transatlantic cable is delivering an actual tested latency of better than 58.95ms (milliseconds) from New York to London, which is faster by more than half a millisecond off the original projected speed.

Hibernia Networks said its new undersea cable has undergone rigorous testing over the past two weeks. Testing parameters included power stability, spectral efficiency and latency. The results confirmed the latency on Hibernia Express from LD4 in Slough, England to NY4 in Secaucus, New Jersey to be under 58.95ms.



http://www.hibernianetworks.com/hibernia_express

• Hibernia Express utilizes a 6-fiber-pair submarine cable, with a portion of the fibers optimized for lowest latency and a portion optimized for 100X100 Gpbs design capacity. The total cross-sectional design capacity of the cable will be over 53 Tbps. Hibernia Express will initially launch with 100 Gbps transmission capacity using TE SubCom’s C100 SLTE platform. Hibernia Express follows the most direct route between the UK and North America, promising to reduce latency by at least 5 milliseconds over existing cables.

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Intelsat 33e Suffers Thruster Malfunction, Service Delayed

Intelsat confirmed that its newly-launched Intelsat 33e satellite has experienced a malfunction in the primary thruster used for orbit raising.  As a result, the orbit raising will take longer than planned and the company now expects its new satellite to arrive on station for In Orbit Testing in December 2016. The satellite is expected to be ready for service sometime in the first quarter of 2017.

BSecond Intelsat EpicNG Satellite Launched into Orbit

Wednesday, August 24, 2016  Arianespace, Intelsat, Satellite  No Comments

Intelsat 33e, the second of seven planned Intelsat EpicNG high throughput satellites, was launched successfully from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle.

Intelsat 33e, manufactured by Boeing, will bring high throughput capacity in both C- and Ku-band to the Africa, Europe, Middle East and Asia regions from 60°E. The satellite will join Intelsat 29e, the first Intelsat EpicNG satellite, which was launched in January 2016 over the Americas and North Atlantic Ocean region, to form a high throughput overlay to Intelsat’s fleet of enterprise-grade, wide beam satellites.

“Intelsat 33e marks another significant milestone as we continue our ‘epic’ journey toward meeting our customers’ needs for higher performance, improved economics and simplified access to satellite solutions,” stated Stephen Spengler, Chief Executive Officer, Intelsat. “Our first high throughput satellite, Intelsat 29e, is already in service and exceeding our customers’ expectations in the Americas. With Intelsat 33e, customers operating in EMEA and the Asia Pacific regions will now be able to leverage Intelsat EpicNG’s differentiated capabilities and greater efficiencies to grow their businesses and deliver enhanced value to their customers.”

http://www.intelsat.com

First Intelsat EpicNG Satellite Successfully Launched by Arianespace

Thursday, January 28, 2016  Arianespace, Intelsat, Satellite  No Comments

The first of the Intelsat EpicNG high throughput satellites was launched successfully from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle.

The Intelsat 29e (IS-29e), which is the first of the EpicNG satellites, combines high throughput Ku- spot beams in the Americas to meet broadband demand for carrier-grade telecom and enterprise connectivity as well as Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean coverage for dense aero and shipping routes. It also offers a transatlantic Ku- wide beam overlay and provides efficient broadcast capabilities for in-flight entertainment. C-band wide beam provides full South American continent coverage for media distribution. Boeing served as prime contractor.

“Today’s launch represents a truly ‘epic’ moment in communication’s history, as we begin a new era of high throughput satellite services for our customers,” stated Stephen Spengler, Chief Executive Officer, Intelsat. “This is a testament to the innovation and creativity of the Intelsat team who envisioned the Intelsat EpicNG platform nearly four years ago. Through design expertise and a deep understanding of our customers’ requirements, the Intelsat EpicNG platform will deliver high performance, improved economics and simplified access that will expand the addressable market for our solutions.”

http://www.intelsat.com/Intelsat29e
http://www.arianespace.com/mission/ariane-flight-va228/

• Intelsat has previously named a number of customers in the region who have already committed to Intelsat EpicNG, include Compania Anonima Nacional Telefonos de Venezuela, BT Latam Venezuela, Anditel, S.A.S, Axesat, Amazonia Cabo Ltda., Cadena Ecuatoriana de Television C.A., Canal 10 CETV, Corporacion Nacional de Telecommunicaciones CNTE.P., Fox Latin America Channels do Brasil, Igrege Mundial do Poder de Deus, Radio e Televisao Banderantes and Telefonica del Peru.
• In 2012, Intelsat first unveiled its EpicNG platform -- a new approach to satellite and network architecture utilizing multiple frequency bands, wide beams, spot beams and frequency reuse technology. EpicNG will be the company's next generation of satellites, promising higher throughputs and lower cost per bit. It will be a complementary overlay to the company's existing constellation of satellites and global IntelsatONE terrestrial network.

oeing, the satellite’s manufacturer, is presently working with the company to determine the cause of the thruster malfunction.

http://www.intelsat.com

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Nokia Offers Predictive Optimization for IP Video

Nokia is launching a predictive optimization service that will allow operators to see the impact of changing network conditions on mobile video and gaming applications

The new service simulates the impact of changing network conditions on video delivery and the mobile viewing experience. Nokia said this helps mobile operators prioritize investments to address expected network bottlenecks and demand in high-traffic hotspots such as large congregations of users at events, where Mobile Edge Computing can be used to enhance the subscriber experience.

Nokia is also introducing a suite of IP video capabilities that will allow fixed, mobile, cable and converged TV operators to rapidly and smoothly bridge to new generation platforms and video services, such as time-shift TV, live-pause, restart TV and more over any connected devices. These packages will also support a faster experience for subscribers accessing electronic program guides, video on demand catalogs and other video application menus as well as the video itself.

"Nokia can provide operators with the most complete approach to simplifying their complex video delivery needs and enhancing the subscriber viewing experience. We are the first to apply predictive analytics to network planning and optimization for high bandwidth applications, allowing operators to uncover real insight into their network and benefit from cost and operational efficiencies now and in the future. Our IP Video solutions have already been proved in customer deployments across the globe, while the virtual reality demonstration will show how we are innovating to deliver the future human possibilities of the connected world," stated Paul Larbey, head of the IP Video business at Nokia.

http://www.nokia.com

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IBM Intros More OpenPOWER Linux Servers

IBM introduced Linux-based servers based on its new POWER8 Chip and innovations from the OpenPOWER community.

The new servers join IBM's Power Systems LC lineup and aim to outperform x86-based servers on a variety of data-intensive workloads.

The servers leverage the IBM POWER8 silicon with NVIDIA NVLink, which is a high-speed, energy-efficient bidirectional interconnect that directly connects the new IBM POWER8 processor with NVIDIA Tesla P100 Pascal GPUs. NVIDIA NVLink is embedded at the silicon level and incorporated into the overall system design.

IBM said this tight coupling of IBM and NVIDIA technology enables data to flow 5x faster than on an x86-based system.

Tencent is testing the servers. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have also been early testers and the systems will serve as an early-generation test bed for developing demanding applications for Summit and Sierra, the next generation supercomputers that IBM expects to deliver respectively to ORNL and LLNL in 2017.

“The user insights and the business value you can deliver with advanced analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence is increasingly gated by performance.  Accelerated computing that can really drive big data workloads will become foundational in the cognitive era," said Doug Balog, General Manager of POWER, IBM Systems. "Based on OpenPOWER innovations from partners such as NVIDIA, our new OpenPOWER Linux servers with POWERAccel set a new standard for these workloads compared with x86 processor-based servers."

http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/50479.wss

OpenPOWER Advances in HyperScale Data Center Race

Wednesday, April 06, 2016  Data Centers, IBM, OCP, OpenPower, Servers  No Comments

Since its founding two years ago, the OpenPOWER Foundation, which is an open development alliance based on IBM's POWER microprocessor architecture, has grown to more than 200 participating companies and organizations. The goal is to build advanced server, networking, storage and GPU-acceleration technology for next-generation, hyperscale data centers.

At the second annual OpenPOWER Summit held in San Jose this week, more than 50 new infrastructure and software innovations, spanning the entire system stack, including systems, boards, cards and accelerators are showcased.

Some highlights:

• New Servers for High Performance Computing and Cloud Deployments – Foundation members introduced more than 10 new OpenPOWER servers, offering expanded services for high performance computing and server virtualization.
• Google is developing a next-generation OpenPOWER and Open Compute Project form factor server. Google is working with Rackspace to co-develop an open server specification based on the new POWER9 architecture, and the two companies will submit a candidate server design to the Open Compute Project.
• Rackspace announced that “Barreleye” has moved from the lab to the data center. Rackspace anticipates “Barreleye” will move into broader availability throughout the rest of the year, with the first applications on the Rackspace Public Cloud powered by OpenStack. Rackspace and IBM collectively contributed the “Barreleye” specifications to the Open Compute Project in January 2016.
• IBM, in collaboration with NVIDIA and Wistron, plans to release its second-generation OpenPOWER server,which includes support for the NVIDIA Tesla Accelerated Computing platform. The server will leverage POWER8 processors connected directly to the new NVIDIA Tesla P100 GPU accelerators via the NVIDIA NVLink high-speed interconnect technology. Early systems will be available in Q4 2016. Additionally, IBM and NVIDIA plan to create global acceleration labs to help developers and ISVs port applications on the POWER8 and NVIDIA NVLink-based platform.
• Expanded use of CAPI for Acceleration Technology – Foundation members, including Bittware, IBM, Mellanox and Xilinx, unveiled more than a dozen new accelerator solutions based on the Coherent Accelerator Processor Interface (CAPI). Alpha Data also unveiled a Xilinx FPGA-based CAPI hardware card at the Summit. These new accelerator technologies leverage CAPI to provide performance, cost and power benefits when compared to application programs running on a core or custom acceleration implementation attached via non-coherent interfaces. This is a key differentiator in building infrastructure to accelerate computation of big data and analytics workloads on the POWER architecture.

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