Monday, October 10, 2016

Deutsche Telekom Builds multi-IoT Platform

Deutsche Telekom outlined its vision of a  multi-IoT platform where it will play the role of interpreter and distributor, collecting data from a variety of hardware, such as sensors and machinery, and routing it through gateways to the preferred platform for processing.

Deutsche Telekom said it will operate the IoT platform as a data custodian, with all data subject to strict German privacy and data protection laws.

The IoT, which has been launched at DT's cloud data center in Biere, unites the different IoT solutions from Microsoft Azure, Cisco Fog and Huawei.

Deutsche Telekom's standard package for predictive maintenance includes sensors for recording machine conditions, connectivity for transmitting the data to the cloud, use of the IoT platform and presentation of the data in a web-based dashboard. In the coming months, this standard package will be enhanced with a data analytics service. Several elevator manufacturers are already using this predictive maintenance solution to maintain their systems.

http://www.telekom.com/media/company/323414

Deutsche Telekom Opens Germany's Largest Data Center

T-Systems, Deutsche Telekom's corporate customer arm, has opened the largest data center in Germany.

The state-of-the-art facility, which took 18 months to construct, is located in Biere, near Magdeburg. It offers 5,400 square meters of space (approx. 58,000 square feet) for around 30,000 servers, and could be expanded to almost 40,000 square meters.

Telekom has fitted out an existing T-Systems data center in Magdeburg, not far from Biere, almost identically. The two data centers will work as twins, storing data in parallel, so that even if one of them goes offline, the data can always be accessed via its twin.

The company cites a PUE of of 1.3. The low-energy data center has been awarded international LEED Gold certification.

T-Systems currently employs around 750 staff in Magdeburg. The construction of the twin data center will generate 30 new jobs in Magdeburg and 100 jobs in Biere.

"We are investing in Germany as a center of IT business because German data protection standards are highly valued. Our customers now have a "High-Tech Fort Knox" from a cloud provider they trust fully. IT made in Germany is in demand. We would be very pleased if the political framework continues to make ambitious IT projects possible in Germany, said Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom.

http://www.telekom.com/media/enterprise-solutions/241588

NEC and Netcracker Unveil Full-Service NaaS Solution

NEC and Netcracker unveiled their full-service Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) solution -- an an end-to-end environment to rapidly create, deploy and monetize value-added services by bringing together virtualized network infrastructure and services, cloud applications, orchestration and commercialization tools through an open ecosystem of pre-integrated partners.

NEC/Netcracker NaaS is powered by an Agile Virtualization Platform and Practice (AVP) based on SDN and NFV. The solution features a cloud marketplace spanning basic network services (such as enterprise vCPE, residential CPE and SD-WAN), value-added network services (such as firewalls, bandwidth-on-demand, web filtering and WAN optimization) and cloud-based business productivity applications.

"The NEC/Netcracker NaaS solution takes full advantage of the network and enables the provisioning of new services, such as security and enterprise applications," said Shigeru Okuya, General Manager of the SDN/NFV Division at NEC Corporation. "Moreover, the NaaS solution contributes to fast and flexible service engagement for B2B services in which service providers face increasing competition in the market."

"Service providers are increasingly looking beyond their traditional core offerings as they face continued competition and price erosion. The need to rapidly onboard and launch new services, including enhanced network facilities as well as third-party offerings, is critical as they broaden their revenue mix," said Fran Heeran, Vice President and General Manager of SDN/NFV at Netcracker. "The NEC/Netcracker NaaS solution provides a complete, end-to-end environment that supports the definition, provisioning, orchestration and lifecycle management of complex services. It leverages the advances in both network and function virtualization to allow a new level of flexibility and automation, lowering costs and reducing time-to-market."

http://www.netcracker.com/naas/

Metaswitch and HPE Partner with vIMS

Metaswitch and HPE are partnering to bring virtualized IMS (vIMS) to telcos via the Helion OpenStack Carrier Grade and NFV Director orchestration platform.

The companies said their combined solution accelerates fixed and mobile network operators’ deployments of advanced services including VoLTE on private, public or hybrid cloud infrastructures. This enables Communication service providers (CSPs) to capitalize on the transformation of services like VoLTE, VoWiFi and messaging to NFV, with dynamic on-demand scaling that is more cost effective to plan, operate and support.

“The integration of Metaswitch IMS and HPE Helion enables CSPs to take full advantage of breakthrough cloud economics when bringing advanced voice services to market,” said Brandon Harper, SVP of business development at Metaswitch. “The combined solution builds on our commitment to cloud native software development and furthers our close collaboration with HPE, which stands at the forefront of NFV platform and infrastructure virtualization.”

Metaswitch’s Cloud Native IMS Core solution includes the Clearwater IMS Core and the Perimeta Session Border Controller (SBC), providing a critical framework to transition communication services to cloud infrastructures. Clearwater is a cloud-native IMS Core built on a microservices architecture and open source framework to support rapid application development. Perimeta is a virtualized SBC that distributes signaling and media functionality across commodity hardware in the cloud. Combined, these products allow the Metaswitch vIMS solution to achieve an unprecedented combination of massive scalability and exceptional cost-efficiency.

http://www.metaswitch.com/the-switch/metaswitch-brings-first-cloud-native-ims-solution-to-market-with-hewlett-packard-enterprise

CenturyLink Expands Business Fiber Service

CenturyLink announced that its fiber-ready broadband service at up to 1 Gbps is now available to 14,000 multi-tenant units (MTUs) in more than 600 cities, including Phoenix, Denver, Seattle, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Colorado Springs, and Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Targeted businesses have access to multiple wide-area network connections delivered over fiber, including MPLS-VPN, metro Ethernet and the latest software-defined wide area network (CenturyLink SD-WAN) solution.

"These solutions help businesses of all sizes operate more efficiently, be more competitive and grow their business," said Dean Douglas, CenturyLink president of sales and marketing. "By offering fiber-ready services to MTUs in our local markets and offering speeds up to 1 gigabit, we can more quickly connect our business customers to the power of the digital world and offer them affordable and scalable business solutions previously only available to large enterprise companies."

CenturyLink is offering fiber-enabled service in hundreds of cities, A high-speed, high-capacity fiber-enabled broadband connection can improve the performance of business software applications and IT operations, especially cloud-based functions like data storage and backup. Fiber connectivity also delivers the highest quality business hosted voice services, even when shared among multiple business locations.

CenturyLink business fiber service bundles contain a core set of cloud-based business essential software applications, including Microsoft 365, website management and hosting and data backup at no additional charge. Business customers can visit www.centurylink.com/fiberplus to learn more about CenturyLink's fiber-based services, including symmetrical speeds up to 1 Gbps, and to determine if service is available at their location.

http://news.centurylink.com/news/centurylink-announces-gigabit-service-now-available-to-14-000-mtus-in-its-footprint

AT&T Plans Fiber Launch in 10 New Metro Areas in October

AT&T is on track to launch its fiber access service in at least 10 new U.S. markets this month. The October list includes:

  • Columbus, Ohio
  • Detroit, Mich.
  • Huntsville, Ala.
  • Augusta, Ga.
  • Bakersfield, Calif.
  • Ft. Smith/Northwest Arkansas, Ark.
  • Louisville, Ky.
  • Lubbock, Texas
  • Memphis, Tenn.
  • Mobile, Ala.

Eligible locations in the area will be connected to a 1 gigabit internet connection.

The will bring the total number of markets served by AT&T FiberS to parts of 32 major metro areas.  AT&T has stated its intention to reach at least 45 metros by the end of this year and 67 overall.

http://about.att.com/newsroom/att_fiber_launching_in_new_metros_october.html

Nokia Acquires Eta Devices for Base Station Energy Efficiency

Nokia has acquired Eta Devices, a start-up specializing in power amplifier efficiency solutions for base stations, access points and devices. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Eta Devices, which is based in Cambridge, MA, with an R&D office in Stockholm, employs about 20 people. The company was founded in 2010.

Nokia said the acquisition will bolster its push to enhance base station energy efficiency, an increasingly important area for operators on the path to 4.9G and 5G. Eta Devices' technology reduces the need for backup power, translating into smaller base station cabinets and reduced equipment breakdown rates, and supporting Nokia's target to continuously strengthen the base station power efficiency of its products.

http://www.nokia.com