Thursday, April 6, 2017

CORD Overview with Guru Parulkar



Central Office Re-architected as a Datacenter (CORD) combines NFV, SDN, and the elasticity of commodity clouds to bring datacenter economics and cloud agility to the Telco Central Office.

In this video, Guru Parulkar provides an overview of the project, which is housed at ON.Lab.

See video:  https://youtu.be/SJr64HJscq8




M-CORD Innovations - Interview with China Unicom



China Unicom is one of the world's largest mobile service providers by subscriber base and an active member of the CORD (Central Office Re-architected as a Datacenter) project, which combines NFV, SDN, and the elasticity of commodity hardware to create a transformative network platform.

In this video, Pingping LIN, M-CORD Technical Leader at On.Lab, interviews Dr. Xiongyan TANG, Director of Network Technology Research at China Unicom.

See video: https://youtu.be/SP3cC0ojrLM




M-CORD Demo - Optimized Core for IoT




Mobile CORD (M-CORD) offers the potential to serve as the optimized core for IoT applications. Rishi Maulick, Architect for Radisys, walks us through a demo.  Key capabilities shown include MME disaggregation, Connectionless GW, and Core Slicing.

See video: https://youtu.be/ngj6YIdQw10


Windstream expands metro fibre network, launches fixed wireless service in Detroit

Windstream, a provider of communications services to consumer and business customers, announced a major expansion of its metro fibre network in Detroit to provide the business community with advanced fibre and fixed-wireless infrastructure that connects more local data centres and commercial buildings with the operator's national fibre network.

Windstream's latest expansion of its local metro fibre network and the launch of fixed wireless service will connect its national fibre network to key data centre campuses and commercial buildings in the Detroit metro area. The expanded connectivity will give companies direct access to markets across the country, as well as to Windstream's portfolio of enterprise-class data, voice, network and cloud services.

The expansion in Detroit will increase both the footprint of the operator's network and the range of services available, including fixed wireless service, unified communications, managed services, network security, network solutions and cloud services.

Windstream noted that the project in Detroit is part of a national initiative to expand its local metro fibre infrastructure designed to support customers in sectors such as banking, financial services, education, healthcare, government, hospitality and retail. In addition to Detroit, Windstream has announced plans to expand its metro networks in cities including Charlotte, Nashville, Richmond, Little Rock, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Dallas, St. Louis and Cleveland.

Windstream operates core transport solutions over a local and long-haul fibre network that spans approximately 147,000 miles across the U.S.

Earlier this year, Windstream announced the availability of its new software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) solution based on technology from VeloCloud. The SD-WAN solution is designed to offer customers greater network flexibility and scalability together with optimised performance and lower costs.

http://www.windstream.com

ADVA introduces FSP 150 Pro VMe pluggable server for NFV

ADVA Optical Networking has launched its new FSP 150 ProVMe (P2.4), designed to remove the risk of introducing virtualisation and helps service providers to quickly and cost-effectively implement NFV.

The new FSP 150 ProVMe (P2.4) solution is intended to simplify NFV deployments leveraging a hot-swappable, pluggable server that allows NFV rollout as and when needed. In combination with hardware-assisted NFV infrastructure support functions, the latest addition to ADVA's Edge product family offers a cost-effective way for service providers to deploy virtual network functions (VNFs) in response to customer demand.

The new pluggable modular server can also be integrated with the ADVA Ensemble portfolio to support distributed NFV deployments using embedded cloud functionality to enable greater security and scalability.

The ADVA FSP 150 ProVMe (P2.4) is a multi-technology solution that supports multi-layer business service demarcation and VNF hosting. The solution combines virtual and physical network functions to enable low-latency forwarding and enhanced performance.

Hardware-assisted support functions include tunnelling technologies and service assurance, which serve to liberate compute resources for revenue-generating services and help service providers to offer a range of demanding applications more efficiently. Specifically, VNF monitoring functionality is implemented in hardware to enable server-independent service assurance, providing information for managing and optimising the NFV infrastructure.

ADVA noted that these features offer a key differentiator for the ADVA FSP 150 ProVMe series and have been verified in independent EANTC testing. In March, ADVA announced that the EANTC had validated the capabilities of the FSP 150 ProVMe solution. The EANTC tests showed that the edge NFV device could minimise added latency and that hardware-assisted support functions, such as synchronisation and service assurance, could be activated without using compute resources.

Describing the new product, Stephan Rettenberger, SVP, marketing and investor relations at ADVA, said, "By adding a pluggable server directly into the demarcation device, service providers can choose exactly when they want to roll out VNFs to customers… this technology has been engineered to align capital costs with actual revenue".

http://www.advaoptical.com/

ECI selects Microsemi as Primary OTN Provider

Microsemi, a provider of semiconductor solutions, announced that ECI has appointed the company as its primary OTN solutions provider, and recently selected the DIGI-G4 fourth generation products for its Apollo family of packet optical transport platforms.

Microsemi's DIGI OTN processors are designed to enable ECI to leverage a single software development model to address diverse end market hardware configurations, helping to reduce R&D costs and speed product development.

Microsemi noted that despite the rapid adoption of packet services, client services are often at rates of 10 Gbit/s and below, requiring OTN switching to make the wide deployment of 100 Gbit/s optical connectivity cost-effective. In addition, cloud service providers require high capacity, low latency connectivity between geographically distributed data centres. ECI's Apollo solution uses Microsemi's DIGI OTN processors to address these challenges and meet a range of market requirements.

The DIGI offering enables ECI to deliver solutions including: high-density 100/400 Gbit/s capacity client and line-side cards for P-OTPs; multi-terabit OTN and packet/MPLS switching platforms; fabric-less switching platforms for metro networks; 100 Gbit/s transponders and muxponders; and wavelength and sub-wavelength level encryption solutions.

Microsemi's DIGI family of OTN processors have been implemented in service provider and hyperscale data centre WANs worldwide, with the DIGI-G4 designed to address the needs of 400 Gbit/s designs while consuming a claimed 50% of the power per 100 Gbit/s port of other solutions. DIGI-G4 can also support encrypted 100 Gbit/s OTN connections for a new generation of software-defined networking (SDN)-ready solutions.

The Microsemi OTN processors also provide the capacity, security and flexibility required for line cards within packet optical transport platforms (P-OTPs), ROADM/WDM and data centre interconnect (DCI) platforms. Combined with a field-hardened SDK, the integrated DIGI solution provides a common hardware and software platform for multi-terabit OTN packet optical equipment.

Microsemi claims that the common software architecture for DIGI OTN processors allows OEMs to reduce the development cost for multiple 100 and 400 Gbit/s hardware platforms by over 25%.

Further key features of the DIGI-G4 solution include: single-chip 4 x 100 Gbit/s solution for OTN switched line cards; 100 Gbit/s gearbox for connection to CFP2/4 and QSFP28 transceivers; high density 10/40/100 Gbit/s multi-service support, including Ethernet, IP/MPLS and SONET/SDH; 25 Gbit/s granularity framer to DSP interface enabling line rates to match programmable modulation capabilities in coherent DSPs; multi-chip Interlaken interconnect for compact chassis DCI applications; OTN-SDK with adapter layer software.

https://www.microsemi.com/\

BICS deploys Coriant Groove solution in key European metro markets

Coriant, a global supplier of SDN-enabled packet optical networking and DCI solutions, announced that Brussels-based BICS, a global wholesale carrier for voice, mobile data and capacity services, is deploying the Coriant Groove G30 network disaggregation platform across its pan-European network.

Deployment of the Coriant solution is designed to enable BICS to cost-efficiently address the growing demand for high-capacity, low latency connectivity in major European metro area markets including London, Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Marseille. Coriant stated that BICS selected the Groove G30 based on its high density, low power consumption and plug-and-play system architecture that allows cost-efficient scaling of the platform.

BICS is specifically utilising the Groove transmission solution to support the delivery of metro-based high-capacity, low latency point-to-point services, including 10 Gbit/s, coherent 100 Gbit/s and OTU4. Initial deployment of the Groove solution commenced in Marseille, where it is now carrying live traffic. Further deployments are planned for Brussels, Frankfurt, London and other key European metropolitan markets over the coming months.

Coriant's Groove G30 platform is designed to provide programmable, high speed and secure bandwidth while offering low power consumption, high density and flexibility. The stackable solution can support up to 3.2 Tbit/s of throughput in a compact, pluggable 1 RU form factor and features a programmable DWDM line interface for optimising bandwidth and performance at transmission rates from 100 up to 400 Gbit/s in metro, regional or long-haul transport and DCI applications.

Coriant noted that it recently enhanced the Groove solution with the open, plug-and-play short reach CFP2-ACO optical layer that is claimed to enable 3x the density versus comparable solutions, as well as providing greater configuration flexibility including support for coherent and direct detect optical layer applications.

Over the past few months, Coriant has announced the selection of its Groove G30 solution by companies including Windstream and PacketFabric in the U.S.

Recently, BICS and Retelit, a provider of infrastructure and data services, announced a joint connectivity solution spanning Europe and, via a landing station in Bari, Italy, provide connectivity to Singapore and Hong Kong on the AAE-1 subsea cable system.

http://www.coriant.com

TIM teams with Ericsson for 5G field testing in Turin

Italy's TIM announced that furthering its efforts to implement 5G technology it is starting the first field tests in Turin and will demonstrate the technology in the city on 5G Day at its Open Lab innovation and development centre.

The Torino 5G project, instituted by TIM through an agreement signed in March with the Turin municipal authority, will allow TIM to carry out early trials of 5G technology in a metropolitan environment by the end of 2018 to help accelerate the creation of a next generation mobile network. TIM expects that Turin will become the first city in Italy to have a 5G mobile network.

Under the agreement TIM plans to install, starting in 2017, more than 100 small cells in the main areas of the city, including around the Polytechnic University and University of Turin.

On 5G Day TIM, in partnership with Qualcomm Technologies and Ericsson, will demonstrate for the first time speeds of up to 700 Mbit/s downstream and up to 75 Mbit/s upstream over its live mobile network. TIM plans to launch services offering up to 700 Mbit/s speeds in the coming months, following the upgrade of the 4.5G network that is currently underway in key cities and when suitable smartphones become available. TIM noted that it previously achieved a data rate of 500 Mbit/s on its commercial 4.5G network.

The initiative in Turin is regarded by TIM as an opportunity to define the scenarios and directions and to implement the first 5G trials worldwide. Some of these applications have featured in live demonstrations at TIM's Open Air Lab in collaboration with Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, Samsung and SEiKEY.

TIM noted that it is supporting the definition of the requirements for the 5G standards and is working with standardisation groups and consortia and participating in international projects. As part of this effort, in 2016 TIM signed a 5G for Italy agreement with Ericsson.

In March this year, TIM announced that Turin would become the first city in Italy to gain a 5G network, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the municipality of Turin. TIM stated that by 2018 Turin would become the site of its first 5G technology trial in a metropolitan area, with the project will include the gradual extension of the new mobile broadband infrastructure to the municipal urban area, with the aim of covering the entire city by 2020.

At that time, TIM stated the planned trial in Turin will involve up to 3,000 users, who would have access to high transmission speeds, as well as new experimental services and applications provided by the city administration over the 5G network.

http://www.ericsson.com

Open-Silicon unveils Interlaken Chip-to-Chip Interface Supporting 1.2 Tbit/s

Open-Silicon, a supplier of system-optimised ASIC solutions and founding member of the Interlaken Alliance, announced the release of its eighth-generation Interlaken IP core, providing support for up to 1.2 Tbit/s bandwidth and up to 56 Gbit/s SerDes rates with forward error correction (FEC).

Open-Silicon's high-speed ch
ip-to-chip interface IP is based on an architecture that is designed to be flexible, configurable and scalable, making it suitable for high-bandwidth networking applications such as routers, switches, framer/MAC, OTN switch, packet processors, traffic managers, look aside processors/memories, data centre and other high-end networking and data processing systems.

Open Silicon's latest 8th generation Interlaken IP core specifically delivers:

1. Support for bandwidth of up to 1.2 Tbit/s and up to 56 Gbit/s SerDes data rates.

2. Improved flexibility via the ability of a single instance of the core to have multiple configurations, for example, a single 1.2 Tbit/s interface or four 300 Gbit/s interfaces, selectable at power-up.

3. Multiple user-data interface options, including 128 bit or 256 bit wide with one, two, four or eight segments.

4. SerDes width support for 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 64 and 80-bits.

Open-Silicon's 8th generation Interlaken IP is available immediately.

http://www.open-silicon.com/