Blockchain Consortium for Telecom Carriers gets underway

A new blockchain consortium, called the Carrier Blockchain Study Group (CBSG), is getting underway with the goal of connecting carriers’ telecommunication backend systems. The aim is to define the requirements of the cross-carrier blockchain platform, and eliminate late transactions or transaction failures between telecom carriers.

The consortium was formed by SoftBank, Sprint, Taiwan-based Far EasTone Telecommunications Co., Ltd. and U.S.-based TBCASoft. The organizers say more telecom carriers will be invited to participate in the CBSG on a global scale. SoftBank, Sprint and TBCASoft also succeeded in demonstrating a cross-carrier payment platform system that uses TBCASoft’s innovative blockchain technology.

In February 2017, SoftBank, Sprint and TBCASoft agreed to aim to cooperate in jointly developing blockchain technology for telecom carriers, and commenced a technical trial that connects TBCASoft’s blockchain platform to telecom carriers’ systems. With Far EasTone newly joining this association, it since developed into a consortium that aims to build a next-generation global cross-carrier blockchain platform and ecosystem. CBSG will promote research and development for the platform with the aim of providing users various services such as secured clearing and settlement, personal authentication, IoT applications, and other services in the future.

“TBCASoft is developing a cross-carrier distributed ledger network consisting of telecom carrier hosted servers running the TBCASoft blockchain platform. We aim to work with global telecom carriers to build a very secure and high-performance blockchain system where disruptive services can be ubiquitously provided to billions of telecom carrier subscribers worldwide.” said Ling Wu, Founder & CEO of TBCASoft, Inc.

“TBCASoft has a sophisticated layered system architecture, SoftBank can successfully integrate our Business Support System and Mobile App servers with TBCASoft blockchain platform in a short period of time at a reasonable cost. SoftBank is satisfied with confirming the implementation and system performance of the TBCASoft’s blockchain platform on which value transfer service led by telecom carriers will be operated.” said Mr. Takeshi Fukuizumi, Vice President of SoftBank Corp.

http://www.tbcasoft.com

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Radisys outlines its Open vision for network transformation

Radisys outlined its strategic vision for open telecom solutions. The company said its goal is to leverage open source communities to enable highly interoperable, more easily integrated and practical to consume technologies, solutions and services that can make a significant difference in how communications service providers (CSPs) meet customer demand and drive greater profits." This includes continuing to invest in new open architectures to drive innovation and service provider disruption, while helping service providers break vendor lock-in.

“Open Radisys is our commitment to enable CSPs to disrupt their traditional networks with open architecture business models. With no material legacy incumbency in telecom networks, we’re able to help CSPs embrace open standards as they get ready for 5G. If a service provider wants to replace a traditional hardware vendor, decompose a particular network element, deploy an open reference implementation such as CORD or an open source radio access network, we get it done. Open Radisys is the best choice for open telecom solutions and I’m excited about the outlook for Radisys in this new DevOps era,” stated Brian Bronson, president and CEO, Radisys.


Some highlights:

• Platforms that support open disaggregated architectures to deliver higher scale and performance with cloud economies,
• Open interfaces that drive easy interoperability,
• Strong investment and leadership in open ecosystems that fosters innovation,
• DevOps core philosophy for faster integration and turn-up,
• Systems integration expertise necessary to solve complex deployment challenges, while giving service providers the added benefit of de-risking their investments
• TCO Advantage: Radisys DCEngine has now been certified as OCP-INSPIRED – a unanimous decision by the OCP incubation committee consisting of leaders from AMD, AT&T, Facebook, Google, Hyve, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Verizon. This important certification reinforces the values of openness and OpEx savings that DCEngine brings to Radisys’ CSP customers. The open service delivery platform optimized for telco combined with OCP/Facebook’s legendary operations/support model results in nearly 40 percent reduction in TCO compared with legacy data center offerings.

http://www.radisys.com/press-releases/radisys-continues-strategic-execution-commitment-delivering-disruptive-open-telecom

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Radisys MobilityEngine targets disaggregated RANs and 5G

Radisys introduced its "MobilityEngine" portfolio of disaggregated Radio Access Network (RAN) software solutions and services that enable mobile service providers to evolve their access networks from LTE-Advanced to 5G.

The Radisys MobilityEngine, which is an evolution of its CellEngine product line, is an open 5G RAN platform and services offering that supports LTE-Advanced network deployments and offers a path to 5G. More specifically, MobilityEngine is based on the 5G Technical Forum (TF) specification with a roadmap in place to support 5G New Radio (NR) Non Standalone (NSA) mode as well as 5G NR Standalone (SA) Mode for the delivery of new advanced services. The company said that by supporting early 5G network investments, it provides early adopters with a time-to-market advantage as they move to commercializing 5G services with the completion of the 3GPP 5G specification in 2018.

Some additional highlights

• MobilityEngine’s LTE-Advanced and 5G mobile access solutions support multiple deployment scenarios, from supporting small cell deployments with thousands of users in a concentrated area to enabling virtualized RAN deployments running on general compute baseband units.
• MobilityEngine supports emerging 5G services at the edge of the network and enables network slicing as part of a MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) architecture to enable new use cases, increase operational efficiencies and reduce costs. For example in an enterprise scenario, MobilityEngine could enable the local breakout of user data from the network edge to enable localized control and enhanced security, without having to support backhaul of the connections.
• MobilityEngine can also be deployed in a CORD (Central Office Re-architected as a Datacenter) architecture as it disaggregates the access technology from the core network, supporting open standard APIs and the separation of software from the underlying hardware.

“Radisys has long been the recognized leader in delivering RAN solutions to meet mobile service providers’ evolving network requirements,” said Neeraj Patel, vice president and general manager, MobilityEngine, Radisys. “MobilityEngine is the evolution of our award-winning CellEngine portfolio. While CellEngine enabled mobile service providers’ small cell deployments for added network capacity and coverage, MobilityEngine delivers broader support for their access technology requirements in open architectures, while delivering much needed reductions in TCO. I am proud to introduce MobilityEngine to continue our rich heritage of delivering disruptive enabling technology solutions to power the 5G era.”

http://www.radisys.com/press-releases/radisys-advances-5g-service-delivery-innovation-mobilityengine

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Silver Peak signs SD-WAN distribution deal with NEC Networks

Silver Peak announced a formal global distribution agreement with NEC Networks and System Integration Corporation (NESIC) covering its SD-WAN solutions in Japan and the broader global market. NESIC's global partner, NCR Group, will provide maintenance and support services throughout 180 countries.

The companies said NESIC will focus on enterprises embracing cloud-based services with 100 or more global offices, initially targeting the manufacturing, financial and services sector markets.

“To address the escalating demand for SD-WAN technologies from our local and global clients, we selected the most complete SD-WAN solution available, Silver Peak EdgeConnect,” said Yukinobu Noguchi, general manager, NEC Networks and System Integration Corporation. “With EdgeConnect, we can deliver turnkey integration services with comprehensive support, allowing our clients to confidently embrace cloud services, deliver predictable application performance and embark on a shift toward low-cost broadband connectivity.”

“We look forward to partnering with NESIC to bring the full power of EdgeConnect to our mutual enterprise clients in Japan and around the globe,” said Derek Dal Ponte, vice president, channels at Silver Peak. “With turnkey sales, service and support, NESIC is well positioned to address the immediate demand for SD-WAN and extend its leading systems integration services to a rapidly expanding client base.”

http://www.silver-peak.com

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Equifax reports major cyber intrusion

Equifax, which is one of the three big consumer credit reporting agencies, suffered a major cybers intrusion between mid-May through July 2017 that potentially impacts some 143 million U.S. consumers.

The company said the attackers exploited a U.S. website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files, but not its core consumer or commercial credit reporting databases. Equifax said information stolen could include names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers. In addition, the intruders accessed credit card numbers for approximately 209,000 U.S. consumers, and certain dispute documents with personal identifying information for approximately 182,000 U.S. consumers.

“This is clearly a disappointing event for our company, and one that strikes at the heart of who we are and what we do. I apologize to consumers and our business customers for the concern and frustration this causes,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard F. Smith. “We pride ourselves on being a leader in managing and protecting data, and we are conducting a thorough review of our overall security operations. We also are focused on consumer protection and have developed a comprehensive portfolio of services to support all U.S. consumers, regardless of whether they were impacted by this incident.”

https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/

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Altice USA awards multiyear deal to Amdocs

Altice USA awarded a multi-year agreement to Amdocs for key business and operational support systems. The arrangement will help accelerate the migration to a single Altice USA platform, simplify and modernize technology operations and provide a better experience to Altice USA customers. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Altice USA is one of the largest broadband communications and video service operators in the U.S. and the provider of Optimum and Suddenlink-branded internet, TV and phone services. The service provider is working to integrate its Cablevision and Suddenlink legacy business and operating systems and platforms. Amdocs will offer a hybrid solution combining architecture developed by Altice Labs as well as systems from Amdocs, enabling a simpler, more agile and efficient customer-centric system. The companies said the solution enables Altice USA to quickly and flexibly design and launch new innovative offerings and bundles, accelerate order orchestration and fulfillment over its existing fiber infrastructure and next generation fiber network, enable superior omni-channel customer service experience, and future-proof its systems to prepare for next-generation products and services.

"As we focus on the future needs of our customers, having a simple, flexible and efficient support system is a vital part of our strategy. By combining the technological strengths of Altice with the capabilities of Amdocs, we are creating a unique infrastructure that will enhance and unify the customer experience we offer in the U.S. as we launch new, innovative products and services for our customers. Amdocs is a valued, long-standing partner for Altice USA and we look forward to working together to create the backbone that will enable best-in-class connectivity solutions for years to come," said Hakim Boubazine, Co-President and Chief Operating Officer, Altice USA.

"Altice USA is a major powerhouse, delivering broadband, pay television, telephony services, Wi-Fi hotspot access, proprietary content and advertising services to residential and business customers. They are innovative and agile and focused on delivering on the promise of full convergence in this hyper-competitive market. We are delighted to partner with Altice in the U.S. on this industry-leading solution," said Eric Updyke, group president, Amdocs Services.

http://www.amdocs.com

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Mavenir intros 5G Core Network and Cloud RAN solutions

Mavenir announced its 5G Core Network and Cloud RAN solutions designed to support high bandwidth, massive IoT connectivity and ultra-low latency applications.

The company said its 5G ready Cloud Native architecture is a fully virtualized, integrated service centric framework that is critical for highly granular scalability, elasticity, dynamic control, and orchestration for the entire network.

Mavenir’s 5G Core Network is designed for mobile communications systems with the functional capabilities to support high bandwidth, massive IoT connectivity and ultra-low latency applications. Highlights:

• Cloud Native, fully virtualized, stateless architecture with a flexible End-to-End orchestration framework to suit varied CSP needs.
• SDN-controlled 5GC with complete separation of both Control and User Plane framework that allows independent dynamic scaling of control and user plane elements with intelligent packet handling.

Mavenir’s Cloud RAN extends the virtualization to the edge of the network and provides strategic differentiation by enabling the Remote Radio Units (RRUs) to interwork with the virtualized Cloud Base Band Unit (vBBU) over ethernet Fronthaul (FH), overcoming the traditional constraints of Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI™) over fiber. Highlights:

• With End-to-End network slicing support, flexibility for the vBBU and even the vEPC co-located for Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) – the solution can be tailored for unique service centric architectures, enriching user experience while addressing proximity specific deployments constraints.
• Investment protection is achieved (e.g. 4G LTE to 5G NR) through remote-upgradable Software Defined Radio (SDR) capabilities.

“Mavenir is uniquely positioned to enable customers to evolve their networks and further the adoption of virtualization to maximize operational efficiency, network elasticity and Capex/Opex savings,” said Pardeep Kohli, President and CEO of Mavenir. “Operators can literally get a 5G network, using their 4G expansion budgets, with Mavenir’s 5G Ready vBBU which can be used together with any RRU.”

http://www.mavenir.com

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John Deere acquires Blue River Technology for AI

Deere & Company has acquired Blue River Technology, a start-up based in Sunnyvale, California that is applying machine learning to agriculture. The deal was valued at $305 million.

Blue River is developing computer vision and machine learning technology that will enable growers to reduce the use of herbicides by spraying only where weeds are present, optimizing the use of inputs in farming – a key objective of precision agriculture.

"We welcome the opportunity to work with a Blue River Technology team that is highly skilled and intensely dedicated to rapidly advancing the implementation of machine learning in agriculture," said John May, President, Agricultural Solutions, and Chief Information Officer at Deere. "As a leader in precision agriculture, John Deere recognizes the importance of technology to our customers. Machine learning is an important capability for Deere's future."

"Blue River is advancing precision agriculture by moving farm management decisions from the field level to the plant level," said Jorge Heraud, co-founder and CEO of Blue River Technology. "We are using computer vision, robotics, and machine learning to help smart machines detect, identify, and make management decisions about every single plant in the field."

http://www.JohnDeere.com
http://www.BlueRiverTechnology.com

• Investors in Blue River included Khosla Ventures, Pontifax ATech. Innovation Endeavors, and Data Collective Venture Capital.

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