Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Level 3 introduces encrypted wavelength service

Level 3 Communications has launched an encrypted wavelength service to help global enterprises secure their optical connections from unlawful interception and fiber tapping.

The encrypted waves service, which uses AES 256-bit encryption, provides enterprises with a single network view. Customers maintain complete control over their encryption keys via the MyLevel3 portal and a Level 3-provided key management system.

Unlike with cloud-based encryption schemes, Level 3 says its optical layer service does not incur a performance penalty, ultra-low latency is preserved and there is no throughput degredation. In addition, customers do not need to invest in in additional encryption equipment to leverage encrypted waves between key customer locations.

"Every element of a critical network today has to be hardened against security attacks. Level 3 encrypted waves offer enterprises peace of mind by addressing security threats such as unlawful interception and fiber tapping, without sacrificing network performance. Unlike other optical encryption solutions on the market today, our solution provides greater direct customer control with built-in encryption key management through our portal. This is just one example of how Level 3 continues to deliver a truly customer-defined adaptive networking experience," stated Paul Savill, SVP of Core Products for Level 3.

Oclaro show coherent transceiver for 400G and 600G wavelengths

Oclaro is getting ready to sample its first photonic integrated coherent transmitters (ICTs) and intradyne coherent receiver (ICRs) for 400G and 600G wavelengths. The devices, which could be configured for multiple data rates, are designed for high-performance coherent optical systems for applications ranging from data center interconnects (DCIs) to ultra-long haul transmission.

Oclaro 64Gbaud ICT combines an ultra narrow line width laser with a high-bandwidth dual QPSK Mach Zehnder Modulator to support flexible baud rates up to 64Gbaud and 64-QAM modulation. The device has an integrated semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), a tunable filter and a variable optical attenuator (VOA). It also includes a local oscillator (LO) feed with +12dBm output power for optimal receiver performance.

The photonic intregration uses indium phosphide technology.

Oclaro is showcasing these two new products at this week's ECOC Exhibition in Sweden. Sampling is expected in Q4 2017.

"With our ICR and ICT product offerings, customers will be able to design high-performance coherent systems that are both flexible in the bandwidth offered per port and cost competitive by maximizing the data that can be carried on a single wavelength," said Beck Mason, President, Integrated Photonics Business Unit at Oclaro.

Oclaro's 400G/Lambda Lithium Niobate Modulator enters volume production

Oclaro has now achieved volume production of its lithium niobate (LiNbO3) Polarization Multiplexed Quad Mach-Zehnder (PM-QMZ) modulators, which enable data rates up to 400G on a single wavelength.

The Oclaro single carrier PM-QMZ lithium niobate external modulator is a high electro-optic bandwidth PM-QMZ device that integrates into a hermetic package an input beam splitter, four parallel Mach-Zehnder modulators configured for I-Q modulation, a polarization combiner, and monitor photodiodes for power and bias control. Key features:

  • 3dB electro-optic bandwidth exceeding 30GHz.
  • Extinction ratio above 25dB to enable complex modulation formats.
  • Insertion loss below 12dB for high efficiency.
  • Supports L-Band operation similar to all other Oclaro LiNbO3 modulators

Finisar shows 100G QSFP28 eSWDM at 300m

Finisar has demonstrated the first 100G QSFP28 eSWDM4 transceiver with extended reach for multimode fiber (MMF), which could enable data centre operators to upgrade from 10G to 100G without installing additional fiber.

The new device, which is a new member of Finisar's suite of extended reach QSFP28 form factor modules, leverages Finisar's SWDM4 technology and enables 200, 300 and 400 meter links at 100G data rates over OM3, OM4, and OM5 duplex MMF, respectively. Finisar now claims the longest fiber reach among duplex MMF solutions in the industry for 100G QSFP28 Ethernet applications.

In a demo at this week's ECOC 2017 in Sweden, Finisar is showing the new QSFP28 eSWDM4 module transmitting live data over 300 meters of OM4 multimode fiber connected to a receiving QSFP28 eSWDM4 module.

At ECOC, Finisar is also showing  a 10G Tunable BiDi Transceiver for Wireless, CATV and Enterprise networks. The demo features multiple tunable Bidi SFP+ modules supporting 40 bidirectional point-to-point links on a
single fiber.

A third ECOC demonstration features a 100G QSFP28 ER4f transceiver supporting 40km 4WDM applications. This transceiver is the newest member of the Finisar suite of extended reach QSFP28 modules. The ER4f module enables 40 km links at 100G data rates over duplex single mode fiber (SMF) with FEC on the host, or 30 km links with duplex SMF without FEC.

CenturyLink packages cloud-managed Business Wi-Fi from Cisco Meraki

CenturyLink is leveraging the Cisco Meraki cloud-managed Wi-Fi solution to offer a bundled service with businesses with up to 250 employees.

CenturyLink Business Wi-Fi provides a secure Wi-Fi with real-time monitoring and analytics for companies that would prefer not to manage their wireless network on their own.

CenturyLink said its Business Wi-Fi provides an enterprise-grade solution with fast deployment, simple administration and increased visibility into network users, all from a single provider. In addition to network transport, CenturyLink provides Cisco Meraki access points and software licenses (eight access points per location for up to five locations), access to Meraki's cloud-based dashboard and 24/7 operational support.

Minio raises $20m for Multi-Cloud Object Storage

Minio, a start-up based in Palo Alto, California, raised $20 million in Series A funding for open source object storage for cloud-native and containerized applications.

Minio has developed an object storage server that enables developers to store unstructured data on any public or private cloud infrastructure, including multi-cloud deployments. The solution lets users build their own Amazon S3-compatible object storage on bare metal, public cloud or existing SAN/NAS storage infrastructure.

Minio reports  over 10M downloads since its general availability in January 2017.

The Series A funding round was jointly led by Dell Technologies Capital, General Catalyst Partners and Nexus Venture Partners, with participation by Intel Capital, AME Cloud and Steve Singh.


WIVE project looks for 5G vertical applications

A new WIVE (WIreless for VErticals) Project has been established by Nokia Bell Labs and leading academic institutions in Finland to identify vertical applications for 5G.

Besides Nokia, participating groups include Teleste, Telia, ABB, Cargotec Kalmar, Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle), Digita, regulator FICORA, key Finnish universities as well as VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

The two-year project is especially focused on opportunities in the following vertical sectors: Media and entertainment (M&E); Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), serving sectors like smart grids and remotely controlled machines; and Massive Machine Type Connectivity (mMTC), allowing a high number of devices to be connected with limited cost and energy consumption

https://wive.turkuamk.fi/

IEEE 802.3 looks to extend Optical PHYs beyond 10km

A new IEEE 802.3 Beyond 10km Optical PHYs Study Group has been formed under the auspices of the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Group.

The new study group aims to develop a Project Authorization Request (PAR) and Criteria for Standards Development (CSD) responses for optical solutions targeting physical distances beyond 10km for 50 Gb/s, 200 Gb/s, and 400 Gb/s Ethernet.

"The launch of the IEEE 802.3 Beyond 10km Optical PHYs Study Group represents a first step towards standardization that will meet the needs of network providers, such as wireless operators across the globe where bandwidth demands are projected to vary significantly from region to region,” said John D’Ambrosia, chair, IEEE 802.3 Beyond 10km Optical PHYs Study Group, and senior principal engineer, Huawei. “The Ethernet application space being addressed by this new working group will help ensure that a fully comprehensive networked Ethernet ecosystem can meet tomorrow’s demands for the speed and reach needed to support industry growth worldwide."