Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric delivers inter-metro connectivity between parties

Equinix announced the direct physical and virtual connection of its International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers around the world, enabling customers to connect on demand to any other customer from any Equinix location.

The new inter-metro connectivity will be delivered through the Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric (ECX Fabric), which was previously called the Equinix Cloud Exchange (ECX). The idea is to use the SDN capabilities in the exchange to enable any customer to dynamically connect its own infrastructure across Equinix locations or connect to any other customer on the Equinix global platform, regardless of location.

Equinix said these new capabilities enable any customer to more efficiently interconnect and request connections to any of the more than 1,000 participants including some of the world's largest enterprises, cloud service providers (Alibaba Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud) and SaaS providers (including Salesforce, SAP and ServiceNow, among others).

The new ECX Fabric capabilities are immediately available in all ECX locations in North America and the EMEA region, including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Los Angeles, Manchester, New York, Paris, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Stockholm, Toronto, Washington, D.C. and Zurich.

In Q4 2017 and early 2018, ECX Fabric is rolling out to seven new metros in the Americas and EMEA regions (Denver, Düsseldorf, Geneva, Helsinki, Miami, Milan and Munich). Equinix will extend connectivity to São Paulo within the Americas region, and between APAC region ECX Fabric metro locations (Hong Kong, Melbourne, Osaka, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo), in 2018.

John Nishimoto, Vice President of Product Management and Marketing, Windstream, stated: "The integration of the Equinix global platform expands Windstream's addressable footprint, increasing the availability of high-transport solutions—including our recently launched Software Defined Network Orchestrated Waves (SDNow)—for our customers. Equinix has a robust aggregation of enterprise businesses, cloud service providers and traditional network operators, all of whom are customers of Windstream's Cloud & Connectivity business unit. We look forward to participating in this fully integrated global platform."

Separately, Equinix announced the expansion of its Internet Exchange into nine new metros in the EMEA and Americas regions in Q4 2017 and early 2018, including Amsterdam, Denver, Dublin, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Manchester, Milan and Stockholm.

In addition, Equinix announced that it intends to offer, subject to market and other conditions, €1.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of its senior notes due 2028.

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Bell Canada implements Cisco Segment Routing in next-gen core

Bell Canada has implemented Cisco Segment Routing in its next-generation core network. Specifically, Bell recently upgraded the‎ first four IP core routers to support seamless connection between network data centers and its Smart Core network. The deployment is part of Bell's ‘Network 3.0’ transformation plan.

Cisco Segment Routing delivers network automation and software-defined networking (SDN) capabilities to simplify network operations, increase network robustness, optimize network utilization and offer innovative network services.

Cisco predicts Internet traffic per month per user in Canada will be up to 142.6 GB in 2020, from 63.3 GB in 2016 – with 74% of Internet traffic being video.

“Segment routing is a significant step forward on our mission to transform the way our network interacts with our people, processes and technology at Bell,” said Stephen Howe, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Bell Canada. “As our Network 3.0 transformation progresses, and with segment routing now in place, we now have the foundation to enable greater network reliability, as well as enhanced speed and agility from Bell in responding to clients’ needs. Using new IP routing protocols, we can improve the reliability and performance of our Smart Core network, including our network data centers, helping us to better manage overall network operations and offer our customers a superior service experience.”

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Broadcom nominates 11 directors for Qualcomm's Board

Broadcom notified Qualcomm of its intention to nominate a slate of 11 individuals for election to Qualcomm's Board of Directors and to propose certain other matters for the consideration of Qualcomm stockholders at Qualcomm's 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.  The nominated directors are:

• Samih Elhage, former President of the Mobile Networks Business Group of Nokia Corporation. Previously held the role of Chief Financial and Operating Officer of Nokia Siemens Networks and Nokia Networks, subsidiaries of Nokia. Also served on the Boards of Alcatel-Lucent Corporation, Alcatel Shanghai Bell, and Quickplay Media Inc.
• Raul J. Fernandez, Vice Chairman of Monumental Sports & Entertainment and former Chairman and CEO of ObjectVideo, Inc. Also served as CEO of Dimension Data North America and as Chairman, CEO and President of Proxicom, Inc. Serves on the Boards of AtSite, Inc. and Perfect Sense, Inc., and previously served as a Director of Kate Spade & Company.
• Michael S. Geltzeiler, consultant for Temasek Holdings. Previously served as Senior Vice President and CFO of ADT Corporation and before that, CFO and Group Executive Vice President at NYSE Euronext. 
• Stephen J. Girsky, Managing Partner of VectoIQ, an independent advisory firm. Previously served in a number of capacities at General Motors, including Vice Chairman. Serves on the Boards of United States Steel Corporation, Brookfield Business Partners, Drive.ai, and Valens Semiconductor Ltd. Previously served as a Director of GM following its emergence from bankruptcy and as Lead Independent Director of Dana Holdings Corp.
• David G. Golden, Managing Partner at Revolution Ventures. Previously spent 18 years at J.P. Morgan, including five years as Vice Chairman and Director of technology, media and telecommunications investment banking. Serves on the Boards of Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. and Blackbaud, Inc. Previously served as a Director of Everyday Health, Inc. and Barnes & Noble, Inc. 
• Veronica M. Hagen, retired President and CEO of Polymer Group, Inc. (later renamed AVINTIV Specialty Materials Inc). Also served as President and CEO of Sappi Fine Paper and held multiple positions at Alcoa, including Vice President and Chief Customer Officer and business unit president of Alcoa Engineered Products. Serves on the Boards of Newmont Mining Corporation, the Southern Company, and American Water Works Company, Inc. Previously served as a Director of AVINTIV, Jacuzzi Brands, Inc., and Covanta.
• Julie A. Hill, owner of The Hill Company. Serves on the Board of Anthem, Inc. and was a Director of WellPoint Health Networks Inc. prior to its merger with Anthem. Has been a trustee of the Lord Abbett Family of Mutual Funds since 2004 and previously served as a Director of Lend Lease, Ltd., Resources Connection, Inc., and Holcim US. 
• John H. Kispert, Managing Partner of Black Diamond Ventures. Previously served as President and CEO and a Director of Spansion, Inc. through its merger with Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. Serves on the Boards of Gigamon Inc. and Barracuda Networks, Inc. Previously served as a Director of Cypress, TriNet Group, Inc., and Extreme Networks, Inc., where he was Chairman. 
• Gregorio Reyes, former Director and Chairman of the Boards of Dialog Semiconductor plc and LSI Corporation, and former Director of Seagate Technologies Public Limited Company. Previously was a co-founder and Chairman of Sunward Technologies Inc., Chairman and CEO of American Semiconductor Equipment Technologies, and President and CEO of National Micronetics. Held positions at National Semiconductor, Motorola, Fairchild Semiconductor, and Eaton.
• Thomas S. Volpe, Managing Member of Volpe Investments LLC. Previously CEO of Dubai Group LLC, a diversified investment firm based in the United Arab Emirates, and before that, served as Chairman of Prudential Volpe Technology Group. Served on the Boards of Linear Technology Corporation and EFG-Hermes Holding Company.
• Harry L. You, President, CFO and Director of GTY Technology Holdings Inc. Previously served as Executive Vice President in the Office of the Chairman of EMC Corporation. Served as CEO of BearingPoint Inc., Executive Vice President and CFO of Oracle Corporation and CFO of Accenture Ltd. Previously served as a Director of Korn/Ferry International.

Hock Tan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Broadcom, stated: "We have repeatedly attempted to engage with Qualcomm, and despite stockholder and customer support for the transaction, Qualcomm has ignored those opportunities. The nominations give Qualcomm stockholders an opportunity to voice their disappointment with Qualcomm's directors and their refusal to engage in discussions with us. In light of the significant value our proposal provides for Qualcomm stockholders, we believe Qualcomm stockholders would be better served by new independent, highly qualified nominees who are committed to maximizing value and acting in the best interests of Qualcomm stockholders."

Broadcom bids $130 billion to acquire Qualcomm

Monday, November 06, 2017  Broadcom, Qualcomm  No Comments

In what could become the largest tech merger to date, Broadcom announced a proposal to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Qualcomm for $70.00 per share in cash and stock, making the offer worth $130 billion in total, a 28% premium over the closing price of Qualcomm common stock on November 2, 2017

Broadcom cites the following benefits of a merged company:

• Creates a Leading Diversified Communications Semiconductor Company: Qualcomm's cellular business is highly complementary to Broadcom's portfolio, and the combination will create a strong, global company with an impressive portfolio of technologies and products.
• Accelerates Innovation to Deliver More Advanced Semiconductor Solutions to Global Customers: As a result of enhanced scale, reach and financial flexibility, the combined company will benefit from the ability to accelerate innovation and deliver more advanced semiconductor solutions to its broad global customer base.
• Compelling Financial Benefits: The combined company will have an enhanced financial profile, benefiting from Broadcom's proven operating model with industry-leading margins. The combined Broadcom and Qualcomm, including NXP, will have pro forma fiscal 2017 revenues of approximately $51 billion and pro forma 2017 EBITDA of approximately $23 billion, including synergies. The transaction is expected to be accretive to Broadcom's Non-GAAP EPS in the first full year after close.

"Broadcom's proposal is compelling for stockholders and stakeholders in both companies. Our proposal provides Qualcomm stockhold

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Huawei and China Mobile develop control plane protocol for Broadband Network Gateways

Huawei and the China Mobile Research Institute have developed a Control Plane and User Plane Separated Protocol (CUSP) for cloud-based Broadband Network Gateways (BNGs).

The companies said their CUSP draft defines protocol requirements for information delivery, reliability, and security mechanisms needed for communication between the control and user planes in cloud-based BNG architecture with separated control and user planes.

The protocol has been submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for consideration as a standard.

"The CU-separated BNG architecture allows network resource pooling to improve resource utilization and enables centralized virtual control plane to accelerate service efficiency and shorten new service provisioning time,” said Hu Shujun, an expert at the China Mobile Research Institute. “These are the business values brought by the architecture. The standards proposal submitted at the meeting was well received by industry experts, and the interface protocol and information model for interaction between the control and user planes will drive the new architecture to mature and become applicable. On the way to standardization of this architecture, we are open to new thoughts and welcome conversations with more industry experts to accelerate this process."

• In March 2017, Huawei worked with the European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC) to complete the industry's first function and performance tests on broadband access for one million home subscribers. 
• In June, Huawei and China Mobile Shaanxi successfully carried out the world's first commercial trial of the CU-separated BNG architecture on a live network.

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Ericsson to open 5G Life Campus in Hasselt, Belgium.

Ericsson will open a 5G innovation center in Hasselt, Belgium at Corda Campus, a technology park.

The "5G Life Campus" will be fully connected to Ericsson’s R&D center in Aachen, Germany, where 5G development and international pilot projects are executed.

The new Belgian facility will o provide industry players with a test environment to develop and trial new applications using the latest technologies for the next generation of mobility, potentially years ahead of the expected commercial launch of 5G in Belgium.

Raf Degens, Director of Corda Campus, says: “Corda Campus is a high technology campus, where more than 200 innovative companies work on new products and services every day. With Ericsson, this 5G Life Campus will provide industries a way to prepare for the future and grow faster.”

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Silver Peak hits SD-WAN milestone: 600 customers

Silver Peak announced a milestone for SD-WAN - it now has over 600 production customer deployments for its Unity EdgeConnect SD-WAN solution.

Silver Peak's EdgeConnect architecture eliminates the need for conventional branch routers. The platform consolidates network functions including SD-WAN, routing, WAN optimization and security into a single, centrally orchestrated application-driven SD-WAN solution.

Example customers include A. Zahner Company, Centurion Medical Products, CorTrust Bank, EMC Insurance, Halff Associates, Inc., IMMI, Produce World and Simpson Strong-Tie.

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Samsung cranks out 512-GB Flash for mobiles

Samsung has begun production of the first 512-gigabyte (GB) embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) for next-generation mobile devices. A smartphone with 512GB of flash would be capable of storing approximately 130 4K Ultra HD (3840x2160) video clips of a 10-minute duration.

The new devices stack together eight 64-layer 512Gb V-NAND chips and a controller chip.

Samsung said its new 512GB UFS doubles the density of its previous 48-layer V-NAND-based 256GB eUFS, in the same amount of space as the 256GB package.

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