3GPP's Release 15 5G specifications approved

Marking another essential step in standardization of 5G, the 3GPP officially approved the completion of the standalone (SA) Release 15 5G specifications. The completion of 5G SA (standalone) follows the release of the 5G NR specifications for non-standalone (NSA) operation in December 2017. This not only gives 5G NR the ability of independent deployment, but also brings a brand new end-to-end network architecture. Balázs Bertényi, Chairman of 3GPP...

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AT&T completes its historic merger with Time Warner

AT&T completed its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc., bringing together global media and entertainment leaders Warner Bros., HBO and Turner with AT&T’s video, mobile and broadband networks. “The content and creative talent at Warner Bros., HBO and Turner are first-rate. Combine all that with AT&T’s strengths in direct-to-consumer distribution, and we offer customers a differentiated, high-quality, mobile-first entertainment...

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LINX adopts disaggregated network architecture using EVPN on open hardware

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) migrated its LON2 platform to a new disaggregated network model that uses EVPN technology. The new architecture became fully operational on 5th June following an extensive testing, proof of concept, and migration process lasting nearly two years. LINX is believed to be the first IXP globally to implement EVPN in its production fabric. LINX said its new LON2 architecture employs EVPN over VXLAN, leaf-spine topology,...

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Facebook to build its next hyperscale data center in Alabama

Facebook has chosen Huntsville, Alabama for its next hyperscale data center location. Facebook estimates it will invest $750 million in the 970,000 square foot facility. As with its other data centers, Facebook committed to 100% renewable energy and is looking at new solar projects in the area. The company says it is working with the Tennessee Valley Authority to establish a renewable energy tariff that will let other qualifying customers buy new...

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Azure Kubernetes Service enters general availability

Microsoft announced that its Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is now generally available in ten regions across three continents. Microsoft expects to add ten more regions in the coming months. The new Kubernetes service features an Azure-hosted control plane, automated upgrades, self-healing, easy scaling, and a simple user experience for both developers and cluster operators. Users are able to control access to their Kubernetes cluster with Azure...

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Digital Realty opens 46 Megawatt Data Center in Toronto

Digital Realty had opened its third data center in Toronto at the site of the former Toronto Star printing plant. The facility will provide up to 46 megawatts of critical power capacity. It spans over 66,000 square meters (711,000 square feet). Some highlights The new facility is engineered to deliver a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.25 annualized at full capacity and will be one of Canada's most efficient and reliable data centers. With...

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MapR adds Amazon Elastic Container Service for Kubernetes

The MapR Data Platform now supports Amazon Elastic Container Service for Kubernetes (Amazon EKS), making it easier organizations to adopt and manage their data seamlessly on-premises and on AWS. MapR previously announced persistent storage for containers to enable the deployment of stateful containerized applications. Amazon EKS automatically manages the availability, scalability, and scheduling of containers. With MapR, organizations can retain...

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Speedlink shows 24GHz to 43GHz transceiver for 5G millimeter-wave

Speedlink Technology announced a 24GHz to 43GHz wideband transceiver module for 5G millimeter-wave connectivity. Engineering samples are expected later this year. "Speedlink's Extreme Mobile Broadband (EMB) transceiver is a revolutionary development for the mobile industry," said Mr. Thomas Chen, President and CEO of Speedlink Technology. "The 24Ghz to 43GHz band is necessary to realize the promise of 5G technology – fiber replacement speeds over...

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Zayo lands data center contract with a webscale provider

Zayo announed a major contract with a global webscale provider for colocation in Zayo’s data center in McLean, Virginia. Zayo acquired the McLean data center in April. The facility is located close to downtown Washington, D.C. and measures 62,000 total square feet. Zayo plans to upgrade the critical power at the site to three megawatts (MW) and enhance systems resiliency, security, audit certifications, and network connectivity. The data center...

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