Tuesday, July 10, 2018

400G Bidirectional MSA Group gets underway

A new 400G Bidirectional (BiDi) Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) Group has been established to promote the adoption of interoperable 400 Gbps optical transceivers for 100-meter multimode fiber (MMF) link distances, such as between switches in data centers.

Founding members of the 400G BiDi MSA include Alibaba, Broadcom, Cisco, Corning Incorporated, Foxconn Interconnect Technology, InnoLight Technology, Inphi Corporation and Sumitomo Electric.

In a press statement, the group said it is working to define optical data link specifications based on a dual wavelength bidirectional transmission technology which enables a reduction in the fiber count relative to other solutions.  The target solution leverages both the widely adopted 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps BiDi Ethernet solutions and is compatible with the widely available and deployed parallel MMF cabling infrastructure.

http://www.400GBiDi-msa.org

Openreach picks Huawei and Nokia for Fibre First

Openreach has selected Huawei and Nokia for its "Fibre First" national Fibre-To-The-Premises (FTTP) rollout, which aims to reach three million homes and businesses across the UK by the end of 2020.

Huawei and Nokia have each been awarded contracts to provide new electronics that support Openreach’s headend equipment. Huawei has already started to deploy the new kit across the Openreach fibre network, whilst Nokia is expected to start installing equipment from July next year. This equipment includes the Huawei MA5800-X17 and the Nokia ISAM FX-16.

Peter Bell, CTO & NGA Operations Director, Openreach said: “We’ll be going flat out to make FTTP available to three million homes by the end of 2020, and we want to reach 10 million by the mid-2020s, so using cutting-edge technology will be integral to achieving that. Britons consume more than double the amount of data they did just three years ago and whilst we’re already a leading digital economy, Openreach continues to invest in network upgrades to make sure we can repeat that success and keep well ahead of demand.”

Jeffrey Zhou, president of Huawei Access network, said: “As a long-term strategic partner of Openreach, we look forward to continuing our work with the fibre and network delivery team. We welcome the opportunity to help build a better, faster and intelligent network that helps Openreach customers stay connected. Huawei is committed to building a better connected UK.”

Frederic Guillén, President of Nokia Fixed Networks, added: “We’re excited about this new five-year collaboration with Openreach and are confident that our innovation, strength and operational expertise will benefit all broadband subscribers in the UK.”



Coriant launches Network OS with IP/MPLS for White Boxes

Coriant introduced a carrier-class, disaggregated IP/MPLS software solution for industry-standard COTS white boxes as well as application-optimized white boxes such as the newly introduced Coriant Vibe X90 Programmable Packet Platform.

The Coriant Network Operating System (NOS), which is based on an open and modular software architecture, offers high-performance, hardware-independent flexibility and disaggregated software components including Open Network Linux operating system, hardware abstraction layer, IP stack, and network protocol suite. Coriant NOS software is built for modularity allowing customers to easily and quickly integrate and innovate with new functionality. It includes a sophisticated hardware abstraction layer that supports standalone and multi-unit forwarding architectures, as well as support for a broad set of protocols required in carrier networks and Data Center Interconnect (DCI) applications.

Coriant noted that its new operating system relies on its field-proven IP/MPLS stack for applications requiring high performance, high scalability, and high resiliency. It offers open APIs to simplify integration into existing environments and to enable operators to reap the benefits of a programmable infrastructure.

“By separating the NOS from the routing hardware, Coriant provides network operators the chance to break the vendor lock-in constraints of traditional IP routing solutions,” said Uwe Fischer, Executive Vice President, R&D and PLM, and CTO, Coriant. “The Coriant NOS leverages over 20 years of IP/MPLS networking expertise and deployed Tier 1 experience, and delivers on the promise of an open, disaggregated approach to packet-based networking that accelerates innovation by maximizing best-in-class functional blocks.”

https://www.coriant.com/products/coriant-network-operating-system-nos-carrier-class-ip-mpls-nos

Coriant intros Vibe X90 white box for disaggregated routing/switching

Coriant introduced the first in a series of "Vibe" carrier-class white boxes for service aggregation from access to the core.

The new, 2RU Coriant Vibe X90 Programmable Packet Platform, which is a key component of the Coriant Hyperscale Carrier Architecture, is a cost-optimized white box solution for IP transport network applications where cost-efficient Layer 2/3 service aggregation is required for a dense mix of 1G, 10G, 25G, and 100G interfaces, including in Provider Edge and Central Office environments. It supports 900 Gbps of full-duplex switching capacity in single node configurations and scalability up to 2.7 Tbps in stacked configurations, with further scalability enabled in POD configurations.

Key features include:

  • Carrier-class performance – to ensure a best-in-class customer experience as IP traffic and services scale, the Vibe X90 system architecture is purpose-built for telco environments and supports a wide breadth of carrier-grade operations, including packet synchronization (IEEE 1588, SyncE), large packet buffers, ETSI-standard rack sizes, node stacking, and control and data plane redundancy
  • Open, agnostic software control – to break vendor lock-in and accelerate innovation cycles, the Vibe X90 is built upon Open Network Install Environment (ONIE) and Open APIs, enabling flexible software portability with compatible NOS software, such as the Coriant NOS, and SDN/NFV orchestration in multi-vendor, multi-layer environments
  • Cost-efficient IP network scalability – single and stacked configuration node options, coupled with support for horizontal scalability enabled by leaf and spine POD architectures, provide the foundation for flexible and cost-efficient multi-unit scalability, with full resilience for control and data plane traffic
  • Application-optimized features – the Vibe X90 supports important networking features such as advanced timing capabilities that enable a variety of mobile and converged applications where flexible scaling and accurate packet synchronization is critical to service availability   

China Mobile awards EUR 1 billion deal to Nokia

China Mobile and Nokia signed a frame agreement valued at up to EUR 1 billion for the continued delivery of mobile, fixed, IP routing, optical transport, customer experience management technologies and operational support as well as services expertise throughout 2018.

The agreement was signed at the recent Sino-German Economic Forum by Li Huidi, Vice President of China Mobile, and Hans-Jürgen Bill, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Nokia and also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nokia Networks GmbH & Co KG in Germany. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also attended the forum.

Nokia said it will supply China Mobile with best-in-class, end-to-end technology solutions to enable a next-generation network for the age of the cloud and machine communications.

In addition, Nokia and China Mobile have signed a memorandum of understanding for research and testing of the artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning capabilities of next-generation networks for the delivery of intelligent network optimization and radio resource management.

Mike Wang, President of Nokia Shanghai Bell, said: "This is a highly significant agreement with our longstanding partner that consolidates Nokia's position as a leading provider of next-generation technologies and services in China. We are committed to delivering industry-leading, end-to-end capabilities that will allow operators to dramatically increase performance, which will introduce new possibilities for networks of the future."

Corning intros Optical Network Evolution SD-LAN

Corning introduced its Optical Network Evolution SD-LAN solution for in-building local area networks.

The Corning SD-LAN decouples hardware and software layers, creating a flexible platform for deploying traditional Ethernet or passive optical LAN using the same hardware at the edge.

Corning said it developed the solution to enable future-ready connectivity inside buildings with the ability to converge multiple technologies over a single, simplified infrastructure that supports LAN, WiFi, cellular, audiovisual, security, building automation, and more over the lifetime of the building with little to no new cabling. Key benefits include freeing up closets, eliminating or emptying cable trays, and reducing disruption from future network additions.

LeoSat attracts a strategic investor in its upcoming LEO constallation

Hispasat, the Spanish national satellite operator, has agreed to invest in LeoSat, which is preparing to launch a constellation of low-earth-orbit communications satellites. Financial terms were not disclosed.

With this agreement, Hispasat joins Asia’s largest satellite operator, SKY Perfect JSAT, as investors in LeoSat.

Washington, D.C.-based LeoSat is working with Thales Alenia Space to develop a constellation of up to 108 low-earth-orbit, Ka-band communications satellites. Launch of the constellation is expected in 2019. LeoSat is targetting high-speed, low-latency and highly secure communications and bandwidth for telecom backhaul, energy, maritime, government and international business markets.

http://leosat.com/


  • LeoSat Enterprises was established in 2013 by Cliff Anders (Chairman) and Phil Marlar (Chief Operating Officer), two former Schlumberger executives.

AT&T to acquire AlienVault for cyber threat intelligence

AT&T agreed to acquire AlienVault, a privately held company based in San Mateo, California that specializes in enterprise-grade security solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. Financial terms were not disclosed.

AT&T said it intends to integrate AlienVault’s threat intelligence with its cybersecurity solutions portfolio.

“Regardless of size or industry, businesses today need cyber threat detection and response technologies and services,” said Thaddeus Arroyo, CEO, AT&T Business. “The current threat landscape has shifted this from a luxury for some, to a requirement for all. AlienVault’s expertise in threat intelligence will improve our ability to help organizations detect and respond to cybersecurity attacks. Together, with our enterprise-grade detection, response and remediation capabilities, we’re providing scalable, intelligent, affordable security for business customers of all sizes.”

“We’re thrilled to join forces with AT&T. They bring a robust cybersecurity portfolio with an industry-leading technology ecosystem,” said Barmak Meftah, president and CEO, AlienVault. “This deal accelerates our ability to deliver on the AlienVault mission, which is to democratize threat detection and response to companies of all sizes.”



Toshiba debuts 14TB HDD for data centers

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corp. announced 14TB and 12TB HDD SATA models for data center storage.

The MG07ACA Series features both 14TB 9-disk and 12TB 8-disk models. The helium-sealed 3.5-inch mechanical design realizes better storage density and a lower HDD operating power profile, achieving a 40% increase in maximum capacity and 50% better power efficiency (W/GB) over 10TB HDD models.

The drives have been qualified for installation on select Supermicro storage servers.

“As we continue to develop solutions to meet the growing capacity needs of enterprise and cloud data center customers, Toshiba is pleased to be working with Supermicro on solutions utilizing our new MG07ACA Series helium-sealed HDD,” said Shuji Takaoka, General Manager of Storage Products Sales & Marketing Division at Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation. “Toshiba’s innovative, power-efficient 9-disk design delivers the highest capacity available in the market today using conventional magnetic recording, and matches up well with Supermicro’s highly-regarded lineup of server and storage solutions.”

EXFO posts sales of $72 million

EXFO reported sales of US$72.2 million for the third quarter of its fiscal 2018, up from US$58.5 million in the third quarter of 2017. The IFRS sales included a US$8.6 million contribution from recently acquired Astellia

IFRS net loss in the third quarter of fiscal 2018 totaled US$6.0 million, or US$0.11 per share, compared to US$4.3 million, or US$0.08 per share, in the third quarter of 2017. IFRS net loss in the third quarter of 2018 included US$4.1 million in after-tax amortization of intangible assets, US$0.4 million in stock-based compensation costs, US$0.9 million for acquisition-related fair value adjustment of deferred revenue and a foreign exchange gain of US$0.2 million.

Gross margin before depreciation and amortization amounted to 59.9% of sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2018 compared to 58.0% in the third quarter of 2017.

"I am pleased our organic business and newly acquired Astellia delivered healthy growth in the third quarter and after nine months into fiscal 2018," said Philippe Morin, EXFO's Chief Executive Officer. "This solid execution across the combined organization demonstrates that EXFO is on the right path to profitable growth. Looking ahead, we are strategically transforming our monitoring and analytics business to offer a highly differentiated solution as the communications industry migrates to NFV and 5G architectures."