Verizon 5G Home to launch on Oct 1 -- 300 Mbps, no data cap, $70/month

Verizon will launch its fixed 5G service on October 01 -- claiming the title of first 5G commercial service in the world.

The Verizon 5G Home service uses the company's proprietary 5G TF standard. Verizon said it chose to implement its own 5G TF specification in order to launch its 5G network sooner than waiting for the formal 3GPP 5G NR standard to be incorporated into network equipment, devices, chipsets and software. The company plans to upgrade any installed equipment once the full 3GPP standard is adopted by equipment suppliers.

“To deliver the full potential of 5G, a wireless network provider must have three fundamental assets: deep fiber resources, a large deployment of small cells and critical spectrum holdings. That’s Ultra Wideband,” said Kyle Malady, Verizon’s chief technology officer.  “We will deliver a revolutionary 5G experience that will change how people live, work and play.”

Verizon 5G Home will initially be available in parts of Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento.  Customers in these cities can begin ordering the service on Thursday, September 13th.

Verizon said customers should expect typical network speeds around 300 Mbps and, depending on location, peak speeds of nearly 1 Gig, with no data caps.

Verizon will offer a “First On 5G” promotion whereby customers get 3 months free. Current Verizon Wireless customers with a qualifying smartphone plan will pay $50 per month for the service, while non-Verizon Wireless customers will pay $70 per month (taxes included and no annual contract). There are no additional hardware costs. 5G Home customers will also get YouTube TV free the first three months ($40/month thereafter) and a free Apple TV 4K or Google Chromecast Ultra device at installation.

Verizon noted a series of 5G "firsts", including:

• First video call placed over a pre-commercial 5G connection on a prototype 5G device at the 2018 Super Bowl with Samsung in February
• First 5G NR data transmission in a lab with Nokia and Qualcomm in February
• First two-way data transmission of 3GPP 5G NR and the first use of multi-carrier aggregation to boost the signal into Gbps range -- outdoors -- with Nokia in June
• First transmission of a 5G NR signal to a receiver in a moving vehicle with Nokia in August
• First data transmission on a commercially deployed 5G NR network in Washington DC in September with Nokia
• First data transmission over commercial 5G NR network equipment to a prototype smartphone device in Minneapolis with Ericsson and Qualcomm in September

Read More

Cisco upgrades ASR 9000 edge router for the 5G era

Cisco announced a major upgrade to its ASR 9000 edge routing platform for the 5G era.

The ASR 9000 was first introduced ten years ago and has since been deployed by more than 4500 service provider, enterprise and public sector customers around the world. Cisco says there are 93,000 ASR 9000 models deployed. The upgrade, which represents the fourth iteration of the platform, is based on new custom ASICs powering high-density 100GE line cards and new automation software. The ASR 9000’s slot capacity has been increased up to 3.2Tbps.

The upgrade includes new 32-port, 16-port, and 8-port 100GE line cards. These offer the capability to power down unused capacity, reducing power consumption down to 0.5W per gigabit.

With the upgrade, Cisco is also pushing ahead with its network-wide pay-as-you-grow license pooling model. This allow ports on the new-generation line cards to be activated on-demand, within deployed or new ASR 9000 chassis.

The new Cisco IOS XR software, enables the ASR 9000 to support the Cisco Crosswork Network Automation portfolio, which is a closed-loop, mass-scale automation solution that embraces multi-vendor networks.

“With these advancements to the Cisco ASR platform, we are simplifying, automating and converging our networking technology for the 5G and multicloud era,” said Sumeet Arora, senior vice president of engineering, Service Provider Network Systems, Cisco. “We are committed to helping our customers deliver better experiences for their customers, enabling them to optimize the capex spend with an easy roadmap for network planning purchasing and optimization.”

Read More

T-Mobile awards $3.5 billion 5G contract to Ericsson

T-Mobile awarded a multi-year, $3.5 billion contract to Ericsson to support its nationwide 5G network deployment.

Ericsson will supply T-Mobile with its latest 5G New Radio (NR) hardware and software compliant with 3GPP standards. Ericsson will also supply digital services solutions, including dynamic orchestration, business support systems (BSS) and its Ericsson Cloud Core.

"While the other guys just make promises, we're putting our money where our mouth is. With this new Ericsson agreement we’re laying the groundwork for 5G and with Sprint – and with Sprint we can supercharge the 5G revolution," stated Neville Ray, Chief Technology Officer, T-Mobile

"We have recently decided to increase our investments in the US to be closer to our leading customers and better support them with their accelerated 5G deployments; thereby bringing 5G to life for consumers and enterprises across the country. This agreement marks a major milestone for both companies. We are excited about our partnership with T-Mobile, supporting them to strengthen, expand and speed up the deployment of their nationwide 5G network," said Niklas Heuveldop, President and Head of Ericsson North America.

Nokia lands $3.5 billion, multi-year 5G deal with T-Mobile

Monday, July 30, 2018  5G, Nokia, T-Mobile  

T-Mobile US awarded a $3.5 billion contract to Nokia for the deployment of its nationwide 5G network.

Specifically, Nokia will help build T-Mobile's nationwide 5G network with 600 MHz and 28 GHz millimeter wave 5G capabilities compliant with 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) standards. The agreement covers Nokia's end-to-end 5G technology, software and services portfolio. This includes Nokia's AirScale radio platforms and cloud-native core, AirFrame hardware, CloudBand software, SON and 5G Acceleration Services.

"We are all in on 5G," said Neville Ray, Chief Technology Officer at T-Mobile. "Every dollar we spend is a 5G dollar, and our agreement with Nokia underscores the kind of investment we're making to bring customers a mobile, nationwide 5G network. And together with Sprint, we'll be able to do So. Much. More."

"Nokia and T-Mobile will advance the large-scale deployment of 5G services throughout the United States," said Ashish Chowdhary, Chief Customer Operations Officer, Nokia. "This is a testament to our companies' strong and productive working relationship, one which has produced several important technological milestones in recent months, and which now allows us to make 5G a commercial reality."

Regarding its financial outlook, Nokia said the AirScale radio platforms and cloud-native core, AirFrame hardware, CloudBand software, SON and 5G Acceleration Services in this contract were included in the guidance issued in the Nokia Financial Report for Q2 and Half Year 2018 as stated on July 26, 2018.

IEEE 5G World Forum: T-Mobile says 5G is AWESOME

Thursday, July 12, 2018    

"5G is AWESOME" -- that's the message delivered emphatically by Egil Gronstad, Senior Director of Technology Development and Strategy for T-Mobile USA, speaking to a mostly academic audience at the 2018 IEEE 1st 5G World Forum (5GWF’18) in Santa Clara, California this week. 

The main takeaway from his half-hour presentation: 5G is happening now at T-Mobile USA. The rollout is real and is proceeding if for no other reason than higher performance, which is always desirable in networking.

Some key takeaways:

• T-Mobile's 5G commercial rollout begins this year in 30 cities and will be fully nationwide within 2.5 years. T-Mobile will deploy its 5G RAN using both 600MHz and 28GHz millimeter wave spectrum. Previously, Nokia confirmed that its equipment has been selected for the initial rollout.
• A key learning is that 5G requires mid-band spectrum and T-Mobile's newly licensed 600 MHz spectrum is a strategic advantage
• Building penetration loss for 5G in mmWave spectrum is significant
• T-Mobile is not expecting to charge more for 5G service compared to its existing plans. The company expects to attract new customers and applications as the cost justification for upgrading to 5G
• Voice needs to ride on the 5G network as soon as possible. In the transition to 4G, it was a mistake for voice to continue on the 3G for so long.
• T-Mobile USA has no current plans for 5G fixed wireless service but is looking very closely at the business case.
• T-Mobile USA has added one million or more users each quarter for the past 20 quarters

Read More

Cisco builds an AI server powered by NVIDIA

Cisco announced a new server in its UCS product family designed for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

The new Cisco UCS C480 ML server speeds up deep learning, a compute-intensive form of machine learning that uses neural networks and large data sets to train computers for complex tasks, by integrating NVIDIA's Tesla V100 Tensor Core GPUs.

"Over the next few years, apps powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning will become mainstream in the enterprise. While this will solve many complex business issues, it will also create new challenges for IT," said Roland Acra, SVP and GM for Cisco's Data Center Business Group. "Today's powerful addition to the Cisco UCS lineup will power AI initiatives across a wide range of industries. Our early-access customers in the financial sector are exploring ways to improve fraud detection and enhance algorithmic trading. Meanwhile in healthcare, they're interested in better insights and diagnostics, improving medical image classification, and speeding drug

"We believe the power of machine learning should be available for all organizations, whether in the cloud or on-premises, and we're excited to continue our collaborative efforts with Cisco," said David Aronchick, Product Manager at Google Cloud. "We're pleased to see Cisco creating hybrid cloud solutions for machine learning, and also contributing code to the Google-led open source project, Kubeflow.  Organizations running Kubeflow on the new UCS C480 deep learning server will benefit from consistent machine learning tools that work great both on-premises and on Google Cloud."

Read More

Verizon opens more 5G labs

Verizon is expanding its 5G incubator program with new locations on the East and West Coasts.

Building on its first 5G innovation center in NYC, Verizon now plans to open 5G Labs in Washington DC, Palo Alto CA, Waltham MA, and Los Angeles CA.  The goal of the labs is "to explore the boundaries of 5G technology, co-create new use applications and hardware, and engage with the community through programming designed to encourage local innovators to rethink what’s possible in a 5G world."

Each Verizon 5G Lab location will concentrate on industries and technologies that draw from local expertise:

New York City – media and financial technology
Waltham, MA – robotics, healthcare and real-time enterprise solutions
Palo Alto, CA – emerging technology, education and big data
Washington, DC – public safety and first responders, cyber security and hospitality
Los Angeles, CA – immersive experiences such as augmented reality and holograms

Read More

Ericsson and Intel showcase 5G ecosystem

Ericsson and Intel, together with AT&T and T-Mobile are showcasing the power of the 5G ecosystem at this week's Mobile World Congress Americast in Los Angeles.

The partners will demonstrate Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G New Radio (NR) interoperability using 39 GHz spectrum - the frequency band that 5G services in North America will be introduced on.  Commercially available products: Ericsson Radio System AIR 5331 and the Intel® 5G Mobile Trial Platform, offer further validation of the supporting 5G ecosystem.

Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks at Ericsson, says: "This accomplishment shows that 5G is ready for business. Together with our partners we are continuing to prove the readiness of both the underlying technology and the ecosystem."

Asha Keddy, Intel Vice President and General Manager of Next Generation and Standards says: "This public multi-vendor 5G NR over-the-air data call using 39 GHz mmWave band signifies that we have reached a new level of interoperability. This successful over-the-air test using the band that will offer 5G services in North America, also demonstrates the network and ecosystem readiness we have achieved."

• First live public NR data call over 39GHz spectrum OTA using AT&T and T-Mobile spectrum: LTE anchor B66 (2.1Ghz) LTE
• Multivendor operable data call based on 3GPP Release 15 specifications
• Supporting hardware and software include Ericsson Radio System commercial radio AIR 5331, commercial SW track and Intel MTP

Read More

Renesas to acquire Integrated Device Technology for $6.7 billion

Renesas Electronics Corporation of Japan has agreed to acquire Integrated Device Technology (IDT, NASDAQ: IDTI) for approximately US$6.7 billion (approximately 733.0 billion yen at an exchange rate of 110 yen to the dollar), combing two recognized leaders in embedded processors and analog mixed-signal semiconductors. IDT shares are to be acquired at a price of US$49.00 per share.

IDT, which is based in San Jose, California, is a leading supplier of analog mixed-signal products, including sensors, connectivity and wireless power. Renesas is the leading global supplier of microcontrollers, and a leader in analog & power and SoC products. The acquisition will provide Renesas with analog mixed-signal capabilities in embedded systems, including RF, advanced timing, memory interface & power management, optical interconnect, wireless power, and smart sensors.

The combination of these product lines with Renesas’ advanced MCUs and SoCs and power management ICs enables Renesas to offer comprehensive solutions that support the increasing demand of high data processing performance.

Renesas said it is working to expand its analog solution lineup and to strengthen its kit solution offerings that combine its microcontrollers (MCUs), system-on-chips (SoCs) and analog products. The company's focus domains include: the automotive segment, which is expected to see tremendous growth with autonomous driving and EV/HEV; industrial and infrastructure segments, which are expected to advance with Industry 4.0 and 5G wireless communications, as well as the fast-growing IoT segment.

"This acquisition will bring us complementary, market-leading analog mixed-signal assets and an incredibly talented group of professionals to help us boost our embedded solution capabilities," said Bunsei Kure, Representative Director, President and CEO of Renesas. “IDT’s products combined with our MCUs, SoCs and power management ICs will enable Renesas to widen its product offerings as well as to expand its reach into areas such as the growing data economy-related space.”

“The combination of Integrated Device Technology’s analog mixed-signal leadership with Renesas’ world-leading microcontroller and automotive/industrial franchise creates a new global powerhouse,” said Gregory L. Waters, President and CEO of IDT. “The Combined company will possess the key capabilities that customers in the modern data economy demand.”

Renesas to Acquire Intersil for $3.2 Billion

Monday, September 12, 2016  Mergers And Acquisitions, Silicon  

Renesas Electronics Corporation agreed to acquire Intersil for US$22.50 per share in cash, representing an aggregate equity value of approximately US$3.2 billion (approximately 321.9 billion yen at an exchange rate of 100 yen to the dollar).

Renesas supplies microcontroller (MCU) and system-on-chip (SoC) products and technologies.  Intersil specializes in power management and precision analog capabilities.

The acquisition is also expected to expand Renesas’ product portfolio, particularly for analog devices, where the market is expected to increase by approximately US$3.9 billion by 2020.

IDT launches High Baud Rate Linear Driver for 400G/600G

Tuesday, May 01, 2018  400G, IDT  

Integrated Device Technology (IDT) introduced its new GX76470 64G linear driver, in die form, for optical integrated modules, for 400G/600G coherent applications. The driver is designed for OIF defined, highly integrated optical sub-assembly modules such as the HB-CDM (High Bandwidth Coherent Driver Modulator) and IC-TROSA (Integrated Coherent Transmitter-Receiver Optical Sub-Assembly) which enable miniaturization of optical transceiver modules...

READ MORE

IDT develops 64G Linear Driver for Coherent Optical

Sunday, March 11, 2018  #OFC2018, IDT  

Integrated Device Technology introduced a 64 Gbaud quad-channel linear optical modulator driver in a 14mm x 9.1mm Surface Mount Technology (SMT) package for 400G/600G coherent applications. The device can be used in line cards and CFP2 pluggable modules to bring next-generation 400G/600G products to the coherent market. The IDT GX66473 supports 64Gbaud 16QAM and 64QAM to address the needs of both 400G and 600G systems, and has differential input...

READ MORE

IDT to acquire GigPeak for $250m for Optical Interconnects

Wednesday, February 15, 2017  Components, Gigpeak, IDT, Mergers And Acquisitions, OND, OND News, Silicon Valley  

Integrated Device Technology (IDT) of San Jose, California and GigPeak, a supplier of semiconductor ICs and software for high-speed connectivity and video compression over the network and in the cloud, announced that they have signed a definitive agreement for IDT to acquire GigPeak for $3.08 per share, or approximately $250 million, in cash, representing a premium of approximately 22% to GigPeak's closing share price on February 10th.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, IDT will launch a tender offer to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common stock of GigPeak for $3.08 per share. The boards of directors of both companies have unanimously approved the terms of the agreement and the GigPeak board has resolved to recommend that stockholders accept the offer.

The combination of IDT and GigPeak is projected to add approximately $16 million of quarterly revenue at a 70% non-GAAP gross margin and to be accretive to earnings in first full quarter following closing of the transaction.

The acquisition of GigPeak will provide IDT with an optical interconnect product line and technology business that is complementary to its established position as a supplier of real-time interconnect products. More specifically, the combination is expected to extend IDT's leading position as a supplier of communications and cloud data centre products

Read More