Oracle Generation 2 Public Cloud aims to beat AWS in price and performance

In a keynote address at Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco, Larry Ellison introduced Oracle's second generation cloud architecture featuring "Star Wars cyber defenses - an impenetrable force field with autonomous robots for finding threats and killing them."

Current generation public clouds, use commodity servers built with standard silicon. A common base of cloud control code is used to manage multiple clients on same bare metal machine. The shared CPU, memory and storage introduce security risks for enterprises sharing these resources. In contrast, Ellison said the Oracle Gen 2 Cloud will not have cloud control software on each server. Instead, Oracle will use a separate network of dedicated cloud control computers to provide full isolation of customer data and separation of its control plane.

Design goals for the Oracle Cloud 2 also focus on automation for the easy migration of workloads from on-prem resources, including via Kubernetes.

Ellison said that unlike AWS, Oracle will not significantly mark up interconnect bandwidth costs it obtains from telecom carriers for either ingress or egress from its public cloud. On pricing and performance, Ellison affirmed that Oracle will offer a better deal than AWS. In terms of performance, Oracle will see gains from using RDMA cluster networking.

Oracle Gen 2 public cloud infrastructure is now ready for service, including its government cloud. In 2019, Oracle will also offer the option of having Oracle Gen 2 Cloud infrastructure deployed directly in the data centers of its largest enterprise customers.

Ellison also stated that the most important component of this new cloud infrastructure is the Oracle Autonomous Database, which was introduced at last year's event.

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Intel intros 10G PON chipset for FTTx and 5G base stations

Intel introduced a new multimode 10G PON chipset designed for small form-factor pluggable optical network termination (SFP+ ONU) and single family unit (SFU) ONUs.

In a blog post, Intel's Dirk Wieberneit writes that SFP+ ONU plays a crucial role in fiber deployments by providing entire ONU (Mac and PHY) connectivity between the 10G PON optical network and any unit it is plugged into, such as residential gateways, MDUs, DPUs, mobile small cells and base-station equipment. This positions the new chipset for a wide range of implementations in both residential and business environments, including SFU, SFP+ ONU, fiber to the distribution point (FTTdp)/multi-dwelling unit (MDU), and 5G base stations, while enabling service providers to reuse their existing fiber infrastructure.

A key feature is an embedded 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) PHY, which supports low-power, cost-effective SFUs, providing fast speeds both into and throughout the home.

Other features of the chipset:

• It can be used in both ITU and IEEE PON environments (EPON, 10G-EPON, GPON, XGPON1, XGS-PON, NG-PON2 and active optical Ethernet.)  
• It is prepared for bidirectional optical subassemblies (BOSA), allowing cost-effective BOSA on board (BoB) ONU designs. 
• It supports network timing synchronization protocols, such as IEEE 1588v2, synchronous Ethernet or time of day (ToD), providing clock accuracy for 5G/LTE mobile base stations.
• It offers embedded VoIP supporting FXS voice ports. 
• It delivers the necessary quality of service (QoS) and power management, carrier-grade features and hardware OAM, including Y1731, with the highest accuracy.  
• It includes a dual-core, multithread processor and dedicated packet processing engine so you get both service application flexibility and benchmark performance. 

https://itpeernetwork.intel.com/fiber-networks-upgrade-10g-pon-chipset/

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Infinera debuts 1.6 Terabit High-Density Ethernet Aggregator

Infinera introduced a packet-optical aggregation and transport solution designed for the delivery of high-speed, low-latency services in access networks.

The new 1.6 terabit High-Density Ethernet Aggregator (HDEA), which is part of the Infinera XTM Series, is an access-optimized packet-optical aggregator that seamlessly integrates optical transport capabilities, Metro Ethernet Forum Carrier Ethernet 2.0-compliant Layer 2 Ethernet functionality and open, programmable software control, including direct access via OpenFlow.

It supports 1.6 terabits of capacity in an ultra-compact 1 rack unit (1RU) chassis and is optimized for a range of access network applications, including ultra-high density 10G aggregation in DAA networks, 4G/5G mobile backhaul and high-capacity business Ethernet.

“When we demonstrate to our customers how the HDEA enables the installation and commissioning of up to 1.6 terabits of packet-optical aggregation in 1RU in less than 10 minutes, the lights go on in a big way,” said Glenn Laxdal, Infinera Senior Vice President and General Manager, Product Management. “This innovative new packet-optical access offering reinforces our commitment to extending the reach of our networking solutions and driving unprecedented value for our customers.”

https://www.infinera.com/wp-content/uploads/infinera-ds-high-density-ethernet-aggregator.pdf

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Deutsche Telekom and SK Telecom enter partnership

Deutsche Telekom and SK Telecom announced a cross investment agreement aimed at strengthening their competitiveness in 5G.

Under the agreement, SK Telecom plans to invest in MobiledgeX, the edge computing company founded by Deutsche Telekom and headquartered in Menlo Park, California MobiledgeX is focused on delivering developer-facing edge computing services.

Deutsche Telekom plans to invest the same amount to ID Quantique (IDQ), SK Telecom’s strategic partner in quantum cryptography communication technology based in Switzerland.

“SK Telecom is pleased to enter into a cross-investment agreement with Deutsche Telekom as it will serve as a valuable opportunity for us to further solidify our 5G leadership in the global market and drive new growth,” said Park Jung-ho, President and Chief Executive Officer of SK Telecom.

“We look forward to intensifying our successful cooperation with SK Telecom. The partnership will help both companies to strengthen our global technology leadership and bring 5G and other innovative services to our customers,” stated Timotheus Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom.

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Huawei Marine advances PEACE subsea cable project

The Pakistan East Africa Cable Express (PEACE) Cable project, which will connect Asia, Africa and Europe, has entered into the cable and material manufacturing stage.

The PEACE cable system will span 12,000 km and is designed for 200G, 16Tbps per fiber pair connectitivity. The ready for service date is targetted for first quarter of 2020.

The project is being developed by PEACE Cable International Network Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of China's HENGTONG Group.  Huawei Marine Network is lead contractor.

Sun Xiaohua, Chief Operating Officer of PEACE Cable said, “PEACE Cable has created a new business model in the submarine cable industry that builds a bridge for these regions communications and provides connectivity opportunities to players all along the route by investing in the branches and gaining bandwidth on the trunk in a more efficient way.”

Zhang Hongxiang, Project Delivery Director of Huawei Marine said, “We are glad to work with this creative network, which is open to connect along the route on any of the potential points, however with the commerce of cable manufacture, such extensions are dependent on the plan of work. Players who get on board soon will secure better flexibility on this network.”

http://www.huaweimarine.com

• China Construction Bank is funding the project. Tropic Science Co. is a signatory partner.

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Satellite companies increase spectrum offer to 200 MHz

The C-Band Alliance (CBA), which was recently formed by leading satellite companies, including Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat, and Telesat, announced today that up to 200 MHz of mid-band (C-band downlink) spectrum could be cleared, dependent upon demand, under its updated proposal to the U.S. FCC. This would open new spectrum to support 5G.

The CBA said the repurposing of up to 200 MHz of C-Band spectrum is contingent upon a number of factors which at this stage cannot be guaranteed and their outcome is uncertain, including the following: (i) a final FCC order that accepts the CBA’s market-based proposal; and (ii) a satisfactory market-based process with potential terrestrial 5G users of the repurposed spectrum.

http://www.C-BandAlliance.com

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U.S. retailer buys 10G and 100G wavelengths from Zayo

Zayo announced a contract with a major retailer to connect its core and edge data centers across the U.S. with fully diverse 10G and 100G wavelengths. Financial terms were not disclsoed.

“Retail is in an exciting transformation, and Zayo is well positioned to help the customer achieve its goal of fast delivery to key locations and data centers across the country,” said Randy Dunbar, president of Transport at Zayo. “Our extensive network, flexibility in designing the network and high level of personal engagement were key in winning this business.”

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