Dell’Oro: 5G RAN spending on the rise

Surging 5G NR demand propelled the RAN market in 3Q 2019 to a fifth consecutive quarter of year-over-year (Y/Y) growth for the first time in over a decade, according to Dell’Oro Group.

  
“The positive momentum that has characterized this market since the upswing began in the second half of 2018 extended into 3Q 2019, underpinned by a 5G ramp that is accelerating at an extraordinary pace,” said Stefan Pongratz, Analyst and Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “While mid-band Massive MIMO continues to drive the lion share of the 5G capex, both low-band and Millimeter Wave (mmW) 5G NR deployments accelerated significantly in the quarter,” continued Pongratz.

Additional highlights from the 3Q 2019 RAN report:

• The broad-based pickup in RAN revenues was reflected in shipment trends, with total BTS shipments—macro and small cell—advancing at a double-digit pace year-to-date (1Q19 through 3Q19).
• Aggregate growth for RAN systems using advanced antenna systems—including sub 6 GHz Massive MIMO and mmW—accelerated in the third quarter, accounting for 10 to 20 percent of the year-to-date RAN revenues.
• RAN revenue rankings for the top three vendors—Huawei, Ericsson, and Nokia—were stable in the quarter and for the year-to-date period.

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FCC's Chief Engineer to retire

Julius Knapp, Chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology at the FCC, will retire on January 3, 2020, after more than 45 years at the Commission.

Chairman Pai issued the following statement about Mr. Knapp’s retirement:

“Julie Knapp is an FCC institution, and I will miss him for his expertise, his leadership, and his friendship.  He’s delivered incalculable value for American consumers over the years.  As just one example, if you have a device that uses the airwaves, the chances are that you’re benefiting from Julie’s efforts.  He’s played a key role in all of the Commission’s spectrum efforts over many years, from freeing up spectrum for 4G LTE and 5G to making more spectrum available for unlicensed operations like Wi-Fi to encouraging technologies of the future, like wireless medical services.  He has also been instrumental in modernizing and streamlining the FCC’s equipment authorization process, which helps get new devices into consumers’ hands quickly and safely."   

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Microsoft and AT&T preview Network Edge Compute

Microsoft and AT&T announced select preview availability for Network Edge Compute (NEC) technology, which weaves Microsoft Azure cloud services into AT&T network edge locations closer to customers. NEC will initially be available for a limited set of select customers in Dallas. Next year, Los Angeles and Atlanta are targeted for select customer availability.

NEC is enabled by AT&T’s software-defined and virtualized 5G core, which the company calls the Network Cloud.  This means the Network Cloud is now capable of delivering Azure services.

“The first smartphones on 3G networks introduced the idea of mobile apps over a decade ago. A few years later, 4G LTE made it feasible to connect those devices faster to cloud applications to stream videos, hail rides, and broadcast content to the world,” said Mo Katibeh, EVP and chief marketing officer, AT&T Business. “With our 5G and edge computing, AT&T is collaborating uniquely with Microsoft to marry their cloud capabilities with our network to create lower latency between the device and the cloud that will unlock new, future scenarios for consumers and businesses. We’ve said all year developers and businesses will be the early 5G adopters, and this puts both at the forefront of this revolution.”

“We are helping AT&T light up a wide range of unique solutions powered by Microsoft’s cloud, both for its business and our mutual customers in a secure and trusted way,” said Corey Sanders, corporate vice president, Microsoft Solutions. “The collaboration reaches across AT&T, bringing the hyperscale of Microsoft Azure together with AT&T’s network to innovate with 5G and edge computing across every industry.”

AT&T to move most non-network workloads to public cloud by 2024

Wednesday, July 17, 2019  ATT, Microsoft  

Microsoft and AT&T announced an extensive, multiyear alliance under which Microsoft will be the preferred cloud provider for non-network applications. Specifically, AT&T will provide much of its workforce with Microsoft 365, and plans to migrate non-network infrastructure applications to the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.

AT&T said the alliance is part of its broader public cloud first strategy to consolidate data center infrastructure and operations. AT&T is becoming a “public cloud first” company by migrating most non-network workloads to the public cloud by 2024.

“AT&T and Microsoft are among the most committed companies to fostering technology that serves people,” said John Donovan, CEO, AT&T Communications. “By working together on common efforts around 5G, the cloud, and AI, we will accelerate the speed of innovation and impact for our customers and our communities.”

“AT&T is at the forefront of defining how advances in technology, including 5G and edge computing, will transform every aspect of work and life,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “The world’s leading companies run on our cloud, and we are delighted that AT&T chose Microsoft to accelerate its innovation. Together, we will apply the power of Azure and Microsoft 365 to transform the way AT&T’s workforce collaborates and to shape the future of media and communications for people everywhere.”

In addition, Microsoft will tap into the innovation AT&T is offering on its 5G network, including to design, test, and build edge-computing capabilities. With edge computing and a lower-latency 5G connection enabled through AT&T’s geographically dispersed network infrastructure, devices can process data closer to where decisions are made. Recently, Microsoft and AT&T worked together to test an edge computing-based tracking and detection system for drones. With more connected devices and the growing demand for streaming content from movies to games, businesses and consumers require ever-increasing network capabilities.

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Qualcomm and Siemens test 5G private standalone in 3.7-3.8GHz band

by Benedict Chua, Assistant Editor

Qualcomm and Siemens conducted a joint proof-of-concept project at the Siemens Automotive Test Center in Nuremberg, Germany that demonstrated the first private 5G standalone (SA) network in the 3.7-3.8GHz band.

Qualcomm is providing the 5G test network and 5G industrial test devices that run on our foundational 5G technologies, and Siemens is supplying industrial end-devices like automated guided vehicles (AGV).

“We are excited to announce our 5G private network proof-of-concept collaboration project with Siemens. This project will provide invaluable real-world learnings that both companies can apply to future deployments and marks an important key milestone as 5G moves into industrial automation,” said Enrico Salvatori, Senior Vice President, Qualcomm Europe, Inc. & President, Qualcomm Europe/MEA. “Combining our 5G connectivity capabilities with Siemens’ deep industry know-how will help us deploy technologies, refine solutions, and work to make the smart industrial future a reality.”

Spark New Zealand pilots private 5G solution from Huawei

Tuesday, November 05, 2019  Huawei, New Zealand  

by Benedict Chua, Assitant Editor

Spark New Zealand is testing a private 5G solution from Huawei to provide connectivity for a sailboat from Emirates Team New Zealand ahead of the next America’s Cup.

The trial 5G service, which covers parts of Auckland Harbour, off Milford and Takapuna,is an extension of Spark’s existing 5G Lab in Wynyard Quarter in downtown Auckland, and uses test spectrum on loan from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

It is delivered using Huawei equipment.

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Palo Alto Networks to acquire Aporeto for microsegmentation tech

Palo Alto Networks agreed to acquire Aporeto, a start-up specializing in machine identity-based microsegmentation technology, for approximately $150 million in cash.

Aporeto identifies workloads and applies microsegmentation across all infrastructures, helping customers secure their applications at scale. The company says its identity-based microsegmentation secures cloud applications by preventing East – West lateral movement and automating security policy for heterogeneous hybrid-cloud infrastructure

Aporeto co-founders Dimitri Stiliadis and Satyam Sinha have agreed to join Palo Alto Networks. The company is based in San Jose, California.

"We are thrilled to welcome Aporeto to the Palo Alto Networks family. We believe the addition of Aporeto’s unique machine identity technology will further enhance our leading Prisma Cloud capabilities and strengthen our commitment to helping customers secure their journey to the cloud," commented Nikesh Arora, chairman and CEO, Palo Alto Networks.

"We have dedicated ourselves to helping organizations securely embrace the cloud. Teaming up with Palo Alto Networks allows us to bring our machine identity-based microsegmentation technology to a large customer base. We are thrilled to join forces to help customers secure their journey to the cloud," stated Dimitri Stiliadis, co-founder and CTO, Aporeto.

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Altice to acquire Covage, 4th largest FTTH wholesale operator in France

Altice Europe N.V., acting through its SFR FTTH subsidiary, agreed to acquire Covage for a total cash consideration of €1.0 billion.

Altice is acting in partnership with its consortium of financial investors, led by OMERS Infrastructure and including Allianz Capital Partners and AXA Investment Managers - Real Assets.

Covage is the 4th largest fibre wholesale operator in France with 2.4 million homes to be passed (including 0.8 million homes already built).  This network will be added to SFR FTTH footprint
of more than 5.4 million secured homes to be passed (including 1.7 million homes built). Investors in Covage include Cube Infrastructure Fund and Partners.

SFR FTTH said the acquisition expand its footprint, with more households still yet to be awarded as well as selective opportunities for consolidation.

Patrick Drahi, founder of Altice, said: “I am very pleased that we are further expanding the leading FTTH wholesaler in Europe. We are extremely proud to integrate Covage, a great company, with a portfolio of areas in France complementary to ours. With this transaction we also bring onboard excellent local relationships. We continue to be focused on deleveraging Altice Europe notably thanks to growing revenues and EBITDA which will be supplemented with disposal proceeds. As I have explained previously, we are in advanced discussions with several parties in relation to our Portuguese fibre asset."

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NTT Com to open Osaka 7 data center -- largest in Kansai region

NTT Communications will launch its state-of-the-art Osaka 7 Data Center (Osaka 7) on December 1.

Osaka 7 boasts 3,800m2 of server space capacity, the largest in the Kansai region. The facility will eventually offer 9,500m2 and 4,200 racks.

NTT Com said Osaka 7's seismic-isolation design will minimize the impact on buildings and customer equipment if another powerful massive earthquake were to occur. In addition, Osaka 7 will be located in an area where flooding is uncommon and electric power during disasters will be assured thanks to direct connection to an adjacent substation.

Osaka 7 is connected to NTT Com's other data centers in the region via a high-capacity fiber ring. Beginning in February 2020, the carrier will offer a Flexible InterConnect service enabling Osaka 7 customers to securely interconnect data centers and cloud services for unified management of access points, bandwidth, and security settings.

NTT Com estimates that Japan's data center business is growing steadily at around 7% per annum and the domestic colocation market was valued at around 540 billion JPY in 2018.

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FBI opens data center in Idaho

The FBI inaugurated a new data center at its campus in Pocatello, Idaho.

The new facility adds approximately 140,000 square feet of both data center and office space capacity.

The FBI said it is in the process of consolidating dozens of data centers across the country into fewer new facilities in order to improve efficiency and its cybersecurity posture.

https://www.fbi.gov/image-repository/data-hall-fbi-pocatello-facility-111819.jpg

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Malaysia's YTL deploys ADVA's Oscilloquartz synchronization

YTL Communications Sdn Bhd, which operates a 4G network with nationwide population coverage across Malaysia, has deployed ADVA's Oscilloquartz synchronization technology to support the nationwide rollout of LTE-Advanced services.

YTL Communications’ new synchronization network is built on the OSA 5410 and OSA 5420 Series, a family of cost-effective, mid-scale synchronization distribution and assurance devices. Following a toolbox approach, this technology can be utilized in a variety of network timing applications, including IEEE 1588v2 grandmaster, boundary clock, slave clock and assisted partial timing support. Engineered for deployment in a wide range of locations, the OSA 5410 and 5420 range enables YTL Communications to efficiently distribute synchronization from the network edge. Integrated Syncjack™ technology, which continually monitors synchronization performance while in service, enhances the robustness of the solution. ADVA’s Malaysian partner Preciso Technology Sdn Bhd also played a key role from conducting PoC trials to supporting the installation.

ADVA’s Precision Time Protocol (PTP) grandmaster clocks and GNSS receivers provide sub-microsecond accuracy.

“YTL Communications understand that the only way to keep pace with customer demand is by leveraging the latest innovation. With our highly scalable, ultra-precise timing solution, it now has the power to bring 4G LTE and broadband to every corner of Malaysia and offer better quality SLAs to its enterprise clients,” commented Anil Kumar Reddy, senior director, business development, APAC, Oscilloquartz. “What makes our technology ideal for this project is its small footprint and flexibility. Our OSA 5410 and 5420 Series remove much of the cost and complexity of small cell deployment, giving YTL Communications the freedom to upgrade synchronization in the parts of the access network that need it. By working closely with YTL Communications’ team and our partner Preciso Technology Sdn BhdD, we’ve made sure that the transition has been extremely smooth and very successful.”

http://www.oscilloquartz.com

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Keysight's revenue rises 7% yoy to $1.1 billion, Ixia up 15%

Keysight Technologies reported quarterly revenue of $1.120 billion, up 7% when compared with $1.047 billion last year. GAAP net income was $195 million, or $1.02 per share, compared with GAAP net loss of $114 million, or $(0.61) per share, in the fourth quarter of 2018. Non-GAAP net income was $254 million, or $1.33 per share, compared with $193 million, or $1.01 per share in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Reporting Segments

Communications Solutions Group (CSG)
CSG reported record revenue of $706 million in the fourth quarter, up 7 percent, driven by continued strength across the 5G wireless ecosystem and strength in US aerospace, defense and government investment.

Electronic Industrial Solutions Group (EISG)
EISG reported revenue of $284 million in the fourth quarter, up 3 percent, driven by strength in the broad portfolio of products that serve our general electronics market and on-going investments in next-generation automotive and energy technologies, partially offset by semiconductor measurement solutions.

Ixia Solutions Group (ISG)
ISG revenue grew 15 percent in the fourth quarter to $132 million. Double-digit revenue growth in both network test and network visibility solutions was driven by investments in 400GE and enterprise networks.

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Inphi launches 7nm coherent DSP supporting 400G

Inphi has begun sampling its new Canopus coherent Digital Signal Processor (DSP) based on 7nm technology and supporting high-density QSFP-DD, OSFP and CFP2-DCO coherent pluggable modules for cloud and telecom applications.

Canopus leverages Inphi’s M200 coherent DSP techology enabling interoperability across generations of coherent solutions for 100G and 200G deployments to drive a seamless transition to 400G.

Canopus supports 400G ZR, which is being standardized in OIF facilitating multi-vendor interoperability up to 120km span. Inphi contributed an innovative FEC technology called CFEC, adopted by multiple standards bodies including OIF, IEEE and ITU for the 400G ZR standard. Canopus extends performance beyond ZR to ZR+ extending 400G reach and spans lower data rates to thousands of kilometers on metro and long haul networks.

Canopus also implements probabilistic shaping, a technique that maximizes data rate at longer fiber distances and delivers lower deployment cost per bit. This is the first time that coherent pluggables are powered with probabilistic shaping technology.

The implementation in 7nm silicon geometry delivers over 75% reduction in DSP power dissipation and size as compared to the current generation of coherent DSPs.

“The Canopus coherent DSP is ushering a new industry wide ecosystem, pluggability, and era of interoperability. Canopus increases density while slashing both power dissipation and the cost per bit to unprecedented levels,” said Nariman Yousefi, SVP, Coherent DSP, Inphi. “The sampling of the Canopus DSP transforms coherent pluggable optics to high-performance 100/200/300/400G, a true revolutionary step and the inflection point in the industry.”


Inphi is facilitating an ecosystem of partners offering QSFP-DD, OSFP and CFP2-DCO modules, fueled with coherent advancements enabled by Canopus power and performance scalability. This will make Canopus truly interoperable ecosystem for data center interconnect, metro and long haul applications across multiple established module vendors in the industry, will drive supply diversity and accelerate time to deployment for OEMs and operators. Canopus ecosystem partners are equipped to deploy interoperable solutions across wide array of optical network links with ZR and ZR+.   

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Facebook begins work on latest long-haul fiber route

Facebook began construction on a new long-haul fiber that will provide direct connectivity between its data centers in Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina.

Facebook says it will continue to partner and invest in core backbone network infrastructure. The company vows a "pragmatic approach to investing in network infrastructure and utilize whatever method is most efficient for the task at hand, including investing in fiber routes that provide much-needed resiliency and scale."

https://engineering.fb.com/connectivity/fiber-route/ 

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Reality check for the SD-WAN market

Quick reality check on SD-WAN... the U.S. market is currently in the high 100 million dollar range for carrier managed services. In comparison, the existing enterprise VPN service market, which includes MPLS and site-to-site VPNs, is valued at $12 billion or more, even though it is flat to slightly declining.

Erin Dunne, Director of Research Services, Vertical Systems Group, provides insight.

https://youtu.be/3a2TENT4OVc

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Moving networks to open and disaggregated infrastructure

Networks need to become more open and disaggregated, says Rob Shore, VP of Marketing for Infinera. MEF is helping to accelerate this trend through its work in standardizing interfaces. The next step will be to apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to these interfaces to improve resiliency and efficiency of the network.

https://youtu.be/p3VOUJ5B56c

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Status of MEF LSO Sonata APIs

MEF's LSO Sonata APIs, which are designed for intercarrier connectivity,  were a hot topic at MEF19 in Los Angeles. Carriers are now looking at bringing automation to LSO Sonata APIs, which can open up many more possibilities, says Rosemary Cochran, Principal & Founder, Vertical Systems Group. More than 50 Service Providers worldwide are now supporting MEF LSO Sonata.

https://youtu.be/hsPylMSjkc8

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Moving networks toward open and disaggregated infrastructure

Networks need to become more open and disaggregated, says Rob Shore, VP of Marketing for Infinera. MEF is helping to accelerate this trend through its work in standardizing interfaces. The next step will be to apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to these interfaces to improve resiliency and efficiency of the network.

https://youtu.be/p3VOUJ5B56c

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MEF19: Blockchain and carrier automation

In order to achieve global, end-to-end connectivity, carriers need to cooperate, says Michael Kerns, Founder, Amartus. This requires a trusted mechanism that operates in an on-demand, autonomous fashion. Blockchain can provide this trusted environment because it enables immutable ledgers where all negotiations and transactions are recorded.

Here is an overview of how blockchain can be a driver for carrier network automation.

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Nutanix reports flat quarterly revenue of $315 million

Nutanix reported revenue of $314.8 million for its first quarter of fiscal 2020 ended October 31, 2019, up from $313.3 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2019, reflecting revenue compression from the company’s ongoing transition to subscription and the significant reduction of hardware revenue from the prior year. There was a GAAP net loss of $229.3 million, compared to a GAAP net loss of $94.3 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2019. Non-GAAP net loss was $135.3 million, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $23.7 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2019.

“Our solid Q1 performance, particularly in the Americas, gives us confidence that we have the right formula for global sales leadership as demonstrated by improved productivity and sales hiring over the last six months,” said Dheeraj Pandey, Chairman, Founder and CEO of Nutanix. “We have also seen momentum in key areas of our business, including the transition to subscription and an improved 28% attach rate of new products onto our core HCI platform.”

“We continued to make progress towards our goal of more than 75% of billings coming from subscription by the end of the fiscal year, further demonstrating that customers want the freedom and flexibility that a subscription software model offers,” said Duston Williams, CFO of Nutanix. “Our last two quarters of solid execution position us well to deliver on our growth plans for fiscal 2020.”

Some highlights

• First quarter fiscal 2020 subscription billings grew 41% year-over-year to $276 million, representing 73% of total billings, and subscription revenue increased 72% year-over-year to $218 million, representing 69% of total revenue.
• Nutanix ended the first quarter with 14,960 total customers and closed a record high of 66 deals worth more than $1 million. First quarter customer wins included Anheuser-Busch InBev, Akron Children’s Hospital, Banco Patagonia S.A., Huaxia Bank, and The College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State University.
• Nutanix saw continued new product traction with 28%2 of deals including at least one product outside of the company’s core offering.
• 
  

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Knightscope sends its autonomous security robots to Verizon 5G lab

Knightscope, which develops autonomous security robots, has been accepted into Verizon’s 5G First Responder Lab.

“I couldn't possibly be more excited for Knightscope to be working with Verizon in building new technologies to help secure the places you work, study and visit,” said William Santana Li, chairman and chief executive officer, Knightscope, Inc.

Launched in November 2018, the 5G First Responder Lab is a first-of-its-kind innovation program that identifies promising technology companies from around the globe and gives them access to 5G technology to develop, test and refine their 5G solutions for public safety.

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AT&T readies launch of 5G over low-band spectrum

AT&T is preparing to launch its 5G network over low-band spectrum in the Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Providence, R.I., Rochester, N.Y., and San Diego market areas in the coming weeks. The rollout will be extended next to Boston, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, New York City, San Francisco, Birmingham, Ala., Bridgeport, Conn., Buffalo, N.Y., Louisville, Ky., San Jose, Calif. and others.

In addition to the launch of 5G service over low-band spectrum, AT&T continues to offer even faster and higher performing 5G+ over mmWave spectrum to businesses in parts of 21 cities.3 AT&T plans to reach parts of 30 cities with 5G+ in early 2020.

5G service will be offered at no extra cost to consumers with certain Unlimited Elite plans.
when we roll out 5G in the coming weeks.

In addition to 5G service included, AT&T Unlimited Elite will give you 30 gigabytes (GB) of mobile hotspot data per line, HBO and HD streaming all for $50 a month per line on 4 lines after autopay and

AT&T Unlimited Extra customers will have 5G service included, as well as 15GB of mobile hotspot data per line for $40 a month per line on 4 lines after autopay and paperless bill discount.4 Extra includes 50 GB of data on a line in a bill cycle before a customer might temporarily see slow data speeds on that line when the network is busy.

http://att.com/5GforYou

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Bloomberg: BT Seeks Third Fiber Supplier

BT will seek a third supplier of fiber optic equipment as it looks to reduce purchases from Huawei Technologies, according to Bloomberg. Openreach is conducting an evaluation process. Nokia is the other lead supplier for the carrier's broadband fiber rollout, which currently reaches about 1.9 million homes.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-25/huawei-s-u-k-prospects-dented-as-bt-seeks-third-fiber-supplier?

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MEF19: Exceeding expectations for SD-WAN

Early feedback on enterprise SD-WAN indicates that the service is meeting or exceeding customer expectations, says Bob Victor, Head of Product Management, Comcast Business. The next step is to make things easier. MEF standardization and certification should help in this regard.

https://youtu.be/_aw_N8R1ygk

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Big ambtions for MEF19 Proof-of-Concepts

What's striking about the fifteen Proof-of-Concepts (PoCs) shown at this year's #MEF19 in Los Angeles is the scale of their ambition and the impact they will have if they reach deployment, says Daniel Bar-Lev, Director, Office of the CTO, MEF.

https://youtu.be/xr8WlKyF07A

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The buzz at #MEF19

Nan Chen gives his take on #MEF19.

Certainly, a lot of the buzz at this year's event concerned SD-WAN and MEF's standardization efforts, including the newly announced certification program. There was also progress on MEF's larger vision to create an overlay/underlay orchestration framework for network services.

https://youtu.be/QUBQYZx0gkc

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MEF19: SD-WAN and the LSO Framework

Service Providers often have very common problems when it comes to SD-WAN. One of them is scale, especially as they add enterprise customers. Another challenge is how to deal with multi-vendor deployments.

It is here that MEF's Lifecycle Service Orchestration (MSO) framework really comes into play, says Sue White, Head of SDN/NFV Marketing for Netcracker.

https://youtu.be/7Fthzq83_P0

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Dell'Oro: Stable demand for optical transport equipment in Q3

There was stable demand for optical transport equipment in 3Q 2019 as WDM revenue grew 4 percent year-over-year in the quarter, according to Dell’Oro Group.

“Demand for network capacity has not shown any signs of abating,” said Jimmy Yu, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “In the third quarter of 2019, the amount of capacity shipped on WDM equipment grew above 30 percent year-over-year, driving the WDM market up 4 percent. Once again, disaggregated WDM systems shined the brightest, continuing to grow year-over-year for a sixteenth consecutive quarter. In 3Q 2019, it grew 28 percent, reaching an annualized revenue of $1.4 billion,” added Yu.

Additional highlights from the 3Q 2019 Optical Transport Quarterly Report:

• The only region reported to have declined in the quarter was the Asia Pacific.
• The manufacturers with the highest WDM market share gains were Ciena and Huawei.
• The market is shifting rapidly towards 200+ Gbps wavelengths, initiating a slowdown in demand for 100 Gbps wavelengths.

https://www.delloro.com/news/stable-demand-for-optical-transport-equipment-in-3q-2019/

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MEF19: SD-WAN Automation and Analytics

Carriers want to differentiate their SD-WAN services, and enterprises want to launch new applications to their end users, and automation is key to making this happen, says Chris Menier, GM, Digital Transformation, Vitria.

Automation requires visibility across the entire service delivery layer.

https://youtu.be/V5udRt-k6rM

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Juniper extends 400GbE over 2,000 km

Juniper Networks delivered 400Gbps Ethernet live traffic over 1,300 miles (2.092 km) in a trial conducted in conjunction with SCinet, the Supercomputing 2019 Conference's high-capacity network.

SCinet used Juniper’s PTX10003 Packet Transport Router to deliver traffic between Denver and Chicago. The 400GbE link was part of the 4.22 Terabits of connectivity SCinet provided to the conference. It was made available to researchers working on projects in disciplines, such as High Energy Physics, Radio Astronomy and Human Genome research. Over the coming years, many Research & Education networks will be upgrading their backbones to 400GbE, positioning them to meet the bandwidth demands of Big Science.

Juniper also supplied SC19 with additional networking infrastructure to build SCinet and support the conference, including MX2019 and MX960 routers, QFX switches and SRX4600 firewalls. All infrastructure ran the Junos operating system with the one Junos experience optimized for the modularity, openness and programmability required of the new cloud era in networking.

“This field trial represents a significant milestone in realizing the promise of 400GbE’s high-capacity, next-gen networks. Juniper Networks has a long history of leading the industry in fast and simplified networking. By delivering cutting-edge innovations in 400GbE networks, we are laying the foundation for the fastest and most advanced networks in the world,” stated Andy Athreya, Chief Development Officer at Juniper Networks.

What's happening with 400G?

Thursday, November 14, 2019  400G, Juniper  

It's happening, but maybe not quite yet except for the hyperscale clouds. Bikash Koley, CTO of Juniper Networks, provides a quick update on 400G, including a mention of the upcoming in-house silicon photonics.

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AT&T to provide Telefonica with last mile wireless access in Mexico

AT&T Mexico will provide Telefonica Movistar with capacity in its 3G and 4G access network and any future network technologies nationwide.

Under the deal, Telefonica Movistar maintains its transport network and all of its platforms, without operational or geographical restrictions to meet the needs of its users and services. Telefonica Movistar will maintain sole control over its operations, including its client portfolio, operations, assets, administration, pricing, rates, billing systems, among others. AT&T will have no visibility or influence on Telefonica Movistar’s operations.

The migration of Telefonica Movistar traffic to the AT&T access network begins immediately and will continue to be implemented gradually.

"Based on our digital transformation, we are confident that this new approach will make us more agile to provide innovative, simple and transparent solutions that guarantee the best service experience to our customers," said Camilo Aya Caro, president and CEO of Telefonica Movistar in Mexico.

https://www.telefonica.com.mx/

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Google Loon to fly over the Peruvian Amazon

Peru is likely to be the first country in Latin America in which the "Loon" Internet-via-balloon service will operate

Specifically, Loon and Internet para Todos Perú (IpT) have reached an agreement to use high-altitude balloons to expand mobile internet access to parts of the Peruvian Amazonia. The companies aim to provide service to Telefónica customers in Peru in 2020.

Loon, which is a subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, uses a network of high altitude balloons operating 20 km above sea level, well above air traffic, wildlife and weather events. Loon provides a full network as a service. The balloons act as floating cell towers, transmitting a provider’s service directly to a subscriber’s 4G/LTE device below.

IpT Perú is an open access wholesale rural mobile infrastructure operator owned by Telefónica, Facebook, IDB Invest and CAF which aims to help bridge the digital divide bringing mobile internet to remote populations where conventional telecom infrastructure deployment is not yet economically feasible.  Launched last May, Internet para Todos Perú is a neutral-host Rural Mobile Infrastructure Operator in Peru focused on offering mobile internet connectivity in rural areas to any Mobile Network Operator (MNO) willing to use its services on a wholesale basis. With a strong focus on innovation to provide sustainable service, IpT will leverage Loon for hard-to-reach areas, complementing its terrestrial network and, initially, managing the service for Telefónica del Perú, first MNO to use the technology on a commercial basis in Latin America. More than 800,000 people living in around 5,300 rural communities in Peru have now access to mobile internet thanks to IpT. The aim is to connect over 30,000 communities by 2021 for the bicentennial of Peru.

Loon and Telefónica in Peru started collaborating in 2014 when early tests of Loon´s technology began. In 2017 when the El Niño floods devastated parts of Northern Peru, Loon worked with Telefónica to provide Internet connectivity to those in need in an area over 40,000 Km² in size. Earlier this year when a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Peru, the two companies were able again to provide emergency connectivity. This agreement marks an important milestone in their collaboration and the result of the extensive work by the Loon, Telefónica del Perú and IpT teams over the last few years.

Peru joins Kenya as the second country where Loon has signed a contract to expand the service of Mobile Operators using stratospheric balloons. In Kenya, Loon is awaiting final written regulatory approval to begin flying and conducting the final stages of network integration with Telkom Kenya.

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Orange launches its own 5G smartphone in Europe

Orange is the first operator to launch a 5G smartphone under its own brand in Europe.

The Neva smartphone, which will initially be available on existing networks (3G, 4G, 4G+) in select markets in 2019, starting with Poland. It will then be available on Orange’s commercial 5G networks across Europe as they go live, boasts 6.47 inch borderless screen with full HD+ definition; device-integrated AI which utilises artificial intelligence to manage files, photos and much more; facial recognition and in-display fingerprint; as well as a triple camera (48MP wide-angle, 20MP ultrawide-angle and 8MP telephoto lens). The smartphone will use Android Pie OS software.

Philippe Lucas, Senior Vice President, Customer Equipment and Partnerships at Orange, commented, “As we gear up to launch our 5G networks in 2020, the Orange Neva jet is testimony to our long-held promise to deliver the very best innovation and technology. This is the start of that journey as we prepare customers for the arrival of 5G.”

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FCC bars Huawei and ZTE from USF program

The FCC voted to prohibit the use of its $8.5 billion a year Universal Service Fund (USF) to purchase equipment and services from Huawei and ZTE.  The FCC cited a national security threat, noting that both Huawei and ZTE have close ties to the Chinese government and military. The newly adopted order also establishes a certification and audit regime to enforce the new rule.

Furthermore, the FCC is proposing to require carriers receiving USF funds, known as eligible telecommunications carriers, to remove and replace existing equipment and services from Huawei and ZTE. 

The FCC will study the extent to which eligible telecommunications carriers have equipment from Huawei and ZTE in their networks and the costs associated with removing and replacing such equipment. 

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai commented "We take these actions based on evidence in the record as well as longstanding concerns from the executive and legislative branches about the national security threats posed by certain foreign communications equipment manufacturers, most particularly Huawei and ZTE.  Both companies have close ties to China’s Communist government and military apparatus.  Both companies are subject to Chinese laws broadly obligating them to cooperate with any request from the country’s intelligence services and to keep those requests secret.  Both companies have engaged in conduct like intellectual property theft, bribery, and corruption. 
Moreover, we know that hidden “backdoors” to our networks in routers, switches, and other network equipment can allow a hostile adversary to inject viruses and other malware, steal Americans’ private data, spy on U.S. companies, and more." 

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Orange divests operations in Niger

Orange has sold its entire 95.5% stake in Orange Niger to Zamani Com S.A.S. Zamani Com S.A.S. is wholly owned by Mr Mohamed Rissa of Rimbo Invest and Mr Moctar Thiam of Greenline Communications, both minority shareholders of Orange Niger. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The company’s services will continue to be marketed under the Orange brand during a transition period.

Orange says the Africa and Middle East region remains a strategic priority, however, the market environment in Niger led to this decision.

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MEF's 3 major technical themes for 2020

Pascal Menezes, CTO of MEF, talks about the 3 top technology themes inside of @MEF_Forum, for 2020, including (1) the overlay/underlay framework (2) how clouds are moving to the edge, enabled by SD-WAN, and (3) architecture to accelerate 5G.

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What's new at MEF19?

Kevin Vachon gives a quick overview of the big news from #MEF19 in Los Angeles, California.

There is a big spotlight here on SD-WAN, new certification programs, the Proof-of-Concept showcase and overall progress with carrier orchestration and MEF 3.0.

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Spectra7 and Molex showcase 400G Active Copper Interconnects

Spectra7 Microsystems and Molex showed their 400G Active Copper Cables (ACCs) at this year’s SuperComputing 2019 (SC19) show in Denver.

Spectra7’s GaugeChanger technology is said to work equally well at 25 Gbps NRZ and 50 Gbps PAM-4 enabling new connector standards of 100, 200 and 400 Gbps.

Molex recently began shipping its Passive Copper QSFP-DD (Quad Small Form Factor–Double Density) Cable Assemblies in volume production and the same customers are asking for Active Copper versions for longer lengths up to 7-10 meters. The Molex system along with Spectra7’s GaugeChanger technology offers up to 12 times less power and significant cost savings over optical solutions for hyperscale customers.

"Spectra7 has created a compelling solution to address the dramatically increasing power and cost of data center interconnects," said Greg Walz, Advanced Technical Marketing Manager, Molex. “We are seeing significant interest from our largest customers for 400G ACCs with Spectra7 technology and are pleased to be showcasing this product at SC19.”

"Molex is a technology and market leader in the hyperscale interconnect market," said Spectra7 CEO Raouf Halim. "The adoption of our 400G GaugeChangerTM technology by Molex is a significant milestone in the coming volume deployment of GaugeChangerTM, our data center product line."

http://www.spectra7.com

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Ayar Labs selected for Intel’s DARPA PIPES Project

Ayar Labs has been selected as Intel’s optical I/O solution partner for their recently awarded DARPA PIPES (Photonics in Package for Extreme Scalability) project.

The PIPES project aims to develop integrated optical I/O solutions co-packaged with next generation FPGA/CPU/GPU and accelerators in Multi-Chip Packages (MCP) to provide extreme data rates (input/output) at ultra-low power over much longer distances than supported by current technology. In the first phase of the project, the Ayar Labs TeraPHY chiplet will be co-packaged with an Intel FPGA using the AIB (Advanced Interconnect Bus) interface and Intel’s EMIB silicon-bridge packaging. “We’re seeing an explosion of Datacenter workloads that have an insatiable demand for bandwidth and the need to connect devices at rack-scale distances,” said Vince Hu, VP of Strategy and Innovation for Intel’s FPGA products. “The best way to do that is with optical interconnect and by using an Ayar Labs chiplet(s), we can achieve very high bandwidth at low latency and low power consumption.”

“Bringing optical connectivity all the way into the CPU/SOC package has long been one of the ‘Holy Grail’ projects in High Performance and Hyperscale Computing, as it unleashes the performance of ever more powerful computing and network processors and removes a major bottleneck and set of constraints in systems architecture and design,” said Charles Wuischpard, CEO of Ayar Labs, “Moreover, the energy consumed in moving data through a system is now very significant and growing, and the best way to manage that is to move the data optically from end to end. We are pleased to be selected by Intel as the optical solution for their DARPA PIPES project and look forward to a multi-year collaboration.”

The TeraPHY chiplet is manufactured on GLOBALFOUNDRIES' 45nm platform, which enabled Ayar Labs to build a monolithic, single-die solution that integrates both electrical and optical photonic circuits and devices on a single chip.

“We have worked in close collaboration with Ayar Labs to deliver a new class of integrated electronic, photonics solutions,” said Anthony Yu, vice president of Computing and Wired Infrastructure at GF. “Going forward, we’re excited to work with the pioneers at Ayar Labs to continue disrupting the market by combining our next generation 45nm platform, targeted to future CMOS-based photonics solutions, with their differentiated technology that will push the limits of chip communication bandwidth for high-performance computing, cloud and AI applications.”

Ayar Labs also announced customer sampling of its fully integrated TeraPHY chiplet starting in early Q1 2020.

http://www.ayarlabs.com

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Credo Joins Open Compute Project (OCP) to Accelerate 400G

Credo, which develops Serializer-Deserializer (SerDes) technology for 100G, 400G, and 800G, has joined the Open Compute Project (OCP).

“As disaggregated chassis begin to displace tradition big-iron switching and routing chassis, low power, highly flexible and routable 400G interconnect becomes a core component of the architecture,” said Don Barnetson, Sr. Director of Product at Credo. “OCP provides a platform to standardize and proliferate 400G disaggregated chassis configurations at hyperscalers around the world.”

Credo is also a member of the HiWire Consortium, announced in September 2019 with 25 other founding members, nearly half of whom are also amongst the OCP ranks. Working in harmony with other standards bodies, the HiWire Consortium is dedicated to the standardization and certification of a new interconnect cable category, Active Electrical Cables (AECs), enabling its broad support and wide industry adoption.

Credo began the development of AECs two years ago to address the obstacles that were slowing the transition to 400G, specifically the performance and physical limitations of copper (DACs) and the power, cost, and availability hurdles of active optical cables (AOCs). AECs integrate retimer and PAM4 to NRZ speedshifting functions with gearbox in-cable making them a lower power, affordable plug and play interconnect for 100G and 400G systems.

Credo says the power, performance, and price of AECs are empowering system architects to rethink the design of next-generation data center configurations, deploy 400G disaggregated chassis and provide a clear path to 800G in the future.

http://www.credosemi.com

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Vcinity and Naval Research Lab demo fastest memory-to-memory

Vcinity and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have achieved near line rate performance for memory to memory data transfer and remote data access across a 100G link from Washington DC to Denver.

The memory to memory data transfer was performed at 95Gbps across CenturyLink’s 100G circuit with ~37ms latency (between Washington DC and Denver). RAD X-1100 extended EDR InfiniBand (IB) fabric i.e., RDMA beyond the four walls of the data center and across the WAN with local performance. NRL also showcased client access to data with a double loop of the network adding the Chicago path to demonstrate RDMA extension and application execution at twice the latency i.e., ~74ms – equivalent to a cross-country link within the U.S.

The milestone was accomplished as part of NRL’s Resilient Distributed Processing demonstration at SC19 in Denver, Colorado.

Vcinity and NRL have a long-standing relationship since the days when Vcinity’s predecessor, Bay Microsystems, enabled the first high speed data solution for high latency environments as part of NRL’s Large Data Joint Capabilities Technology Demonstration (LD-JCTD).

Vcinity’s Radical X (RAD X) product family supports IB and RDMA over Converged Ethernet (ROCE) fabric extension and enables a seamless data fabric transparent to virtually any application. RAD X-1100 provides unmatched scalability of Vcinity’s global fabric extension capabilities with three pluggable interface modules of up to 120Gbps capacity each – supporting various interface configurations including EDR InfiniBand and up to 100G RoCE – in a small 1 RU form factor. The company’s RAD X products are integrated with its Ultimate X family of products to deliver a more turnkey solution for commercial and government enterprise.


“We are delighted to be part of the first ever memory to memory transfer and remote data access demonstration at 100G. This is an important milestone for us and is a testament to our long-term commitment to NRL. We continue to scale our solutions for wider government and commercial communities,” said Harry Carr, CEO and President at Vcinity Inc.

Basil Decina, acting director, Center for Computational Science of the Information Technology Division of NRL added, “NRL provided the original requirements, along with a prototype, for this type of technology almost two decades ago — we are proud to drive innovation within the industry and see it continue to advance. We have demonstrated a number of new capabilities at SC19 this year and this is one that we believe changes the way data will be remotely processed and moved across large distances.”

https://vcinity.io

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Cisco shows switches powered by Innovium

At this week's SC19 in Denver, multiple network equipment vendors, including Cisco, showcased high-performance switches based on Innovium's TERALYNX silicon.

Innovium said its 12.8Tbps TERALYNX low-latency production switch silicon is being used by OEMs and cloud providers for hyperscale and enterprise deployments.

Cisco showcased two Innovium-based switches, the Nexus 3432D-S and Nexus 3408-S. The Nexus 3432D-S is a 1RU, QSFP-DD switch that supports up to 32 ports of 400G, with each port able to operate in 25/40/50/100/400G speed. The Nexus 3408-S is a 4RU, 8-slot chassis with flexibility to use either 100G or 400G Line-Card Expansion Modules (LEMs) offering up to 128 ports of 100G or 32 ports of 400G in a pay-as-you-grow fashion.

GIGABYTE showcased a 1RU, QSFP-28/56 switch that supports up to 32-ports of 100/200G speed.

“High performance computing customers running applications such as genomics, seismic imaging, financial modeling, data analytics, AI/ML require networking solutions with the highest performance, highest port densities and lowest latencies,” said Rajiv Khemani, Co-founder and CEO of Innovium. “We are excited to provide the best application performance to these HPC customers with TERALYNX-based switches, that deliver these critical requirements from multiple system partners.”

"As a leader in high performance computing hardware, GIGABYTE has released one of the most comprehensive lineups of PCIe Gen 4.0 capable server platforms onto the market. At SC19, we are excited to collaborate with Innovium, a leader in high performance networking, to showcase joint solutions including servers with PCIe Gen 4.0 based 200GbE RoCE NICs and Innovium’s TERALYNX based low-latency multi-terabit RoCE capable switches, so that customers can achieve even greater productivity gains in their HPC workloads,” said Etay Lee, General Manager at Networking and Communication Business Unit, GIGABYTE.


http://www.innovium.com

Innovium debuts smaller Ethernet switching chip

Tuesday, September 24, 2019  Innovium  

Innovium introduced a smaller Ethernet switch chip family for designs ranging from 1.2 to 6.4Tbps.

The new TERALYNX 5, which is expected to begin sampling in Q4 2019, is aimed at ToR, enterprise, edge, and 5G applications. Key capabilities include up to 128x NRZ/PAM4 SERDES, 10GbE to 400GbE ports, the largest on-chip buffers, powerful analytics, and leading performance per $ and performance per watt.

“The Innovium team has amassed a breakthrough, innovative IP portfolio, designed from the ground up, enabling us to deliver a programmable, low-latency 12.8T switch in production a full technology node earlier,” said Rajiv Khemani, CEO and Co-Founder of Innovium Inc. “We are delighted to further optimize these technologies for ToR and edge applications with TERALYNX 5, allowing a single consistent architecture to power data center switching applications from top to bottom with unmatched performance and value.”

TERALYNX 5 Family Highlights:

• Wide range of pin-compatible SKU options: 1.2Tbps, 2.4Tbps, 3.2Tbps, 4.8Tbps, 6.4Tbps
• Up to 128 SERDES PAM4 or NRZ SERDES enabling port speeds from 10Gbps to 400Gbps
• Largest on-chip buffer for switch in this class (45MB+)
• Leading L2, L3 table sizes and ACL’s
• Robust RoCE and PFC support for lowest latency and rich QoS necessary for distributed storage and AI applications
• IEEE 1588 v2 timing synchronization required in 5G and other data center infrastructure
• FLASHLIGHT v2 line-rate HW analytics with unprecedented microburst detection features and application correlation
• Up to 2x performance per $ and performance per watt vs. alternatives
• SW programmability for support of new protocols, achieved without impact to throughput or latency suffered by alternatives
• Fully SW and architecture compatibility with TERALYNX 7, scaling solutions to 12.8Tbps

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Carbon nanotube exceeds 100GHz in RF applications

Carbonics, a start-up based in Culver City, California, announced that carbon nanotube technology has for the first time achieved speeds exceeding 100GHz in-radio frequency (RF) applications. Potential applications include 5G mm-Wave technologies.

Carbonics employs a deposition technology called ZEBRA that enables carbon nanotubes to be densely aligned and deposited onto a variety of chip substrates including silicon, silicon-on-insulator, quartz and flexible materials. This allows the technology to be directly integrated with traditional CMOS digital logic circuits and overcomes the typical problem of heterogeneous integration.

“This milestone shows that carbon nanotubes, long thought to be a promising communications chip technology, can deliver,” said Dr. Joe Qiu, Program Manager at the Army Research Office, who reviewed the research. “The next step is scaling this technology, proving that it can work in high-volume manufacturing. Ultimately, this technology could help the Army meet its needs in communications, radar, electronic warfare and other sensing applications.”

“With this exciting accomplishment, the timing is ripe to leverage our CMOS-compatible technology for the 5G and mmWave defense communication markets. We are now engaged in licensing and technology transfer partnerships with industry participants, while we continue to advance this disruptive RF technology,” said Carbonics’ CEO Kos Galatsis. Carbonics believes that its ZEBRA technology will likely first be adopted in military applications before being used more broadly.

In 2014, Carbonics was spun-out from the joint center of UCLA-USC and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) called the Center of Excellence for Green Nanotechnologies and academic funding support from SRC, DARPA and the U.S. Air Force. The work published in Nature Electronics was funded by the US Army contract No. W911NF19P002 and by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology Center (KACST).

http://carbonicsinc.com/

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