U.S. Department of Justice issues multiple indictments against Huawei

The U.S. Department of Justice laid out its case against Huawei in a press conference in Washington, D.C. There are two cases where the DoJ is pursuing legal actions:

• A grand jury in Seattle returned an indictment alledging 10 federal crimes by two affiliates of Huawei Technologies. The indictment alleges that in 2012 Huawei began a concerted effort to steal information about a robot that T-Mobile used to test mobile phones. Huawei engineers are alleged to have violated confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements with T-Mobile by secretly taking photos of the robot, measuring it, and stealing a piece of it.
• A grand jury in New York returned an indictment alleging 13 additional crimes committed by Huawei, its CFO, its affiliate in Iran, and one of its subsidiaries in the United States. This criminal activity is said to go back ten years and to involve top officials of the company. The indictment alleges that beginning in 2007, Huawei began to misrepresent its relationship with its Skycom affiliate. By claiming Skycom was a separate company, Huawei represented that it was in compliance with U.S. sanctions against Iran. Furthermore, Huawei is alleged to have misrepresented financial transactions with multiple banks. 
• Defendants from both cases are variously charged with conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud, violations of the Emergency Economic Powers Act,  money laundering, and obstruction of justice.

The DoJ is seeking the extradition of Huawei CFO, Meng Wanzhou, from Vancouver, Canada, where she was arrested in December.

The DoJ further alleges that Huawei lied to the U.S. government and attempted to obstruct justice by concealing and destroying evidence, as well as moving executives back to China.

https://www.justice.gov/

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INDIGO subsea cable system ready for commissioning

The INDIGO subsea cable system, which will connect Australia and the dynamic economies of Southeast Asia, reached a significant milestone with the installations of the INDIGO West and INDIGO Central cables. INDIGO is backed by AARNet, Google, Indosat Ooredoo, Singtel, SubPartners and Telstra.

Commissioning of the submarine cable system has now begun, with the INDIGO cable system on-schedule and on-track to be ready for service before mid-2019.

INDIGO features two-fibre pairs with a design capacity for up to 36 terabits per second. The cable system will utilise new spectrum sharing technology so each consortium member will have the ability to independently take advantage of technology advancements for future upgrades and capacity increases on demand.

Singtel’s Vice President, Carrier Services, Group Enterprise, Ooi Seng Keat said: “The completion of the INDIGO cable system heralds a new era of high-speedd communications between the growing economies of Southeast Asia and Australia. This new data superhighway will complement our existing global links to Asia, US, Europe, Australia and the Middle East, allowing Singtel and Optus to meet the growing demand for bandwidth-intensive applications which is expected to quadruple by 2025. Our investments in new subsea cable systems like INDIGO will boost our network diversity and resilience, further reinforcing our position as a leading provider of international connectivity and data services.”

Telstra’s Head of International Oliver Camplin-Warner said: “The INDIGO West cable will connect to Telstra’s extensive terrestrial network to provide onward connectivity around Australia. Once complete, the cable system will strengthen links between Australia and fast-growing South East Asian markets by providing faster speeds and dramatically improved reliability. Our vast subsea network is a key part of our international growth strategy and we will continue to invest in additional capacity to meet the increasing demand for data and maintain our network leadership in the Asia-Pacific region.”

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Gartner: Global IT spending to rise 3.2% in 2019

Gartner is predicting that worldwide IT spending will rise to $3.76 trillion in 2019, an increase of 3.2 percent from 2018.

Some highlights:

• Spending on data center systems is predicted to grow 4.2%\
• Spending on communication services will be flattish at 1.3%
• Enterprise software, driven by a shift to the cloud, will continue to exhibit strong growth, with worldwide software spending projected to grow 8.5 percent in 2019. It will grow another 8.2 percent in 2020 to total $466 billion.
• The mobile devices segment is expected to grow 1.6 percent in 2019. The largest and most highly saturated smartphone markets, such as China, Unites States and Western Europe, are driven by replacement cycles. 

“Despite uncertainty fueled by recession rumors, Brexit, and trade wars and tariffs, the likely scenario for IT spending in 2019 is growth,” said John-David Lovelock, research vice president at Gartner. “However, there are a lot of dynamic changes happening in regards to which segments will be driving growth in the future. Spending is moving from saturated segments such as mobile phones, PCs and on-premises data center infrastructure to cloud services and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. IoT devices, in particular, are starting to pick up the slack from devices. Where the devices segment is saturated, IoT is not.
https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2019-01-28-gartner-says-global-it-spending-to-reach--3-8-trillio

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FCC's first 5G Spectrum Auction concludes

Bidding has concluded in FCC Auction 101, which will provide spectrum in the 28 GHz band for 5G wireless service.

Rounds: 176
Qualified Bidders: 40
Licenses Won: 2965
Licenses Held by FCC: 107
Total Licenses: 3072
Gross Bids: $702,572,410

Full results are expected to post shortly.

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Spectra7 and Luxshare demo 400G OSFP Active Copper Cables

At this week's DesignCon 2019 in Santa Clara, Spectra7 Microsystems and Luxshare-ICT are demonstrating OSFP format Active Copper Cables (ACCs) using Spectra7 technology in a live demo passing 400Gbps Ethernet traffic generated by a 12.6 Tbps switch.

Luxshare is using Spectra7’s GaugeChanger technology in its new line of OSFP Active Copper Cables. The embedded Spectra7 GC2502 Linear EQ Chips increase the length of standard copper cables by almost 3 times. This enables a significant number of cables in the 3 to 7m range to remain copper-based instead of having to switch to optical solutions which are dramatically higher in power and cost.

Spectra7 said its GaugeChanger technology works equally well at 25 Gbps NRZ and 50 Gbps PAM-4 enabling new connector standards of 100, 200 and 400 Gbps.

“Spectra7 is integral in helping to drive the future of the data center interconnects industry, and we are proud to be collaborating with them to demonstrate next-generation high-speed solutions,” said Jinhua Chen, Enterprise GM at Luxshare-ICT. “This collaboration highlights our vision to build relationships that benefit our customers, partners, and provide flexible solutions to their toughest challenges.”

“Luxshare is a technology and market leader in the data center interconnect market,” said Spectra7 CEO Raouf Halim. “Their adoption of our GaugeChangerTM technology is a significant milestone in the coming volume deployment of our data center product line.”

http://en.luxshare-ict.com
http://www.spectra7.com

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II-VI debuts 80 Watt Pump Laser Modules

II‐VI introduced its 976 nm pump laser modules with up to 80 watts of wavelength-stabilized output power.

II-VI said its design within the module minimizes warm-up time, and operates over a wide temperature range, improving laser system productivity and reducing maintenance. The high output power of the new pump laser is achieved by combining multiple pump laser diodes into one module. The combined output power is coupled to an industry standard 106.5 µm core fiber. The operating wavelength can be adjusted to meet specific customer applications.

“Our pump laser modules leverage the reliability of our gallium arsenide semiconductor laser platform, proven through broad deployments in industrial laser systems and optical networks, and with decades of field operation,” said Chris Koeppen, Vice President of II-VI Industrial Laser Group. “Beyond ultrafast fiber-lasers for precision micromachining, our product portfolio enables advanced pulsed lasers for other applications including supercontinuum lasers and excitation sources for life sciences.”

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Fujitsu to supply BridgeWave wireless backhaul systems

Fujitsu Network Communications agreed to supply and support BridgeWave Communications' wireless backhaul systems as part of Fujitsu’s end-to-end transport solutions portfolio. The

BridgeWave Navigator microwave system (6GHz – 42GHz) and the Flex4G-10000 true fiber capacity millimeter wave system (80GHz) optimize backhaul networks for the highest capacity and range, while minimizing capital investments and reducing operational costs.

Fujitsu now includes BridgeWave wireless backhaul systems as part of its multivendor turnkey solutions offered to service providers and large enterprise customers for building and transforming their networks. The Fujitsu transport solutions portfolio consists of hardware and software as well as a full suite of network services, including design, build, systems integration, operations and maintenance. The BridgeWave Navigator microwave system and the Flex4G-10000 true fiber are also being offered through the Fujitsu Network Modernization (NetMod) program to replace legacy equipment with new technology.

“By combining Fujitsu’s complete wireless turnkey services with BridgeWave’s high-capacity, high-performance backhaul systems, we can quickly upgrade and expand our customers’ backhaul networks to efficiently handle the surge of traffic from small cell densification, 5G and CBRS LTE,” says Greg Manganello, head of wireless and services solutions at Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. “As a multivendor network integrator, we deliver a portfolio of best in breed wireless solutions that produce the superior outcomes our customers demand.”

“Network operators are being challenged more than ever before to reduce costs while ensuring their networks can withstand never-before-seen demands for instant Internet access and the highest data capacity,” said Sanjay Nagpal, senior vice president, global sales and marketing, REMEC Broadband Wireless Networks, BridgeWave Communications, and Sage SatCom. “

http://us.fujitsu.com/telecom 

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NVIDIA trims guidance citing weakness in gaming and data centers

NVIDIA now estimates its Q4 revenue to be $2.20 billion compared to previous guidance of $2.70 billion. The company cited weakness in gaming and data center segments, as well as "deteriorating macroeconomic conditions, particularly in China."

In gaming, NVIDIA said there was a sequential decline due to excess mid-range channel inventory following the crypto-currency boom that proceeded as expected. However, consumer demand for NVIDIA gaming GPUs weakened faster than expected and sales of certain high-end GPUs using NVIDIA’s new Turing architecture were lower than expected. 

In the data center segment, revenue also came in short of expectations. A number of deals in the company’s forecast did not close in the last month of the quarter as customers shifted to a more cautious approach.

“Q4 was an extraordinary, unusually turbulent, and disappointing quarter,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “Looking forward, we are confident in our strategies and growth drivers. The foundation of our business is strong and more evident than ever – the accelerated computing model NVIDIA pioneered is the best path forward to serve the world’s insatiable computing needs.  The markets we are creating – gaming, design, HPC, AI and autonomous vehicles – are important, growing and will be very large. We have excellent strategic positions in all of them.”

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CommScope's preliminary Q4 results top expectations

CommScope reported preliminary results for Q4 2018 of $1.045 to $1.070 billion, inline or above the company's guidance. Full-year sales are now expected in the $4,555 to $4,580 range.  Full results are expected on February 21, 2019

“We delivered preliminary results in line with or above our expectations in the fourth quarter of 2018,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Eddie Edwards. “These results benefited from stronger than expected sales volumes, favorable product and geographic mix, along with our ongoing initiatives to align the company’s cost structure with the current market environment. For 2019, we continue to expect modest growth and relatively stable year-over-year results, which reflect anticipated cautious spending patterns by large North American operators. We are pleased that the disciplined execution of our strategic plan enabled a stronger than expected finish to 2018 and established a solid foundation to build on as we work toward the completion of the ARRIS acquisition.”

CommScope also said the positive results should support its financing efforts related to its acquisition of ARRIS International plc.

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Digicel appoints Jean-Yves Charlier as CEO

Digicel appointed Jean-Yves Charlier as its new Group Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Charlier previously served as Chief Executive Officer of VEON (formerly Vimpelcom), Chairman and Chief Executive of SFR, France and was also Chief Executive at COLT Telecom.

Charlier’s appointment comes one month after the untimely passing of Digicel Group Chief Executive Officer, Alexander Matuschka von Greiffenclau, 47, who died while on holiday with his family in his native Germany.

Commenting on his appointment, Jean-Yves, said; “I am delighted to be leading a strong set of communication and entertainment operations serving 14 million customers across 31 markets and to be continuing to work closely with the Board and its Chairman, Denis O’Brien. Over the past few years, Digicel has continued to innovate and make significant investments in new internet and media services across the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific, making an indelible impact, and I am happy to be taking the business forward on these strong foundations.”

In congratulating Jean-Yves on his appointment, Digicel Group Chairman and founder, Denis O’Brien, commented; “Jean-Yves’ exceptional capacity to support continuing growth was reflected in his appointment as Executive Director some months ago, deepening our executive team and facilitating this succession process.”

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