AWS announces lowest cost storage in the cloud -- S3 Glacier Deep Archive

Amazon Web Services announced general availability of Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive, a new durable object storage for long-term retention of data that is rarely accessed.

AWS said the new S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the lowest cost storage in the cloud: just $0.00099 per GB-month (less than one-tenth of one cent, or $1 per TB-month). This is significantly lower than storing and maintaining data in on-premises magnetic tape libraries or archiving data off-site.

The AWS S3 Glacier service provivdes retrieval options in minutes for archive data, while the new S3 Glacier Deep Archive is ideal for customers who want the lowest cost for archive data that is rarely accessed. In the event that recovery becomes necessary, the objects can be recovered in as little as 12 hours with S3 Glacier Deep Archive versus days or weeks with off-site tape.

“We have customers who have exabytes of storage locked away on tape, who are stuck managing tape infrastructure for the rare event of data retrieval. It’s hard to do and that data is not close to the rest of their data if they want to do analytics and machine learning on it,” said Mai-Lan Tomsen Bukovec, Vice President, Amazon S3, AWS. “S3 Glacier Deep Archive costs just a dollar per terabyte per month and opens up rarely accessed storage for analysis whenever the business needs it, without having to deal with the infrastructure or logistics of tape access.”

https://aws.amazon.com/s3/storage-classes/

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Broadband Forum kicks off BNG Disaggregation project

The Broadband Forum is launching a new Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) project to define the architecture and requirements for a disaggregated BNG control plane and user plane which separates the control plane and data plane.

BNG disaggregation is expected to bring benefits such as centralized locations for configuration and IP address management, leading to faster delivery of new services. The work will also ensure the control plane and user plane can be easily scaled according to customer demand.

"As demand for both broadband and bandwidth-hungry video applications grows, the disaggregation of the BNG for scalablity is critical to mitigate issues created by distributed BNG deployments. Over the years, BNGs have also had to evolve to support new functionalities such as management of multiple types of accesses, transport encapsulations and customers. This work will ensure flexible scalability through a simplified and agile architecture," stated Kevin Foster, Chairman of Broadband Forum.

https://www.broadband-forum.org

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ZTE returns to profitability in Q1

ZTE reported full-year 2018 operating revenue of RMB 85.51 billion, with net profit attributable to holders of ordinary shares of the listed company amounted to RMB -6.98 billion, which was within the estimated range disclosed in the preliminary announcement of 2018 annual results.

The loss was mainly attributable to the US$1 billion penalty paid to the U.S. government. Net cash flows from operating activities amounted to RMB 1.01 billion for the three months ended 31 December 2018.

R&D spending in 2018 amounted to RMB 10.91 billion, accounted for 12.8% of the operating revenue.

ZTE said it returned to profitability in the first quarter of 2019, estimating net profit attributable to holders of ordinary shares of the listed company to be from RMB 0.8 billion to RMB 1.2 billion. 

Some highlights:

• In the Wireless Networks, ZTE announced collaborations with 30 global operators in 5G, with the shipment of Massive MIMO base stations reaching 10,000 and more than 400 NFV commercial and PoC cases worldwide.
• In the Wireline Networks, ZTE see opportunities such as 5G transport, big video, next-generation PON, SDN/NFV.
• In terms of devices, ZTE has  concentrated on 5G devices, industrial applications and key markets. In the first half of 2019, ZTE’s 5G smartphones will be ready for commercial use. Its 5G flagship smartphone Axon 10 Pro 5G, debuted at MWC 2019, is expected to be first available in Europe and China. Moreover, the company has been committed to promoting serialized 5G products, such as 5G tablets, 5G indoor and outdoor CPEs, 5G mobile hotspots, 5G data devices, 5G vertical industry modules, so as to constantly satisfy consumers’ requirements for 5G intelligent application scenarios.
• ZTE has cumulatively filed over 73,000 patents globally, with more than 35,000 granted.

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Volkswagen looks to AWS to build its Industrial Cloud

Amazon Web Services has been awarded a multi-year, global agreement to build the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud, a cloud-based Industrial digital production platform that will transform the automotive company’s manufacturing and logistics processes.

Volkswagen will rely upon the breadth and depth of AWS’s portfolio of services, including IoT, machine learning, analytics, and compute services to increase plant efficiency and uptime, improve production flexibility, and increase vehicle quality.

The Volkswagen Industrial Cloud will bring together real-time data from all of the Volkswagen Group’s 122 manufacturing plants to manage the overall effectiveness of assembly equipment, as well as track parts and vehicles.

Volkswagen will use the suite of AWS IoT services, including AWS IoT Greengrass, AWS IoT Core, AWS IoT Analytics, and AWS IoT SiteWise, to detect, collect, organize, and run sophisticated analytics on data from the plant floor.

A key idea is to assemble a company-wide Data Lake built on Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) to analyze the data.  Volkswagen will use Amazon SageMaker, a fully-managed service that provides developers and data scientists with the ability to build, train, and deploy machine learning models quickly, to optimize the operation of machinery and equipment in all of its plants. Additionally, Volkswagen plans to use AWS Outposts, which bring native AWS services, infrastructure, and operating models on-premises, providing seamless functionality between the factory floor and the cloud for latency sensitive applications, offering a consistent hybrid experience.

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Midwest Fiber Network upgrades with Fujitsu 1FINITY

Midwest Fiber Network has successfully upgraded an existing fiber transport network with a 200 GbE system based on the Fujitsu 1FINITY S100 Layer 2 Switch and Virtuora Network Control Solution.

Specifically, MFN opted to overlay the existing network with a disaggregated 200 Gbps architecture based on the Fujitsu 1FINITY S100 modular platform with up to 1.2 Tbps bidirectional packet switching capacity. Paired with the Virtuora network controller and packet control application, the 1FINITY platform enables a programmable, software-defined network infrastructure that offers future-proof capacity with a low total cost of ownership, allowing the MFN member companies to take advantage of emerging business opportunities.

The nine telecom carriers that make up the collaborative Midwest Fiber Network (MFN) deliver voice, video and data services to residential and business subscribers throughout southwestern Iowa, in addition to providing mobile backhaul services. MFN operates a shared transport architecture that spans several hundred miles of fiber network.

Fujits said this high-capacity Carrier Ethernet network delivers a substantial boost in bandwidth for MFN member companies and their customers, with a flexible evolution path to meet future capacity needs as well.

“The MFN member companies, like other communications service providers worldwide, need to strike a balance between offering sufficient capacity and achieving maximum return on investment,” said Annie Bogue, head of sales and marketing, Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. “Fujitsu recommended that MFN deploy high-capacity Carrier Ethernet technology on the 1FINITY platform as the best option to quickly boost capacity without incurring significant equipment costs, enabling a flexible, low-risk path to meet future needs.”

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Video: Samtec's Optical FireFly inspires COBO modules

Arlon Martin of Samtec discusses how the Optical Firefly is an inspiration for COBO's small embedded form factor on-board optical modules at OFC March 2019.

https://youtu.be/TpHz0x-WFnU

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TUV Rheinland issues first CE RED certificate for 5G Phone

TUV Rheinland issued the first-ever CE RED certificate for a Huawei 5G mobile phone.

The CE mark is mandatory for entering the European market. The Huawei Mate X passed CE certification covering requirements in terms of radio frequency (RF), electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), safety (Safety & SAR), RoHs, and environmental protection. As a leading test service provider and pioneer in wireless communications technology, TUV Rheinland has been focusing on 5G development and its commercialization process.

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ON Semiconductor to acquire Quantenna

ON Semiconductor agreed to acquire Quantenna Communications for $24.50 per share in cash, representing an equity valye of approximately $1.07 billion and enterprise value of approximately $936 million, after accounting for Quantenna’s net cash.

Quantenna, which is a leading developer of Wi-Fi technology and software, was founded in 2006 and is based in San Jose, California.

“We are very pleased to welcome Quantenna to ON Semiconductor’s team. The acquisition of Quantenna is another step towards strengthening our presence in industrial and automotive markets. The combination of ON’s expertise in highly efficient power management and broad sales and distribution reach, and Quantenna’s industry leading Wi-Fi technologies and software expertise creates a formidable platform for addressing fast growing markets for low-power connectivity in industrial and automotive applications,” said Keith Jackson, president and chief executive officer of ON Semiconductor. “I am very excited about the opportunity this acquisition creates for customers, shareholders, and employees of the two companies.”

“Today’s announcement is great news for Quantenna employees and customers worldwide. As part of ON Semiconductor, Quantenna will benefit from a world-class organization in our commitment to providing the best end user experience for our customers,” stated Dr. Sam Heidari, chairman and chief executive officer of Quantenna. “We are proud of our accomplishments and look forward to a smooth transition with the ON Semiconductor team to pursue exciting new opportunities for Quantenna’s talented employees and reinforce our longstanding position as a leading Wi-Fi technology innovator.”

http://www.onsemi.com

• Earlier this month, Quantenna Communications announced a new benchmark for Wi-Fi network performance by achieving over 2 Gbps total throughput. This was attained by connecting multiple laptops with commercially available Intel Wireless-AC 9260 2x2AC MIMO wireless modems to a Quantenna-based 8x8 MIMO access point and utilizing the latest Wi-Fi features such as multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO).
  
  “Quantenna is proud of its continuous innovation to perfect Wi-Fi connectivity and user experience. We prove it once again by reaching this multi-gigabit milestone,” said Dr. Sam Heidari, chairman and CEO of Quantenna.
  
  Quantenna’s Wi-Fi 6 QSR10GU-AX Plus chipset provides integrated dual-band, dual-concurrent 2.4GHz and 5GHz functionality, supporting up to a maximum speed of 10 Gbps and 12 simultaneous streams. It includes the SmartScan feature that offers enhanced radar detection and spectrum analyzer capabilities with wide frequency range analysis. The QSR10GU-AX Plus also supports advanced MU-MIMO schemes, allowing for transmission to multiple devices at the same time. The Intel Wireless-AC 2X2 160 MHz delivers Gigabit Wi-Fi speeds and includes two antennas for reliable connections, making it possible for users to experience smooth gaming and 4K UHD video streaming, and fast file transfers and backups on their devices.

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ECI names Irit Touitou as EVP Global Technology

ECI has appointed Irit Touitou as Executive Vice President, Global Technology.

Touitou previously served as VP and General Manager of the Imaging Clinical Apps Business unit at Philips, where she oversaw a global, cross-functional team integrating engineering, service, sales and marketing. Prior to Philips, she was General Manager and president of the Customer Management Division in Amdocs, leading strategy,
product management, R&D, pre-sales and marketing efforts. In this role, she exceeded sales targets and became a driver for exceptional customer experiences.

“ECI is a company I’ve admired for more than 20 years, back when I used to be a software developer here, and I’ve kept my eye on it as it’s grown and thrived into the company it is today,” said Touitou. “I cannot wait to continue my journey and rejoin this successful team who are creating flexible networking solutions that bring connectivity and 5G to a global audience, while keeping an eye toward innovation and building trust with our customers.”

https://www.ecitele.com

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