Sunday, May 5, 2019

Alpine Optoelectronics demos Low Bit Error Rate in 50G and 100G QSFP28

At this week's “Big 5G event" in Denver, Alpine Optoelectronics will showcase the low Bit Error Rate (BER) capabilities of its 50G QSFP28 PAM4 optical modules designed to meet the 50GBASE-LR standard for 0 - 10km distance using the Novus 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) test platform from Ixia, a Keysight Business,

The demonstration will feature Alpine’s 50G QSFP28 pluggable optical bi-directional (BiDi) transceiver module which meets the 50GBASE-LR standard for 0 - 10km distance over a single strand of standard G.652 single mode optical fiber (SMF). KP4 Forward Error Correction (FEC) functionality is integrated into these transceivers giving network operators the ability to transition 4G network into 5G operations with the required increased bandwidth.

Alpine’s QSFP28 100GE and 50GE optical modules will be demonstrated live simulating real-world network conditions using Ixia’s Novus 100GE QSFP28 test platform. The Novus-W traffic generator will show line rate 50GE Ethernet traffic over 50GE QSFP28-LR BiDi and 100GE QSFP28-LR using KP4 FEC resulting in error-free packet transmission and reception.  The extended reach range of Alpine’s 100G QSFP28 ER4 Lite (30km without FEC, 40km with FEC) emphasizes the benefit of the built-in FEC of Alpine’s optical modules that have excellent BERs. The Novus multi-speed test platform was able to measure the pre-FEC BER to several orders of magnitude better than required by the IEEE 802.3bs standard for devices that support KP4 FEC.

Alpine said its next generation of 50G PAM4 and 100G ER4 transceivers are currently being deployed and tested in early 5G network implementation by Asian Operators. The BiDi module operates at 1270nm/1330nm and is available now in production volume. The product offers superior performance with significant low latency, high reliability and low cost.

“In the next generation 5G transport network, fronthaul and backhaul bandwidths will increase dramatically challenging transceiver performance. In addition, the midhaul layer is being added to the wireless transport network in some cases,” said Tongqing Wang, President and CEO of Alpine Optoelectronics. “Transceivers will play a critical role in supporting the increased performance required for reach, bit error rate (BER) and low latency associated with the standards proposed for 5G in the IMT2020 by the ITU’s Radiocommunication sector. Designed by our experienced team, Alpine Optoelectronics is developing innovative solutions based on PAM4, Coherent, and Silicon Photonics which address the connectivity needs of next-generation networks. We look forward to introducing products with single wavelength 100G module for hyperscale/cloud datacenters.”



American Tower: U.S. organic tenant billings growth over 8%

American Tower Corporation reported revenue of $1.813 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, up 4.1% over the same period last year. Net income was $408 million, up 45.4%.

The company said it continues to benefit from the general trend of more equipment deployed on its towers.

Jim Taiclet, American Tower’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We began 2019 with a solid quarter of results, highlighted by strong global leasing activity, 8.2% Organic Tenant Billings Growth in the U.S., the construction of more than 700 new sites and a 20% dividend increase.

We remain focused on driving operational excellence, prudently deploying capital and leveraging our innovation program to capitalize on exciting future opportunities as wireless networks continue to advance. With our portfolio of more than 170,000 towers, small cell systems and other communications real estate, we believe we are well positioned to take advantage of the global demand trends in mobile to continue driving attractive growth and returns for years to come.”


Some highlights:

  • The company now has approx. 170,000 sites worldwide
  • U.S. organic tenant billings growth was over 8%
  • Certain wireless carriers in India are in the process of, or have recently concluded, merging their operations or exiting the marketplace, and the company’s operational and financial results during the first quarter of 2019 were impacted by churn driven by this carrier consolidation process.
  • Total capital expenditures were $231 million, of which $32 million was for non-discretionary capital improvements and corporate capital expenditures. 
  • American Tower spent approximately $91 million for the acquisition of 107 communications sites, located primarily in international markets, and other communications infrastructure assets.

http://www.americantower.com/investor-relations/



Microsoft Azure adds intelligent edge capabilities

Microsoft Azure announced new intelligent edge capabilities"

Azure SQL Database Edge – A small footprint database engine optimized for the edge, with AI built-in. The new offering brings support for Arm and x64-based interactive devices and edge gateways. It provides low latency analytics on the edge by combining data streaming and time-series, with in-database machine learning and support for graph data. It also delivers a common programming surface area across Azure SQL Database, SQL Server on-premises, and Azure SQL Database Edge. Azure SQL Database Edge support both cloud connected and fully disconnected edge scenarios.

IoT Plug and Play –  a new, open modeling language to connect IoT devices to the cloud without writing code. IoT Plug and Play enabled devices are listed in the Azure IoT Device Catalog

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/intelligent-edge-innovation-across-data-iot-and-mixed-reality/

Vodafone Idea (India) picks IBM for hybrid cloud based digital platform

Vodafone Idea (India) awarded a five-year, multimillion dollar contract to IBM to provide a hybrid cloud based digital platform for improving engagement with the carrier's 387 million subscribers.

Vodafone Idea will use IBM's Hybrid and Multicloud, analytics and AI security capabilities to move to an open, agile and secure IT environment.

"Consumers have come to expect mobile networks that effortlessly meet their data demands providing the consistency and flexibility required in today's era of interconnectedness," said Juan Zufiria, IBM Senior Vice President of Global Technology Services. "Our collaboration with Vodafone Idea will take advantage of Hybrid and Multicloud, Analytics and AI, to enable Vodafone Idea to further differentiate itself in the market, including by leveraging the convergence of Network and IT in the Cloud."

Vodafone Idea (India) picks Ericsson's Cloud Packet Core

Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) has selected Ericsson's Cloud Packet Core.

As part of this deal, VIL will benefit from Ericsson’s market leading core network applications and Network Functions such as Ericsson virtual Evolved Packet Gateway (vEPG), Service Aware Policy Controller (vSAPC) and Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVi) solution enabling fast introduction of new services and providing full service continuity.

Vishant Vora, Chief Technology Officer, VIL, says: “Data consumption in India is growing rapidly and users are looking for new, richer experiences every day. At VIL, we endeavor to stay ahead of the curve by investing in technologies and solutions to address the evolving demands of millions of our customers in India. We are confident that Ericsson’s vEPC solution will be enable us to meet our strategic goals.”

Alvise Carlon, Head of Digital Services for Market Area South east Asia, Oceania and India, Ericsson, says: “For several years now, Ericsson has been  leading the market when it comes to virtual EPC. As users across India consume more and more data, packet core networks will need to be enhanced. It is one of the largest vEPC deployments for us anywhere in the world. This will not only provide VIL the scale and reach to address the growing data traffic levels in India, but the advanced cloud infrastructure will also enable VIL to tap new revenue streams in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Internet of Things (IoT).”

Zayo delivers metro fiber in Dublin for webscale company

A global webscale company has selected Zayo to connect its European headquarters to data centers in Dublin, Ireland.

Zayo said it will connect the customer's existing facilities on Zayo’s T50 Metro network while securing capacity for future operations currently being planned and built. It includes an additional 2.5km fiber build to extend Zayo’s footprint into Profile Park, a leading business location in Dublin. Zayo is also finalizing new routes in Dublin that were announced last fall to meet the needs of companies that have a presence in Dublin or are considering investment and relocation in Ireland.

“Dublin is experiencing rapid growth and has already become a key hub for global companies with operations in Europe,” said Jack Waters, president of Zayo Networks and COO. “This is an excellent illustration of leveraging our embedded network to provide the customer with a solution to meet their unique capacity needs.”

Zayo provides its full suite of products in Dublin, including dark fiber, wavelengths, Ethernet and IP. Zayo’s diverse high-capacity network offers the most direct routes from Dublin to London, Amsterdam and Paris.

http://zayo.com

TM Forum names Steffen Roehn as its new chairman

TM Forum has appointed Steffen Roehn as its new chairman for a two-year term, succeeding David Pleasance.

Roehn currently is an Expert Vice President at Bain & Company. He is a former Group CIO of Deutsche Telekom, Group CIO of T-Mobile, and a senior advisor at Reliance Jio. Roehn has also served as a TM Forum Board director.

“I’m delighted to announce that Steffen has been elected as the new chairman of the board,” said Harmeen Mehta, Chief Information Officer, Bharti Airtel, Ltd., and Chair of the Appointments and Governance Committee for the TM Forum. “Steffen’s wide variety of hands-on industry experience and energy make him the right person to guide TM Forum through its ongoing transformation and help our members succeed in the digital world.”

“I am honored to be appointed as TM Forum’s new chairman and would like to thank David for his great service,” said Steffen Roehn, Chairman Elect, TM Forum. “As companies around the globe are going through digital transformation, TM Forum is well placed to make an impact on the industry at large due to its collaborative nature and member-driven programs that crowd-source rapid solutions to some of the industry’s most challenging problems. My combined experience from traditional CSPs as well as from a brand new disruptor will help TM Forum to lead the way forward. “

Skillern joins Flex - former GM of Intel Cloud Service Provider Group

Raejeanne Skillern has been appointed President of Flex's Communications and Enterprise Compute group, which focuses on data center and telco networking solutions and which recorded more than $8 billion dollars in revenue in FY 2019.

Skillern joins Flex from Intel, where she was the vice president of the Data Center Group and general manager of the Cloud Service Provider Platform Group. She managed Intel’s business, roadmap and customer engagements for public cloud infrastructure deployments, helping the world’s largest cloud providers optimize their data center solutions.

Flex (formerly Flextronics) provides design, engineering, manufacturing, real-time supply chain insight and logistics services.

https://flex.com/newsroom/press-releases/flex-announces-new-chief-human-resources-officer-and-new-president

Deutsche Telekom announces fiber expansion in Rostock

Deutsche Telekom announced an expansion of its fiber network in Rostock, a city of 207,000 people on the north coast of Germany.

The operator intends to install more than 7,200 kilometers of fiber optics and more than 850 new fiber optic distribution nodes in the city by mid-2021.

A company representative described the rollout as one of the largest expansion projects of its kind in Germany.

https://www.telekom.com/de/medien/medieninformationen/detail/glasfaser-ausbau-im-landkreis-rostock-gestartet-570926


Events this week

Events this week: May 6-11, 2019

Big 5G Event in Denver;
RedHat Summit in Boston:
Google I/O in Mountain View;
Satellite 2019 in Washington, D.C.,
SAP Sapphire Now in Orlando.