VMware builds its Telco and Edge Cloud portfolio

VMware, which already has a deep presence with communications service providers and enterprise customers, is expanding its automation and security capabilities for telco, Edge and IoT applications.

With its recent acquisition of Uhana, VMware will deliver a real-time deep learning engine to optimize the quality of telco network experience. Uhana provides a predictive artificial intelligence engine that optimizes the mobile network subscriber experience. Uhana intelligent analytics will complement and enhance the service assurance capabilities from VMware Smart Assurance, as well as other network data collection products.

VMware also announced that its VeloCloud SD-WAN solution is now used by over 100 CSPs globally and is installed at over 150,000 customer sites.

VMware is continuing to invest in OpenStack-managed virtualized telco clouds with a focus on making them operationally deployable, container capable and multi-cloud ready. Specifically, VMware’s VIO 6.0 will provide communication service providers with a common platform that has consistent policies in a multi-cloud environment. The latest release of VMware Smart Assurance with VMware Integrated OpenStack provides assurance capabilities that will deliver service impact and root-cause analysis with visibility across physical and virtual OpenStack networks, as well as multi-cloud networks. With VMware Smart Assurance and VIO 6.0, communication service providers will gain an automated approach to operational intelligence to reduce service impact and operational expenses.

VMware has also introduced a new Telco Edge Reference Architecture that provides design principles for developing and deploying an Edge-based cloud network based on VMware vCloud NFV infrastructure and VMware Integrated OpenStack. Leveraging VMware Integrated OpenStack, communication service providers can manage multiple Edge sites from a single centralized data center, thereby reducing overall footprint at the Edge while optimizing network performance.

“5G networks will deliver unprecedented levels of speed and ultra-low latency, resulting in new use cases for Telco and Edge Clouds limited only by imagination. CSPs and enterprises will benefit from the multi-cloud interoperability, uniformity in architecture and consistency in policies across private, public, telco and Edge clouds provided by VMware,” said Shekar Ayyar, executive vice president and general manager, Telco and Edge Cloud, VMware. “Furthermore, with the addition of AI-based learning capabilities from our Uhana acquisition, telco and Edge clouds will become significantly smarter in their capability to provide better service and remediate and correct faults quicker.”

VMware to acquire UHANA for telco AI

Friday, July 26, 2019  Mergers And Acquisitions, Vmware  

VMware agreed to acquire Uhana, a start-up focused on deep learning and real-time AI in carrier networks and applications. Financial terms were not disclosed.

VMware said it intends to add Uhana’s technology to its own Telco Cloud and Edge Cloud portfolio.

Uhana, which is based in Palo Alto, California, is developing a highly-scalable, low-latency, real-time stream processing and AI platform, deployable in the operator’s private cloud or public cloud infrastructure. It includes a high-performance stream processing engine that ingests subscriber-level network telemetry from a variety of data sources: the radio access network, the core network and optionally even the over-the-top (OTT) application directly, and processes the telemetry to provide real-time, per-subscriber visibility. It also includes an AI engine that discovers and predicts anomalies in the network and/or application, prioritizes them by their estimated impact, infers their likely root causes and automatically recommends optimization strategies for the best subscriber experience.

In a blog posting, Uhana co-founder Sachin Katti writes: "After the deal closes, with the addition of Uhana’s technology to VMware’s Telco and Edge Cloud portfolio, Uhana will further support VMware’s ability to serve the telecom industry and deepen intelligence in the journey to 5G. Uhana’s technology will empower intelligence and analytics for the VMware Smart Assurance and VMware Smart Experience products."

http://www.uhana.io/about
https://blogs.vmware.com/telco/vmware-to-add-uhana-to-telecommunications-portfolio-harnessing-the-power-of-ai-for-mobile-networks/

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Qualcomm envisions a future of 5G + Wi-Fi 6

Qualcomm outlined its end-to-end vision and differentiated technology approach to expand the global impact of Wi-Fi 6, and help usher in an era of connectivity innovation where Wi-Fi 6 and 5G work together.

“Qualcomm Technologies has been at the leading edge of wireless innovation for decades, by virtue of our focused investment in research and development across various industries,” said Rahul Patel, senior vice president and general manager, connectivity, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Today’s event and announcements represent a critical milestone in unlocking the massive potential of Wi-Fi 6 across every product segment we touch, and blazes a path toward the fullest implementation of Wi-Fi 6 technology.”

Qualcomm noted strong Wi-Fi 6 momentum across its flagship Snapdragon 855 and 855+ Mobile Platform designs. Nearly all 5G design wins include the Qualcomm FastConnect 6200 Subsystem, which offers critical Wi-Fi 6 features. FastConnect is the name of Qualcomm's connectivity subsystem spanning Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other non-cellular connectivity technologies within the Snapdragon Mobile and Compute Platforms.

Qualcomm also announced support for Uplink MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multi-In Multi-Out), a significant innovation in the Wi-Fi 6 standard, for its upcoming next-generation Wi-Fi 6 Qualcomm FastConnect 6800 Subsystem.

In addition, Qualcomm introduced its second-generation Wi-Fi 6 networking chips:

Qualcomm Networking Pro 1200 Platform (supports up to 12 spatial streams of Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with up to 2.2GHz Quad-core A53 processor)
Qualcomm Networking Pro 800 Platform (supports up to 8 spatial streams of Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with up to 1.4GHz Quad-core A53 processor)
Qualcomm Networking Pro 600 Platform (supports up to 6 spatial streams of Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with up to 1.0GHz Quad-core A53 processor)
Qualcomm Networking Pro 400 Platform (supports up to 4 spatial streams of Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with up to 1.0GHz Quad-core A53 processor)

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Dell'Oro: Evolved Packet Core sales up 13% yoy

Evolved Packet Core (EPC) revenues were up 13 percent year-over-year (Y/Y) in 2Q 2019, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group.  5G Core deployments are expected in 2020.

“EPC revenues grew for a fourth consecutive quarter at double-digit percentages, growing 13 percent Y/Y in 2Q 2019,” said Dave Bolan, Senior Analyst at Dell’Oro Group. “You can hardly go a day now without a 5G launch being announced somewhere in the world. That means all of those service providers had to upgrade their EPC to carry 5G traffic,” continued Bolan.

“As we move into 2020, service providers will start to expand their 5G coverage by adding 5G standalone base stations that will require the 5G Core.  We expect to see some 5G Core revenues as early as the first quarter. But the revenues will be small and not significant as service providers build out small markets to learn how to use the 5G Core before rolling out nationwide,” added Bolan.

Additional highlights from the 2Q 2019 Wireless Packet Core quarterly report include:

• The top three EPC vendor rankings for the quarter were Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia.
• The Asia Pacific region had the highest EPC Y/Y revenue growth rate for the quarter accounting for over 40 percent of the revenue.
• The trend towards more network function virtualization (NFV) continued accounting for 39 percent of the EPC revenue in the quarter.

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McAfee: Ransomware attacks on the rise

There has been a significant resurgence in ransomware attacks, according to McAfee Labs Threats Report: August 2019, which tracks cybercriminal activity and the evolution of cyber threats in Q1 2019.

While spearphishing remained popular, ransomware attacks increasingly targeted exposed remote access points, such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP); these credentials can be cracked through a brute-force attack or bought on the cybercriminal underground. RDP credentials can be used to gain admin privileges, granting full rights to distribute and execute malware on corporate networks.

McAfee researchers also observed actors behind ransomware attacks using anonymous email services to manage their campaigns versus the traditional approach of setting up command-and-control (C2) servers. Authorities and private partners often hunt for C2 servers to obtain decryption keys and create evasion tools. Thus, the use of email services is perceived by threat actors to be a more anonymous method of conducting criminal business.

The most active ransomware families of the quarter appeared to be Dharma (also known as Crysis), GandCrab and Ryuk. Other notable ransomware families of the quarter include Anatova, which was exposed by McAfee Advanced Threat Research before it had the opportunity to spread broadly, and Scarab, a persistent and prevalent ransomware family with regularly discovered new variants. Overall, new ransomware samples increased 118%.

Some highlights:

• New ransomware grows 118%; cybercriminals adopt new tactics and code innovations
• More than 2 billion stolen account credentials available on the cybercriminal underground
• Targeted attacks utilize spearphishing for initial access, user interaction for attack execution
• New coin mining malware increases 29%; CookieMiner malware targets Apple users
• New PowerShell malware increases 460%; developers experiment with new techniques
• Disclosed incidents targeting the Asia-Pacific region increase 126%

https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/assets/reports/rp-quarterly-threats-aug-2019.pdf

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Vantage Data Centers raises $692M for North American expansion

Vantage Data Centers raised $548 million in new securitized notes, inclusive of expanded Variable Funding Note undrawn capacity, as well as $144 million in project-based construction debt financing from a consortium of banks.

The company plans to used the funds to refinance existing floating rate credit facilities, significantly reducing interest expense, and to fuel the development of data centers across North America.

“Vantage continues to pioneer not only best-in-class data center infrastructure but also industry-leading capital formation and deployment strategies that together enable the company to meet the demands of our hyperscale customers,” said Sharif Metwalli, Vantage’s CFO.

http://www.vantage-dc.com

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SK Telecom demos mmWave 5G inside race car

SK Telecom held a demonstration of 5G technology at the ‘Korea International Circuit’ racetrack using Samsung Networks’ end-to-end 5G mmWave solutions, including 5G New Radio (NR) base stations. The same equipment has been in commercial operation in the United States since the first half of this year.

While the racing car moved at approximately 130 miles per hour (210Km/hour) on the track, the trial verified the stable performance of live downloads, uploads and handovers between 5G cell sites on the racetrack. Download speeds reached up to 1Gbps on a 5G device inside a racing car, using 200MHz bandwidth of 28GHz spectrum.

Samsung said the test showed that the mmWave technology can unlock the full potential of 5G, for delivering innovative uses cases and business models, such as new entertainment experiences in motor sport events. For example, cameras built into the cars’ cockpits will be able to stream real-time video data from each car over 5G wireless links, allowing viewers to enjoy vivid scenes of the race from the driver’s point of view. Through VR, AR and 360 degree video streams, racing fans will be able to enjoy the immersive experience of feeling as if they are inside an actual moving car.

“5G already opened up a new horizon when the first commercial service started in the first half of 2019 across Korea and the U.S.,” said Jaeho Jeon, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is at the forefront with global operators in bringing 5G benefits to consumers, industries and societies by helping them deliver 5G commercial networks. This trial is a great example of taking a user experience and the racing industry to new heights.”

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TPx picks ADVA's Ensemble software for uCPE

TPx, which provides unified communications, managed IT, network security and network connectivity to over 53,000 customer locations across the U.S., has selected ADVA's Ensemble software as the basis of a new universal customer premises (uCPE) platform.

ADVA's virtualization suite will be used to power TPx's ReadyEdge uCPE offering, enabling it to quickly and easily roll out and manage multiple dynamic virtual network functions (VNFs) for its enterprise customers. Services such as managed SD-WAN and firewall products will be deployed on a single dedicated hardware device at customer sites.

“With this solution, TPx will consolidate a number of appliances into a single service platform based on an open white box uCPE architecture that is reliable, scalable and proven in the field. We’ll be able to support today’s services such as SD-WAN and firewalls at more flexible cost points than we can with dedicated appliances,” said Jared Martin, VP, MSx managed services, TPx. “Leveraging the ADVA Ensemble suite also enables us to offer our customers new services delivered dynamically and on demand, without having to change the hardware. That gives them the agility and responsiveness they need.”

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ZTE reports 1H19 revenues of US$6.23B, up 13% yoy

ZTE reported operating revenue of RMB 44.61 billion for the first half of 2019, representing an increase of 13.1% compared with the same period last year. Net profit amounted to RMB1.47 billion, representing an increase of 118.8%, compared with the same period last year. Basic earnings per share was RMB 0.35.

Some highlights:

• Production has begun on ZTE's 5G wireless system chipsets and transport switching network. 
• The company has completed the design and mass production of the 7nm chipsets, and embarked on the R&D of the 5nm chipsets.
• ZTE’s financial-class distributed database GoldenDB has more than 100 patent applications. It is the only product that passed the certification of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, with all the 50 tests earning full score.
• ZTE has been collaborating with universities across China to recruit over 5000 5G innovative staff members, further enhancing the company's innovative capability. 
• As of June 30, 2019, ZTE had applied more than 74,000 patents with over 36,000 global patents granted and over 3,700 5G patents. 
• Three cybersecurity laboratories have been set up in Nanjing, Rome and Brussels to provide customers and regulators with transparent security verification.
• In the first half of the year, the company has signed 25 5G commercial contracts worldwide, covering China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and other major 5G markets. 
• ZTE’s 5G end-to-end commercial products and solutions as well as the full series of NR products have achieved all-band, all-scenario coverage. 
• In the Wireline Networks, ZTE’s 5G transport end-to-end products have completed more than 30 commercial trials and existing network tests. ZTE’s three-in-one chipset has achieved the lowest latency in the industry. 
• Moreover, ZTE’s beyond 100G OTN takes the lead in terms of network performance while its 200G OTN has been commercialized on a large scale, and its single-carrier 400G OTN has set a new record of the furthest transmission distance. 
• ZTE has been in cooperation with more than 20 operators worldwide 5G terminals.
• In the first half of 2019, ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G was launched in various countries.

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