MEF LSO APIs critical to enabling on-demand services across providers

MEF Annual Meeting – July/August 2019, Daniele Mancuso, EVP, ICT Engineering, Sparkle, shares his perspective on how the global communications service provider is leveraging MEF LSO (Lifecycle Service Orchestration) to accelerate go-to-market plans for digital services. He spotlights the importance of LSO APIs not only for service automation within a service provider network, but also for orchestration of dynamic services across an ecosystem of interconnected, automated networks envisioned in the MEF 3.0 global services framework.

“Sparkle has been pioneering in that field by implementing one of the early solutions for LSO - specifically for service orchestration - by tackling a specific use case of bandwidth on demand. Today, we are already at the second wave of the implementation. We are redesigning everything from scratch and taking advantage of the very recent release of our new BSS platform that allows us to unify completely the CRM, the catalog of services and products of the company all over our subsidiaries around the world.”

“The LSO concept will allow us to be faster in realizing and putting on the market new digital services, not just pure connectivity services, but something that will use connectivity as a commodity – so everything on-demand, everything as a service, everything in an ecosystem of partners. Because, today we need to think of about our network not taking into account the physical boundaries of the Sparkle network, but considering an interconnection of multiple clouds where any partner taking part in the ecosystem can request an order of a connectivity service or whatever other service that can be realized through the Sparkle network, whether the destination point is residing within our boundaries or we also need to ask for the support of another service provider. In this scenario, LSO – together with the east-west API interconnection points – is a critical element because it’s basically the key and the core of the creation of this ecosystem of interconnected partners.”

To learn more about MEF LSO Sonata APIs for inter-provider service automation, download this FAQ document:  https://www.mef.net/images/LSO-Sonata-FAQ-August-2019.pdf

To explore the latest on LSO innovations and engage with industry-leading service and technology experts such as Daniele Mancuso, attend MEF19 (http://www.MEF19.com), held 18-22 November 2019 in Los Angeles, California.

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Progress Update: MEF LSO Sonata APIs for Inter-Provider Service Automation

MEF Annual Meeting – July/August 2019, David Ball, Principal Engineer, Cisco and LSO Committee Co-Chair, MEF, shares a progress update on the standardization of LSO Sonata APIs used for inter-provider service automation.

“LSO is going to be the biggest thing that helps transform the industry over the next few years. It’s really exciting to be part of this thing that’s so needed to help service providers integrate with each other and speed up the way that they can deliver services to their end users. LSO Sonata is the API that is key to that.”

LSO Sonata APIs relate to the interface reference point within MEF’s LSO Reference Architecture (MEF 55) that supports business-to-business interactions between service providers.  The full suite of planned LSO Sonata APIs deals with serviceability (address validation, site queries, product offering qualification), product inventory, quoting, ordering, trouble ticketing, contracts, and billing.

In June 2019, MEF introduced LSO Sonata SDK (Software Development Kit) Release 3, which includes a set of deliverables that enable market adoption of LSO Sonata APIs for serviceability (address validation, site queries, and product offering qualification), product inventory, quoting, and ordering. The SDK includes published and draft standards listed below covering business requirements, use cases, and attributes that serve as the basis for the associated APIs and data models. Available on the MEF public GitHub (https://github.com/MEF-GIT/MEF-LSO-Sonata-SDK), the SDK also includes Swagger data models, product payload specifications composed of MEF 3.0 services, and other artifacts that enable a developer to rapidly build out these Sonata LSO APIs within their business systems.

• Ethernet Ordering Technical Standard: Business Requirements and Use Cases (MEF 57.1)
• Address, Service Site, and Product Offering Qualification Management: Requirements and Use Cases (MEF 79 Draft Standard)
• Quote Management: Requirements and Use Cases (MEF 80 Draft Standard)
• Product Inventory Management: Requirements and Use Cases (MEF 81 Draft Standard) 

 To learn more about MEF LSO Sonata APIs for inter-provider service automation, download this FAQ document:  https://www.mef.net/images/LSO-Sonata-FAQ-August-2019.pdf

To explore the latest on LSO innovations and engage with industry-leading service and technology experts, attend MEF19 (http://www.MEF19.com), held 18-22 November 2019 in Los Angeles, California.

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Verizon Australia to provide business services via NBN Co.

Verizon Australia will provide NBN Co. sourced business connectivity services to Australian enterprise and government customers.

Verizon has provided managed network and security services to enterprise and government customers in Australia for over 20 years including 75-plus Commonwealth and State Government agencies in Australia.

Verizon said its enterprise customers will continue to be able to take advantage of the company’s entire suite of Managed Network Services - including Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Virtual Network Service (VNS) bundles - with Enterprise Ethernet connectivity directly sourced from NBN Co.’s enterprise-grade infrastructure.

Robert Le Busque, regional managing director of Verizon in Australia, New Zealand and India said, “A robust network is the backbone of any business, and particularly today, where digital business is the norm, and organisations are increasingly looking for scalable, flexible network capacity to support global growth. Verizon is pleased to be able to present a compelling alternative to Australian enterprises and government businesses.”

Verizon manages 500,000+ network, hosting, and security devices and 5,000+ networks in 150+ countries with a global IP network spanning over 1.3 million network route kilometers.

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Dell'Oro: Worldwide VoLTE revenues up 16% in 2Q 2019

The worldwide Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) infrastructure market appears the tipping point of preparing 5G networks for voice with VoLTE is upon us as indicated by the growth rate we saw in 2Q 2019,” said Dave Bolan, senior analyst at Dell’Oro Group.

“Licenses shipped to service providers in China and India accounted for most of the 62 percent growth in the Asia Pacific region. With 5G services expected to launch in October 2019, Chinese service providers are aggressively trying to migrate their 1.2 B LTE subscribers to VoLTE. Currently only about half are using VoLTE,” continued Bolan.

“In addition, the market in India is seeing a rapid shift to VoLTE services. For example, service provider Reliance Jio, had over 331 M VoLTE subscribers with a 54 percent Y/Y growth rate,” Bolan added.

Additional highlights from the 2Q 2019 Carrier IP Telephony report include:

• The top three ranking VoLTE vendors were Huawei, Nokia, and Ericsson
• Circuit-switched core market revenues were down 21 percent Y/Y
• The IMS Core market revenues were up 13 percent Y/Y
• The Carrier IP Telephony market was up 5 percent Y/Y

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Regional utility deploys ADTRAN Total Access 5000 in Smart Grid

A leading regional utility provider in the U.S. has deployed ADTRAN's Total Access 5000 (TA 5000) platform to improve the reliability and resiliency of its high-density Smart Grid power grid distribution network.

The deployment, which is an industry first, leverages the TA 5000 fiber access platform in targeted service areas as the enhanced communications system to its automated switching devices. The ADTRAN network that has been deployed is a secure, high-speed, low-latency communication system that operates between power line reclosers without having to take the traffic through any equipment upstream of the OLT. It allows all automated line switching devices to employ ultra-fast and effective peer-to-peer coordination between other switching devices via GOOSE messaging utilizing the 61850 communication protocol, as well as enhanced high-speed wired SCADA communications. This allows for a larger and more complex centralized self-healing network.

“The opportunities delivered by the Gigabit Society in terms of how business processes can become more efficient and reliable are unmatched and we’re excited to be a part of this groundbreaking application,” ADTRAN VP of American Sales & Head of Global Business Development Craig Stein said. “The PON network fits the power distribution network like a glove, eliminating the need for heavy use of homerun fiber and affording the use of more reliable passive equipment in the network.”

https://www.adtran.com/index.php/adtran-powers-innovative-utility-application

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Nutanix revenue dips to $299.9M, subscriptions now at 71% of sales

Nutanix reported revenue of $299.9 million for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, down from $303.7 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, reflecting the reduction of pass-thru hardware from $35.9 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 to $13.0 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019, and the revenue compression from the company’s ongoing transition to subscription. Billings amounted to $371.7 million, down from $395.1 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018.

GAAP net loss was $194.3 million, compared to a GAAP net loss of $87.4 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018. Non-GAAP net loss was $105.8 million, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $19.0 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018.

Software and support revenue amounted to $286.9 million, up 7% year-over-year from $267.9 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, reflecting the revenue compression from the company’s ongoing transition to subscription.

“We delivered a solid fourth quarter and believe our performance reflects our execution improvements and the meaningful progress we have made transitioning our business to a subscription model,” said Dheeraj Pandey, Chairman, Founder and CEO of Nutanix. “We are encouraged by our record gross margins, strengthening pipeline, progress in sales hiring, and recent large customer wins. We have a strong set of tenured sales leaders in place and continue to lead the industry as an innovator with technology at the forefront of hybrid cloud transformation.”

“We are pleased by our Q4 results, and that the actions we have taken to strengthen lead generation and enhance sales execution are generating positive results. Our subscription transition continues to be ahead of schedule with subscriptions growing from 52% of total billings in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 to 71% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019,” said Duston Williams, CFO of Nutanix. “In addition, 26%1 of our deals included a product outside our core offering, as new and existing customers increasingly look to Nutanix to guide them on their journey to hybrid cloud.”

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Comcast's Robert Victor joins MEF's Board

Robert Victor, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Comcast, has joined the MEF Board of Directors.

“As a leading voice in SDN-enabled Ethernet solutions and services, Comcast Business is deeply committed to working with the MEF to enable next-generation network services that help businesses and their customers succeed as they progress along their digital transformation journeys,” said Victor. “Comcast Business is looking forward to working with the Board to advance the MEF 3.0 framework.”

The new Board of Directors will continue efforts to grow and diversify MEF’s community of service providers, technology vendors, and other companies that are committed to building a worldwide ecosystem of automated networks that power MEF 3.0 services. Together with the broader MEF community, the Board is advancing a rigorous roadmap that will enable services that provide an on-demand, cloud-centric experience with unprecedented user- and application-directed control over network resources and service capabilities.

“Having such a diverse, innovative board, so deeply experienced with our industry and committed to our mission, brings incredible value to the MEF community as we strive to deliver solutions optimized for digital transformation,” said Nan Chen, President, MEF. “Our mission to deliver a practical framework and roadmap for service providers and their vendors to drive innovation in our industry will be advanced all the more quickly with the support of such a powerful group representing the industry’s more influential business, technology, and thought leaders.”

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Box posts revenue of $173m, up 16% yoy

Box reported revenue for its second quarter of fiscal year 2020 of $172.5 million, an increase of 16% from the second quarter of fiscal year 2019.

Billings for the second quarter of fiscal year 2020 were $172.9 million, an increase of 6% from the second quarter of fiscal year 2019.

GAAP net loss per share, basic and diluted, in the second quarter of fiscal year 2020 was $0.25 on 147.0 million weighted average shares outstanding. This compares to a GAAP net loss per share of $0.27 in the second quarter of fiscal year 2019 on 140.7 million weighted average shares outstanding. Non-GAAP net income per share, diluted, in the second quarter of fiscal year 2020 was $0.00 on 153.2 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding. This compares to a non-GAAP net loss per share of $0.05 in the second quarter of fiscal year 2019.

“We made significant progress on our key objectives in Q2, as we continued to deliver more products to our customers that enable higher value use cases, while executing on the most compelling product roadmap in our history,” said Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of Box. “We drove strong add-on product attach rates of more than 80% across our six-figure deals in Q2. Customers are increasingly adopting Box’s comprehensive Cloud Content Management solutions to protect their most important information with frictionless security and compliance, streamline internal and external collaboration and workflows, and enable a more productive workplace by leveraging a best-of-breed IT stack.”

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Lumentum appoints Penny Herscher as Board Chair

Lumentum appointed Penny Herscher as chair of its board of directors.

Herscher was one of the founding board members of Lumentum as it spun out of JDSU in 2015.She currently also serves on the boards of Faurecia SA, Verint, and PROS Holdings, Inc. Ms. Herscher previously served as CEO of FirstRain, a privately held company in the unstructured data analytics space, as CEO of Simplex Solutions, a publicly traded electronic design automation company and in C-level and senior executive positions for Cadence Design Systems, Inc. and Synopsys, Inc.

"Penny has been an invaluable resource and trusted advisor on Lumentum's board since our inception when we spun off from JDSU," said Alan Lowe, President and CEO. "I look forward to working with Penny even more closely in her new role as board chair to deliver increasing value for our stakeholders."

"I am honored to have been appointed the chair of Lumentum's board of directors," said Ms. Herscher. "I am more optimistic than ever about Lumentum's opportunities—the world is increasingly reliant on Lumentum's leadership in photonic solutions across multiple, high-growth industries. I look forward to working with Alan and the board to continue to serve our customers and return value to our stockholders and employees."

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Keysight joins 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation

Keysight Technologies has joined the 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation (5G-ACIA) to help establish a framework for test and verification that will accelerate deployment of new industrial 5G use cases.

Keysight said its expertise and portfolio of network infrastructure, device and application test solutions will support 5G-ACIA, a unique alliance in the informational and communications technology (ICT) industry, to accelerate the development of interworking technologies, which is a key component in enabling industrial IoT (IIoT) using 5G.

With more than 50 members, 5G-ACIA works towards establishing a new ICT and operational technology (OT) ecosystem, and coordinates 3GPP standardization activities relevant to automation industries and manufacturing requirements. Its members represent leading mobile operators, network equipment manufacturers, chip and device manufacturers, industrial automation solution providers, car vendors, research institutes among other prominent companies with operations around the world. Keysight has joined 5G-ACIA to continue supporting the development of 5G industry verticals, following contributions made in other key alliances such as the 5G Automotive Association (5G-AA).

“We are pleased to join 5G-ACIA, an alliance focused on ensuring that 5G technologies meet and address industrial use cases and requirements across automation, engineering and process industries,” said Giampaolo Tardioli, vice president of Keysight’s Network Access group. “Keysight’s leadership position in 5G as well as our expertise in engaging with standards bodies like 3GPP and CTIA will support 5G-ACIA in its efforts to create effective test standards and assure the certification of related components.”

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