AMS-IX, DE-CIX and LINX develop a universal IX-API

Three of the leading Internet exchange providers, AMS-IX, DE-CIX and LINX, announced a universal IX-API designed serve as a common technical communication protocol enabling communication between various software applications.

The idea is to create a common interface for provisioning key services at multiple exchanges, by creating a simpler platform for customers and offering an easier way to connect.

The three IX partners said their IX-API allows users to self-manage their existing and new interconnection services, such as peering, more effectively.

“At AMS-IX, we are very proud that the three largest exchanges join forces, collaborate and have reached consensus to deliver the common IX-API project. In a very competitive market, we have found a common ambition and drive for the greater good of the internet,” stated Henk Steenman, Chief Technology Officer, AMS-IX.

“DE-CIX ambition has always been to make customers life easier and connect them anywhere needed on the planet. Therefore, we are pleased to have come together with our partners to create this IX-API from scratch. We are convinced that this new industry standard will be adopted by other Internet Exchanges and interconnection providers,” said Dr Thomas King, Chief Technology Officer, DE-CIX.

“Our software and engineering teams have collaborated, working hard to create this modern RESTful API based on OpenAPI Specification v3 for managing IXPs customers and services,” commented Richard Petrie, Chief Technology Officer, LINX.

https://www.ams-ix.net/ams/news/ams-ix-de-cix-and-linx-develop-a-universal-ix-api

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Open Test and Integration Center targets O-RAN

A new Open Test and Integration Center (OTIC) initiative was launched by a group of global operators, vendors and integrators with the aim to facilitate OEM and other open source products and solutions to be functionally compliant to the specifications of the O-RAN Alliance, through verification, integration and testing of disaggregated RAN components and to deliver the desired architecture that supports a plug-n-play model.

OITC is led by China Mobile and Reliance Jio with participation from China Telecom, China Unicom, Intel, Radisys, Samsung Electronics, Airspan, Baicells, CertusNet, Mavenir, Lenovo, Ruijie Network, Inspur, Sylincom, WindRiver, ArrayComm, and Chengdu NTS.

The partners have agreed to collaborate on on multi-vendor interoperability and validation activities for realizing O-RAN compliant disaggregated 5G access infrastructure that leverages open software and hardware hardened for commercial deployments.

“O-RAN Alliance is driving RAN innovation to address operational efficiencies, mobile broadband traffic growth, and vertical industry requirements with the necessary flexibility and agility. Its disaggregated architecture focuses on open interfaces, open source software, open hardware reference design, and embedded AI/ML and data analytics. CMCC will initiate an OTIC in Beijing, China, which should provide the common platform for solutions to be operationally ready to enable end-to-end interoperability and deployment in scale; as well as to be hardened for reliability, performance, scalability, and security that operator networks require,” said Dr. Li Zhengmao, EVP of China Mobile.

“Jio has been able to fundamentally disrupt the telecom space, however we realize that disruption and innovation is a continuous process. We are fast-tracking our efforts in 5G and Open technologies by developing and working with OTIC to accelerate the adoption of industry standard, interoperable O-RAN based deployments. Delivering ubiquitous and high-performance solutions to everyone is at the core of everything we do. Working together, O-RAN, SOC providers, Operators, OEMs and solution providers are all important partners in the creation of the Open Wireless Network as a Platform. The OTIC is an important step toward enabling the commercialization of the Open RAN Platform and the new model for wireless networks,” said Mathew Oommen, President, Reliance Jio.

“Intel supports enabling open architectures and a robust ecosystem that will drive innovation at the edge and radio access network. Our support of the OTIC labs will enable development, integration and testing of the O-RAN specifications and accelerate the development of commercial solutions for 5G network deployments,” said Dan McNamara, Senior Vice President Data Center Group, Intel.

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Google enhances its Anthos multi-cloud platform

Google Cloud rolled out its next iteration of Anthos (formerly Google Cloud Services), which is its open platform form managing applications, unmodified, on existing on-prem hardware or in public clouds, including third-party clouds like AWS and Azure.

New Anthos capabilities include:

• Anthos Service Mesh, which connects, manages, and secures microservices. The service mesh uses high-performance and lightweight proxies to bring security, resiliency, and visibility to service communication. It also brings uniform policies for enforcing service aware network security including encryption in transit, mutual authentication and powerful access controls.
• Cloud Run for Anthos, which runs stateless workloads on a fully managed Anthos environment. This advances the practice of serverless computing.
• Anthos Config Management enhancements, which now includes capabilities to help your teams automate and enforce org-specific policies. Binary Authorization, meanwhile, helps to ensure that  only validated, verified images are integrated into your managed build-and-release process.

https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/hybrid-cloud/anthos-simplifies-application-modernization-with-managed-service-mesh-and-serverless-for-your-hybrid-cloud

Google Cloud's Anthos runs apps on-prem or multi-cloud, including AWS and Azure

Tuesday, April 09, 2019    

Google Cloud introduced Anthos, a new open platform form managing applications, unmodified, on existing on-prem hardware or in public clouds, including third-party clouds like AWS and Azure.

Anthos, which is the new name for the Cloud Services Platform that Google announced last year, is generally available both on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) with Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) and for private data centers with GKE On-Prem.  Anthos Config Management creates multi-cluster policies that set and enforce role-based access controls, resource quotas, and namespaces—all from a single source of truth. Anthos leverages open APIs and is based on GKE, Google's managed Kubernetes service.

Anthos launches with more than 30 hardware, software and system integration partners. Cisco promises integrations between Anthos and its own data center, networking, and security technologies, including Cisco HyperFlex, Cisco ACI, and Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud and Cisco SD-WAN. VMware, Dell EMC, HPE, Intel, and Lenovo have committed to delivering Anthos on their own hyperconverged infrastructure for their customers.

Google Cloud is also introducing Anthos Migrate in beta, which auto-migrates VMs from on-premises, or other clouds, directly into containers in GKE.

Google Cloud also unveiled Cloud Run, a fully managed serverless execution environment for containerized apps. Cloud Run on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) extends the serverless developer experience and workload portability to a GKE cluster. https://cloud.google.com/anthos/

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Qualcomm strengthens RF business with RF360 consolidation

Qualcomm acquired the remaining interest in RF360 Holdings Singapore Pte., a joint venture with TDK Corp., for approximately US$3.1 billion.

The joint venture has produced RF front-end (RFFE) filters which enable Qualcomm Technologies to deliver complete 4G/5G RFFE solutions.

Qualcomm said the acquisition enables it to provide customers a complete end-to-end solution from modem to antenna, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF System, including the world’s first commercial 5G NR sub-6 and mmWave solutions, integrating power amplifiers, filters, multiplexers, antenna tuning, LNAs, switching and envelope tracking products[2].

Qualcomm’s second generation RFFE solutions for its 5G portfolio will further enable OEM customers to design thin, high-performance, battery-efficient 5G multimode devices at scale and on time. Qualcomm Technologies’ system-level innovations such as wideband envelope tracking and adaptive antenna tuning intelligently combine the modem and RFFE to help achieve best-in-class 4G/5G power efficiency, data speeds and coverage. Due to the complexity of 5G, with its new spectrum and wider bandwidths, Qualcomm Technologies’ advanced RFFE solutions are very well-positioned to win future smartphone designs.

“Our goal in the formation of this joint venture was to enhance Qualcomm Technologies’ front-end solutions to enable us to deliver a truly complete solution to the mobile device ecosystem, and we have done exactly that,” said Cristiano Amon, president of Qualcomm Incorporated. “We are excited about the strong adoption of Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems in virtually all of our 150+ 5G design wins. Our systems approach has created a benchmark for 5G RFFE performance.”

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Boingo to launch CBRS commercial services

Boingo Wireless will launch initial commercial deployment (ICD) of the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band following the FCC’s public notice of approval.

Boingo’s neutral host CBRS network expands wireless coverage and capacity at large venues to accommodate mobile demands and deliver a seamless and secure connected experience.

A CBRS pioneer, Boingo deployed the first known CBRS network at a major airport when it launched a private LTE cellular network on the 3.5 GHz band at Dallas Love Field Airport, which services more than 15 million passengers annually. CBRS is part of Boingo’s wireless convergence portfolio that leverages licensed, unlicensed and shared spectrum. Boingo partners with airports, stadiums, office buildings, military bases, multifamily communities and other commercial properties to power networks that meet connectivity demands of today, and can scale to support content consumption in the 5G era.

“Since joining the Alliance, Boingo has been one of the strongest advocates for CBRS and OnGo™,” said Alan Ewing, executive director of the CBRS Alliance. “With the newly-announced commercial availability of OnGo services on the CBRS band, businesses can explore a variety of deployment options to support their connectivity needs, including neutral host leveraging private LTE. We at the Alliance applaud Boingo’s active support and continued commitment in helping to realize the potential of OnGo.”

Verizon signs Boingo to bring 5G in airports, office buildings, stadiums, etc.

Thursday, August 22, 2019  5G, Boingo, Test, Verizon  

Verizon is working with Boingo Wireless to bring 5G Ultra Wideband service indoors and to public spaces – places like airports, stadiums and arenas, office buildings, hotels, etc.

Boingo is a leading distributed antenna system (DAS), small cells and Wi-Fi provider.

The companies confirmed that they are working together to architect a hyper-dense network designed for large and small indoor spaces as part of Verizon’s ongoing 5G network expansions.

In addition, Verizon announced the expansion of its 5G service to Phoenix, Arizona. Initially, Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband service will be concentrated in Downtown Phoenix around several well-known landmarks, including: Phoenix Convention Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena, The Orpheum Theatre, CityScape, and Chase Field. It will also be available in Tempe, on the Arizona State University campus.

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ECOC 2019: Renesas to show full 64 Gbaud receiver

At next week's European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) in Dublin, Ireland, Renesas Electronics will show:

• Telecom Applications: Renesas combines a 64 Gbaud linear trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) with a photo diode to provide a full 64 Gbaud receiver solution, suitable for µICR and IC-TROSA designs. Along with the Renesas linear driver family, these solutions showcase the full spectrum of products ideal for next-generation 400G/600G coherent optical transceivers.
• Datacom and 5G Applications: The Renesas 50G PAM4 DML driver is designed for low-cost, low-power data center applications targeting 200 Gbps, as well as 1-channel applications in emerging 5G base station communication systems. Renesas will demonstrate combining the driver with a DML mounted in an industry-standard TOSA to enable a low-cost, easy-to-use solution for 5G mid-haul and back-haul applications.

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ECOC 2019: Ethernet Alliance points the way to 800G

At next week's 45th European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC 2019) in Dublin, Ireland, The Ethernet Alliance will host demonstrations of technologies from 25 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) to 400GbE, while pointing the way to the coming 800GbE future.

The Ethernet Alliance’s live ECOC 2019 multivendor demo includes a broad array of products and solutions, including routers, switches, Active Optical Cables (AOCs) and Direct Attach Cables (DACs), interconnects, and more. With components ranging from 25GbE to 400GbE at lengths of up to 4m in OSFP, QSFP28, and QSFP-DD form factors, the organization’s display showcases Ethernet’s rapid advancement and expansion. Reflecting growing momentum in test and measurement, the demo also includes contributions from leading organizations dedicated to accelerating time-to-market by ensuring compliance with Ethernet specifications.

Representing every aspect of the Ethernet ecosystem, the Ethernet Alliance ECOC 2019 demo includes equipment provided by preeminent Ethernet technology developers and vendors, including Amphenol; Arista Networks; Cisco Systems; CommScope; EXFO; TE Connectivity; Tektronix; Teledyne LeCroy; and Xena Networks.

“Ethernet is bursting through speed barriers at a breakneck pace. With higher speeds and longer reaches, it’s now pushing past its history as an innovative consumer technology into diverse new markets and application spaces like enterprise storage, automotive, and building automation,” said Greg McSorley, president, Ethernet Alliance; and technical business development manager, Amphenol Corp. “The 400GbE era is here but it’s only a stepping stone along the road to 800GbE. The secret to Ethernet’s continued success has always been and will continue to be interoperability. Getting traffic to travel seamlessly from today’s legacy implementations into tomorrow’s high-speed switches and ecosystems comes down to preserving Ethernet’s capacity for multivendor interoperability, which is highlighted in our ECOC 2019 demo.”

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Liqid's 2RU box packs 12 TB of Intel Optane and 184TB of NVMe

Liqid introduced a 2RU high-memory compute/storage plaform offering up to 12 TB of Intel Optane™ memory and 184TB of NVMe storage. The box is designed for in-memory calculations for extremely large datasets. The application-agnostic platform delivers unparalleled scale for in-memory databases, including Oracle TimesTen, SAP HANA, Apache Spark, Aerospike DBS, and other memory intensive applications.

Available in 6, 9, and 12 TB configurations, IT users can utilize Intel Optane resources on Linux as native memory without any changes to the application. These high-memory solutions can be used as standalone or combined with up to 184TB of in-system NVMe storage. Liqid’s composable infrastructure platform also enables IT users to compose Intel Optane in tandem with GPUs, FPGAs, or network resources on demand to support unique workload requirements.

“Intel Optane’s leadership in storage-class memory, coupled with Liqid’s composable infrastructure solutions provide data scientists with new tools to tackle larger workloads with compelling performance and economics,” said Chris Tobias, Director, Intel Datacenter Optane PCIe Solutions, Strategy, and Marketing, Intel. “Leveraging Intel Memory Drive Technology software, Intel Optane memory and Liqid enable data centers focused on real-time operational data analysis, recommendation engines, fraud detection, and other memory-intensive applications greater analytical capability.”

• Liqid is based in Broomfield, Colorado.

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Sweden's Netsam boosts metro capacity with ADVA FSP 3000

Netsam, a Swedish communication service provider (CSP), has deployed ADVA's FSP 3000 and FSP 150 to expand the capacity of its metro network.  The deployment features the ADVA FSP 3000 open line system (OLS) with micro-ROADMs and ADVA FSP 150 demarcation technology.

ADVA says the flexible ROADM-based photonic layer ensures Netsam’s fiber resources are used with optimal efficiency. With this and the ADVA FSP 150 deployed at customer premises, Netsam is able to provide SLA-based business services with speeds up to 100Gbit/s.

ADVA’s partner NetNordic, a leading solutions integrator in Scandinavia, also played a key role in the project.

https://www.adva.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/20190917-netsam-boosts-metro-network-capacity-with-adva-technology

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