Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Internet2 to move onto CenturyLink’s new low-loss optical fiber

by Benedict Chua, Assistant Editor

Internet2 will migrate the majority of its footprint onto CenturyLink's new low-loss optical fiber.

CenturyLink recently pulled new, low-loss optical fiber over a large portion of its national network. The installation uses an ITU-T G.652.D compliant single-mode optical fiber that is optimized for high bit rate coherent systems using advanced modulation schemes supporting 100G and above. CenturyLink also realigned amplifier spacing to create more efficient resources for optimized optical networks.

Internet2 said the move will support its new all-coherent open-line system. CenturyLink has also been selected to provide the professional services to migrate Internet2 to its new platform, which will be equipped with a flex-grid open-line system being provided by Ciena. The new contractual fiber-use agreements will extend through at least 2042. Internet2 will have the ability to reach anywhere on its domestic footprint with an unregenerated wavelength of up to 200G. Many high-use spans on Internet2’s Network will also support 400G and 800G wavelengths with existing technologies and higher bitrates are expected in the coming years as new DSP technology comes into production. Internet2 has been able to achieve unregenerated spans without employing Raman amplification, a reduction in complexity and improved efficiency both at installation and for ongoing operations.

“We believe the combination of the most advanced fiber from CenturyLink with the latest coherent transmission technologies from Ciena provides enormous opportunities to enable research and academic pursuits in the United States,” said Rob Vietzke, vice president of network services for Internet2. “Whether it is tracking the origins of Neutrinos in the Antarctic, comparing gene sequences or studying the climate, this new optical network, with its ability to span very long distances at very high bandwidths and improved efficiency, is essential to providing the best research infrastructure for data-intensive science on the globe.”

“One of America’s leading research and education organizations placed its trust in CenturyLink to upgrade its network to a high-speed, high-capacity, fiber-optic network that will support today’s leading-edge research projects,” said Sonia Ramsey, CenturyLink’s vice president for the state and local government and education market. “Internet2’s selection of CenturyLink recognizes the company’s long-standing relationship with the research and education community and our commitment to meet the community’s ever-increasing advanced technology needs.”     

https://www.internet2.edu/news/detail/17474/

Internet2 to deploy open line system (OLS) from Ciena

by Benedict Chua, Assistant Editor

Internet2 will deploy a flexible grid open line system (OLS) from Ciena to transform its network to a more scalable, programmable and adaptive architecture.

The upgraded network, which connects several hundred universities, government agencies, and community anchor institutions across the U.S., strengthens Internet2 and the wider R&E community’s ability to conduct scientific research, enhance collaboration, and improve operations.

The OLS element will provide access to a highly reliable, contiguous coherent optical network that can facilitate wavelength delivery and efficient data transfer throughout the continental United States. The OLS also includes Ciena’s commitment to support wavelengths launched directly from Internet2’s member networks for transport to strategic endpoints beyond their regional footprints.

Specifically Internet2 will deploy Ciena’s latest-generation Waveserver – powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme – programmable 200G-800G coherent optics to enable Internet2 to deploy 800G wavelengths in metro locations and support efficient 400GE interconnect over native 400G wavelengths between Internet2 points-of-presence system-wide.

Ciena said Internet2’s deployment will reduce the overall space and power footprint of the current optical add-drop locations by as much as two-thirds, contributing to a lower cost and greener network that supports substantially more capacity. Internet2 will be able to tune, control and dynamically adjust optical capacity across any path using Ciena’s Liquid Spectrum ™ analytics software. Additionally, Ciena’s Manage, Control and Plan domain controller will help improve network management and operations.
Executive Comments:

“Ciena put forth a great proposal that met Internet2’s objectives to efficiently increase capacity, increase optical reach, and support open line system use cases. Together with superior coherent modems and a proven support system, the openness, flexibility and greener profile of this network will play a key role in our ability to accelerate discoveries in the research and education community. We are delighted to have Ciena as a partner in tackling the great research and education challenges of the next decade,” stated Howard Pfeffer, President and CEO, Internet2.

“Internet2 is a trailblazer in the R&E community. They are also leaders in developing collaborative environments that are shaping how future high performance, high capacity networks will be created to fuel the digital society. Ciena worked with Internet2 to establish America’s first nationwide 100G R&E network and this latest initiative will significantly enhance Internet2’s services,” said Rod Wilson, Chief Technologist for Research Networks, Ciena.

Next-Gen-SD-WAN: 2020 Predictions with Nuage's Sunil Khandekar



Nuage Networks saw a lot of traction for SD-WAN in 2019 with their engagement with service providers in all three tiers across the globe. Sunil Khandekar, CEO of Nuage Networks, shares three predictions for SD-WAN and what we can expect to see in 2020.

https://nginfrastructure.com/sd-wan/




CENIC deploys first 400G circuit in Los Angeles

CENIC, the organization that provides global connectivity for education and research institutions in California, has deployed a 400 Gbps single-carrier optical circuit between Los Angeles and Riverside. This marks one of the first-ever 400G superchannels to be deployed by a US regional research and education network. Construction included upgrading nodes in Los Angeles, Tustin, Oceanside, San Diego (home to the San Diego Supercomputer Center), Escondido, Sun City, and Riverside to 400G capabilities.

CENIC upgraded network infrastructure to flex spectrum Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexers (ROADMs) and the NCS 1004 transponder platform. CENIC used Cisco-loaned equipment for the validation in production and is now implementing the permanent infrastructure.

“This is an important networking milestone for CENIC,” said President and CEO Louis Fox. “With increasing demands for 100G services among our community, from research scientists working with big data sets to educators leveraging technology to transform the classroom, network capacity should not limit the work or ambitions of our researchers, teachers, or students.”

CENIC plans to expand its 400G provisioning capabilities along its coastal fiber path from Los Angeles to Sunnyvale by mid-2020.

CENIC’s network traffic continues to grow by roughly 60% each year. Between May 2018 and May 2019, the network moved an exabyte of data.

http://www.cenic.org


Telstra deploys Ericsson's container-based EPC core

Ericsson and Telstra successfully deployed a live cloud-native container-based Evolved Packet Core for 4G and 5G services -- an industry first and a significant milestone in network orchestration and automation, according to the companies..

Ericsson's cloud-native container-based Evolved Packet Core was deployed in Telstra’s production Network Functions Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVi). It is fully integrated into Telstra’s mobile core network and is carrying live 4G and 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) traffic.

Highlights of Telstra’s cloud-native Evolved Packet Core :

  • Ericsson Packet Core Controller and Ericsson Packet Core Gateway support 4G and 5G Non-standalone (NSA) control and user plane functions in both a centralized configuration and edge-breakout configurations.
  • Ericsson’s Packet Core Controller is deployed as a cloud-native container-based Mobility Management Entity (MME) in an existing MME pool.
  • Both the Ericsson Packet Core Controller and Packet Core gateway are designed from the ground up to be fully cloud-native container-based solutions. They run on Ericsson’s Cloud Container Distribution (CCD) that is part of Ericsson’s NFVI solution or on other Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) aligned distributions.
  • Ericsson CCD provides container management and orchestration for the latest Ericsson cloud native applications. CCD can be run on bare metal or within a Virtual Machine in an OpenStack deployment.

Emilio Romeo, Head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, says: “Telstra and Ericsson are leading the mobile industry with this first container-based cloud-native Evolved Packet Core in Telstra’s production environment and carrying live traffic. This is an important step towards fundamentally changing the way both companies deploy and operate mobile core networks. Core networks will become much more flexible and agile, allowing operators such as Telstra to quickly create and deploy compelling new services for their customers. This in turn helps operators build new revenues.”


Silver Peak and Ciena expand NFV partnership

Silver Peak announced expanded collaboration with Ciena to integrate Silver Peak network functions virtualization (NFV) and Ciena universal customer premise equipment (uCPE) to create new service delivery models for communications service providers (CSPs) that bring new levels of flexibility to global enterprise customers.

The companies said Silver Peak EdgeConnect NFV supported by Ciena’s ability to host multiple virtual network functions (VNFs) and Ethernet connectivity services frees CSPs to offer a virtually limitless portfolio of connectivity and enhanced managed SD-WAN services to medium and large enterprises, accelerating new revenue streams.

“As enterprises advance digital transformation and cloud initiatives to gain business agility and competitive edge, many understand the foundational requirement for a modern WAN edge,” said Fraser Street, vice president of technical alliances at Silver Peak. “Cloud-first enterprises are increasingly turning to service providers for turnkey managed SD-WAN services that unite advanced network functions like the EdgeConnect NFV, enabling them to retire legacy WAN infrastructure and fully leverage the power of software that delivers a multiplier effect on cloud investments.”

“With an ongoing surge in demand for network connectivity and services, driven by high-bandwidth content and business-critical applications, the industry is witnessing firsthand how digital transformation impacts the network,” said Brian Lavallée, senior director of portfolio marketing at Ciena. “CSPs and enterprises are actively modernizing their network assets to be increasingly intelligent, agile, and adaptive. Together with Silver Peak, we make this journey possible.”

EE activates 5G in six more UK cities

EE switched on its first 5G sites in six new cities across the UK, bringing its 5G rollout to a total of 50 cities and large towns in 2019.

EE launched with 5G coverage in London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, Birmingham and Manchester in May. The new activation includes Hull, Leeds, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Sunderland, surpassing its target of introducing 5G to 16 UK cities in 2019. EE has also switched on its first 5G sites in Northampton, Stevenage and Wakefield.

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s consumer division, said: “We switched on the UK’s first 5G network in May, and this is another milestone towards keeping our customers connected 100% of the time. We’re leading the way in the UK, with 4G and 5G coverage in more places than any other operator. Adding 5G to more cities and towns – and expanding our 5G coverage in each place – is helping us to always deliver the best mobile experience to our customers.”

Telefónica tests flexiWAN SD-WAN on whitebox CPE.

by Benedict Chua

flexiWAN, which offers a modular and opensource SD-WAN, confirmed that with Telefónica os testing its solution.

“Telecom operators should position themselves as Value Added Services (VAS) creators by leveraging their vast commercial and technology ecosystems,” said Juan Campillo, Connectivity Innovation Director at Telefónica. “flexiWAN’s product vision is aligned with Telefónica’s current open networks strategy. Thanks to the openness of solutions like flexiWAN, Telefónica can better control the value chain fostering innovation, reducing complexity as well as adapting the product to companies with less networking knowledge and to a larger variety of enterprise networking needs.”

“Our work with Telefónica allows us to benefit from their vast experience and market reach to enterprises of all sizes and segments as well as to technology companies,” commented Amir Zmora, CEO and Co-founder of flexiWAN. “With this, we enjoy access to leading technology companies for integration and cooperation for enhancing flexiWAN as well as better understanding of the enterprise market needs.”