Inphi samples first 400ZR QSFP-DD transceiver

Inphi has begun sampling its COLORZ II 400ZR QSFP-DD pluggable coherent transceiver for cloud data center interconnects (DCIs) to major cloud operators and OEMs.

Inphi cites several industry firsts for its COLORZ II 400ZR QSFP-DD:

• 400G single-chip, coherent Silicon Photonics Integrated Circuit (PIC) that includes all transmit and receive functions 
• Innovative, low cost, passive alignment of fiber to the PIC that eliminates the complicated active alignment, using traditional optics
• Low power, high performance, 7nm CMOS-based coherent DSP enabling 400ZR as well as extended reach 100/200/300/400G ZR+ modes
• Integrated industry standard firmware management interface that enables full performance monitoring previously only available in DCI or transport systems directly from the optical module

 The 400ZR standard promises to lower the cost and power consumption of metro data center interconnect (DCI) by enabling switch and router companies to offer the same density for both coherent DWDM and client optics in the same chassis. This eliminates a layer of network connectivity that was previously required and supports high capacity DWDM connectivity directly from data center switches. 

Inphi said its COLORZ II represents a massive increase in switch rack capacity, while reducing the power consumption by as much as 80%. COLORZ II delivers up to 14.4T of capacity per rack unit (RU), compared to 2.4T or 3.6T per RU on competing solutions, representing a 4-6 x increase in throughput per chassis.

“Inphi continues to innovate as we provide an expanding suite of choices for cloud network operators and OEMs to gain the flexibility of high bandwidth DWDM connectivity in between data centers with the ability to rapidly scale their capacity,” said, Dr. Loi Nguyen, Sr VP, Optical Interconnect, Inphi. “By meeting the needs of cloud network companies that require extended link reaches, the 400ZR opens up new possibilities for DCIs to reduce total cost of ownership of cloud networks. As a fabless company we have proven our capability to quickly increase manufacturing and market share for our COLORZ 100G DWDM modules and are ready to meet our customers demand for COLORZ II.” 

https://www.inphi.com/media-center/press-releases/inphi-sampling-new-colorz-ii-industrys-first-400zr-qsfp-dd-transceiver-for-cloud-data-center-interconnects/

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O-RAN plugfest shows progress on integrated multi-vendor solutions

The O-RAN Allianceconducted its first worldwide plugfest and proof of concept to demonstrate the functionality as well as the multi-vendor interoperability of network equipment that complies with the recently published O1, A1, and Open Fronthaul interface specifications. Thirty-five companies and operator-members jointly demonstrated 10 scenarios to verify and validate recently published O-RAN specifications in Asia, Europe and North America.

“O-RAN’s first global plugfest showcases the power of the community to document and develop truly open interface specifications with the potential to accelerate new 5G advanced services that will be multi-operator, multi-vendor, and create opportunities for the entire ecosystem,” said Andre Fuetsch, Chairman of the O-RAN Alliance and Chief Technology Officer of AT&T. “These live demonstrations represent yet another step toward the realization of O-RAN compliant 5G RAN solutions that should soon become part of the product offerings of both mainstream and niche vendors.”

ASIA

Hosted by China Mobile, the plugfest Asian Session was held in the China Mobile International Information Port, an Open Test and Integration Center, with physical attendance well over 200 attendees from over 70 companies, plus on-line attendance of over 70 participants. Representatives from global operators including British Telecom, China Telecom, China Unicom, NTT DOCOMO, Orange, Reliance Jio, Telecom Italia Mobile and an operator from North America have actively participated in this event.

The plugfest tested and integrated multi-vendor solutions that comply with the O-RAN Open Fronthaul interface and exercised decoupling different hardware technologies from the RAN software:

• Cloud-based small cell running on virtualization technology was demonstrated by CertusNet, Lenovo, ChengDu NTS and Inventec. It features a VM-based O-CU and containerized O-DU cohosted on the same x86 processor plus accelerator platform.
• Multi-vendor interoperability with 5G commercial products was demonstrated by NTT DOCOMO with Fujitsu and NEC.
• A low power configuration of cloud base station running on Yocto OS and container technology was demonstrated by Altran, ArrayComm, WindRiver, Baicells and CIG. It features the open architecture baseband signal processing based on ARM processor plus accelerator computing platform.
• Soft base station with O-RAN compliant open fronthaul interface, but without virtualization, was demonstrated by Radisys, Foxconn (Taiwan), QCT and Intel. It leverages open source software including the O-RAN Open Source Community’s OFH Lib, and BBDev based Accelerator Abstraction Layer SDK API.
• The interworking of the O-RAN open fronthaul interface was demonstrated on technology provided by FHK (Shenzen) and Viavi, which performs comprehensive tests based on the test specification by O-RAN with O-RU and UE emulator in a multiple-UE test environment.
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The plugfest held in the NTT DOCOMO R&D Center presented multi-vendor interoperability between CU/O-DU and O-RU using the O-RAN Open Fronthaul interface and multi-vendor interoperability between eNB and gNB using the O-RAN X2 interface. The functionality has been successfully demonstrated by NTT DOCOMO, Fujitsu, NEC, and Nokia. NTT DOCOMO has already started 5G pre-commercial service with the presented products. An Open Test and Integration Center is planned to be established in Japan.

NORTH AMERICA

The plugfest and proof-of-concept conducted within an Open Test and Integration Center candidate in North America, 5G COSMOS, which consists of vendor and university labs in the NYC metro area, was hosted by AT&T and focused primarily on the validation of the O1 and A1 interfaces:

• Physical Network Function (PNF) Plug and Play, a 3GPP-aligned O1 use case that provides a means for service providers to collaborate with equipment vendors to have PNFs discovered by Service Management Orchestration (SMO) via a PNF registration handler, was demonstrated by Nokia, CommScope and Ericsson. Remote SMO functions were also demonstrated with connections to labs in France and Germany.
• Bulk Performance Management Data Collection was demonstrated by Ericsson and Nokia.
• O1 interface functionality for Configuration, Performance, and Fault Management of multi-vendor equipment via a vendor-agnostic SMO was demonstrated by Altiostar, CommScope, and Samsung.
• A1 interface functionality to optimize PCI/RSI for a large-scale RAN simulator using a closed loop automation framework was demonstrated by IBM, Tech Mahindra, Wipro and highstreet technologies.
• Convergence of the Open Fronthaul Management Plane specification with O1 interface was demonstrated by Samsung.

“The O-RAN Alliance has been continuously expanding its influence in the industry since its inception. It is really amazing to see such a symbolic milestone achieved just 10 months since its release of the first specification in MWC Barcelona this year,” said Zhengmao Li, EVP of China Mobile. “The successful holding of the plugfest event globally with deep contribution from over 30 partners represents a consolidated step towards a full disaggregated O-RAN compliant 5G network.”

Dr. Hiroshi Nakamura, EVP and CTO, NTT DOCOMO commented, "We believe wide adoption of O-RAN compliant products will enable more agile, flexible and cost-effective network construction, and welcome the testing and integration efforts of O-RAN standards that are being carried out across the globe. NTT DOCOMO will continue to lead O-RAN Alliance activities and expand its 5G network, and will accelerate the co-creation of 5G services and markets with vertical industry partners."

https://www.o-ran.org/resources/

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Silicon-based optical parametric oscillator transforms wavelengths

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), University of Maryland, and University of Colorado are developing a new optical parametric oscillator (OPO) light source that can produce output light at different wavelength than the input light. In addition to creating light at visible wavelengths, the OPO simultaneously generates near-infrared wavelengths that can be used for telecom applications.

The research is published in Optica, The Optical Society's (OSA) journal.

“Our power-efficient and flexible approach generates coherent laser light across a range of wavelengths wider than what is accessible from direct chip-integrated lasers,” said research team leader Kartik Srinivasan. “The on-chip creation of visible light can be used as part of highly functional compact devices such as chip-based atomic clocks or devices for portable biochemical analyses. Developing the OPO in a silicon photonics platform creates the potential for scalable manufacturing of these devices in commercial fabrication foundries, which could make this approach very cost-effective.”

“Nonlinear optical technologies are already used as integral components of lasers in the world’s best atomic clocks and many laboratory spectroscopy systems,” said Xiyuan Lu, first author of the paper and a NIST-University of Maryland postdoctoral scholar. “Being able to access different types of nonlinear optical functionality, including OPOs, within integrated photonics is important for transitioning technologies currently based in laboratories into platforms that are portable and can be deployed in the field.”

The Optical Society said the silicon-based device may enable variety of photonic applications across a range of wavelengths.

Some highlights:
The OPO based on a microring made from silicon nitride.
It is fed by approximately 1 milliwatt of infrared laser power — about the same amount of power found in a laser pointer.
As the light travels around the microring it increases in optical intensity until powerful enough to create a non-linear optical response in silicon nitride.
This enables frequency conversion, a nonlinear process that can be used to produce an output wavelength, or frequency, that is different from that of the light going into the system.
The device was used to convert 900-nanometer input light to 700-nanometer-wavelength (visible) and 1300-nanometer-wavelength (telecommunications) bands.
The OPO accomplished this using less than 2 percent of the pump laser power required by previously reported microresonator OPOs developed for generating widely separated output colors.

number of compact chip lasers combined with flexible and versatile nonlinear nanophotonics.”

Paper: X. Lu, G. Moille, A. Singh, Q. Li, D. A. Westly, A. Rao, S.-P. Yu, T. C. Briles, S. B. Papp, K. Srinivasan, “Milliwatt-threshold visible-telecom optical parametric oscillation using silicon nanophotonics,” Optica, 6, 12, 1535-1541 (2019).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1364/OPTICA.6.001535

https://www.osapublishing.org/optica/home.cfm

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Ericsson's Connected Vehicle Cloud to run on Microsoft Azure

Ericsson and Microsoft formed an alliance focused on connected vehicles. The goal is to help automakers to deploy and scale global vehicle services such as fleet management, over-the-air software updates and connected safety services much easier and faster while reducing costs.

Ericsson is building its Connected Vehicle Cloud on top of the Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform that is running on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.

Ericsson notes that its Connected Vehicle Cloud already connects more than 4 million vehicles across 180 countries worldwide - approximately 10 percent of the connected vehicle market. The platform is tailored to fit vehicle manufacturers’ growing demand for scalability and flexibility with the capability of supporting any connected vehicle service.

Ericsson’s Connected Vehicle Cloud offloads vehicle manufacturers' complexity of global 24/7 operations and lifecycle management related to connected vehicles with a guaranteed service-level agreement.

“The Ericsson and Microsoft partnership will deliver a comprehensive connected vehicle platform at scale to the market. Our integrated solutions will help automotive manufacturers accelerate their global connected vehicle solutions and offer a better experience for drivers and passengers,” says Åsa Tamsons, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Area Technologies & New Businesses.

“This is an exciting new offering with great benefits for the automotive industry, leveraging Ericsson and Microsoft’s technology leadership in connectivity and cloud.”

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Interxion acquires 70% share of Kenyan data center operator

Interxion agreed to acquire a controlling interest in Icolo, a Kenyan data centre operator. Interxion also entered into a strategic partnership with the Pembani Remgro Infrastructure Fund (PRIF), which will invest in Icolo and will collaborate and co-invest with Interxion on expansion initiatives across the African continent. The transaction is expected to close in 1Q 2020. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Icolo, which has two data centres in Kenya currently in operation, reports strong demand from cloud and content platforms and across the enterprise segment. Acquisitions of 25,000 sqm of land for further expansion of Icolo’s data centre footprint are in progress in both Mombasa and Nairobi, with the associated total capacity for Icolo in Kenya expected to grow to approximately 20MW. In Mombasa, Icolo is uniquely positioned to benefit from the growing number of submarine cable consortia that have expressed their intention to land in Kenya.

“We are pleased to announce this partnership with Pembani Remgro, one of the leading TMT infrastructure investment firms in Africa,” said David Ruberg, Interxion’s Chief Executive Officer. “Their deep understanding of the African communications and technology sectors is highly complementary to Interxion’s proven expertise in serving the mission-critical needs of the customers in our carrier and cloud-neutral data centres. Our ambitions in this region are substantial, reflecting the opportunity for the cloud and content platforms to bring several hundreds of millions of people online in Africa over the next decade. We look forward to working with Icolo’s founder and CEO, Ranjith Cherickel, and his team to build on the solid foundations they have created.”

Upon the closing of the transaction and taking into consideration the PRIF investment, Interxion will own approximately 70% of Icolo’s common shares with the remaining shares held by PRIF and Icolo management.

Digital Realty + Interxion merger brings scale and interconnectivity

Wednesday, October 30, 2019  Digital Realty, Interxion  

Digital Realty and Interxion agreed to a merger that would create a global provider of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions.  Under the deal, Interxion shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.7067 Digital Realty shares per Interxion share.  The transaction values Interxion at approximately $93.48 per ordinary share or approximately $8.4 billion of total enterprise value, including assumed net debt.

Interxion's European business currently consists of 53 carrier- and cloud-neutral facilities in 11 European countries and 13 metro areas including Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris and Interxion's Internet Gateway in Marseille. Its network reaches 700 connectivity providers, 21 European Internet exchanges, and most leading cloud and digital media platforms. Interxion has a robust pipeline of data center development projects currently under construction, with over $400 million invested to date and a total expected investment of approximately $1 billion. These projects represent roughly a 40% expansion of Interxion's standalone critical load capacity, are significantly pre-leased and are expected to be delivered over the next 24 months, representing a solid pipeline of potential future growth for the combined company.

The companies said their combination will build upon Digital Realty's successful track record of hyperscale development and will represent an extension of the connected campus strategy that empowers enterprise customers to leverage the right products – from colocation to hyperscale footprints – to create value by efficiently deploying

In Europe, Digital Realty has an established presence in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London and Dublin. On a global basis, Digital Realty has 220 data centers in 35 top metropolitan areas,

The companies also noted that the merger will provide access to additional capital for investment.

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F5 to acquire Shape Security for $1 billion

F5 agreed to acquire Shape, a privately-held company supplying fraud and abuse prevention solutions, for approximately $1 billion in cash, subject to certain adjustments.

Shape provides protection from automated attacks, botnets, and targeted fraud. In particular, Shape defends against credential stuffing attacks, where cybercriminals use stolen passwords from third-party data breaches to take over other online accounts. Shape’s application protection platform evaluates the data flow from the user into the application and leverages highly sophisticated cloud-based analytics to discern good traffic from bad. With F5’s location in the data flow of traffic in over 80% of Fortune 500 application infrastructures, F5 provides the ideal insertion point for Shape’s security services. Together F5 and Shape will dramatically reduce the time and resources needed for organizations to deploy world-class online fraud and abuse protection.

F5 said the acquisition brings together its own expertise in protecting applications across multi-cloud environments with Shape’s fraud and abuse prevention capabilities to transform application security.

“We know from the companies we work with that applications are critical to running their business. To drive maximum business value and the best experiences for their customers, these apps need to perform flawlessly while protecting data security and user privacy. When a website or application experience is degraded by web fraud and abuse, the result is lost revenue, lost brand equity, and customers jumping ship to the competition,” said F5 President and CEO, François Locoh-Donou.

“With Shape, we will deliver end-to-end application protection, which means revenue generating, brand-anchoring applications are protected from the point at which they are created through to the point where consumers interact with them—from code to customer,” continued Locoh-Donou.

“Since Shape’s inception, we observed a consistent pattern in customer after customer: the use of F5 technology to deliver and enable their applications,” said Derek Smith, co-founder and CEO of Shape. “Now, we look forward to the opportunity to deeply integrate into F5’s platform for application delivery and security—F5 provides the optimum traffic flow insertion point for Shape’s industry-leading online fraud and abuse prevention solutions.”

https://investors.f5.com/
https://www.shapesecurity.com/

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Nokia to supply 5G in Aruba

SETAR, the leading communications provider in Aruba, picked Nokia to provide a full end-to-end 5G network across the island.

In a phased approach, the deal will see Nokia upgrading RAN access and modernizing elements of the core and data management systems.

Nokia notes that this is its first end-to-end 5G deal in Latin America.

Nokia already works with SETAR to run a 4.5G Pro-based island-wide network using Single RAN Advanced AirScale technology – a flexible network that ensures easy re-farming of spectrum as needed.

The SETAR network evolution project consists of:

• Enhancing and evolving SETAR’s network architecture with Centralized RAN and AirScale Cloud Controllers to support more capacity while managing network resources more efficiently
• Site simplification by deploying Nokia AirScale dual and triple band AirScale RRHs reducing more than 60% site space requirements
• Activation of advanced features like Carrier aggregation, 256QAM and MIMO4x4 to enable 3 to 4 times higher downlink speeds
• An upgrade to 5G in the first selected sites using Nokia massive MIMO technology with 64 antennas to enable new mobile broadband uses cases like Fixed Wireless Access, Augmented and Virtual Reality, etc/

Nokia now has 55 commercial 5G commercial contracts globally.

http://www.nokia.com

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Axiado raises $10 million for secure firewall

Axiado, a start-up based in San Jose, California, received a $10 million investment in the form of a convertible note from Orbit Venture Partners (OVP).

Axiado is developing a new secure firewall platform.

https://axiado.com/company.html

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