An update from the Telecom Infra Project (TIP)

To mark its fourth anniversary, the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) provided the following update on its activities: 1. Global expansion of TIP activities, progressing solutions such as OpenRAN, Disaggregated Cell Site Gateways (DCSG) and Cassini into a growing number of deployments and field trials. Specifically, Vodafone has now launched trials in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as anticipated, and is progressing with trials in...

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U.S. Senate passes "rip and replace" bill

The U.S. Senate voted unanimously to approve a "rip and replace" bill to drive the rapid replacement of telecom gear deemed to be a national security threat, namely Huawei and ZTE. The House already passed similar legislation in December. Up to $1 billion would be made available through the FCC to help smaller telecom operators comply with the new requirements. President Trump is expected to sign the bill into law...

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GSMA leads Telco Edge Cloud initiative

GSMA is leading an industry effort to develop Telco Edge Cloud capabilities. The platform to be developed in 2020, will make local operator assets and capabilities, such as latency, compute and storage available to application developers and software vendors enabling them to fulfill the needs of enterprise clients. China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, EE, KDDI, Orange, Singtel, SK Telecom, Telefonica and TIM are backing the initiative. Objectives of...

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Company withdrawal notices for OFC

Acacia Communications, Infinera, OFS, and Viavi Solutions all confirmed their withdrawals from OFC 2020 due to the coronavirus situation. Previously, Ciena and Lumentum announced cancellations from the event. "We have made the difficult decision to cancel our participation in OFC," said Raj Shanmugaraj, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are disappointed we cannot participate as we were looking forward to showcasing our 400ZR, OpenZR+ and...

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NeoPhotonics posts revenue of $103.4 million, up 13%

NeoPhotonics reported Q4 2019 revenue of $103.4 million, up 12% quarter-over-quarter and 13% year-over-year. Gross margin was 30.2%, up from 28.4% in the prior quarter. Revenue in 2019 was $356.8 million, compared to $322.5 million in 2018 “Our strong revenue and gross margin expansion throughout the year was a result of our leadership in high speed products, serving the largest players in the industry in DCI and the transition of Cloud and hyper-scale...

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VMware revenues rise 11% yoy

VMware reported revenue of $3.07 billion for the fourth quarter of its fiscal 2020, an increase of 11% from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019. GAAP net income for the fourth quarter was $321 million, or $0.76 per diluted share, compared to $496 million, or $1.17 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019. Non-GAAP net income for the fourth quarter was $868 million, or $2.05 per diluted share, up 9%. The combination of subscription...

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Lufthansa Technik deploys private 5G with Nokia

Lufthansa Technik, the leading provider of technical aircraft services, deployed a 5G industrial-grade private wireless network to accelerate a project that enables remote engine parts inspection for its civil aviation customers. The "Virtual Table Inspection" proof of concept project leverages the 5G netork to remove the need for customers to physically attend servicing by providing seamless video access to the engine overhaul shop floor. Nokia...

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Applied Optoelectronics delivers revenue of $49 million

Applied Optoelectronics reported Q4 2019 revenue of $48.7 million, compared with $58.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 and $46.1 million in the third quarter of 2019. GAAP gross margin was 23.3%, compared with 18.2% in the fourth quarter of 2018. GAAP net loss was $35.4 million, or $1.76 per basic share, compared with net loss of $8.6 million, or $0.43 per basic share in the fourth quarter of 2018, and a net loss of $8.8 million, or $0.44...

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OFC 2020 is still on

The organizers of the upcoming OFC 2020 conference and exhibition confirmed that the event is still on. “We are excited to confirm that OFC 2020 is still on and going strong. The conference will be held as planned 8 – 12 March in San Diego, California USA with a high-quality technical program and exhibition. OFC Management is fully committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all OFC attendees. We have heard from many exhibitors that...

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Broadband Forum completes two new 5G standards

The Broadband Forum announced the completion of two standards for supporting 5G networks: 5G Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) Architecture (TR-470) - describes the 5G FMC architecture to provide a high-level guide for network architects and planners Access Gateway Function (AGF) Functional Requirements (TR-456)  - describes the functional requirements of the AGF. The AGF resides between fixed access networks and the 5G core network to support...

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Nokia trials 4G/5G slicing capabilities with customers

Nokia introduced new end-to-end slicing network functionality for 4G and 5G New Radio (NR). The slicing capability can be deployed via a software upgrade into existing LTE and 5G non-standalone (NSA) networks and subsequently 5G standalone (SA) networks. The slicing continuity between LTE and 5G NR allows operators to maximize their network coverage for new mobile connectivity services. Nokia said the solution provides sliced mobile broadband connectivity...

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Cisco builds Cloud Services Stack for 5G

Cisco announced new mobility solutions for integrating multi-vendor “telco stacks” of hardware, software and services capabilities as the foundation for 5G. The new Cisco Cloud Services Stack for Mobility is a cloud-based mobile packet core solution that accelerates implementation of 4G and 5G mobility services. It offers a carrier-grade NFVI platform that is pre-integrated, pre-validated, and embedded with security, automation and assurance capabilities,...

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Microsoft cites OEM supply chain stress from China

Microsoft issued updated financial guidance saying its Personal Computing segmen, which includes guidance as Windows OEM and Surface, will be more negatively impacted than expected due the COVID-19 health situation. The company said its supply chain in China is returning to normal operations at a slower pace than anticipated. All other components of the company's Q3 guidance remain unchanged. https://news.microsoft.com/2020/02/26/microsoft-upd...

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Mavenir builds 5G cloud with VMware & Dell

Mavenir has announced the integration of its 5G cloud-native telecom network functions (CNFs) with VMware’s container-ready Telco Cloud running on Dell Technologies’ edge computing solutions 5G deployments. The pre-integrated and tested Mavenir solution on Dell and VMware infrastructure integrates open source Container as a Service (CaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) with Mavenir’s microservices-based packet core and 4G/5G vRAN network functions. The...

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Google to invest $10G in U.S. facilities in 2020

Google will invest $10 billion in offices and data centers across the United States in 2020. The investments will be focused in 11 states: Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and California. During 2019, Google invested $13 billion in facilities across the country. When these figures are combined with its other R&D spending, Google says it is the largest investor in the U.S....

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South Pacific Manatua subsea cable deployment complete

Cable laying operations have been completed for the new "Manatua" South Pacific submarine cable system, which will provide connections from Apia, Samoa to Toahotu, Tahiti, with branching units for landings to Niue; Aitutaki, Cook Island; Raratonga, Cook Island; and Vaitape, Bora Bora. The Manatua Cable IW a new two/three fiber pair trunk that connects Apia and Toahotu with a two-fiber pair branch to Avatele, a three-fiber pair branch to Raratonga...

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Nutanix posts quarterly sales of $347M, subscription model grows

Nutanix reported revenue of $346.8 million for the second quarter of its fiscal 2020 ended January 31, 2020, up from $335.4 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2019. There was a GAAP net loss of $217.6 million, compared to a GAAP net loss of $122.8 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2019; Non-GAAP net loss was $116.3 million, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $40.4 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2019. Billings were $428.1 million,...

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Samsung intros Secure Element chip with with CC EAL 5+ for mobiles

Samsung Electronics introduced a Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level (CC EAL) 5+ certified Secure Element (SE) chip for mobile devices. The new Secure Element solution consists of a security chip and optimized software for protecting private data on an isolated data storage. “Strong security measures have become a crucial feature in today’s smart devices as they evolve into essential tools that hold the key to our personal data connected...

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Qualcomm: What's Next in 5G

In a webcast in lieu of Mobile World Congress, Qualcomm showcased some of its R&D project for "What's Next in 5G." Here are the highlights: Advanced 5G Massive MIMO OTA test network: This end-to-end system operating in 3.5 GHz highlights key innovations to further improve the network capacity and user experience benefits of multi-user massive MIMO and to enable of wide-area, low-latency services such as augmented reality. 5G wide-area technology...

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Verizon picks Fujitsu or CPRI, eCPRI and Ethernet Multiplexing Fronthaul

Verizon selected Fujitsu Network Communications as a preferred supplier of CPRI, eCPRI and Ethernet multiplexing fronthaul technology. In partnership with HFR Networks, Inc. , the Fujitsu solution works across Verizon’s existing network infrastructure to reduce deployment and operational costs while simultaneously supporting 4G LTE and 5G services. The Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) solution provided by Fujitsu and HFR Networks facilitates a more...

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Verizon hits 4.2 Gbps over 5G mmWave with 8-channel carrier aggregation

Verizon demonstrated speeds up to 4.2 Gbps over its live 5G network. The trial, which took place using a commercial network cell site in Texas, aggregated 800 MHz of 28 GHz band spectrum using Samsung Network’s 5G NR 28 Ghz Access Unit, which has been commercially deployed by Verizon. Motorola Mobility and Qualcomm were also key technology providers. “We’re continuing to expand our 5G Ultra Wideband network, built to enable unique and transformational...

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Qualcomm cites momentum for its 5G mmWave small cells platform

Qualcomm Technologies cited growing support for its 5G RAN platform (FSM100xx), which was first announced in May 2018 and it has since been adopted by many manufacturers and cellular infrastructure providers. The platform support mmWave radio access for indoor and outdoor network densification. “With the continued growth and adoption of our Qualcomm 5G RAN platform, Qualcomm Technologies aims to deliver cutting-edge 5G mmWave infrastructure technology...

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O-RAN Alliance and the Telecom Infra Project reach agreement

The O-RAN Alliance (O-RAN) and the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) agreed to collaborate on the development of interoperable open Radio Access Network (RAN) solutions. The O-RAN Alliance is focused on the development of open, intelligent, virtualized and interoperable RAN specifications. The Alliance has already created 31 specifications, with 37 demonstrations of the technology at past MWC events, global plugfests, and more than 1 000 000 lines of...

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Rakuten Mobile looks to Nokia to automate operations

Rakuten Mobile, Japan’s newest mobile network operator, has selected Nokia to implement a fully automated operations environment for the 5G era. Nokia will operate Rakuten Mobile’s virtualized core network to manage total cost of ownership (TCO). The agreement will allow Rakuten Mobile to focus on developing its portfolio of disruptive services and expanding its service footprint, while developing operational maturity and automation capabilities. Nokia...

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NTT DOCOMO picks Cisco's segment routing to optimize 5G backhaul

NTT DOCOMO has selected Cisco's Network Convergence System routers and segment routing for network slicing to help optimize its 5G mobile backhaul. Cisco said its converged SDN transport, with segment routing, and Network Convergence System routers can provide massive scale, full programmability, simpler cloud integration and service level agreements. “The IP network plays a more important role with 5G than ever before,” said Jonathan Davidson,...

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Ciena pulls out of OFC 2020

Citing concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus, Ciena has withdrawn from the upcoming Capacity Middle East 2020 event, scheduled to take place March 2-5 in Dubai, and the upcoming OFC 2020 event, scheduled to take place March 9-11 in San Diego. “We have made the decision to cancel our participation in all industry events for the next 30 days in order to safeguard the well-being of our employees, customers and partners. Although we are disappointed...

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Lumentum withdraws from OFC

Lumentum confirmed that it will not attend the upcoming OFC 2020 conference and tradeshow scheduled for March 8-12 in San Diego due to the continuing spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus globally. This withdrawal includes all investor and industry events scheduled during OFC. "Every year, we look forward to attending OFC to showcase our latest innovations and advancements in technology," said Alan Lowe, Lumentum President and CEO. "However, our highest...

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Infinera posts Q4 revenue of $384.6 million

Infinera reported GAAP revenue for Q4 2019 of $384.6 million compared to $325.3 million in the third quarter of 2019 and $332.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2018. GAAP gross margin for the quarter was 29.0% compared to 26.7% in the third quarter of 2019 and 25.4% in the fourth quarter of 2018.  GAAP net loss for the quarter was $(66.6) million, or $(0.37) per share.  Non-GAAP net income for the quarter was $6.4 million, or $0.03 per...

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Crowd watch at the RSA Conference in San Francisco

2pm on Tuesday, 25-February-2020. Not bad considering the circumstances. ...

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Conversational AI for Telco Service Providers

Customer support may well be the first really solid business case for AI in Service Provider networks. Imagine the ROI if conversational AI and automation could trim the time needed for millions of customer support calls. In this video, Umesh Sachdev, CEO of Uniphore, discusses the use case for conversational AI by telcos. More thought leadership videos on network automation may be found here: https://nginfrastructure.com/network-automation/...

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Intel launches 10nm chip for 5G base stations

Intel introduced a 10nm SoC for wireless base stations. The company is predicting that it will be the leading silicon provider in base stations by 2021, a year earlier than it had earlier forecast, after design wins with three leading base station manufacturers. Notable, the new Atom P5900 processor extends the Intel architecture from the core to access and all the way to the farthest edge of the network.  The Atom P5900 promises up to a...

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Southern Cross Cable carries first 800G wavelength

Southern Cross Cable connected the first single-wavelength 800G across a live production network using Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e) coherent optics. Specifically, the new 800G channel speed ran error-free on Southern Cross’ live production network between two large, global data centers on the U.S. West Coast and demonstrated record-breaking spectral efficiencies. Ciena said Southern Cross will begin volume deployment of WL5e in the second...

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Intel announces network-optimized 2nd Gen Xeon Scalable processors

Intel announced 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, promising an average of 36% more performance and an average of 42% more performance per dollar than the prior generation Intel Xeon Gold. The new processors — labeled with an “R,” “T” or “U” suffix — are designed for dual- and single-socket mainstream and entry-level server systems. The addition of more cores and increased cache in these processors are targeted at workloads where capacity-per-server...

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Intel unveils Diamond Mesa ASIC for 5G network acceleration

Intel unveiled "Diamond Mesa", its first next-generation structured ASIC for 5G network acceleration. It complements Intel’s portfolio of processors and FPGAs. Intel said structured ASICs like Diamond Mesa provide a minimum-risk optimization path for workloads that do not require the full programmability of FPGAs, targeting double the performance efficiency versus the prior generation, and uniquely position Intel as the only provider delivering...

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Vertical Systems Group: 2019 U.S. Carrier Ethernet LEADERBOARD

CenturyLink and AT&T retain the top two rankings on Vertical Systems Group's newly published 2019 U.S. Carrier Ethernet LEADERBOARD. Seven companies achieved a position on the 2019 U.S. Carrier Ethernet LEADERBOARD. The market leading companies are as follows (in rank order based on year-end 2019 retail port share): CenturyLink, AT&T, Spectrum Enterprise, Verizon, Comcast, Windstream and Cox. Service providers must have four percent (4%)...

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