Wednesday, April 29, 2020

OIF publishes 400ZR implementation agreeement

OIF published the Implementation Agreement (IA) for a low-cost, 400ZR coherent optical interface.

OIF launched the 400ZR project in response to requests from large-scale data center operators and their suppliers for an interoperable coherent interface that transports 400 Gigabit Ethernet over longer distances. Traditional network operators also became interested in 400ZR for their metro needs. Based on their different requirements, OIF developed specs and tweaked the channel requirements so the IA would benefit both data center and network operators. While developing the IA, OIF collaborated closely with other standards bodies.

The 400ZR IA addresses two applications:

  • Amplified, point-to-point DWDM links with reaches of 120 km or less
  • Unamplified, single wavelength links with a loss budget of 11dB


The IA aims to enable interoperable, cost-effective, 400Gbps implementations based on single-carrier coherent DP-16QAM modulation, low-power DSPs supporting absolute (Non-Differential) phase encoding/decoding, and a Concatenated FEC (C-FEC) with a post-FEC error floor <1 .0e-15.="" 400gbase-r="" 400zr="" a="" as="" operates="" p="" phy.="">

No restriction on the physical form factor is implied by the IA (QSFP-DD, OSFP, COBO, CFP2, CFP8), but the specifications target a pluggable DCO architecture with port densities equivalent to grey client optics.

“As a member driven organization, OIF’s work toward the 400ZR IA was the combination of significant interest from network operator members and component supplier members responding to that demand,” said Karl Gass, OIF Physical and Link Layer (PLL) Working Group – Optical Vice Chair. “The 400ZR IA is the culmination of this significant effort by OIF member companies and is critical for managing cost and driving interoperability for the industry.”

“400ZR is a key enabler of Microsoft’s regional architecture for the 400G generation,” said Mark Filer, Principal Optical Engineer in Microsoft Azure. “The creation of a multi-vendor, interoperable coherent interface to meet these needs would not have been possible without the extensive work and cooperation of OIF members and leadership.”

“The 400ZR IA is an example of OIF’s ability to quickly and effectively mobilize opinion and to bring interoperability to a rapidly evolving world,” said Andrew Schmitt, Directing Analyst at Cignal AI. “The 400ZR specification is the organization’s first step to establish broader interoperability among coherent transport interfaces.”

http://www.oiforum.com

II-VI launches pluggable Optical Line Subsystem for 400ZR



II‐VI introduced a pluggable optical line subsystem (POLS) platform to enable the 400ZR coherent transceivesr ecosystem for next-generation datacenter interconnects (DCIs). II-VI’s initial product from the POLS platform is the OSFP-LS, designed in the very compact OSFP form factor, that plugs directly into a datacenter interconnect (DCI) switch port and enables full-duplex multi-channel 400ZR transport, including multiplexing, demultiplexing, and...


Acacia samples 400ZR, OpenZR+, Open ROADM MSA



Acacia Communications has begun sampling multiple variants in its family of 400G pluggable optical transceiver modules, including 400ZR, OpenZR+, and Open ROADM MSA. Volume production is expected in the second half of 2020. Acacia’s 400G pluggable module family features an expansive list of interoperability solutions in QSFP-DD, OSFP and CFP2-DCO pluggable form factors for cloud data center interconnects (DCIs) and service provider networks. The...


OIF's Coherent Common Management Interface Spec supports 400ZR



OIF has completed the Coherent Common Management Interface Specification (C-CMIS) Implementation Agreement (IA), which serves as an extension to the CMIS (QSFP-DD/OSFP/COBO) management specification, specifically targeting DCO modules. “The C-CMIS IA is an important part of the developing 400ZR ecosystem,” said Ian Betty, Ciena and OIF Board Member. “It defines additional management registers, and monitors, together with new functionality, mechanisms,...



NeoPhotonics began sampling its new 400ZR ClearLight OSFP transceiver to a leading cloud -related customer. The new transceiver utilizes NeoPhotonics Silicon Photonics Coherent Optical Subassembly (COSA) and low power consumption, ultra-narrow linewidth Nano-ITLA tunable laser, combined with the latest generation of 7 nm DSP, to provide full 400ZR transmission in a standard data center OSFP form factor. NeoPhotonics said its new 400ZR ClearLight...



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...


Deutsche Telekom selects ADTRAN's OLT for Access 4.0 network

Deutsche Telekom has selected ADTRAN’s SDX OLT solutions for deployment as part of its new Access 4.0 network, as well as to be deployed in its existing architectures along with ADTRAN’s SDN-enabled management system, Mosaic Cloud Platform.

As part of this partnership, Deutsche Telekom and ADTRAN have aligned joint developments for the Access 4.0 project, based on principles defined by the Open Networking Foundation’s SDN-Enabled Broadband Access (SEBA) reference architecture.

DT's Access 4.0 network is integrating SDN, disaggregated hardware components and network functions virtualization (NFV) technologies in an open ecosystem to gain flexibility while lowering overall deployment costs. In the first phase, Access 4.0 will focus on DT’s fiber access network that can scale to support a mix of residential, enterprise and backhaul services.



ADTRAN’s SDX OLT solutions integrate into Access 4.0’s SEBA-based architecture to provide carrier-grade GPON and XGS-PON service delivery in an open ecosystem.

“The Access 4.0 program constitutes a true paradigm shift, not only in terms of technology, but also ecosystem, collaboration and agility, through its ability to break vendor lock-in and reduce time-to-market,” said Robert Soukup, Deutsche Telekom Senior Program Manager. “A key to our success will be ADTRAN’s domain experience, their history of working with DT on its large-scale access initiatives and their commitment to delivering an open, scalable and disaggregated solution.”

“DT’s Access 4.0 network is changing the way access networks and services will be designed, developed and deployed for the next several decades,” said Dr. Eduard Scheiterer, ADTRAN Senior Vice President, Research and Development. “ADTRAN shares DT’s vision for creating more advanced fiber access architectures that provide the network economies of data centers and the service agility of cloud providers. We believe this is how networks should be built and look forward to helping DT achieve its network and market goals today, as well as support future planned network expansion.”

https://www.adtran.com/sd-access

ADTRAN adds ONTs to 10G PON Portfolio


ADTRAN introduced its new 600-Series of 10G PON ONTs, which serve all business and residential broadband applications. The line-up now includes the: SDX 602x 10G SME ONU Delivers high-bandwidth SLA-based, enterprise-grade services by integrating Carrier Ethernet network interface device functionality. The SDX 620s & 640s XGS-PON and 10G EPON SFP+ ONUs Simplifies service delivery and enables flexible WAN technology options for SFP-based...



ONF publishes SEBA, Trellis and ODTN reference designs


The Open Networking Foundation (ONF) released its first three Reference Designs (RD’s): SEBA, Trellis and ODTN. Each of these reference designs are backed by network operators and supported by supply chain partners. The reference designs are paired with an open source Exemplar Platform (EP).  Both the RD and EP proceed in parallel, and RDs are not released unless a paired EP is available to prove out the architecture and accelerate adoption.  Virtualized...

Deutsche Telekom's Access 4.0 rethinks broadband access


Deutsche Telekom's Access 4.0 program rethinks broadband access in the context of the ONF's SEBA project, edge clouds, and FTTH/B. Presented by Robert Soukup, Program Manager. The project aims to lower OPEX by reaping the benefits of automation, breaking vendor lock-in, and accelerating time to market. 2019 will be decisive for Access 4.0, as the company plans limited field trials. https://youtu.be/9HpWuPg_...


Vodafone tests Metaswitch's 5G convergence Access Gateway Function

Vodafone has successfully tested Metaswitch's Access Gateway Function (AGF) solution - the industry’s first implementation of the 5G Wireless Wireline Convergence (WWC) AGF standard.

Metaswitch said its Access Gateway Function (AGF), which is part of its 5G Fusion Core, is a true cloud-native solution in which all functional elements, including User Plane Function (UPF) and Access Gateway Function (AGF), are deployed in containers and orchestrated by Kubernetes to ensure strong performance and network deployment flexibility for service providers.

5G Wireless Wireline Convergence offers a path to a fully converged broadband access network that serves both wireline and mobile subscribers from a single technology stack. This facilitates the use of common credentials, authentication and a unified approach to applying network policy.  When fully implemented, WWC seamlessly integrates fixed and wireless services, simplifying service provider offerings, reducing the overall complexity of subscriber and service management, and promoting always-on services through converged connectivity.

The Metaswitch Fusion Core 5G WWC solution includes an Access Gateway Function built to align with the new Broadband Forum TR-456 specification, in addition to other 5G packet core functions including the world’s highest-performance software UPF. The Fusion Core UPF and AGF are both powered by Metaswitch’s Composable Network Application Processor (CNAP) software packet processing technology, which in recent tests conducted with Intel demonstrated 500 Gbps UPF throughput on a single two-socket industry-standard server.

The trial system was deployed remotely at Vodafone Labs in the UK, taking advantage of the automation capabilities of Kubernetes and Helm, and has successfully demonstrated the attachment of standard fixed network residential gateways (FN-RG) to the 5G packet core, with mapping between wireline broadband and 5G authentication, authorization and session establishment procedures performed in the AGF.

“We have been very active in supporting the Wireless Wireline Convergence activity in the Broadband Forum,” said Gavin Young, Head of Fixed Access Centre of Excellence at Vodafone Group, “and we are proud to be hosting the world’s first operator test of this technology. Working with Metaswitch, we have been able to prove that the technology works in practice, and we have been very impressed both by the performance of the AGF in Metaswitch’s 5G Fusion Core solution and its cloud native architecture. This trial more than justifies our faith in the value and the practicality of broadband convergence.”

https://www.metaswitch.com/vodafone-5g-wwc-agf-test

TI Sparkle activates POP in Casablanca

Sparkle has activated a new Point of Presence (PoP) in Casablanca, Morocco.

The new POP is located at the Orange Maroc open data center.

With this new opening, Sparkle offers to Italian and European multinationals Ethernet and virtual private IP-VPN networks to connect their headquarters with their branches in Morocco and thus enable intracompany communication. Carrier MPLS, that extends connectivity services to other operators, and Cloud Connect, which offers private and secure connection to global cloud environments, complete Sparkle’s portfolio of services offered via the new PoP.

Sparkle's presence in North Africa now stretches from Egypt to Morocco.

https://www.tisparkle.com/NewPoPinCasablanca

Microsoft's commercial cloud revenue hits $13.3 billion, up 39%

Microsoft reported quarterly revenue of $35.0 billion, up 15% YoY, with net income of $10.8 billion, up 22% YoY.  Diluted earnings per share was $1.40, an increase of 23%.

The company said COVID-19 was inconsequential to its financial performance.

“We’ve seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months. From remote teamwork and learning, to sales and customer service, to critical cloud infrastructure and security – we are working alongside customers every day to help them adapt and stay open for business in a world of remote everything,” said Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft. “Our durable business model, diversified portfolio, and differentiated technology stack position us well for what’s ahead.”

“In this dynamic environment, our sales teams and partners executed a solid third quarter, with Commercial Cloud revenue generating $13.3 billion, up 39% year over year,” said Amy Hood, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Microsoft. “We remain committed to balancing operational discipline with continued investments in key strategic areas to drive future growth.”



Segment Highlights

Revenue in Productivity and Business Processes was $11.7 billion and increased 15% (up 16% in constant currency), with the following business highlights:

  • Office Commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 13% (up 15% in constant currency) driven by Office 365 Commercial revenue growth of 25% (up 27% in constant currency)
  • Office Consumer products and cloud services revenue increased 15% (up 17% in constant currency) with continued growth in Office 365 Consumer subscribers to 39.6 million
  • LinkedIn revenue increased 21% (up 22% in constant currency)
  • Dynamics products and cloud services revenue increased 17% (up 20% in constant currency) driven by Dynamics 365 revenue growth of 47% (up 49% in constant currency)

Revenue in Intelligent Cloud was $12.3 billion and increased 27% (up 29% in constant currency), with the following business highlights:

  • Server products and cloud services revenue increased 30% (up 32% in constant currency) driven by Azure revenue growth of 59% (up 61% in constant currency)
  • Enterprise Services revenue increased 6% (up 7% in constant currency)

Revenue in More Personal Computing was $11.0 billion and increased 3% (up 4% in constant currency), with the following business highlights:

  • Windows OEM revenue was relatively unchanged year over year
  • Windows Commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 17% (up 18% in constant currency)
  • Search advertising revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs increased 1%
  • Xbox content and services revenue increased 2%
  • Surface revenue increased 1% (up 2% in constant currency)

Qualcomm saw a 21% drop in handset shipments in Q1

Citing negative impacts by the global COVID-19 pandemic, Qualcomm reported quarterly revenue of $5,216 billion, up 5% from the $4,982 billion reported a year ago.

Qualcomm saw a reduction in demand of 3G/4G/5G handsets of approximately 21%.

GAAP net income was $468 million, down 29% from $663 million a year earlier. GAAP results were also negatively impacted by $265 million, or ($0.21) per share, in non-marketable investment impairments, resulting in part from the impacts of COVID-19.

“We executed extremely well in the second fiscal quarter, with strong Non-GAAP results in line with our guidance, demonstrating the strength of our business model and the resilience of our team to respond quickly to the unique challenges presented by the global pandemic,” said Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm.

For Q2, Qualcomm is expecting a 30% drop in demand of 3G/4G/5G handsets due to COVID-19.

Huawei signs patent agreement with InterDigital

InterDigital has signed a multi-year, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-bearing patent license agreement with Huawei.

The agreement covers certain of Huawei’s products and certain of InterDigital’s essential patents. InterDigital and Huawei have also agreed to dismiss all pending litigation between the companies.

“This agreement, reached amid challenging circumstances given the current economic downturn, highlights the strength of our business and the value of InterDigital’s contributions to multiple generations of wireless and video standards,” said William J. Merritt, President and CEO. “The agreement also underscores the fairness and flexibility of our licensing approach, including our rate and portfolio transparency, which set an industry standard.”

InterDigital files 3/4/5G patent lawsuit against Huawei

InterDigital filed a patent infringement action in the United Kingdom against Huawei seeking, among other things, a determination of fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms for a license to InterDigital’s portfolio of 3G, 4G and 5G standards-essential patents (SEPs).

The InterDigital patents asserted are:

  • European Patent (UK) 2 363 008 – Enables the efficient control of carrier aggregation in 4G (LTE). In advanced mobile phones, carrier aggregation is key to achieving high data rates.
  • European Patent (UK) 2 557 714 – Supports the use of multiple antennae transmissions in 4G (LTE). The patent enables the use of flexible levels of error protection for reporting by the handset, increasing the reliability of the signaling.
  • European Patent (UK) 2 485 558 – Allows mobile phone users quick and efficient access to 4G (LTE) networks. One of the main technological challenges of developing LTE networks was efficient bandwidth usage for various traffic types such as VoIP, FTP and HTTP. This patent relates to inventions for quickly and efficiently requesting shared uplink resources — for example, reducing lag when requesting a webpage on a smartphone on LTE networks.
  • European Patent (UK) 2 421 318 – Relates to an enhancement to 3G known as High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), where efficient, fast scheduling of resources is key to optimizing the user’s experience. The patented invention decreases latency during HSUPA transmission by eliminating certain scenarios in HSUPA where scheduling requests may be blocked. A blocked scheduling request may prevent a smartphone from sending data. 
  • European Patent (UK) 3 355 537 – Also relates to HSUPA. The patented invention increases efficiency of bandwidth usage during HSUPA transmission by ensuring that mobile phones do not utilize resources allocated to them for HSUPA transmission in an inefficient manner.

CyrusOne reports strong data center leasing trends, especially in Europe

CyrusOne reported revenue of $245.9 million for the first quarter, compared to $225.0 million for the same period in 2019, an increase of 9%. The increase in revenue was driven primarily by a 5% increase in occupied CSF and additional interconnection services. Net income was $14.7 million for the first quarter, compared to net income of $89.4 million in the same period in 2019. Net income for the first quarter included a $14.7 million gain on the Company’s equity investment in GDS, a leading data center provider in China, compared to a $101.2 million gain in the first quarter of 2019.

“We had very strong financial and operational performance in the quarter, with high growth across key metrics and the second highest leasing total in the company’s history, including a significant contribution from Europe as demand for larger deployments there continues to accelerate. The nearly $90 million revenue backlog enhances our growth profile, and the company is very well positioned with a strong balance sheet, substantial liquidity including available forward equity, and capacity throughout our markets,” stated Tesh Durvasula, interim president and chief executive officer of CyrusOne.

Some highlights:

  • Leased 44 megawatts (“MW”) and 289,000 colocation square feet (“CSF”) in the first quarter, totaling $60 million in annualized GAAP revenue, the second-highest quarterly total in the company’s history
  • Leased 31.5 MW totaling $38 million in annualized GAAP revenue across European locations, with 9 MW totaling $12.5 million in annualized GAAP revenue expected to commence this year, reflecting continued strong demand growth in these markets from U.S. hyperscale companies
  • Backlog of $88 million in annualized GAAP revenue as of the end of the first quarter, the highest quarter-end backlog in the company’s history, representing approximately $610 million in total contract value

MACOM reports sales of $126.4 million, down 1.6% YoY

MACOM Technology Solutions reported sales of  $126.4 million for its fiscal second quarter ended April 3, 2020, a decrease of 1.6% compared to $128.5 million in the previous year fiscal second quarter and an increase of 6.2% compared to $119.1 million in the prior fiscal quarter. Gross margin was 50.1%, compared to 44.6% in the previous year fiscal second quarter and 48.9% in the prior fiscal quarter. Operating loss was $5.3 million, compared to a loss of $30.2 million in the previous year fiscal second quarter and a loss of $10.5 million in the prior fiscal quarter; and net loss was $10.2 million, or $0.28 loss per diluted share.

"We are focused on the health and safety of our employees, while continuing to deliver on customer commitments and accelerating new product introductions,” said Stephen G. Daly, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our dedicated employees continue to make steady progress on improving our profitability.”

Ericsson confirms role with China Mobile

Ericsson released more details on its recent selection to supply 5G solutions to China Mobile.

Under the terms of this new deal, China Mobile extends its 5G RAN partnership with Ericsson to 17 provinces, with the deployment of Ericsson Radio System products and solutions.

In addition, Ericsson will provide 5G core network equipment in two major regions, covering five provinces. The 5G Core network will be deployed on NFVI along with Ericsson Dynamic Orchestration. As part of a previous agreement, Ericsson is also providing Cloud VoLTE, Cloud Unified Data Management (UDM) and Policy.

China Mobile picks Huawei and ZTE for 5G base stations

China Mobile has selected Huawei and ZTE as the primary suppliers in the latest tender for its nationwide 5G rollout. This phase of the rollout calls for 232,143 5G base stations to be deployed in 28 provincial-level regions.

Huawei Technologies will build 57.2% of the base stations,
ZTE Corp. will build 28.7% of the base stations
Ericsson will build 11.4% of the base stations
China Information Communication Technologies (FiberHome + Datang) will build 2.6%.

Nokia was not selected for the contract, although it has played a role in previous parts of the 5G rollout.

China Mobile officially launched its 5G commercial service in 50 cities across the country.

China Mobile has deployed 40,000 5G base stations in the first batch of 50 key cities.  5G network construction is underway in more than 300 cities across the country.

The carrier is offering a number of 5G subscriptions starting with a Personal Plan priced at RMB 128 per month (~US$18). Family plans and business plans are also available. Downlink speed caps and data caps apply.

China Mobile initially has ten 5G smartphones available, along with 3 hotspot devices.

Cities with 5G coverage include: Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Shijiazhuang, Xiong'an, Taiyuan, Jincheng, Hohhot, Shenyang, Dalian, Changchun, Harbin, Nanjing, Wuxi, Suzhou, Hangzhou , Ningbo, Wenzhou, Jiaxing, Hefei, Wuhu, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Nanchang, Yingtan, Jinan, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, Nanyang, Wuhan, Changsha, Zhuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Liuzhou, Nanning, Haikou, Qiong, Hai, Chengdu, Guiyang, Kunming, Xi'an, Lanzhou, Xining, Yinchuan and Urumqi.

http://www.10086.cn/aboutus/news/groupnews/index_detail_34938.html

MaxLinear posts Q1 sales of $62 million, down 27% YoY

MaxLinear reported Q1 2020 revenue of $62.0 million, down 11% sequentially, and down 27% year-on-year. GAAP gross margin was 49.6%, compared to 52.3% in the prior quarter, and 53.3% in the year-ago quarter. There was a GAAP diluted loss per share of $0.21, and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.07.

“In the first quarter, revenue results were in line with our recent preliminary revenue guidance, gross margin was strong, and operating expenses declined on continued operating discipline. We continue to execute well on our 400 and 100Gbps PAM4 fiber optic data center products, which are expected to ramp this year in an expanding work-from-home market environment that is straining data center capacity. In the 5G wireless access market, which is a focus area for us, our new RF transceiver product introductions are particularly suited for the early stage 5G network rollout. We feel very encouraged by these new product areas of growth and the stabilization of our connected home broadband data market due to much needed bandwidth upgrades inside homes and the network itself,” commented Kishore Seendripu, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO.

“We also recently announced plans to acquire Intel’s Home Gateway Platform Division in the third quarter of this year. These assets add significant scale to our entire business while enabling us to provide compelling WiFi products and expanded broadband product offerings with tremendous growth opportunities that we will discuss in the near future,” Dr. Seendripu continued

MaxLinear to acquire Intel’s Home Gateway Platform Division


MaxLinear agreed to acquire Intel’s Home Gateway Platform Division assets in an all-cash, asset transaction valued at $150 million. The Home Gateway Platform Division comprises Wi-Fi Access Points, Ethernet and Home Gateway SoC products deployed across operator and retail markets. MaxLinear said the acquisition will complement its existing portfolio, bringing together a complete and scalable platform of connectivity and access solutions for