TIP's Open Optical and Packet Transport advances GNPy toolkit

A new open source software is gaining traction as a design tool for planning and assessing optical transport networks. GNPy (Gaussian Noise model in Python), which was developed in the framework of the Telecom Infra Project's Open Optical and Packet Transport Group, can be used to help to compare vendors’ solutions. Orange was a primary contributor to GNPy and has used the software during recent RFPs, including for its West African backbone project...

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Google Cloud simplifies cross-region replica for Cloud SQL

Google introduced a simplified cross-region replication capability for Cloud SQL customers. The capability allows applications and databases to quickly restart service in another available region if a Google Cloud region fails. Cloud SQL cross-region replication, which is available for MySQL and PostgreSQL database engines, simplifies the creation of a fully managed read replica in a different region than that of the primary instance. htt...

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Broadband Forum offers certification for XGS-PON ONUs

Broadband Forum has expanded its BBF.247 Optical Network Unit (ONU) Certification Program to include XGS-PON. The Broadband Forum said XGS-PON extensions add to its BBF.247 G-PON initiative – which has now certified nearly 100 products since its launch in 2011. The new test plan will see ONUs undergo rigorous testing at Broadband Forum’s official certification program test laboratory Laboratoire des Applications Numeriques (LAN Laboratory), using...

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Ericsson takes a US$109 million write-down for 5G in China

Ericsson announced write-downs of approximately SEK 1 billion (~US$109 million) related to pre-commercial product inventory for the Chinese market. The cost will be reported in segment Networks, impacting gross margin. While the company reiterated its recent 5G contract wins with all 3 major Chinese operators, it said the deployment of 5G in China will continue to be dilutive to gross margins of its Segment Networks business in the short-term. Ericsson...

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Telefónica Deutschland sells 10,000 towers to Telxius for EUR 1.5 billion

Telxius will acquire approximately 10,100 tower sites from Telefónica Deutschland. The agreement includes the commitment to build 2,400 additional sites (BTS), ensuring exceptional future growth in Europe's largest market. The transaction, subject to regulatory approvals, amounts to a total of 1.5 billion euros. The sale of these towers has been closed at a multiple of c.23x EV/EBITDA, reflecting favourable market conditions for infrastructure...

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Telefónica claims a 50% reduction in its global CO2 emissions in 2019

Telefónica achieved a 50% reduction in its global CO2 emissions in 2019, fulfilling in advance the company's target for 2025. The company claims that it is now on target to reach its ultimate goal of zero net emissions in its four main markets by 2030. This goal was previously planned for 2050. "Telefónica wants to support the Race to Zero campaign to accelerate the opportunity to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible," explained...

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Three winning bidders in Finland 5G spectrum auction

Finland's Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) conducted a spectrum auction for the frequency range of 25.1-27.5 GHz. Licenses are granted for national use in mainland Finland in three 800 megahertz bands. The spectrum can be used for the construction of 5G networks from 1 July 2020. The licenses expire in 2033. There have been four previous spectrum auctions in Finland. The 2500-2690 MHz frequency band was auctioned in 2009, while the...

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Orange Marine completes repair of TAT-14 subsea cable

Orange Marine published a journal of recent repair work carried out on the TAT-14 cable in the North Sea by its ship Pierre de Fermat. The 16-day mission in April, which involved a crew of 60, required extra precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.orange.com/en/news/2020/June/At-sea-they-watch-over-our-internet-connecti...

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