Fujitsu develops Multi-Domain Optical Network Services within ONAP

Fujitsu Network Communications announced the first implementation of Multi-Domain Optical Network Services (MDONS) within the Open Networking Automation Platform (ONAP) Frankfurt Release.

Fujitsu’s open-source contribution, which was developed in collaboration with The Linux Foundation, Orange and other global service providers, extends ONAP orchestration into the optical space, allowing network operators to design, orchestrate and automate Optical Transport Network services across service provider networks.

The MDONS blueprint leverages Open ROADM, ONF Transport API (TAPI), and MEF standards to enable multi-vendor and multiple domain operation. Open APIs to SDN Controllers deliver multi-vendor service activation and provisioning. The newly added ONAP optical services capabilities will allow for the development of enhanced service offerings and applications customized to the needs of service providers, further driving network automation at the optical layer.

“In the past, service providers relied on a complex negotiation of manual processes for even the most basic inter-connections between network domains,” said Rod Naphan, head of the technology business unit at Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. “By leveraging ONAP and open APIs, our customers can now automatically orchestrate and provision optical services across multiple domains, resulting in faster service turn up and reduced operating expenses.”

“Network automation is a strong business requirement. We fundamentally believe open-source collaboration is the best way to respond to this complex prerequisite,” said Olivier Augizeau, network automation project manager at Orange. “The latest Frankfurt release of the ONAP platform paves the way to improve the footprint of optical connectivity services with cross carrier scenarios.”

“We are encouraged by the success of the ONAP members working together to advance the platform with new use cases, enhancements, commercial deployments and adoptions in the latest release, Frankfurt,” said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, networking, Edge & IoT, at The Linux Foundation. “As a valued LFN member vendor with extensive optical expertise, Fujitsu’s participation in initiating the MDONS blueprint is an important part of the overall team efforts to enhance the ONAP framework.”

The first implementation of MDONS is part of broader ONAP initiatives to advance automation in the 5G Era, enabling multi-layer operations and end-to-end lifecycle management across wireline and wireless networks. Fujitsu is committed to working with our open source partners in leading this shift towards open networking.

https://www.fujitsu.com/us/about/resources/news/press-releases/2020/fnc-20200618.html

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All-Virtual 2020 OSA Advanced Photonics Congress Plenary 13 – 16 July

Advances in quantum information processing technologies and nonlinear integrated circuits, implementation of quantum photonics, and new opportunities with nanophotonics will be presented by leaders in the field at the all-virtual 2020 OSA Advanced Photonics Congress 13 – 16 July 2020.

The congress, originally planned as an in-person event, has been transitioned to an all-virtual, web conference format to ensure registrants have access to the high-quality, peer-reviewed technical program. Technical sessions will be presented live from the Eastern Daylight Time Zone (EDT). The Advanced Photonics Congress plenaries are scheduled for Monday, 13 July and Wednesday, 15 July.

Plenary speaker Ian Walmsley, Provost of Imperial College London, UK and 2018 OSA President, will explain how new quantum light sources, operational circuits, photodetectors and quantum memories are driving progress towards building a resilient, scalable photonic quantum network. The talk titled “Advanced Photonics for Quantum Technologies” will explore the promise of hybrid light-matter networks in delivering these technologies.

“From Inverse Design to Implementation of Practical (quantum) Photonics” is the focus of the plenary talk by Jelena Vuckovic, professor, Stanford University, USA. She will describe how combining state of the art optimization and machine learning techniques with high speed electromagnetic solvers offers a new approach to “inverse” design and implementation of classical and quantum photonic circuits with superior properties.

In his plenary address titled “New Physics from Photonic Systems,” Marin Soljacic, professor of physics at MIT, will discuss how the laws of physics can be tailored almost at will to mold the flow of light with nanophotonics and implement novel material-systems.

Ben Eggleton, director of the University of Sydney Nano Institute (Sydney Nano), will highlight “New Frontiers in Nonlinear Integrated Circuits” in his plenary talk. He will describe major achievements with emphasis on hybrid circuits that combine high nonlinearity with CMOS functionality for high-performance and advanced functionality. that combine high nonlinearity with CMOS functionality for high-performance and advanced functionality  that combine high nonlinearity with CMOS functionality for high-performance and advanced functionality

The OSA Advanced Photonics Congress, comprised of eight topical meetings, addresses the many aspects of photonic device research and development and their use in networks. Integrated photonic circuits and stand-alone components such as switches and modulators in silicon, lll-V, graphene and polymer material systems will be featured in technical sessions along with nanophotonic and quantum devices and concepts.

Conference registration is free and currently open. You must register in advance to receive the web link for the conference. All registrants will receive access to the Technical Digest, the live technical sessions and recorded/archived content.

https://www.osa.org/en-us/meetings/osa_meetings/advanced_photonics_congress/registration/

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Ekinops supplies 400G optical transport for TurkNet

TurkNet, Turkey's leading gigabit internet service provider (ISP), has chosen Ekinops' FlexRate optical transport solutions to significantly upgrade its core network, which provides businesses and individuals with uncapped high-speed broadband services across the country's key cities. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The first deployment of the Ekinops 400G equipment solution for TurkNet was managed successfully in April of this year in Istanbul, where traffic loads on the metropolitan network are both acute and increasing continuously. Further points of presence will be installed later in 2020 as TurkNet continues to upgrade its core network in major Turkish cities.

Ekinops confirmed that its 400G DWDM equipment is being deployed  across TurkNet's core transport network. The deployment uses the Ekinops PM 400FRS04-SF, a pluggable FlexRate multireach muxponder to meet stringent technical requirements delivering redundant dual and diverse link connectivity at 400 Gbps.

"Turkey's communications infrastructure has evolved rapidly in recent years and TurkNet has set the standard in high-speed broadband," adds Frank Dedobbeleer, VP Group Sales EMEA & APAC, at Ekinops. "This implementation is a great example of how Ekinops can help ISPs to dramatically increase their fiber network capacity without incurring huge costs and service disruption. We're delighted with the impact we have made on TurkNet's business and will continue to support them as their business grows."

https://www.ekinops.com

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India looks to limit Huawei and ZTE in infrastructure

Amid ongoing border tensions, the government of India is likely to restrict the role of Chinese vendors, specifically Huawei and ZTE, in future infrastructure projects.

The Economic Times (ET) reported that the government will restrict a tender by state-owned BSNL to expand its 4G footprint to exclude Huawei and ZTE. Furthermore, Jio is said to be making progress with home-grown 5G technology and would also likely exclude Chinese vendors going forward.


https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/dependence-china-telecom-sector-makes-india-vulnerable

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Nokia demos 5G C-Band network in Texas

Nokia completed a series of Over-the-Air (OTA) 5G NR (new radio) trials in C-band spectrum, in Dallas, Texas, achieving peak throughput speeds of over 1 Gbps.

The demonstration used Nokia’s AirScale 5G base station equipment in 100 MHz of spectrum at 3.75 GHz with a 4x4 MIMO and configuration in Non-Standalone (NSA) mode combined with Nokia’s Core network. During drive testing, Nokia monitored network performance and demonstrated that the handovers successfully happened between C-Band base stations as expected. The connection and performance was stable throughout the entire test, highlighting the robustness of the solution and its readiness for commercial implementation.

Nokia says its C-Band solution is ready for commercial deployment and notes that the  U.S. will hold a spectrum auction for the C-band in December with network deployments expected in the first half of 2021.

Nokia is also offering U.S. Carriers the option of deploying C-Band with its 5G AirScale Cloud RAN solution in vRAN2.0 configuration, in which the whole baseband will be in Cloud connected to the radio via an ORAN compliant eCPRI 7.2x interface.

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, commented: “The mobile industry is dependent on the allocation of new spectrum to increase capacity and deliver enhanced mobile broadband services. This test, in the C-band, is significant because it proves that we have a solution ready-to-go following the completion of the spectrum auctions in the U.S. later this year. We are already working with all major U.S. carriers and look forward to strengthening our relationship with them further by deploying C-band and delivering incredible 5G experiences to business and subscribers across the country.”

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LightCounting: Optical tranceiver market down 12% in Q1 due to COVID

First quarter 2020 revenues of optical transceiver and component vendors declined 12% sequentially, after reaching a new high in Q4 2019, due to the global pandemic, according to a new report from LightCounting. The report finds that companies located in China were more heavily impacted in Q1 because of the complete shutdown of factories and construction in many parts of that country. Alibaba for example spent considerably less than in Q1 2019, simply because planned construction could not proceed and equipment was in short supply.

LightCounting also finds that Huawei lost some share in 100G port shipments, while d Accelink and HG Genuine, located in Wuhan, saw revenues plummet by 30-50% sequentially.

LightCounting said it remains confident that ICP spending will continue to be a strong driver of growth in the optical transceiver market. The most recent data shows that cloud revenues of the hyper-scalers continue to grow faster than other business segments, and operate at higher profit margins – ICPs would be extremely foolish to starve their cash cows of needed infrastructure.

https://www.lightcounting.com/light-trends/no-surprise-q1-sales-reduced-covid-19-gradual-improvement-expected/

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IDC: Worldwide converged systems market grows 4.5%

The worldwide converged systems market revenue increased 4.5% year over year to $3.9 billion during the first quarter of 2020 (1Q20), according to a new report from IDC.

IDC's converged systems market view offers three segments: certified reference systems & integrated infrastructure, integrated platforms, and hyperconverged systems.

• The certified reference systems & integrated infrastructure market generated just over $1.4 billion in revenue during the first quarter, which represents growth of 4.4% year over year and accounts for 36.8% of all converged systems revenue. 
• Integrated platforms sales declined 8.7% year over year in 1Q20, generating $478 million worth of revenue. This amounted to 12.3% of the total converged systems market revenue. 
• Sales of hyperconverged systems grew 8.3% year over year during the first quarter of 2020, generating just under $2.0 billion worth of revenue. This amounted to 50.9% of the total converged systems market.

As it relates to the branded view of the hyperconverged systems market, Dell Technologies was the largest supplier with $666.3 million in revenue and a 33.6% share. Nutanix generated $260.0 million in branded hardware revenue, representing 13.1% of the total HCI market during the quarter. Hewlett Packard Enterprise finished the quarter in the number 3 spot with $118.7 million in revenue, which amounted to a 6.0% share.

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Intelsat files C-band spectrum transition plan with FCC

Intelsat filed its C-band spectrum transition plan with the FCC, detailing how it will:

• Migrate 80-plus broadcast, cable, radio, religious and government customers to the upper 200 megahertz (MHz) of the C-band, including the corresponding changes required at 3,500 cable head-ends and 13,500 affiliate earth stations
• Install 60,000 5G signal-blocking filters across the U.S. in order to mitigate post-transition interference
• Consolidate multiple telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C)/Gateway antennas into two locations on the East and West Coasts of the U.S.
• Contract with U.S.-based companies USSI Global, WESCO, ATCi and Convergent to perform aspects of the transition and installation work required on the ground at thousands of earth stations and cable television head-ends throughout the U.S.
• Intelsat and other satellite operators participating in the FCC’s accelerated C-band clearing plan are responsible for incurring the upfront costs associated with clearing 300 MHz of the spectrum and moving their existing services to the upper portion of the band. Intelsat estimates these upfront investments will cost the company $1.6 to $1.7 billion.

In addition to receiving reimbursement for reasonable upfront costs associated with clearing the spectrum and transitioning incumbent services to the upper portion of the band, Intelsat said it is eligible to receive up to $4.87 billion in incentive payments for successfully meeting the Commission’s accelerated deadlines of clearing 120 MHz of spectrum (3.7 to 3.82 GHz) by December 5, 2021, and the remaining 180 MHz (3.82 to 4.0 GHz) by December 5, 2023. Reimbursements will be funded by the winning bidders of the FCC’s public C-band auction, in line with the FCC’s emerging technologies framework.

“Intelsat is filing its comprehensive transition plan after having spent more than two years proactively working with the FCC, our customers, industry stakeholders, vendors and other satellite operators to create a clear path for meeting the FCC’s accelerated clearing deadlines and ensuring the U.S. maintains its leadership in 5G,” said Intelsat Chief Services Officer Mike DeMarco. “With our detailed plan finalized and our supply chain engaged, Intelsat looks forward to supporting the FCC in successfully transitioning the C-band spectrum and accelerating America’s path to 5G – all while safeguarding the high-quality media broadcast services on which more than 100 million American households rely.”

• Last week, Intelsat announced that it has selected U.S. manufacturers, Maxar Technologies and Northrop Grumman, to design and manufacture satellites required to transition the company’s high-quality media distribution and contribution services – uninterrupted – from the 3.7 to 4.0 gigahertz (GHz) portion of the C-band to the 4.0 to 4.2 GHz portion of the band.
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Comcast extends free public WiF for the rest of 2020

Comcast will extend free access to its 1.5 million public Xfinity WiFi hotspots to everyone through the end of 2020.

“We saw a huge jump in usage after we opened up our public hotspots, and we’re excited to keep them open through the end of the year as the nation begins taking steps to reopen,” said Dana Strong, President of Xfinity Consumer Services. “We’re pleased to see so many families and individuals take advantage of our 60 days of free home Internet through Internet Essentials, and the free access to public Xfinity WiFi hotspots to get online during this time when connectivity is so important.”

https://corporate.comcast.com/covid-19

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