Nokia moves ahead with 5G Cloud RAN commercialization

Nokia confirmed plans to commercially launch a version of its 5G AirScale Cloud RAN solution that is based on vRAN2.0. The open version  will be commercially available this year with general availability expected in 2021.

Open RAN (O-RAN) splits the base station into Radio Unit (RU), Distributed Unit (DU), Radio Access Point (RAP, a combination of RU and DU), Centralized Unit (CU), and O-RAN compliant interfaces between these elements. Nokia's 5G AirScale Cloud RAN also includes the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) concept to take advantage of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) capabilities to optimize the radio and system performance.

Nokia’s first-generation 5G AirScale Cloud RAN based on vRAN1.0, which has a virtualized Central Unit (vCU), has been in commercial operation on a mmWave network in the U.S. since early 2019.

Nokia’s new vRAN2.0 solution introduces a virtualized Distributed Unit (vDU) as well as a Fronthaul Gateway. The result is a fully cloudified and disaggregated 5G base station that provides scalability, low latency, high performance and capacity, as well as several network architecture options, to meet ever-increasing market demands. The solution helps operators to generate revenue from new 5G services as well as to enable flexible end-to-end network slicing, meet IoT requirements and bring the overall benefits of cloud computing to Radio Access Networks (RAN).

The first Nokia 5G AirScale Cloud RAN solution with a vCU in vRAN1.0 configuration was taken into large-scale commercial use in the U.S. in 2019. Since then, Nokia has evolved the solution to vRAN2.0 configuration with a Distributed Unit (DU) running on General Purpose Processor (x86)-based computing with hardware acceleration in Layer 1 (L1).

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “The next-generation Nokia 5G AirScale Cloud RAN is a true innovation that will transform mobile networks and provide operators with the flexibility they need to meet the customer demands in the evolving 5G era. Its flexible architecture offers speed, coverage, capacity and low latency as well as the opportunity to generate revenues immediately.”

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2020/06/23/nokia-commercializes-next-generation-5g-cloud-ran/

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Vitalpointz becomes part of Juniper - a likely "acqui-hire" for IoT cloud

Juniper Networks has acquired Vitalpointz, a start-up based that specializes in IoT cloud development tools. Terms of the apparent "acqui-hire" have not been disclosed.

Under the deal, Juniper would gain access to Vitalpointz products, technology and associated intellectual property.  THE Vitalpointz Edge Service Platform links to a mobile network's BSS, enabling the operator to provide a seamless IoT service. When a new SIM gets activated, the mobile Core triggers an API to the Vitalpointz cloud IoT platform. The device is then onboarded and provisioned with OTA software updates as needed.Vitalpointz IoT has been available on the Digital Ocean cloud marketplace for trial use. In addition, some of Vitalpointz' IoT technologies (VESPA) are open-sourced
on Github.

Juniper has not commented on how it plans to integrate Vitalpointz. However, Juniper has invested in Stackpath, which offers an edge cloud platform that might be an entry point.

Vitalpointz, which is based in San Ramon, California with operations in Bangalore, was founded by the same team behind Vistapointe, which focused on network monitoring, visibility & analytics. In September 2014, Vistapointe was acquired by Brocade Communications.

The news was public made on the Medium site.  https://medium.com/@ravi.medikonda/vitalpointz-team-to-join-juniper-networks-b4ba1a1cd7fd

https://vitalpointz.io/

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Anuta and Juniper partner on network automation

Anuta Networks, a start-up based in Milpitas, California that specializes in network automation, announced a partnership with Juniper Networks.

The Anuta ATOM platform will be integrated into Juniper’s existing network automation portfolio, including Junos Telemetry, Juniper HealthBot and Juniper NorthStar products. The resulting solutions will empower networking teams to rapidly design and provision network services, gain visibility into applications and services flowing through the network and ensure SLA compliance, as well as service assurance for multi-vendor infrastructure. The ATOM platform will be made available through Juniper.

The addition of Anuta ATOM to the Juniper Networks automation portfolio will provide the following added capabilities and benefits:

• Stateful service provisioning, enhancing Juniper’s focus on service assurance
• Device lifecycle management, including configuration compliance
• Stateless workflow-driven management and orchestration, powered by Anuta low-code technology

“Traditionally, deploying network automation could be challenging due to siloed applications, heavy customization and monolithic products. However, Anuta’s integrative approach with a standards-based, microservices architecture has changed everything”, said Chandu Guntakala, Co-Founder & CEO of Anuta Networks. “Anuta ATOM accelerates stateful service orchestration, collects streaming telemetry and delivers closed-loop remediation. It has eliminated manual processes and accelerated digital transformation initiatives for global enterprises and service providers. We are thrilled to partner with Juniper Networks to extend the access of our platform to a wider customer set.”

“Global operators are deploying automation to maximize the efficiency of their network infrastructure and improve customer experience, yet complexity remains a critical challenge. Automation solutions need to simplify network operations, not introduce greater complexity,” said Brendan Gibbs, VP Product Line Management, Automated WAN Solutions at Juniper Networks. “We are excited about our partnership with Anuta because ATOM delivers a powerful closed-loop automation solution - a perfect complement to Juniper’s NorthStar and HealthBot automation solutions. Together, we provide network operators with increased service assurance, operational efficiency and peace of mind.”

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Russia's GlobalNet upgrades with Ciena's WaveLogic 5 Extreme

GlobalNet, a leading telecommunications company in Russia, recently upgraded its flexible grid network with Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e).

GlobalNet offers connectivity services to communication operators and corporate clients in high-bandwidth sectors, including content delivery, media and storage.

Ciena said GlobalNet achieved industry-leading capacity across all links in its network, including 600Gb/s between Moscow and St. Petersburg and 800Gb/s to interconnect data centers in St. Petersburg. GlobalNet deployed WL5e on Ciena’s Waveserver 5 compact interconnect platform, which is optimized for efficient 100GbE/400GbE client services connectivity across any distance, addressing requirements of the most demanding data services and applications.

“The launch of 800Gb/s will enable us to tap into industry-leading innovations to set new standards for GlobalNet network performance. In today’s fast-paced world, the operator needs to provide subsequent capabilities to meet customer’s rapidly changing needs. With WaveLogic 5, we implemented the first 800G solution in Russia and strengthened our leadership in providing the highest performance optical connections to the market,” stated Vladimir V. Vedeneev, Chief Executive Officer, GlobalNet.

“Across the globe, service providers are looking for ways to reduce the cost per bit and speed the delivery of new services. Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 helps put GlobalNet ahead of the curve by creating a more robust and adaptive network that can satisfy customer demands today and into the future,” said­ Yaniv Hagadish, Regional Manager in EMEA, Ciena.

https://www.ciena.com/about/newsroom/press-releases/globalnet-deploys-russias-first-800g-network-with-cienas-wavelogic-5.html

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GSA tracks growth of 5G in mmWave spectrum.

Ninety-seven operators in 17 countries/territories hold public licences (many of them regional) enabling operation of 5G networks using mmWave spectrum, according to a new report from GSA.

Some highlights:

• twenty-two operators are known to be already deploying 5G networks using mmWave spectrum.
• thirteen countries/territories have announced formal (date-specified) plans for assigning frequencies above 24 GHz between now and end-2021.
• eighty-four announced 5G devices explicitly support one or more of the 5G spectrum bands above 24 GHz (though note that details of spectrum support are patchy for pre-commercial devices), up from 59 at the end of November 2019. Twenty-seven of those devices are understood to be commercially available.
• The 24.25–29.5 GHz range covering the overlapping bands n257 (26.5–29.5 GHz), n258 (24.25–27.5 GHz) and n261 (27.5–28.35 GHz) has been the most-licensed/deployed 5G mmWave spectrum range to date.
• One hundred and twenty-three operators in 42 countries/territories are investing in 5G (in the form of trials, licences, deployments or operational networks) across the 24.25-29.5 GHz spectrum range.
• Seventy-nine operators are known to have been licensed to deploy 5G in this range.
• Twenty-one operators are understood to be actively deploying 5G networks using this spectrum.
• Band n260, covering 37–40 GHz, is also used, with 33 companies in six countries/territories investing in networks using this spectrum. Of those, 32 hold licences (with the majority of those 32 based in the USA and its territories). Three operators in the USA have launched 5G using band n260.
• Awards and assignments for mmWave spectrum (2015 onwards)

https://gsacom.com/

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Mississippi's Franklin Telephone employs ADTRAN to improve broadband

Mississippi-based Franklin Telephone Company has selected ADTRAN's Mosaic Customer Experience, powered by Plume, to deliver a full suite of Smart Home Services to elevate the in-home subscriber experience.

Utilizing ADTRAN’s solution, Franklin Telephone is further enhancing its subscribers’ broadband experience by leveraging AI-powered automatic Wi-Fi optimization and security for seamless connectivity and added protection of their home networks. This deployment will allow Franklin Telephone to empower its subscribers with the ability to personalize their home networks by creating profiles for their children and family members and manage access to the Internet and content. With greater adaptability, security and updates at scale, Franklin Telephone can support the demands of consumers in today’s environment and into the future.

“More organizations have adapted their culture to offer flexible work-from-home options and consumers are taking advantage of more remote services, such as distance learning, telehealth and an increasingly wide range of entertainment options. This highlights the criticality of high-speed broadband and home Wi-Fi for consumers around the globe,” said Jeremy Harris, Director, Product Management Subscriber Solutions at ADTRAN. “We are pleased to be working with Franklin Telephone to delight its customers by delivering rock-solid Wi-Fi and high-speed broadband the way it should be.”

ADTRAN and Plume collaborate on Smart Home solutions

Thursday, April 23, 2020  ADTRAN, Home  

ADTRAN announced a collaboration with Plume to improve, personalize and secure the home network and streamline connectivity within the rapidly developing Smart Home market.

As part of the collaboration, ADTRAN will integrate Plume’s Customer Experience Management Platform via its Mosaic Subscriber Suite, offering ISPs a comprehensive single pane view of their access and smart home network. OpenSync, a key component in delivering Plume’s services, provides an open-source interface between ADTRAN’s Mosaic and the customer CPE, permitting cloud-based applications to access data and management control of the CPE. OpenSync serves as a true differentiator due to its open approach that delivers a path to accelerated deployment of services without reliance on CPE silicon or integration partners.

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Nokia selected for Ireland's National Broadband

Nokia has been selected as a primary vendor by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) to deploy a nation-wide FTTH network solution in the Republic of Ireland.

Under the contract, Nokia will provide 100% of the active equipment, including an FTTH network based on next-generation PON technology, an aggregation network, based on its IP routing and optical networking technology and a full performance management solution.

Nokia products included in the projects: Nokia FX OLT, Nokia XGS-PON ONTs, management system and enhanced applications; 7750 Service Router, providing IP edge networking for the cloud era; and 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) to support next-generation DWDM multiservice, multilayer P-OTN transport

The Irish Government’s landmark National Broadband Plan (NBP) has the goal of providing high-speed connectivity to all of Ireland’s population, including 23% of whom currently live in the more rural Intervention Area (IA) where the NBP will be focused. It involves more than 44,000 non-farm businesses, over 54,000 farms and 695 schools.

Peter Hendrick, CEO at National Broadband Ireland, said: “We believe that better broadband networks promote social progress, equality and sustainability. With equal access to local, national and global opportunity, every person, community and organisation in Ireland will be empowered to achieve more. We look forward to working with Nokia because the company has the experience from similar projects globally, as well as the technological capabilities and end-to-end portfolio, for a project like this.”

Nokia noted that it has 26 XGS-PON and 300 GPON deployments worldwide. Nokia has 250+ cloud-ready customer deployments with its fiber access platforms, a unique solution with greater choice, flexibility and control to deploy SDN.

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2020/06/23/nokia-announced-as-key-supplier-to-irelands-national-broadband-plan-nbp/

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Mavenir completes RCS interconnections with Telefónica, Vodafone and DT Germany

Mavenir's Mobile Business Messaging Cloud in Europe completed peer-to-peer (P2P) RCS interconnection with the networks of Telefónica, Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom Germany.

Mavenir’s Mobile Business Messaging Cloud is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) RCS Business Messaging (RBM) implementation—operated by Mavenir. The cloud solution includes the RCS and IMS Cores, as well as the session border controllers (SBC) and firewalls required for RCS P2P messaging, and the MaaP (Messaging as a Platform) layer to deliver application-to-person (A2P) and person-to-application (P2A) business messaging to users, including chatbot experiences and advanced business messaging services.

“Interconnecting with these partners required a significant amount of expertise and effort by all parties. Our engineering and operations teams worked very closely with their peers at Vodafone, Telefónica and Deutsche Telekom. It was a team effort, with all parties at the table willing to participate and it shows in the results,” said Guillaume Le Mener, SVP Business Mobility, Mavenir. “This milestone paves the way for accelerated and simplified future MNO onboarding and participation.”

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