Ericsson releases Standalone 5G NR software

Ericsson announced the commercial availability status of its Standalone 5G NR software for 5G mid- and low bands. The software became globally available to all customers in June. Ericsson has completed Standalone 5G interoperability with key ecosystem partners. Standalone 5G devices are expected to become available later in 2020.

Ericsson said its new software enables communications service providers to operate 5G NR without the need for signaling support from an underlying LTE network, effectively removing the dependency on 4G. This will allow service providers to add 5G NR to existing 4G sites with a simpler architecture, or deploy 5G independently in new areas such as factories, to support enterprise applications and services. All Ericsson Radio System equipment deployed since 2015 can support Standalone 5G NR capabilities with a software installation.

Per Narvinger, Head of Product Area Networks, Ericsson, says: “Over the past year, we have worked closely with many customers to successfully deploy Non-standalone 5G. These 5G networks have enabled higher data speeds and new use cases. Now we are taking the next step in the evolution of 5G by making generally available the software to support Standalone 5G NR networks. These standalone capabilities will enable even more use cases and applications.”

T-Mobile and Telstra are long-standing Ericsson partners who have trialed the Ericsson Standalone 5G NR software on their commercial networks.

Abdul Saad, Chief Technology Officer, T-Mobile, says: “Standalone 5G is the next important step for wireless connectivity, with the potential to unleash a whole new range of future transformative applications. We’re proud to be leading the charge alongside Ericsson and other technology innovators and look forward to bringing standalone 5G to our customers later this year.”

Channa Seneviratne, Network and Infrastructure Engineering Executive, Telstra, says: “Standalone 5G is an important milestone in the evolution of 5G and Telstra is pleased to work with Ericsson in the development of new Standalone 5G capabilities. As the first in Australia to enable Standalone 5G, we appreciate the significance of this milestone and how 5G will be a key enabler to create new opportunities for an even better user experience and new business models.”

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Researchers test quantum entanglement from nanosatellite

Researchers from the National University of Singapore and NASA generated and detected quantum entanglement onboard a CubeSat nanosatellite orbiting the Earth.

The experiment demonstrated that a miniaturized source of quantum entanglement can operate successfully in space aboard a low-resource, cost-effective CubeSat that is smaller than a shoebox (10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm).

The photon-pair source consisted of a blue laser diode that shines on nonlinear crystals to create pairs of photons. Achieving high-quality entanglement required a complete redesign of the mounts that align the nonlinear crystals with high precision and stability. The nanosatellite, named SpooQy-1, was deployed into orbit from the International Space Station on 17-June-2019. The instrument successfully generated entangled photon-pairs over temperatures from 16 °C to 21.5 °C.

“In the future, our system could be part of a global quantum network transmitting quantum signals to receivers on Earth or on other spacecraft,” said lead author Aitor Villar from the Centre for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore. “These signals could be used to implement any type of quantum communications application, from quantum key distribution for extremely secure data transmission to quantum teleportation, where information is transferred by replicating the state of a quantum system from a distance.”

A report on the project was published in Optica, The Optical Society's (OSA) journal for high impact research.

The researchers are now working with RALSpace in the UK to design and build a quantum nanosatellite similar to SpooQy-1 with the capabilities needed to beam entangled photons from space to a ground receiver. This is slated for demonstration aboard a 2022 mission.

https://www.osa.org/en-us/about_osa/newsroom/news_releases/2020/quantum_entanglement_demonstrated_aboard_orbiting/

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Vodafone UK powers on Standalone 5G at Coventry University

Vodafone UK has launched the first live Standalone 5G network in the UK at Coventry University. The Standalone 5G network will be used to trial virtual reality learning to support training for student nurses and allied health professionals.

Ericsson partnered with Qualcomm, MediaTek and OPPO to provide the network to Vodafone.

Ericsson 5G Radio Dot small cells have also been installed to provide speedy and high-capacity indoor coverage in the university’s Disruptive Media Learning Lab and National Transport Design Centre.

Arun Bansal, President and Head of Europe and Latin America, Ericsson, says: “Standalone networks are central to the promise of 5G to reimagine society, the economy and industries. We’re proud of what we’ve been able to achieve in partnership with Vodafone. This launch is another example of Ericsson’s 5G technology leadership.”

Professor John Latham CBE, Coventry University Vice-Chancellor, says: “This will help us continue to change and enhance the way students learn. Being the first university in the UK to have this next phase of 5G technology is the first step on our journey to creating a 5G campus.”

Scott Petty, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone UK, says: “5G today is all about capacity and increased speeds. It’s giving people the best mobile experience ever, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg of what 5G can do.”

Vodafone’s announcement of the 5G Standalone network comes one year to the day after it launched commercial 5G in the UK.

Vodafone tests Metaswitch's 5G convergence Access Gateway Function

Wednesday, April 29, 2020  5G, Metaswitch, Vodafone  

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...

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An update from the Telecom Infra Project (TIP)

Thursday, February 27, 2020  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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Vodafone to deactivate Huawei from its mobile core

Wednesday, February 05, 2020  Vodafone  

Vodafone will remove Huawei equipment from the core of its mobile networks across Europe. Following the release of its quarterly financial report, Nick Read, Vodafone's Chief Executive, said the cost of deactivating the Huawei gear will amount to EUR 200 million over 5 years. The company's UK operations are already compliant with the government's recently imposed 35% cap of infrastructure sourced from "high-risk vendors." For the quarter ended...

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Vodafone supports 5G 0-RAN as its restructures tower business

Monday, January 13, 2020  Vodafone  

by Benedict Chua Vodafone confirmed further activation of its 5G network in the UK, including in Belfast, Edinburgh and Leeds, plus the towns of Cheadle, Rochdale and Stockport in and around Greater Manchester. Vodafone is also now offering  5G roaming in five locations in the Republic of Ireland. 5G roaming already covers Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK as part of Vodafone’s 5G roll-out. Vodafone is the first UK company to introduce 5G...

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NTT builds Azure ExpressRoute at its Berlin 1 Data Center

NTT Ltd.'s Global Data Centers division will provide direct connections to the new global Microsoft Azure region Germany North from its Berlin 1 Data Center.

By using Azure ExpressRoute for direct access to Azure, clients can now circumvent the public internet using a low-latency private ramp-up. In addition, the Azure ExpressRoute site is directly connected to Global Data Center’s multi service interconnection platform. The platform is a carrier- and cloud-neutral network which connects the group’s data center facilities in the EMEA region through a dedicated and redundant carrier grade infrastructure. This enables our clients located in a data center in our EMEA region to directly access the new Azure region over the interconnection platform, even if they do not have a presence in the Berlin 1 Data Center.

Florian Winkler, CEO of the Global Data Centers EMEA division of NTT Ltd. said: “Clients are increasingly relying on the public clouds to run their business-critical workloads. At the same time, they have a necessity to connect their private IT infrastructures in a secure and reliable way to these clouds. When using Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute directly from a data center, enterprises can establish a hybrid infrastructure avoiding the pitfalls of the public internet. We are excited to be able to offer this functionality to our clients.”

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Taiwan's Far EasTone launches 5G with Ericsson

Far EasTone (FET) has launched commercial 5G across Taiwan’s metropolitan cities, using radio access network (RAN) and 5G core technology provided solely by Ericsson.

Far EasTone’s 5G network is powered by Ericsson Radio System and Ericsson Cloud Packet Core products and solutions. Offerings include Massive MIMO AIR 3239, Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, Uplink Booster and AI-powered 5G management. The communications service provider has also deployed Ericsson Radio Dots on the 3.5GHz band to boost indoor coverage. Ericsson has been sole supplier of FET's EPC network since 2015.

Chee Ching, President, Far EasTone, says: “FET is determined to navigate through Big Data, AI, IoT, and other digital applications in the new 5G era to not only bring people closer together in mind, but also to reduce the gap between people and new technology. We see this 5G launch is an important milestone for us to lead the service innovation journey in Taiwan.”

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GTT names Ernie Ortega as interim CEO

GTT Communications named Ernie Ortega as interim CEO while the board continues its search for a permanent CEO.

Ortega currently serves as GTT’s Chief Revenue Office.

GTT's Board of Directors also announced that Don MacNeil has joined the GTT leadership team as chief operating officer (COO). Mr. MacNeil will lead GTT’s network operations, service delivery, assurance and vendor management teams, as well as GTT’s product organization.

“I am delighted to name Ernie Ortega as interim CEO and Don MacNeil as GTT’s chief operating officer,” stated H. Brian Thompson, GTT Founder and Executive Chairman of the Board. “Both Ernie and Don have a track record of delivering successful organizational change and operational improvement for national, international and global businesses. Their industry experience and leadership will accelerate our drive to operational excellence, a clearly outstanding client experience, continuous improvement of our services, and the achievement of our organic growth goals."

GTT announces resignation of its CEO

Wednesday, May 27, 2020  GTT, People  

Richard D. Calder will step down as president and CEO of GTT, effective on June 1, 2020.

“We appreciate the many accomplishments Rick has achieved since joining GTT as CEO in May 2007 over 13 years ago,” stated H. Brian Thompson, GTT executive chairman. “We have initiated an executive search for a new CEO to lead GTT moving forward.”

GTT is conducting a search for a replacement. In the interim, the company will be led by a group made up of several top executives, including chief financial officer Steven Berns, chief revenue officer Ernie Ortega, general counsel Chris McKee and senior vice president of operations and engineering Bob Burris.

GTT completes acquisition of KPN International

Monday, December 02, 2019  GTT  

GTT Communications completed its previously announced acquisition of KPN International, which operates a global IP network serving enterprise and carrier clients. GTT paid approximately €50 million in cash, on a cash and debt-free basis.

The acquisition adds more than 400 strategic enterprise and carrier clients. GTT will also be the preferred international network supplier for several hundred additional clients retained by KPN.

GTT said the purchase adds to its portfolio of cloud networking services with wide area networking, internet and transport services, and adds depth to its global Tier 1 IP network in Europe across 21 countries.

GTT looks to sell subsea cables and European fiber network

Sunday, December 01, 2019  GTT  

GTT Communications has retained Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs as financial advisors in connection with the potential sale of the Infrastructure Division, which includes its terrestrial pan-European fiber network, subsea transatlantic fiber and data centers. This infrastructure was part of GTT's acquisition of Interoute and of Hibernia.

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Global Environmental Monitoring and Measurement in Scotland

The network of 25 sensors will be installed in primary and secondary schools across Glasgow, Scotland to collect real-time information on emissions of CO2 and various noxious gases in the city’s air. The trial is part of the Global Environmental Monitoring and Measurement (GEMM) initiative, a collaboration between the University of Strathclyde; Stanford, the University of California at Berkeley, The Optical Society (OSA), the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Met Office, and the National Physical Laboratory, UK.

“This project will deliver the type of data necessary to drive efforts in Glasgow and other cities to reduce emissions and greenhouse gases,” said Elizabeth Rogan, CEO, The Optical Society (OSA). “The GEMM initiative is developing measurement technologies to improve climate change models and inform decision-making in both the public and private sector.”

Professor Allister Ferguson, University of Strathclyde and co-lead of the project said, “As the climate changes rapidly, public and private decision-makers around the world are facing an ever-increasing need for more accurate environmental data, improved measurements, and forecasting models to predict the future course of the environment and, where possible, develop strategies to adapt to or mitigate these environmental and climate-change caused disruptions.

Co-lead Dr. Thomas Baer, Director of Stanford Photonics Research Center at Stanford University, USA and a Visiting Professor at Strathclyde said, “While efforts to reduce GHG emissions have made great strides, particularly when it comes to electricity generation, heating and transport remain two challenging areas. Being able to monitor in real-time the GHG emissions caused predominately by traffic, policymakers will be able to make informed decisions and see near-immediate results.”

https://www.osa.org/en-us/about_osa/newsroom/news_releases/2020/scientists_install_sensors_in_glasgow_scotland_sch/

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