U.S. to open 3.45-3.55 GHz mid-band spectrum for 5G

The Trump administration announced that 100 megahertz of contiguous, coast-to-coast mid-band spectrum will be made available for commercial 5G deployment.

The action, which will be taken by the FCC in collaboration with the Department of Defense, targets the 3.45-3.55 GHz band.

“I commend the President and Department of Defense for today’s announcement that the 3.45-3.55 GHz band will be made available for commercial 5G deployment.  This is a key milestone in securing United States leadership in 5G.  I also would like to thank FCC staff for their work to help create a framework that will promote 5G service in this important band.  Together with the spectrum being made available for 5G in the C-band as well as the 3.5 GHz band, we are now on track to have a 530-megahertz swath of mid-band spectrum available for 5G from 3.45 to 3.98 GHz.  The FCC looks forward to moving quickly to adopt service rules for the 3.45 GHz band and then hold an auction to bring this prime mid-band spectrum to market.”

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Equinix to acquire Mumbai data centers from GPX India

Equinix agreed to acquire the India operations of GPX Global Systems for US$161 million in cash, representing a multiple of approximately 15x the projected EBITDA at full utilization.

GPX India's assets include a fiber-connected campus in Mumbai with two data centers, adding more than 1,350 cabinets, with an additional 500 cabinets at full buildout. The facilities will add more than 90,000 square feet of colocation space to Platform Equinix when fully built. GPX India offers a cloud dense environment and access to major cloud services, including Amazon Direct Connect, Google Cloud Dedicated Interconnect and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure FastConnect. GPX India operates its own cloud interconnection solution.

Equinix notes that GPX India facilities also host key internet exchanges such as Mumbai IX-DECIX, AMS-IX India, Extreme IX and Bharat IX, allowing ISPs, carriers, CDNs and large enterprises to exchange internet traffic.

"India represents the second largest internet user base in the world, with consumption expected to grow with the continued advancement of internet infrastructure, smartphone ownership and the penetration of 4G and 5G. Extending Platform Equinix to India has long been a strategic objective for Equinix and we are excited that the GPX transaction will allow us to capitalize on this market opportunity and meet the needs of our customers as they seek to expand their digital businesses," states Charles Meyers, President and CEO, Equinix.

Equinix markets

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Ciena selected for Windstream's Next-Gen Converged Optical Network

Windstream will deploy Ciena’s Waveserver 5 compact modular platform, powered by its WaveLogic 5 Extreme technology, in its National Converged Optical Network (NCON). Additionally, Windstream will be leveraging Ciena’s 6500 Reconfigurable Line System (RLS), the first reconfigurable, fully programmable and integrated C&L-band line system to access double the optical spectrum capacity. Deployment and activiation are expected to begin in Q3. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Windstream’s NCON will connect cities across its Tier 1, 2, and 3 markets to major U.S. data centers, cable landing stations, and cross-border gateways.

Ciena said its 800G platform will enable Windstream’s NCON to efficiently scale and dynamically adjust for optimal capacity on any path and avoid potential faults by automatically re-routing traffic based on available network resources. Another key capability of Windstream’s NCON will be enabled by Ciena’s Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) domain controller, which will utilize automation features and operational diagnostics to proactively identify and prevent potential connectivity issues. NCON will also take advantage of Ciena’s Liquid Spectrum predictive analytics, which will act as the brains of the network to provide real-time visibility into network efficiency.

"Windstream’s decision to partner with us again and build a world-class network that will span its entire U.S. footprint using our high-performance coherent optics and leading automation software not only demonstrates their industry leadership, but will help them deliver differentiated and innovative services while adapting to the disruptions and demands created by the digital economy," stated Jason Phipps, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, Ciena.

"Our increasingly digital world requires a differentiated network that pushes the boundaries of technology to take the connectivity experience to the next level. After extensive review in our quest to innovate and meet growing customer demands, it was clear that Ciena was the best partner to support our nationwide network transformation and ability to adapt to digital disruption. With NCON, Windstream will build an ultra-high capacity, intelligent network that will interoperate with our existing multi-vendor topology," stated Buddy Bayer, Chief Network Officer, Windstream.

https://news.windstream.com/news/news-details/2020/Windstream-Selects-Ciena-for-Next-Generation-National-Converged-Optical-Network/default.aspx

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India activates subsea cable connecting Chennai and Andaman Islands

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a subsea cable system connecting Chennai and Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The cable also extends Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep (Havelock), Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island, and Rangat.

Initial capacity is 2 x 200 Gbps between Chennai and Port Blair, and 2 x 100 Gbps between Port Blair and the other islands.

About 2300 Kms of Submarine OFC cable has been laid at a cost of about Rs 1224 Crore, and the project has been completed in time.

https://www.narendramodi.in/prime-minister-shri-narendra-modi-to-inaugurate-submarine-cable-connectivity-to-andaman-nicobar-islands-a-ni-on-monday-10th-august-550856

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SFP-DD MSA updates spec for 100G

The Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density (SFP-DD) Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) Group released an updated (v4.1) hardware specification for 100+ Gbps, high-density networking equipment. The SFP-DD form factor uses 2-lane pluggable modules, is backward compatible with SFP+ and offers improved host to module management communication based on a Two-Wire-Interface (TWI).

SFP-DD revision 4.1 hardware specification includes added features to support ResetL, dual function IntL/TXFaultDD and ePPS. Newly added timing tables will also allow for low speeds signals, soft control and module status. The former chapter 7 Management Interface is now part of chapter 4, Electrical Specification. The updated hardware specification includes port mapping, optical connectors and module color coding moved out of Mechanical and Board Definition chapter 5 and into a new chapter 5. Lastly, TS-1000 Normative Module and Connector performance requirements were added as Appendix A.

Targeting support of optical modules up to 3.5 W, the SFP-DD form factor addresses the technical challenges of achieving a double-density interface and ensuring mechanical interoperability for module components produced by different manufacturers while still enabling the use of legacy SFP modules. This updated specification supersedes previous versions and has updated mechanical connector dimensions. Users should note that the connector dimensions specified in the 4.1 supersede all previous versions.

SFP-DD MSA promoters include Alibaba, Broadcom, Cisco, Dell EMC, HPE, Huawei, II-VI Incorporated, Intel, Juniper Networks, Lumentum, Molex, Nvidia and TE Connectivity. Contributors include Accelink, Amphenol, AOI, Eoptolink, FIT, Fourte, Genesis, Hisense, Infinera, Innolight, Maxim Integrated, Multilane, Nokia, Oclaro, Senko, Source Photonics, US Conec and ZTE.

http://sfp-dd.com/2020/08/sfp-dd-msa-releases-updated-4-1-hardware-specification/

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CommScope sues Rosenberger for antenna patent infringement

CommScope filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against Rosenberger Site Solutions LLC and two related Chinese companies, Rosenberger Asia Pacific Electronic Co., Ltd. and Rosenberger Technology (Kunshan) Co. Ltd.

The complaint asserts that certain cellular base station antennas manufactured in China by Rosenberger and sold in the United States, infringe seven of CommScope’s patents associated with CommScope’s base station antenna innovations. These CommScope patents relate to critical building blocks and enhanced methods used to design a wide array of base station antennas for bands ranging from 600MHz to over 2000MHz. These key technologies enable CommScope’s customers to buildout high performance multi-band cellular networks.

CommScope notes that this is the second lawsuit CommScope has filed against Rosenberger relating to its use of CommScope’s base station antenna technology.

“CommScope innovates, designs, manufactures, and sells best-in-class products and solutions around the world,” said Farid Firouzbakht, senior vice president and segment leader of Outdoor Wireless Networks for CommScope. “CommScope has taken this action to protect the company’s significant investments in developing innovative products that help our customers unlock the potential of their network infrastructure.”

https://www.commscope.com/press-releases/2020/commscope-sues-rosenberger-for-patent-infringement/

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