Verizon expands 5G Edge with AWS Wavelength in Atlanta, NY, DC

 Verizon has added AWS Wavelength capabilities in three new locations: Atlanta, New York and Washington, DC. Verizon and AWS launched the mobile edge computing (MEC) platform last month in Boston and the Bay Area and plan to add five more cities by year end.

The AWS Wavelength service targets latency-sensitive use cases like machine learning inference at the edge, autonomous industrial equipment, smart cars and cities, Internet of Things (IoT), and augmented and virtual reality. The idea is to position AWS compute and storage services at the edge of Verizon’s 5G network.

The companies said that by moving AWS compute and storage services to the edge of Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, innovators can develop applications with ultra-low latencies that will support next generation use cases ranging from self-driving cars to autonomous industrial equipment. Three examples:

• Zixi’s Software-Defined Video Platform (SDVP) enables live broadcast-quality video delivery over any IP network. The company’s currently testing how a major broadcaster’s 4K live broadcast feed can be delivered over 5G using AWS Wavelength. The end game is to test how content providers can distribute live streams across broadcast media workflows with super-low latency without the need for satellites.
• YBVR is building a next-generation VR video platform and is testing how they can utilize 5G and Wavelength to stream live 8K Ultra HD (UHD) video to sports fans and concert goers, allowing simultaneous users to choose various camera views with ultra-low latency.
• CrowdVision is testing how 5G and AWS Wavelength can provide the throughput and low latency needed to help detect pedestrian movements using video or LiDAR and artificial intelligence to provide live data about everything from crowd congestion to traffic flows, queues and wait times in venues like airports and arenas.

“Watching businesses build transformational applications on the world’s first 5G mobile edge computing platform with AWS Wavelength shows how our 5G Ultra Wideband network matters to customers TODAY and is already impacting how businesses operate and consumers live, work and play,” said Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business. “When it comes to innovating on 5G and MEC, we’re only scratching the surface.”

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Microsoft intros Azure Orbital - Ground-station-as-a-Service

 Microsoft unveiled Azure Orbital, a new ground station service that enables satellite operators to communicate to and control their satellites, process data, and scale operations directly with Microsoft Azure. 

In addition to bringing better cloud connectivity to remote locations, Microsoft believes the new service will be especially useful for  meteorology, oceanography, agriculture, geology, and defense and intelligence communities who most often use satellites that are in a non-geostationary orbit (NGSO), including low-earth orbit (LEO) or medium-earth orbit (MEO). This is because a substantial amount of ground stations are required to establish contact with orbiting satellites within a specific time window to downlink the data to Earth.

Azure Orbital will figure out the ground station connectivity and then on-ramp satellite-collected data directly into Azure. 

The initial service is now in testing.

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/introducing-azure-orbital-process-satellite-data-at-cloudscale/

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SES signs on as MEO satellite partner for Microsoft Azure Orbital

 SES signed a multi-year agreement with Microsoft to be an Azure Orbital partner as well as to accelerate and expand the use of Microsoft Azure across its operations and jointly develop cloud-based video and data connectivity managed services.

Under the arrangement, SES will be co-locating and managing O3b mPOWER gateways with Microsoft Azure locations so its customers are always only “one-hop” away from their Azure cloud services anywhere in the world. More specifically, SES will be the medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite partner for Microsoft Azure Orbital. The two companies also agreed to make joint investments in Azure Orbital ground stations for the MEO and Earth Observation segments that SES will deploy and manage based on its industry expertise, with the first Earth Observation gateway being located at Quincy, Western Australia.

The Microsoft partnership is expected to bring improved network performance for SES customers as they route over Microsoft’s global network and inject value-added, cloud-based managed services such as enhanced security, SD-WAN, and other network functions into the service chain.

Additionally, to support customers migrating to the cloud, SES has established a corporate cloud cross-functional team responsible for driving cloud adoption within its own enterprise and operations, and defining, developing and launching seamless cloud, content and connectivity solutions across all of the company’s key market segments. These cloud-based solutions will enable SES customers to enjoy the agility, flexibility and cost-optimisation they require in capitalising on new revenue opportunities. Under the corporate cloud initiative, SES is also moving its IT systems and operations to cloud-based automated services and applications.

“With the breadth and scope of Azure’s global platform and capabilities, Microsoft emerges as an ideal partner in our accelerated transformation into a cloud-first enterprise delivering cloud-based video and data managed services,” said JP Hemingway, CEO of SES Networks who leads SES’s corporate cloud initiative. “We believe our customers – from dense urban areas to remote and rural locations around the world – will be best served by a ‘new space’ ecosystem that enables them to be more agile, scale flexibly and seize new revenue opportunities.”

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Arm expands its Neoverse data center server CPU porfolio

Arm is unveiling two new platforms in its Neoverse silicon portfolio for data centers CPUs: 

• the Arm Neoverse V1 platform, delivering a single-threaded performance uplift of more than 50% over N1 and aimed at applications more reliant on CPU performance and bandwidth. Neoverse V1 supports Scalable Vector Extensions (SVE), which enables execution of single-instruction multiple dispatch (SIMD) integer, bfloat16, or floating-point instructions on wider vector units using a software programming model that’s agnostic to the width of the unit. Arm says SVE will ensure portability and longevity of the software code, along with efficient execution. Potential markets include high-performance cloud, HPC, and machine learning.
• the Neoverse N2, which is the second-generation N-series platform, and aimed at the scale-out performance needs of applications across a range of use cases, from cloud to SmartNICs and enterprise networking, to power-constrained edge devices.  Neoverse N2 offers 40% higher single-threaded performance, compared to Neoverse N1, and retains the same level of power and area efficiency as Neoverse N1.

Arm's Neoverse roadmap now extends from 7nm devices currently in production, to 5nm designs in 2021 and 3nm in 2022.

Arm cited growing momentum for its Neoverse silicon across a range of data center applications. Operating systems and hypervisors, Xen, KVM, Docker containers, and, increasingly, Kubernetes have all announced support for Arm. 

http://www.arm.com

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NETGEAR's latest DOCSIS 3.1 cable modems deliver 2.5 Gbps

NETGEAR released its next generation of high-speed DOCSIS 3.1 cable modems capable of delivering 2.5 Gbps performance.

Nighthawk CM2000 and CM2050v 2.5 Gbps modems feature:

• 2.5x internet speeds–– The next generation DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem with 2.5 gigabit ethernet port support up to 2.5x faster speeds than the first generation DOCSIS 3.1 modem.
• Multi-gig internet speed system–– Experience a new generation of cable modems that deliver up to 2.5 Gbps Multi-Gigabit Internet.
• Latest DOCSIS 3.1 technology— Join the new generation of cable modem with built in DOCSIS 3.1 modem. Experience the world’s fastest cable Internet download speed and up to 10X faster than DOCSIS 3.0ii.
• Backward compatible–– Fully backwards compatible to 32x8 channel bonding in DOCSIS 3.0 mode.
• Power savings–– Energy efficient to reduce cable modem power usage.
• Save money–– Save up to $168 per year by eliminating monthly cable modem rental fees.
• Multi-gig WiFi router support––Works best with routers with 2.5Gbps WAN Port, such as: Orbi WiFi 6 Mesh systems (RBk852, RBK853), Nighthawk RAX120 or the Nighthawk RAX200 WiFi 6 routers
• The Nighthawk CM2050V 2.5Gbps Internet Speed Cable Telephony Modem is certified for easy set up with Comcast Xfinity Voice Plan and includes two telephone.

“At NETGEAR we are continually pushing forward with innovation to provide the latest technology for the greatest advancement in performance when it comes to one’s network connection,” said David Henry, senior vice president of Connected Home Products for NETGEAR. “With these two new modems, the CM2000 and the CM2050v, we are now offering the capability to bring multi-gig internet into the home over cable.”

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AT&T and Microsoft target global IoT

 AT&T is working with Microsoft to deliver an integrated IoT solution with Azure Sphere. The companies will offer an AT&T powered "Guardian" device with Azure Sphere along with an AT&T global SIM that enables connectivity in more than 200 countries across 500 carriers. The solution enables enterprises to easily connect existing equipment to the cloud and to Azure IoT Central. Customers can connect their devices and machines to their own cloud environment without the need to connect to a Wi-Fi through a third party network connection that may not meet their high security standards.

“Our work with AT&T is a prime example of how the convergence of secure cloud computing and network technology helps businesses unlock new customer value and continuously simplify every aspect of our personal and professional lives,” said Corey Sanders, corporate vice president, Microsoft Solutions.

“AT&T and Microsoft share the belief that technology should serve people,” added Mo Katibeh, executive vice president and chief product and platform officer, AT&T Business. “Working with Microsoft we can offer a truly global solution with strong security and data insights that can help a broad array of industries simplify operations, manage costs, and become more agile in any market.”

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CityWest upgrades fiber infrastructure in British Columbia with Fujitsu

CityWest will upgrade its fiber optic network across western British Columbia using Fujitsu Network Communications' 1FINITY platform and Virtuora Network Control solution.

CityWest selected Fujitsu 1FINITY T300 Transport and L100 Lambda blades, along with the Virtuora Network Controller (NC), significantly increasing bandwidth and performance, as well as network efficiency. The compact modular 1FINITY T300 enables speeds up to 200G in a small footprint, helping to reduce power consumption and space constraints. In addition, the centralized provisioning and management capabilities of Virtuora NC allow CityWest to improve network automation, thereby reducing operational expenses.

CityWest is deploying the 1FINITY blades in a ring configuration, building in network redundancy to help protect against any point of failure and avoid lengthy mean time to repair (MTTR), ensuring the best possible customer service across a wide geographic region.

“At CityWest we remain true to our vision to deliver a superior customer experience, investing in 100G technology that will allow us to meet subscriber bandwidth needs well into the future,” said Donovan Dias, vice president, sales and project management, CityWest. “We opted to work with Fujitsu because performance, efficiency and network redundancy are all critical to our capability to deliver exceptional telecommunications and entertainment services to the consumers and businesses we serve, connecting our local communities to the world.”

“We are pleased to work with CityWest to advance innovation that allows delivery of enhanced speed and connectivity across the province, today and tomorrow,” said Annie Bogue, head of sales and marketing, Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. “With the unrivaled flexibility, scalability and efficiency of the 1FINITY platform, CityWest can grow at their own pace with the latest technology in a disaggregated architecture.”

https://www.fujitsu.com/us/about/resources/news/press-releases/2020/fnc-20200922.html

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Intel appoints Saf Yeboah-Amankwah as Chief Strategy Officer

 Intel appointed Safroadu (Saf) Yeboah-Amankwah as senior vice president and chief strategy officer, where he will be responsible for the global strategy office, including Intel Capital, and will work with the executive team on developing and driving growth-oriented strategies. Yeboah-Amankwah will report to CEO Bob Swan.

Yeboah-Amankwah joins Intel from McKinsey & Company, where he was most recently a senior partner and global head of the Transformation Practice for the Telecom, Media and Technology (TMT) practice, based in Washington, D.C. He is also the global lead of Client Capabilities for the TMT practice. Previously he served as managing partner for South Africa and head of McKinsey’s TMT and Digital practice for Africa, among other roles.

Yeboah-Amankwah received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a former board member of the United Negro College Fund.

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Netcracker advances Turkcell's OSS transformation project

Turkcell completed the next phase of its OSS transformation as part of an ongoing engagement leveraging Netcracker’s Digital OSS solutions. This most recent phase encompasses several new enhancements, such as network inventory management, migration of network resources for residential customer services from legacy inventory management systems as well as auto-discovery and reconciliation. It also includes the creation of a joint delivery team to implement change requests based on network improvement and growth using Agile methodology.

Previously, Netcracker worked with Turkcell to deploy IP/MPLS networks, broadband aggregation networks and GPONs across physical and service layers while enabling FTTB (fiber-to-the-building) network deployment and CRM integration.

“Both our business operations and the end customer will greatly benefit from the latest deployment phase,” said Kerem Kiziltunc, Director at Turkcell. “Our investments in a new user interface and streamlined service fulfillment process will allow us to decommission legacy systems faster. This also expands on our long-standing alliance with Netcracker, which gives Turkcell consolidated management of our network and provides us with the tools to be successful as we go down the path of advanced mobile networks and new digital services.”

“Turkcell is a pioneer in the mobile space, and we are honored to play a critical part in their move towards 5G and the advanced services it will enable,” said Yaniv Zilberman, Vice President of Sales, Europe, at Netcracker. “We value our ongoing partnership with Turkcell and look forward to their continued success.”

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