Verizon Media validates 100GbE QSFP28 to 400GbE QSFP-DD upgrade in OLS

Verizon Media, which operates a high-capacity content delivery network, validated a seamless upgrade from Inphi's 100GbE QSFP28 optics to its 400GbE QSFP-DD over the same production Open Line System. The demonstration consisted of adding a 400ZR from an Arista 400G switch into a 100GHz DWDM channel without affecting any of the existing 100GbE waves.

Verizon Media's CDN needs connect super PoPs with low latency and high capacity DWDM interconnects. Verizon Media is advancing the disaggregation of optics, switching, and optical line systems in preparation for an enormous surge in data driven by cloud, HD video and 5G applications.

“To ensure our CDN remains ready for the web of tomorrow, we must constantly stay at the leading edge of technology to drive scalability of our network, while building the most price competitive and efficient infrastructure possible,” said Nitin Batta, Principal Infrastructure Architect, Verizon Media. “The solutions and roadmap offered by COLORZ products will allow us to rapidly, easily and cost effectively add terabits of capacity in response to customer demands.”

Inphi said both of its COLORZ optical platforms use a single Silicon Photonics Integrated Circuits technology for all transmit and received functions. With a strong market adoption of over 100,000 units COLORZ deployed, COLORZ II will further benefit from a strong industry support with a multi-vendor ecosystem and a well-accepted interoperable 400ZR standard.

“As data center network traffic continues to grow exponentially, it is critical for infrastructure suppliers to continue providing innovative scalable solutions,” said Tomas Maj, Sr. Director, Marketing, Optical Interconnect at Inphi Corporation. “COLORZ products continue to open new possibilities for DCI total cost of ownership reductions, while providing a seamless upgrade path to 400G.”

COLORZ is the industry’s first Silicon Photonics 100G PAM4 platform solution for 80km DWDM Data Center Interconnects (DCIs) in QSFP28 form factor. Utilizing advanced Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM4) signaling, COLORZ delivers up to 4Tb/s of bandwidth over a single fiber and allows multiple data centers located up to 80km of each other to be connected and act like a single data center.

COLORZ II is the industry's first 400ZR QSFP-DD pluggable coherent transceiver for cloud DCIs to major cloud operators and OEMs. COLORZ II enables large cloud operators to connect metro data centers at a fraction of the cost of traditional coherent transport systems and allows switch and router companies to offer the same density for both coherent DWDM and client optics in the same chassis. This eliminates a layer of network connectivity that was previously required and supports high capacity DWDM connectivity directly from data center switches. 

https://www.inphi.com/products/colorz

Read More

Samsung and KDDI demo 5G network slicing

KDDI, in collaboration with Samsung, demonstrated a 5G end-to-end (E2E) network slicing demonstration with a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) in Tokyo, Japan. 

The demonstration showcased new use cases using 5G E2E network slicing on a virtual network that ties together Samsung’s virtualized core, virtualized RAN, and orchestration.

Key capabilities shown included low latency, guaranteed throughput and the creation of multiple slices. Furthermore, a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) that managed radio resources to guarantee required service levels, was demonstrated. Samsung and KDDI aim to standardize E2E network slicing in an international standard organization. 

“The demonstration provides a foundation that will allow KDDI to offer new 5G commercial services leveraging its 5G commercial networks,” said Toshikazu Yokai, Executive Officer, General Manager of Mobile Network Technical Development Division at KDDI. “Working with Samsung, we will continue to accelerate growth in advanced 5G technologies to benefit our customers.”

“This collaboration with KDDI on 5G E2E network slicing is a significant step towards new business models using 5G technology,” said Taiyeon Kim, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Technology Service Team, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “This demonstration spotlights how Samsung’s advanced 5G solutions can support KDDI and open up new business opportunities by unlocking the full power of their 5G commercial network.”

Read More

MWC Barcelona rescheduled for June 28

 Mobile World Congress Barcelona has been rescheduled for June 28th to July 1st, 2021.

The dates for Mobile World Congress Shanghai have been moved ahead to February 23-25, 2021.

Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA said: “With a continuously changing global outlook and following consultation with our board and membership and our top exhibitors, we have taken the careful decision to reschedule MWC21 Shanghai in February, and MWC21 Barcelona in June. The health and safety of our exhibitors, attendees, staff and the people of Barcelona are of paramount importance.”

Pau Relat, President of Governing board of Fira de Barcelona, said: “We fully support the GSMA’s decision to reschedule the dates for MWC Barcelona and are deeply committed to making the best possible 2021 edition with an extraordinary participation of companies and visitors. The long-standing partnership between the MWC, Fira and the city of Barcelona has been a very successful one for everyone, and I’m sure it will continue to be so in the future.”

Read More

Nokia's Worldwide IoT Network Grid service builds on Equinix

Equinix has been selected as a strategic supplier for Nokia's Worldwide IoT Network Grid (WING) managed service.

Nokia's WING allows operators without an IoT footprint to gain fast entry to the IoT market or to help operators expand an existing IoT business.

Specifically, Nokia is leveraging Equinix IBX data centers to deploy both core and edge nodes to support mobile, IoT and cloud connectivity at global scale. 

Nokia WING will use Platform Equinix to support markets across the globe in areas such as IoT data traffic and device density, as well as local regulatory environments (such as GDPR). Nokia is leveraging Equinix's global data center footprint to enable the efficient collection from, and distribution across, multiple networks and clouds. Additionally, Nokia and Equinix are exploring edge architectures and deployment models that can improve the performance of use cases relating to cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning and IoT.

"Nokia WING offers a superior IoT service experience for operators through global network presence, unified orchestration and consistent service level agreements. This deal will support our efforts to manage IoT-related data analysis on a global basis," said Ankur Bhan, Head of WING, Nokia.

"Nokia needed access to multiple markets and ecosystems to connect to NSPs and enterprises who want a play in the IoT space. By directly connecting to Nokia WING, mobile network operators can capture business value across IoT, AI and security, with a connectivity strategy to support business transformation," states Jim Poole, VP, Equinix.

Read More

Rakuten Mobile teams with Equinix

 Rakuten Mobile Singapore Pte. selected Platform Equinix as a foundation to deliver its Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP) to global operators and enterprise customers. 

Rakuten Mobile intends to offer RCP as a set of key technologies and services that allows governments, telecom companies and enterprises a way to easily build and deploy fully cloud-native network services at speed and low cost. With plans underway to roll out RCP on a global scale, Rakuten Mobile selected Platform Equinix after a thorough evaluation process to address its dynamic needs.

The deployment with Equinix will be completed in phases, with initial deployment in Singapore, the location of Rakuten Mobile's international headquarters, and Los Angeles with future expansions planned across the U.S., EMEA and Asia-Pacific. 

"We are thrilled to collaborate with Equinix to support the global expansion of our telecommunications business through Rakuten Communications Platform. Equinix's global footprint, enterprise-grade facilities and strong network capabilities make it the ideal partner for us to bring the deployment of cloud-native mobile networks to telecom and enterprise companies around the world," said Tareq Amin, Chief Technology Officer, Rakuten Mobile.

"Today marks the beginning of a strong and solid collaboration with Rakuten Mobile. The first phase of deployment in Singapore and Los Angeles lays ground for future international expansion of its mobile business. With Platform Equinix, Rakuten Mobile can take advantage of our global footprint and solid network ecosystems to deliver high-speed, low-latency and secure services to its customers around the globe. We look forward to furthering this collaboration and are excited to see what the future holds," said Justin Dustzadeh, Chief Technology Officer, Equinix.

Read More

CrowdStrike to acquire Preempt Security for $96 million

 CrowdStrike agreed to acquire Preempt Security, a start-up offering Zero Trust and conditional access technology for real-time access control and threat prevention, for approximately $96 million.

Preempt, which was founded in 2014 by Ajit Sancheti and Roman Blachman, offers a conditional Access for continuously detecting and preempting threats based on identity, behavior and risk. The company is based in San Francisco.

CrowdStrike said it plans to offer customers enhanced Zero Trust security capabilities and strengthen the CrowdStrike Falcon platform with conditional access technology. The addition of Preempt's technology to the CrowdStrike Falcon platform will help customers achieve end-to-end visibility and enforcement on identity data.

“Hybrid work environments will become the norm for many organizations which means that Zero Trust security with an identity-centric approach and detecting threats in real-time are critical for business continuity. With the addition of Preempt Security’s capabilities, the CrowdStrike Falcon platform will provide enhanced protection against identity-based attacks and insider threats,” said George Kurtz, co-founder and chief executive officer of CrowdStrike. “Combining Preempt's technology with the CrowdStrike Falcon platform will help customers achieve end-to-end visibility and enforcement through identity, behavior and risk-based decisions to stop attacks in real time.”

“We are thrilled about joining CrowdStrike, the industry leader in stopping breaches that shaped modern endpoint security and pioneered the Security Cloud,” said Ajit Sancheti, Preempt’s co-founder and chief executive officer. “Combining Preempt’s identity security expertise with CrowdStrike’s incredible scale and threat telemetry, we will be able to offer customers complete protection for hybrid workloads and remote workforces wherever they are.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2LfkdjW-9Q

Read More

Vapor IO and AlefEdge target the mobile edge

Vapor IO announced a partnership with AlefEdge, which is developing a Software-Defined Mobile Edge (SD-ME) platform and APIs for enterprises and developers.

AlefEdge will deliver its SD-ME services on the Vapor IO Kinetic Edge platform, nationwide. The Software Defined Mobile Edge allows enterprises to deploy edge computing on top of private wireless networks, creating a low-cost path to edge-enabled mobile applications, such as factory robotics, IoT, and other use cases that benefit from applications delivered at the edge of the network.

The companies said their collaboration provides the critical architecture to support enterprise customers with 'near-prem' requirements that demand ultra-low latency and high bandwidth. Available first in Pittsburgh and Atlanta, SD-ME enables 5G-style immersive and intelligent applications to work over contemporary business environments.

"A programmable mobile Edge has been out of reach for most of today's enterprises because of the complexity of both deployment and application development," said Ganesh Sundaram, CEO of AlefEdge. "Placing our service atop Vapor IO's Kinetic Edge platform enables us to quickly deploy nationally and support 'near prem' workloads in the top 36 US Markets. Our services allow enterprises to leverage shared resources while maintaining the benefits of on-prem IT without the overhead of on-site management. The Kinetic Edge platform offers the most performant and resilient edge computing network, with a consistent experience across geographies."

"Vapor IO has an aggressive rollout plan that spans the entire U.S.," said Cole Crawford, CEO at Vapor IO. "Together with partners like AlefEdge we are building the next chapter of the Internet. We are especially excited about AlefEdge's SD-ME and its ability to deliver Enterprises the flexible and secure architectures, along with seamless integrations and new APIs to digitally transform their work environments. For the first time, enterprises in our target markets will have the ability to easily subscribe to AlefEdge's SD-ME services and quickly integrate them into their network."

• In January of this year, Vapor IO announced its series C financing, raising a total of $90 million to build out its Kinetic Edge platform in 36 U.S. markets by the end of 2021. The first 36 markets to feature the Kinetic Edge platform are (in alphabetical order): Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Stamford/Hartford/New Haven, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Myers, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Providence, Raleigh, Rochester, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Syracuse, Tampa and Washington D.C.

Read More

AT&T to bring 5G to three USAF bases

 AT&T will bring 5G connectivity to more than 24,000 military personnel on U.S. Air Force bases Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; and Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

The U.S. Air Force is testing AT&T's Networking-as-a-Service capabilities at these three bases as an element of its strategy to transform and modernize its networking infrastructure to support air, land and cyber operations.

AT&T said its solutions and services are provided to these bases under Other Transaction Authority (OTA) Agreements issued by the Air Force to fund its Enterprise IT-as-a-Service (EITaaS) program. The program aims to use commercial networking services to deliver enhanced speed, security and capabilities and an efficient and improved user experience, including near-ubiquitous wireless connectivity across the bases.

“We’re proud and honored to bring AT&T 5G and other highly innovative commercial networking-as-a-service capabilities to the Air Force,” said Anne Chow, Chief Executive Officer, AT&T Business. “We are helping the Air Force optimize the value of our 5G and other networking capabilities at these 3 bases and stand ready to work with them to extend these services across the entirety of the Air Force if they so choose.”

Read More