Acacia intros coherent bi-directional pluggables for Cable and 5G

Acacia Communications is sampling new coherent bi-directional pluggable optical modules that were designed to transmit and receive data in both directions on a single fiber for 100G. In cable networks, particularly Remote PHY and fiber deep applications, providers often run into situations where only a single fiber is available. Historically, these networks have been served by 10G bi-directional optical modules.

Acacia’s coherent bi-directional module is offered in a pluggable CFP2-DCO form factor. 

The company said its new products leverage its 3D Siliconization approach, which utilizes high-volume manufacturing processes and benefits from the maturity of Acacia’s silicon photonics technology. Acacia’s coherent point-to-point, DWDM and bi-directional pluggable solutions were designed to meet the form factor, low power consumption and cost requirements that edge and access providers need to scale their networks in the future. 

“With the addition of this coherent bi-directional solution to our recently announced 100G point-to-point and DWDM coherent solutions, Acacia is now able to offer a portfolio of products to address a wide variety of requirements in the edge and access market,” said Fenghai Liu, Vice President of Product Line Management at Acacia Communications. “In fiber-limited networks, optical waves are transmitted in a single fiber medium from both directions. In these networks, coherent receivers can efficiently help to eliminate the crosstalk from back reflections when it operates at a different wavelength than its transmitter. Acacia’s coherent bi-directional CFP2-DCO module is purpose-built for these applications.”

http://www.acacia-inc.com 

Read More

100G Lambda MSA completes 400G spec for 2~10 km

The 100G Lambda Multisource Agreement (MSA) Group released a 400 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) specification up to 10 km based on 100 Gbps per wavelength PAM4 optical technology. 

The new 400GbE specification is designated as 400G-LR4-10 for duplex single-mode links up to 10 km and relies on multiplexing 4 wavelengths of 100 Gb/s PAM4 modulated optical signals.

The MSA members developed the 400GbE specification to fully address market requirements for 2 km to 10 km reaches over duplex single-mode for both 100GbE and 400GbE. The MSA believes that the 10 km reach specification will be fully interoperable with the 6 km version being developed by another industry standards group. The nomenclature use of “-10” in 400G-LR4-10 will inform users of the target reach.

The 100G Lambda MSA Group is going to continue its work by next addressing extended reach specifications beyond 10 km.

“Industry organizations are valued for producing rigorous specifications assuring reliable, interoperable communications,” remarked Dale Murray, Principal Analyst for LightCounting Market Research. “The 100G Lambda MSA members were able to, again, quickly identify the market requirements and build on their earlier work to extend it to meet the market need for a full 10 km specification at 400G.”

“The MSA received feedback from the industry of a strong need for a 400GbE 10 km specification to be available and the MSA has worked hard to provide specifications to enable interoperable products to meet this demand,” said Mark Nowell, 100G Lambda MSA co-chair.

“Maintaining consistency and interoperability with industry standard’s progression has always been a target for the MSA members,” said Jeffery Maki, 100G Lambda MSA co-chair. “With this updated specification we continue to support the industry’s needs to make specifications available in a timely manner.”

The 100G Lambda MSA Group member companies are: II-VI, Alibaba, Applied OptoElectronics, Arista, Broadcom, Cambridge Industries Group, China Unicom, Ciena, Cisco Systems, Color Chip, Credo, Delta, Eoptolink, Fujitsu Optical Components, HG Genuine, HiSense, HiSilicon, IDT, Innolight, Inphi, Intel, Juniper Networks, Keysight Technologies, Lightwave Logic, Lumentum, MACOM, Maxim, Maxlinear, Mellanox, Microsoft, Mitsubishi Electric, Molex, MultiLane, Neophotonics, Nokia, Panduit, Rockley Photonics, Semtech, Sicoya, SiFotonics Technologies, Source Photonics, Sumitomo Electric, TE Connectivity, TFC Optical Communication, Tektronix and ZTE.

http://www.100glambda.com

Read More

Comcast cites progress on its path to 10G cable services

Comcast achieved 1.25 Gbps upload and download speeds over a live production network using Network Function Virtualization (NFV) combined with the latest DOCSIS Technology.

The trial used equipment installed at a home in Jacksonville, Florida, where Comcast has deployed a Distributed Access Architecture (DAA). The architecture includes a suite of software-powered networking technologies, including digital fiber optics, “Remote PHY” digital nodes, and a cloud-based, virtualized cable modem termination system platform (vCMTS), enabling delivery of gigabit-plus symmetrical speeds using existing cable connections.

“Our customers build their digital lives on the foundation of our Internet service, so we continue to push the technological envelope to anticipate their future needs,” said Tony Werner, President of Technology, Product, Xperience at Comcast Cable. “The great strength of our network technology is that we will have the ability to scale these next-generation speeds to tens of millions of homes in the future without digging up yards, or starting massive construction projects. This technology provides a path to meeting the needs of the future and making multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds a reality for everyone, not just a select few.”

Comcast said the trial represents an important milestone on the path to deliver on the promise of the industry’s 10G platform, which aims to eventually enable 10-gigabit-per-second speeds and beyond by leveraging continuing advances in DOCSIS and other key network technologies. Comcast is engaged in the 10G initiative along with NCTA, CableLabs and SCTE, as well as operators from around the world. In addition, Comcast and Charter Communications have worked closely to align on their approaches to 10G and are driving technology standards and architectures to benefit the industry. The latest advancements in 10G technology will be on full display next week at SCTE EXPO.

“We’re excited to move these incredible 10G technologies from the laboratory to the living room,” said Elad Nafshi, Senior Vice President of Next-Generation Access Technologies at Comcast Cable. “We’ve been inspired by the work our global technical community has done to advance the technologies that made this performance possible and are proud to begin the process of delivering those benefits to customers.”

Read More

Internet2 to deploy Cisco's latest 8200 series routers

Internet2 will deploy Cisco's latest 8200 series routing platform powered by Cisco Silicon One ASICs, running IOS XR7 and Network Services Orchestration (NSO) software as part of the packet infrastructure upgrade to its national backbone. The deployment is part of a strategic alliance announced by Internet2 with Cisco to deliver next-generation capabilities and software solutions across the U.S. research and education (R&E) infrastructure.

The new agreement between the two organizations focuses on delivering a national R&E network with increased capacity incrementing at 400 Gbps, on-demand cloud-connectivity, and a reduced carbon footprint that will remove 6681 metric tons a year of carbon from the environment. The agreement also includes collaborative opportunities for Internet2 and Cisco to support research activities and multi-domain service orchestration with campus and regional partners.

Highlights

• Cisco 8201 and 8202 routers will be deployed in 48 locations across the country utilizing between 1 and 4 devices per location. A typical node which connects national backbone resources with regional networks has between 24 and 96 400G network access ports.
• Cisco NSO will become the basis for an extensible network-wide automation platform that will immediately deliver Internet2 services and can eventually support campus to regional to national to cloud service orchestration.
• The system will be interconnected using native 400G wavelengths on Internet2's optical network to deliver Nx400G capacity between cities.
• A move to segment routing with multiprotocol label switching (SR-MPLS) and Ethernet virtual private network (EVPN) will allow researcher applications to eventually claim up to an entire 400G link for a particular application while other network uses are dynamically moved to other paths.
• As part of the agreement, Cisco is also offering incentive programs for regional networks and campuses to adopt similar technologies for their own network upgrades.
• While delivering 4 to 12 times more capacity across the national footprint, the new Cisco solution is expected to require 668 metric tons less power and cooling.

"Research and education networks have never been more critical than they are today, and the selection of Cisco is a very exciting and critical milestone for the R&E community," said Howard Pfeffer, President and CEO, Internet2. "Cisco is supporting the delivery of a software-driven infrastructure that enables rapid deployment of new services and tight integration with applications and scientific workflows on the campus and in the cloud, both of which are essential to our nation's future. Cisco has also made substantial commitments not only to Internet2, but to the broader R&E community, by pledging ecosystem-wide support that helps us bridge campus, regional, national, and international needs." 

"Now more than ever, we believe that technology can be used for good to build a more inclusive future for us all," said Cisco Senior Vice President of U.S. Public Sector Nick Michaelides. "Innovation is in Cisco's DNA and we are proud to stand with and support leading researchers by providing a technological backbone that will help them connect, share data, collaborate and accelerate all their great work. Internet2 members are some of the brightest minds in the world, working to solve the biggest problems on the planet and we're honored to help them connect and work together to help build that more inclusive world we envision."

Internet2 to move onto CenturyLink’s new low-loss optical fiber

Wednesday, December 18, 2019  CenturyLink, Internet2  

by Benedict Chua, Assistant Editor Internet2 will migrate the majority of its footprint onto CenturyLink's new low-loss optical fiber. CenturyLink recently pulled new, low-loss optical fiber over a large portion of its national network. The installation uses an ITU-T G.652.D compliant single-mode optical fiber that is optimized for high bit rate coherent systems using advanced modulation schemes supporting 100G and above. CenturyLink also realigned...

READ MORE

Internet2 to deploy open line system (OLS) from Ciena

Tuesday, October 15, 2019  Ciena, Internet2  

by Benedict Chua, Assistant Editor Internet2 will deploy a flexible grid open line system (OLS) from Ciena to transform its network to a more scalable, programmable and adaptive architecture. The upgraded network, which connects several hundred universities, government agencies, and community anchor institutions across the U.S., strengthens Internet2 and the wider R&E community’s ability to conduct scientific research, enhance collaboration,...

READ MORE

Read More

New Open RF Association brings together chipset and RF vendors

A new Open RF Association (OpenRF) has been formed with a mission to expand the functional interoperability of hardware and software across multi-mode RF front end and chipset platforms into the 5G era. The consortium's founding members include Broadcom, Intel, MediaTek, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Qorvo, and Samsung.

OpenRF aims to deliver an open framework that standardizes hardware and software interfaces without limiting innovation, while enabling total flexibility for 5G device Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to take advantage of time-to-market, cost, performance, and supply chain benefits. OEMs will be able to choose interoperable best-of-breed solutions from a multi-vendor ecosystem, while using the same RF front end with any 5G baseband.

OpenRF plans to:

• Create a set of core chipset and RF front end features and interfaces that will enable interoperability across 5G basebands while allowing innovation across vendors
• Build upon industry standards to maximize configurability and effectiveness of the RF front end
• Develop a common hardware abstraction layer enhancing the transceiver/modem and RFFE modules interface
• Define and develop industry-leading approaches to RF power management
• OpenRF plans to develop a compliance program to support a robust ecosystem of interoperable RFFE and chipset platforms.

Ongoing development of the MIPI RFFE specification, which has become the de facto interface for control of the radio frequency front end since its release in 2010, will continue to be coordinated within MIPI Alliance’s RFFE Working Group. OpenRF is currently working toward a liaison agreement with the Alliance.

David Archbold, Vice President of Marketing, Wireless Semiconductor Division, Broadcom: “One of the key issues facing mobile phone OEMs today is time-to-market, delivering leading edge products into a very competitive landscape in a timely fashion. OpenRF provides the framework to streamline and condense the OEM’s design cycle, from inception to product launch. This is a critical step to promote a pro-competitive environment, allowing OEMs to freely choose solutions based on performance, size and cost.”

https://openrf.com/

Read More

UK's Defence Committee urges faster removal of Huawei kit

 There is clear evidence of collusion between Huawei and the Chinese state, according to a new report issued by the UK's Defence Select Committee, which states that the goal of removing Huawei from the UK’s 5G networks by 2027 may need to be moved forward. The Committee concludes that "developments could necessitate this date being moved forward, potentially to 2025 which could be considered economically feasible."

Chair of the Defence Committee, Tobias Ellwood MP, writes: "Protecting the public and preserving our nation’s security are amongst the principle responsibilities of Government. The decision to embed a technology that compromises this would constitute a gross dereliction of these duties.

"The West must urgently unite to advance a counterweight to China’s tech dominance. As every aspect of our lives becomes increasingly reliant on access to data movement we must develop a feasible, practical and cost-effective alternative to the cheap, high-tech solutions which can be preyed upon and which come stooped with conditions which ensnare a state into long-term allegiance to China.

"We must not surrender our national security for the sake of short-term technological development. This is a false and wholly unnecessary trade off. A new D10 alliance, that unites the world’s ten strongest democracies, would provide a viable alternative foundation to the technological might of authoritarian states, whose true motives are, at times, murky. Democracies the world over are waking up to the dangers of new technology from overseas, that could inadvertently provide hostile states access to sensitive information through the backdoor."

https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/24/defence-committee/news/119865/the-security-of-5g-we-must-not-surrender-our-national-security-for-the-sake-of-shortterm-technological-development/

Read More

Viavi boosts its optical test capabilities

Viavi Solutions released six major enhancements to its LightDirect family of modules for their award-winning MAP-300 test platform, which was introduced last year, with specific focus on supporting coherent module and silicon photonics test applications.

• New high power, C+L band, continuously tunable laser module, the mTLS-C1, the most compact on the market for its performance class.
• Six new CW source types added to mSRC-C2 supporting all telecom telemetry wavelengths and critical new O-band additions, with both 1310nm DFB and high-power O-band broadband SLED now supported.
• New variable back reflection module, the mVBR-C1, to support the requirements of the recent OIF specification for 400G-ZR.
• Two new variants of the mPCX-C1, a full O-band version and a high-speed polarization scrambler, for manufacturing applications requiring only simple polarization scrambling.
• Significant feature enhancements to the mVOA-C1 module to support hardware triggers for LOS calibration, millisecond resolution disruption test modes, and new power control modes using external Optical Power Meters (OPMs).           
• A new MPO and high-power integrating sphere for the mOPM-C1 along with the first release of OPMScope on MAP-300, converting a chassis of power meters into a powerful multi-channel logging and transient capture system.

VIAVI is releasing three new fiber connectivity manufacturing solutions designed to optimize quality, productivity and capital utilization:

• The VIAVI CleanBlastPRO is the next generation in automated connector end-face cleaning systems, offering new features and capabilities to ensure clean end-faces for both single and multi-fiber connectors for the utmost in reliability and repeatability. Using a non-contact cleaning method with the industry's most trusted and effective solvent, CleanBlastPRO delivers streamlined productivity workflows and a 9X cost saving over traditional contact-based consumable cleaning methods.
• New time-saving measurement modes have been added to the MAP-300 Passive Component/ Connector Test (PCT) optical test system. The new VIAVI FastIL mode enables a user to measure the insertion loss (IL) of a 12 fiber MPO in under four seconds, representing a time savings of 20 to 40 percent. New data management utilities seamlessly integrate into the PCT-Control Center application, and greatly simplify the creation of html-based reports.
• In addition, the MAP-300 based mSWS Swept Wavelength System integrates a new, modular higher power swept laser, the mSWS-A2SLS. Already the lowest cost of ownership test solution for volume ROADM component manufacturing, the new modular laser enables a 50 percent reduction in rack space, up to 20 percent cycle time improvement and a further 30 percent reduction in the total cost of ownership when leveraging the open platform software interface and distributed architecture, all while maintaining current measurement performance.

Hu

"In today's complex network landscape, manufacturers face new challenges to address increased demand for production volume, performance and compliance with new industry standards," said Tom Fawcett, Vice President and General Manager, Lab and Production Business Unit, VIAVI. "As the industry quickly evolves, we work closely with industry-leading manufacturers to provide the tools they need for development of next-generation technologies, continuing more than 30 years of innovation in photonic and fiber optic test to ensure a seamless transition to high-efficiency volume manufacturing."

Read More

T-Mobile US expands fixed wireless access (FWA) service

 T-Mobile is expanding its fixed wireless Home Internet service into more than 450 cities and towns across the U.S.  The carrier said it is targeting locations that AT&T is deserting as it moves away from DSL service.

T-Mobile is pricing the service at $50 per month with no data cap. The service currently runs over its LTE network, although T-Mobile said it is moving to 5G.

“We can’t stand idly by while AT&T leaves potentially millions with fewer home Internet options at a time when our connection to the Internet is so vital — for work, remote school, connection with family and friends. That’s why we’re undertaking this massive expansion,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “The Carriers and the Cableopoly have consistently over-promised and under-delivered when it comes to broadband access. Thanks to our merger with Sprint, we can end this and give millions in underserved communities more choices and competition for high-speed home broadband.”

Read More

ADVA pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 67% by 2032

ADVA's targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). 

The new commitment is aligned with the most ambitious goals of the Paris climate accord: limiting global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. ADVA, which was one of the first telecommunication technology suppliers to have targets validated by SBTi, is now committed to a 67% cut in emissions from its own operations by 2032. The new goals are part of a holistic sustainability strategy alongside radical improvements to the energy efficiency of ADVA’s complete product line. The targets are also a major step towards ADVA’s own production processes becoming carbon neutral.

“This new pledge puts us in line with the most aggressive internationally agreed targets for tackling greenhouse gasses. By shrinking our operations emissions by 67%, we’re helping to keep global warming below the most dangerous levels and moving our business significantly closer to a carbon-neutral future,” said Klaus Grobe, director, sustainability, ADVA. “Our upgraded commitment illustrates the strength of our dedication to environmental protection and social responsibility. What’s more, it goes hand in hand with our ongoing innovation to reduce emissions across the lifecycle of our products. By boosting energy efficiency, even as data demand multiplies, we’re creating a truly sustainable digital ecosystem and helping our customers meet their own ambitious sustainability goals.”

ADVA’s new targets will be realized through dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions from its car fleet and from purchased electricity. This will include a transition to 100% renewable energy across all key ADVA sites. The company also has an SBTi-approved target in place for a 3% drop in product use-phase emissions. This is an extremely ambitious goal, given the exponentially rising demand for internet bandwidth. Other notable areas of ADVA’s sustainability strategy include its award-winning focus on ecodesign with products optimized for raw material intake and recycling output. The company has also won recognition for its industry-leading sustainability practices with four years of “gold” ratings from the TIA Sustainability Initiative and, most recently, a “platinum” sustainability rating from EcoVadis, putting ADVA in the top 1% of participating companies.

Read More

Samsung and KDDI team on 5G business opportunities

Samsung Electronics and KDDI are collaborating to verify and assess optimal 5G network solutions for enterprises in Japan.

The business customers can choose KDDI as their network manager, and decide whether to use KDDI’s existing network infrastructure or develop their own 5G network to expand or create their businesses. Through this alliance, the two companies will bring new, accessible choices for businesses in various fields. 

“Through our 5G Business Co-creation Alliance, we are pleased to collaborate with Samsung on driving new business opportunities for enterprise customers”, said Akihito Fujii, Executive Officer, General Manager, Service Planning and Development Division Solution Business Sector at KDDI. “With Samsung, KDDI will drive digital transformation, unlocking new value by enhancing user experiences for both consumers and business alike.”

“We are excited to deliver our advanced private 5G network solutions to help build a fast and reliable network for enterprises in Japan,” said Satoshi Iwao, Vice President and Head of Network Division at Samsung Electronics Japan. “In collaboration with KDDI, Samsung will continue to deliver on the full potential of private 5G networks, which will play a central role in transforming enterprises and introducing innovative new services to business users.”

Read More