Anuket aims to accelerate infrastructure compliance and interoperability

LF Networking (LFN) has merged CNTT (The Cloud iNfrastructure Telco Taskforce, which provided reference models and architectures for both virtual machine and containerized network functions) and OPNFV (the Open Platform for NFV, which reduced time to integrate and deploy NFV infrastructure and onboard VNF/CNFs), into a new open source project called Anuket.

Anuket's mission is to deliver tools and artifacts to "empower the global communications community to deliver compliant network services faster, more reliably and securely, and accelerate the transformation to cloud native infrastructures." The project delivers standardized reference infrastructure specifications and conformance frameworks for virtualized and cloud native network functions, enabling faster and more robust onboarding into production, reducing costs, and accelerating telecom digital transformation. 

OPNFV’s final stand-alone release, Jerma, delivered in December, delivered CNTT-ready capabilities, including an initial cloud native Reference Implementation and integration of cloud native testing aligned with CNTT’s R2 work. Elbrus, CNTT’s final release, planned by early February, initiates a number of new work areas, including infrastructure automation and observability, hardware management, and hardware abstraction and network fabric programmability. 

LFN said the new group will continue OPNFV’s legacy of operating upstream with collaboration across other open source projects (such as LF Networking, LF Edge, CNCF, LF AI, ODIM and other industry organizations and standards bodies). Anuket will also preserve CNTT’s close working relationship with GSMA, who will continue to publish the project’s Reference Model work.  

“It’s incredible to see the evolution of what began as the Open Platform for Network Functions Virtualization over six years ago,” said Heather Kirksey, vice president of Community and Ecosystem Development at the Linux Foundation. “With Anuket, we are making it easier and more efficient for CSPs to transform their networks and save money, with one, end-to-end platform.”

“The Anuket project is unique in covering Operator requirements collection and normalisation, subsequent open-source software development, through to Industry certification programs of ecosystem implementations, all under a single initiative,” said Walter Kozlowski, Anuket Technical Steering Committee co-chair and Principal, Cloud Infrastructure Architecture, at Telstra. “I am proud to serve in the role of a co-chair of its Technical Steering Committee, and I am excited by the unique opportunity this project creates for my company and for the whole industry, in the area of network transformation and related telco open infrastructure.”

“I’m very excited about the merging of CNTT and OPNFV into a single entity,” said Andre Fuetsch, CTO, Network Services, AT&T. “This move will empower the global communications community by bringing together reference cloud infrastructure models and architectures with conformance programs and tools to deliver network services faster, more reliably, and securely. The collaborative spirit of this open source development effort will help grow the communications industry to new levels of service for all stakeholders. Empowering the global society to benefit. We at AT&T are proud to be part of this initiative and look forward to supporting Anuket in the coming years.”

https://anuket.io/

• Anuket is the Egyptian Goddess of the Nile

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Nokia and Elisa test first 1 terabit clear-channel interface

Elisa, a network operator serving Finland and Estonia, has tested the first 1 Tbps clear-channel interface across its commercial infrastructure.

Elisa upgraded some of its Nokia 7950 Extensible Routing System (XRS) nodes with 1T interfaces powered by Nokia’s FP4 chipset, the industry’s first terabit capable routing silicon. The new FP4 terabit linecard supports two 1T ports and demonstrated deployment readiness by carrying live traffic on Elisa’s network.

Nokia achieved a major network capacity milestone with its long-standing partner Elisa while preparing the operator’s network

Kalle Lehtinen, CTO, at Elisa, said: “Elisa continues its string of world firsts with this record-breaking IP routing capability achieved with Nokia, enabling us to leapfrog an 800G progression that other service providers are only strategizing about. This strengthens our position as a global 5G leader and gigabit broadband service provider, allowing us to stay ahead of the curve and maintain our commitment to our customers." 

Ken Kutzler, Vice President of IP Routing Hardware at Nokia, said: “Nokia is honored to have a longstanding partnership with Elisa. Delivering FP4-based 1T ports in the 7950 XRS is a testament to Nokia’s innovation and drive to push the technology envelope, maximizing investments for customers like Elisa.”

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2021/01/27/nokia-and-elisa-push-network-boundaries-with-worlds-first-1t-deployment/

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Webinar replay: The Race to 800G

 This one-hour webinar explores the path to #800G coherent as well as the race to push lane speeds to 224G, enabling 800G PAM4 solutions. We hear from two leading experts at Inphi, Radha Nagaragan, CTO & SVP, Photonic Integrated Circuits & Systems, and Ilya Lyubomirsky, Senior Technical Director.

Inphi is already making big strides in this area. In March of 2020, Inphi announced sampling of its Speeka 800G 7nm PAM4 DSP for optical transceiver modules.

As a reality check, we will also hear from Mark Filer, Principle Optical Network Architect, Microsoft Azure.

Webinar host: DuPont Silicon Valley Innovation Center

and the Consortium for On-board Optics

https://youtu.be/9fwET7QMx0k

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Cignal AI: Big shifts in spending on optical and packet transport

Expenditures by North American cloud and colocation operators on optical and packet transport equipment declined 20 percent year over year in the third quarter of 2020 (3Q20), while incumbent operator spending increased 2 percent, according to the 3Q20 Transport Customer Markets Report from market research firm Cignal AI.

“Equipment suppliers to cloud operators report that sales in the third quarter were depressed because service providers absorbed capacity on networks that were built during the first half of 2020,” said Scott Wilkinson, lead analyst at Cignal AI. “Both incumbent and cloud operators, especially in North America, spent significantly more of their annual budget than typical in the first half of the year.”

More Key Findings from the 3Q20 Transport Customer Markets Report

• After uncharacteristically strong growth in 2Q20, sales to cloud and colocation operators in Asia Pacific (APAC) rose dramatically again in the third quarter
• Despite a year-over-year decline in sales, Ciena maintained its worldwide market share leadership in sales to cloud and colocation operators in 3Q20
• The fourth quarter is expected to be challenging for sales outside APAC, with traditional telco and cloud and colocation purchases anticipated to wane worldwide

https://cignal.ai/2020/12/3q20-transport-customer-markets-report/

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HFR and Fujitsu debut 25G Smart Tunable Optics for 5G transport

HFR Networks and Fujitsu Network Communications introduced 25G Smart Tunable Optics as part of Fujitsu's flexiHaul portfolio of solutions. HFR Networks’ Smart Tunable Optics seamlessly integrate into Fujitsu's flagship flexiHaul transponder based and Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) portfolios. 

The Smart Tunable Optical transceivers automatically self-tune to the correct wavelength without intervention by the host system or a field technician. This automates fast service turn-up, and enables full operational visibility on xHaul transport links for proactive management of active or passive remote sites. Smart Tunable Optics are also available supporting 10G.

Fujitsu says 5G fronthaul is driving 25G transport as an essential requirement, including the ability to combine existing 10G services across a variety of equipment and technologies from different RAN suppliers. Intelligent self-tuning optics enable network operators to maximize valuable fiber capacity while saving on space and power at remote sites by using only passive components. This is critical for operators around the world as they continue deploying additional LTE capacity in parallel with quickly ramping new 5G services.

“As a strategic partner of Fujitsu, HFR Networks continues to provide the innovation required by our customers,” said Paul Havala, V.P. of Global Planning, Fujitsu Network Communications. “Smart Tunable Optics deliver the increased flexibility and impressive total cost of ownership benefits that operators demand as they continue to move towards open networks while simultaneously increasing network capacity across mixed generations of radio technologies and vendors.”

“HFR Networks is thrilled to add another industry first to its list of accomplishments,” stated Paul Crann, CEO, HFR Networks. “By enabling converged 4G/5G services across RAN vendors and overcoming constraints due to limited fiber, we are able to simplify operations while reducing the remote site space and power requirements. HFR Networks empowers operators in their continued efforts to get to market quickly with new 5G services using high-performance, open and cost-effective solutions.”

http://www.hfrnetworks.com

http://us.fujitsu.com/telecom

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Juniper completes Apstra acquisition

Juniper Networks completed its previously-announced acquisition of Apstra, a leader in intent-based networking and automated closed-loop assurance. 

The Apstra team is now part of Juniper’s Data Center business and Apstra CEO and co-founder, David Cheriton, joins Juniper as Chief Data Center Scientist.

“The Apstra acquisition is a significant milestone for our business that reinforces our commitment to transforming data center operations. Apstra’s focus on intent-based networking, closed-loop automation and fabric assurance is a perfect complement to Juniper’s award-winning hardware and software. Together, we can drive lasting customer value from design to deployment (Day 0 and 1) through everyday operations and assurance (Day 2 and beyond)," states Mike Bushong, Vice President of Data Center Product Management, Juniper Networks.

https://newsroom.juniper.net/news/news-details/2021/Juniper-Networks-Announces-Close-of-Apstra-Acquisition/default.aspx

Juniper to acquire Apstra for Intent-Based networking and assurance

Monday, December 07, 2020  Apstra, Juniper  

Juniper Networks agreed to acquire Apstra, a start-up based in Menlo Park, California offering intent-based networking and automated closed loop assurance solutions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Apstra offers an intent-based network operating system for simplifying the management of data center networks. Intent-Based Networking (IBN) is a closed-loop, continuous validation approach to designing, deploying and managing infrastructure. Apstra automatically generates and deploys full configuration of all devices based on a service description, and continuously provides assurance checks between the intended and operational state. Apstra’s multivendor integrations extend its closed loop automation and analytics to customers independently of their underlying infrastructure, including those running SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud). 

Juniper said the acquisition expands its commitment to open programmability, adding to its portfolio of solutions that includes powerful switching platforms with native SONiC integration and a deployment-hardened, cloud-native routing stack for the SONiC ecosystem.

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AT&T brings power range upgrades to FirstNet

AT&T announced a number of upgrades to its FirstNet public safety network, including:

• FirstNet MegaRange: Following 3GPP and FCC standards, FirstNet can now take advantage of the highest power class signaling available in the U.S. The high-power user equipment (HPUE) solution exclusively available on Band 14. For rural, remote and maritime first responders, MegaRange can significantly improve connectivity especially at the edge of network coverage. And for urban and suburban responders, this can help solve the common challenge of difficult coverage spots such as building shadows, parking garages, basements, elevators, and stairwells. 
• Z-Axis for FirstNet: Now available in more than 105 markets across the country, including Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, with additional markets added weekly, public safety has a new level of indoor spatial awareness not previously available using traditional GPS-based location methods. Intrepid Networks’ Response for FirstNet, a situational awareness platform, is the first to bring Z-Axis capability to market. 
• Compact Rapid Deployable (CRD): Public safety agencies can now also purchase their own deployable network assets. These agency-owned Cells on Wheels (COW) can be deployed by a single person within a matter of minutes. CRDs link to FirstNet via satellite and do not rely on commercial power availability, making them ideal for use during emergencies in rural and remote areas, as well as areas where communications may be temporarily unavailable. 
• LMR Interoperability for FirstNet Push-To-Talk: The first-ever nationwide mission-critical, standards-based PTT solution to launch in the U.S. now supports LMR-to-LTE interoperability. This means first responders using LMR can virtually seamlessly communicate with users on FirstNet PTT and vice versa. 

https://about.att.com/story/2021/fn_innovation.html

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Deutsche Telekom tests Samsung 5G SA in Czech Republic

Deutsche Telekom completed a trial of Samsung's 5G Standalone (SA) solution in the Czech Republic.

The trial, which was held in the city of Pilsen, 5G SA Multi-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) technologies using Samsung’s 3.5GHz Massive MIMO radio. The spectrum efficiency was tripled in comparison to that of LTE under realistic conditions and the throughput was increased by about 2.5 times of SU-MIMO (Single-User MIMO).

“We are pleased to collaborate with Samsung to verify the performance of its 5G SA solution,” said Alex Choi, SVP Strategy & Technology Innovation, Deutsche Telekom. “Together with strong partners we are consistently introducing advanced technical capabilities into our network, and we are very excited about the potential of 5G SA networks to further accelerate the 5G evolution.”

“Samsung is glad to successfully conduct the first Massive MIMO call on an end-to-end 5G architecture within the DT Group in Europe. This is an important milestone in both companies’ efforts to bring 5G to the next phase,” said WooJune Kim, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Leveraging Samsung’s technical capabilities, DT will provide the ability of 5G to deliver unprecedented values to users.

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Intel re-hires Sunil Shenoy to lead Design Engineering Group

Intel announced the appointment of Sunil Shenoy as senior vice president and general manager of the Design Engineering Group.

Shenoy, a 33-year Intel veteran who departed in 2014, will lead design, development, validation and manufacturing of intellectual properties and system-on-chips (SOC) for client and data center applications. 

Most recently, Shenoy was senior vice president and general manager of RISC-V at SiFive, an Intel Capital portfolio company working to commercialize the RISC-V open architecture. At SiFive, Shenoy helped build the engineering team. In his prior years at Intel, Shenoy was corporate vice president in charge of Intel’s Platform Engineering Group, responsible for microprocessor and SoC design across Intel’s product groups. He also led Intel’s Visual and Parallel Computing Group and server and PC silicon development R&D and engineering, among other responsibilities.

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