DARPA teams with Linux Foundation to create secure open source

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) reached an agreement with The Linux Foundation to create open source software that accelerates United States government technology research and development innovation.

Specifically, DARPA and the LF will create a broad collaboration umbrella (US Government Open Programmable Secure (US GOV OPS) that allows United States Government projects, their ecosystem, and open community to participate in accelerating innovation and security in the areas of 5G, Edge, AI, Standards, Programmability, and IOT among other technologies. The project formation encourages ecosystem players to support US Government initiatives to create the latest in technology software.

The new US GOV OPS umbrella will include the Open Programmable Secure- 5G (OPS-5G) program as its first project, currently in formation with the help of DARPA, the US Navy and additional performers. The goal of OPS-5G is to create open source software and systems enabling secure end to end 5G and follow-on mobile networks. OPS-5G will create capabilities to address feature velocity in open source software, mitigating large scale Botnet of Things (BoT), network slicing on suspect gear, and adaptive adversaries operating at scale.

The project will launch as a standard open source project with neutral governance and a charter similar to other projects within the Linux Foundation. Additionally, the agreement enables collaboration with upstream and downstream communities such as LF Networking, LF Edge, and Zephyr, among others, to build on a secure code base for use by the US Government.

“DARPA’s use of open source software in the Open Programmable Secure 5G (OPS-5G) program leverages transparency, portability and open access inherent in this distribution model,” said Dr. Jonathan Smith, DARPA Information Innovation Office Program Manager. “Transparency enables advanced software tools and systems to be applied to the code base, while portability and open access will result in decoupling hardware and software ecosystems, enabling innovations by more entities across more technology areas.” 

“We are eager to ally with DARPA and its intent to accelerate secure, open source innovation and US competitiveness across breakthrough technologies,” said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, Networking, Edge, & IOT, the Linux Foundation. “This partnership enables transformational change across open software and systems, leveraging the best shared resources across the ecosystem.” 

http://www.usgovops.org

DARPA’s Electronics Resurgence Initiative signs Arm

Thursday, August 20, 2020  ARM, DARPA, Silicon  

Arm today announced a three-year partnership agreement with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), establishing an access framework to all commercially available Arm technology.

Under DARPA’s Electronics Resurgence Initiative, the research community that supports DARPA’s programs will gain access to Arm’s IP, tools and support programs.

“The span of DARPA research activity opens up a huge range of opportunities for future technological innovation,” said Rene Haas, president, IP Products Group, Arm. “Our expanded DARPA partnership will provide them with access to the broadest range of Arm technology to develop compute solutions supported by the world’s largest ecosystem of tools, services and software.”

“DARPA’s programs within the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) focus on the most advanced challenges in microelectronics; equipping our community with best in class technologies is essential not only for break-through scientific and engineering advances, but also for improved transition into military and commercial applications,” stated Serge Leef, who leads design automation and secure hardware programs in MTO.

https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/electronics-resurgence-initiative

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Arista completes 400G ZR testing over Microsoft's testbed

Arista Networks completed interoperability testing between multiple 400G ZR suppliers over Microsoft’s 120km open line system testbed. 

Arista said the multi-vendor testing sets the foundation for a healthy, interoperable, coherent optics ecosystem. 

Hacene Chaouch, Distinguished Engineer at Arista Networks commented, "We are very pleased with the demonstrated performance of the 400G ZR transceiver modules. Being able to seamlessly support modules from multiple 400G-ZR vendors on our standard routing platforms constitutes a significant advancement in the DCI space."

Jamie Gaudette, Principal Engineering Manager of Microsoft’s Backbone Network said, “We are pleased with the progress on 400G ZR. Thanks to our collaboration with OIF, we’ve achieved multi-vendor interoperation and cost effective 400G transport, allowing Microsoft to offer more bandwidth to our customers and accelerate our datacenter expansion.”

https://www.arista.com/en/company/news/press-release/12161-pr-20210217

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Ekinops tests 5G business use cases with Orange

Ekinops successfully completed its first 5G business connectivity tests with Orange Business Services in their Orange Labs environment. Ekinops and Orange Business Services are currently working together to have packaged solutions ready for customers later in 2021.

For these tests, Ekinops used its 5G capable OneAccess router based on OneOS6, the user-friendly modular software solution that enables a range of built-in services for greater modularity. This solution is capable of supporting network functions, such as routing, firewall, SD-WAN and SBC (session border control), among others.

“The results of this first test within the Orange Labs are very promising. We have been able to assess in real-life conditions the ability of our router to use 5G as a primary connection for enterprises,” said Vincent Munière, Ekinops group CTO and VP R&D. “We are privileged to be able to work alongside our longstanding partner Orange Business Services and its innovation teams to perfect our new generation of products, including 5G and software defined networks,” he added.

“As the market expects a lot from 5G with 10 times more capacity, 10 times less latency and 10 times more density, this test provided one more opportunity to check the reality of 5G connectivity for WAN solutions” shared Franck Morales, VP Marketing, Connectivity BU, at Orange Business Services. “This successful outcome confirms once again the many opportunities we see with 5G for enterprises.”

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Keysight enables first 5G NR data connection based on 3GPP R16

Keysight Technologies' 5G test solutions were used to establish the industry’s first 5G new radio (NR) data connection based on 3GPP Release 16 specifications (Rel-16).

3GPP Rel-16 introduces new capabilities, including ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC). When combined with network slicing, these capabilities support enterprises, industrial internet of things (IIoT) applications and private 5G deployments. The new release also helps public safety organizations deliver advanced mission critical services and the automotive industry integrate advanced connectivity features in vehicles and infrastructure, making transportation efficient and roads safer.

Keysight’s Protocol R&D Toolset enables chipset and device manufacturers to seamlessly prototype designs using tests that verify 5G NR signaling protocols. With full access to testing parameters across layer one, two and three, the Protocol R&D Toolset allows developers to flexibly create and execute test cases, debug errors and fully analyze results in sub-7GHz and mmWave spectrum, for both non-standalone (NSA) and standalone (SA) mode.

“Keysight is helping 5G device makers to confidently deliver products based on the latest 3GPP 5G new radio standard, which will unlock many new 5G opportunities beyond traditional mobile broadband services,” said Mosaab Abughalib, senior director, engineering at Keysight Technologies. “Establishing the industry’s first 5G data connection based on 3GPP Rel-16 enables chipset and device vendors to take full advantage of 5G NR, resulting in improved efficiencies in transportation, logistics and manufacturing, as well as providing better cell coverage and connection speeds for consumers.”

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CyrusOne posts revenue of $268 million, gains from hyperscalers

CyrusOne reported Q4 2020 revenue of $268.4 million for the fourth quarter, compared to $253.9 million for the same period in 2019, an increase of 6%. The increase in revenue was driven primarily by a 10% increase in occupied CSF and additional interconnection services, partially offset by the Company’s receipt of $4.7 million in lease termination fees in the fourth quarter of 2019.

“The fourth quarter bookings included a significant contribution from our hyperscale customers and more than $30 million in annualized revenue signed across our U.S. markets, closing out a record leasing year for the company with nearly $160 million in annualized revenue signed,” said Bruce W. Duncan, president and chief executive officer of CyrusOne. “The $101 million revenue backlog positions us well for continued growth, and we have a strong balance sheet with more than $1.7 billion in available liquidity, including nearly $500 million in available forward equity, to support this growth. We are also excited to expand into France with a fully pre-leased data center, extending our footprint into another key European market and further enhancing our offering for our customers.”

Highlights

• Leased 31 megawatts (“MW”) and 162,000 colocation square feet (“CSF”) in the fourth quarter, totaling $49.3 million in annualized GAAP revenue
• – For full year 2020, signed leases totaling 101 MW and 616,000 CSF, representing $156.8 million in annualized GAAP revenue(1), the highest annual leasing total in the Company’s history
• Backlog of approximately $101 million in annualized GAAP revenue as of the end of the fourth quarter representing approximately $830 million in total contract value
• Expansion into Paris, France, one of the leading data center markets in Europe, with a 25-year lease on a 13-acre site and development of the first phase of a fully pre-leased 

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Toshiba intros 18TB HDDs

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage announced its 18TB MG09 Series HDD with a new energy-assisted magnetic recording technology. 

The new drives feature Toshiba’s third-generation, 9-disk helium-sealed design and Toshiba’s  Flux Control – Microwave Assisted Magnetic Recording (FC-MAMR) technology, to advance Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR) density to 2TB per disk, achieving a total capacity of 18TB.

Sample shipments of 18TB MG09 Series HDD to customers are expected to start sequentially at the end of March 2021.

“Toshiba’s new 18TB MG09 Series delivers new levels of storage density and power efficiency to our cost-conscious cloud-scale and storage solutions customers. Our HDD technology is able to achieve our customers’ critical TCO objectives at a cost of pennies per GB,” said Shuji Takaoka, General Manager of the Storage Products Sales & Marketing Division at Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation. “Our 3rd generation 9-disk helium-sealed design provides a field-tested foundation for achieving a massive 18TB capacity. The addition of Toshiba’s innovative FC-MAMR technology advances CMR capacity to 18TB, delivering compatibility with the widest range of applications and operating environments.”

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Nokia and Elisa target private 5G in Finland

Nokia and Elisa, a telecom operator based in Finland, will partner in a joint go-to-market alliance to drive private 5G and LTE deployments. 

Under the agreement, Nokia and Elisa will utilize new and existing radio network infrastructure to deploy mission-critical, industrial-grade private networks with Finnish businesses. The collaboration will leverage the recent agreement that sees Nokia continue its long-standing relationship with Elisa as strategic supply partner of 5G RAN nationwide.

Timo Katajisto, Executive Vice President, Corporate Customers, Elisa, said: “A growing number of organizations are now investing in private mobile networks. With this partnership, the two leading Finnish telecommunication companies join forces to create a dream team that will take our combined private mobile network enterprise offering to a new level. Elisa and Nokia are global forerunners in network quality and 5G, and we have already begun joint deployment of both 5G and LTE private mobile networks in different industries and use cases for Finnish enterprises.”

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Ribbon hits Q4 sales of $244 million, growing IP Optical traction

Ribbon Communications reported Q4 2020 revenue of $244 million, compared to $161 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, an increase of 52%.  Revenue for 2020 was $844 million, compared to $563 million in 2019, an increase of 50%.  Approximately $89 million of the year-over-year revenue increase in the fourth quarter and $261 million of the increase in 2020 was attributable to the Company's acquisition of ECI Telecom Group, which closed on March 3, 2020.

"We are very pleased with our fourth quarter results, in particular our second consecutive quarter of record adjusted EBITDA as we benefitted from strong sales and gross margins, along with efficiencies in operating expense," noted Bruce McClelland, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ribbon Communications.  "We are excited to carry this momentum forward in 2021 as we continue to focus on growing our IP Optical sales and improving overall profitability."

Highlights

• In addition to the company's first IP Optical win in North America with a Top 4 cable MSO, Ribbon earned new IP Optical business with 5 regional telco carriers
• Closed significant new orders with North American Tier-1 service providers 
• Revenue from customers outside the United States increased to 60% of total sales in 4Q20; international highlights include:
• New network transformation project with a Tier-1 carrier in CALA using new virtualized C20 Call Session Controller
• Secured the first large-scale OTN deployment for metro access for a defense customer in Europe 
• Implementing metro optical networks globally with Telecom Italia and collaborating with them to win new regional public, private, and enterprise IP optical opportunities in Europe
• Signed over $10 million in Cloud and Edge deals in Japan with Tier-1 service providers
• 4Q20 India sales consistent with those in 3Q20 with improvements in several accounts

https://investors.ribboncommunications.com/press-and-events/events-and-presentations

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Ribbon to sell its QualiTech testing division to Hermon Labs

Hermon Laboratories, a leading provider of testing, measurement and certification services, will acquire the testing and standardization business conducted by Ribbon's QualiTech division. Financial terms were not disclosed.

QualiTech operates as an independent division of former ECI Telecom (now part of Ribbon), providing high-quality testing and standardization laboratory services supporting both the company's product development activities and external customers. Under the agreement, Hermon Laboratories will continue to provide testing and standardization services to Ribbon anchored by the strong team of QualiTech employees, who are expected to transfer to Hermon Laboratories.

"The sale of the QualiTech business aligns with our strategy of increasing our focus on our core IP Optical Networks and Cloud and Edge businesses," said Bruce McClelland, President and CEO of Ribbon. "The agreement allows Ribbon to maintain the high level of testing and standardization services provided by the same dedicated professionals that have been delivering these services for years. They will simply be transferring to the Hermon Laboratories team."

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