Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Akamai hits peak traffic load of 200 Tbps

Akamai-delivered web traffic has hit a new peak at 200 Tbps.  

The traffic spike, which occurred last week, was driven by a combination of major video game downloads, a big sporting event, and several large software updates, according to the company.

Traffic on the Akamai network first hit 1 Tbps in June 2008, then 10 Tbps in September 2012, and 100 Tbps in October 2019. 

https://blogs.akamai.com/2021/03/akamai-focused-on-whats-next-following-new-traffic-milestone.html

Telxius to offer direct interconnect for Dunant cable at Interxion Paris

Digital Realty's Interxion division signed an agreement with TELXIUS to enable direct interconnection for the Dunant subsea cable at Interxion Paris, France.

Dunant is the first new subsea cable connecting France and the US for the last 15 years.  

Interxion's Paris campus is one of the world's leading digital business hubs comprising seven data centres, and is currently undergoing major expansion with the construction of the Interxion Paris Digital Park. Interxion customers in all existing and planned data centres can interconnect seamlessly to Telxius' network capacity on Dunant.

"Ensuring our customers can easily access the services we provide over Dunant is key for us. By extending the Dunant capabilities directly into Interxion in Paris, we make it more efficient and simpler for customers to interconnect onto the system, while at the same time integrating it with the internet highways connecting Paris to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid and Marseille. Telxius also provides direct Marea backhaul capacity from its Derio Communications Hub in Bilbao to Paris, Madrid and Virginia Beach. It means that, in combination with our existing transatlatic capacity on the Marea subsea cable system, Telxius now supports customers with state-of-the-art, diverse routes across the Atlantic," explains Carlos Casado, Head of EMEA Sales, Telxius, Cable Business.

"The next-generation connectivity that Telxius offers to our customers via Dunant will greatly enhance the ability of PlatformDIGITAL® to help enterprises overcome the transatlantic data gravity barriers inhibiting their digital transformation goals. Telxius' ultra-high capacity services, improved communication reliability and faster network performance to the U.S. are now available directly from our Paris digital business hub," says Fabrice Coquio, Managing Director of Interxion France.

Google's Dunant subsea cable ready for service with up to 250 Tbps

Google's new Dunant transatlantic submarine cable system has been declared ready for service. Dunant is the first long-haul subsea cable to feature a 12 fiber pair space-division multiplexing (SDM) design, which will enable it to deliver record-breaking capacity of 250 terabits per second (Tbps) across the Atlantic Ocean. Subcom was the prime contractor for the project.SubCom is the first to market using SDM technology to increase cable capacity...

Orange and Telxius to backhaul Google's Dunant transatlantic cable

Orange and Telxius will provide terrestrial backhaul extensions in France and in the US for Google's Dunant submarine cable, which is expected to enter service in late 2020. Under this agreement, Orange and Telxius offer co-location services at their respective Cable Landing Stations in Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez (France) and Virginia Beach (US). From its Saint- Hilaire-de-Riez (85) Cable Landing Station, Orange will enable terrestrial connection to...


Red Hat OpenShift Service now available on AWS

Amazon Web Services announced the general availability of Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS (ROSA), a new managed service making it easier for Red Hat OpenShift customers to build, scale, and manage containerized applications on AWS. 

ROSA offers simplified Kubernetes cluster creation using the familiar Red Hat OpenShift console, features, and tooling without the burden of manually scaling and managing the underlying infrastructure. ROSA streamlines moving on-premises Red Hat OpenShift workloads to AWS, and offers a tighter integration with other AWS services. ROSA also enables customers to access Red Hat OpenShift with billing and support directly through AWS, delivering the simplicity of a single-vendor experience to customers running Red Hat OpenShift on AWS. Pricing is based on container clusters and nodes used. 

“Increasingly, customers are turning to containers to improve application velocity and portability, and they’re growing to rely on technologies like Red Hat OpenShift and AWS that make it easier to deploy containerized applications,” said Bob Wise, GM Kubernetes, AWS. “ROSA gives these customers the ability to seamlessly run containers on AWS using familiar Red Hat OpenShift APIs and tooling, and integrates the full breadth and depth of AWS services to build, scale, and manage their workloads.”

“Red Hat OpenShift provides a common, open and enterprise-grade Kubernetes platform to span hybrid infrastructure, from a customer’s physical datacenter to their operations in AWS,” said Sathish Balakrishnan, vice president, Hosted Platforms, Red Hat. “ROSA provides a streamlined process for organizations that want to extend the power of Red Hat OpenShift in AWS without having to manage separate technology streams, enabling IT teams to focus on delivering value and not managing underlying infrastructure.”

https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/red-hat-openshift-service-on-aws-now-generally-availably/

Samsung's 512GB DDR5 module targets bandwidth-intensive apps

Samsung Electronics began sampling a 512GB DDR5 module based on High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) process technology. 

The memory module delivers more than twice the performance of DDR4 at up to 7,200 Mbps, making it suitable for the most high-bandwidth workloads in supercomputing, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), as well as data analytics applications.

Samsung said its DDR5 will utilize highly advanced HKMG technology that has been traditionally used in logic semiconductors. With continued scaling down of DRAM structures, the insulation layer has thinned, leading to a higher leakage current. By replacing the insulator with HKMG material, Samsung’s DDR5 will be able to reduce the leakage and reach new heights in performance. This new memory will also use approximately 13% less power, making it especially suitable for datacenters where energy efficiency is becoming increasingly critical. The HKMG process was adopted in Samsung's GDDR6 memory in 2018 for the first time in the industry. By expanding its use in DDR5, Samsung is further solidifying its leadership in next-generation DRAM technology.

Leveraging through-silicon via (TSV) technology, Samsung’s DDR5 stacks eight layers of 16Gb DRAM chips to offer the largest capacity of 512GB. TSV was first utilized in DRAM in 2014 when Samsung introduced server modules with capacities up to 256GB.

“Samsung is the only semiconductor company with logic and memory capabilities and the expertise to incorporate HKMG cutting-edge logic technology into memory product development,” said Young-Soo Sohn, Vice President of the DRAM Memory Planning/Enabling Group at Samsung Electronics. “By bringing this type of process innovation to DRAM manufacturing, we are able to offer our customers high-performance, yet energy-efficient memory solutions to power the computers needed for medical research, financial markets, autonomous driving, smart cities and beyond.”

“As the amount of data to be moved, stored and processed increases exponentially, the transition to DDR5 comes at a critical inflection point for cloud datacenters, networks and edge deployments,” said Carolyn Duran, Vice President and GM of Memory and IO Technology at Intel. “Intel’s engineering teams closely partner with memory leaders like Samsung to deliver fast, power-efficient DDR5 memory that is performance-optimized and compatible with our upcoming Intel Xeon Scalable processors, code-named Sapphire Rapids.”


Virgin Media Business deploys Infinera's XTM in Dublin metro network

Virgin Media Business has deployed Infinera’s XTM Series in its metro network serving Dublin, Ireland, which serves major data centers throughout the region.

Infinera said its XTM Series provides Virgin Media Business with faster deployment speeds and higher metro aggregation capacity, delivering highly secure and extremely fast services to Virgin Media Business’ customers in the financial, healthcare, and government sectors. Data center operators are now able to connect sites with 10G and 100G protected services on a dedicated network ring, bolstering capacity for end users.

Aidan D’Arcy, Director of Business, Virgin Media Ireland said: “The Infinity Ring provides the most available and reliable network service in Dublin, and is the backbone of its critical financial, medical, and government services. With Infinera’s XTM Series on our network, we benefit from a solution that provides highly resilient capacity to enhance our product offerings while lowering our network cost, a savings that we can pass on to our customers.”

“The XTM Series continues to gain momentum throughout Virgin Media Business’ international networks for its ability to deliver on scale, high capacity, and ease of installment and deployment of services for their customers,” said Nick Walden, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales at Infinera. “Virgin Media Business’ Infinity Ring network underscores the value the XTM Series can deliver in demanding data center environments.”

Cignal AI: Drop in spending from N.American cloud and telcos in 4Q20

After spending aggressively during the first half of 2020, Traditional Telco operators (Incumbent and Wholesale) in North America curbed spending on optical and packet hardware during the fourth quarter. 4Q20 spending by these operators dropped almost 40%, according to the 4Q20 Transport Customer Markets Report from market research firm Cignal AI.

“North American network operators spent much less than usual in 4Q20 as they installed and used capacity acquired earlier in the year amidst COVID uncertainties,” said Scott Wilkinson, Lead Analyst for Transport Hardware. “This will change in 2021 as first Cloud and then Traditional operators resume normal spending patterns.”

 Key Findings from the 4Q20 Transport Customer Markets Report:

  • Fourth Quarter spending on optical hardware by Cloud & Colo expanded dramatically in APAC but declined in EMEA and North America.
  • Ciena lost some sales of optical transport equipment to Cloud operators but maintained market leadership in 2020. Huawei (due to growth in APAC), Nokia, and Infinera all gained share.
  • Huawei maintained market share leadership for the year in both optical and packet transport equipment sales to Traditional Telcos. The company has not yet seen market share declines from growing political pressure in EMEA.
  • Enterprise & Government spending on optical hardware was resilient for the year; defying expectations that it would decline due to COVID pressures.
  • Transport markets should return to growth in the second half of 2021 as COVID restrictions are lifted, operational difficulties are resolved, and businesses resume normal operations. Strength will be led by Cloud & Colo operators, followed by Traditional Telco operators.

https://cignal.ai/2021/03/north-american-traditional-telco-and-cloud-capex-drops-in-fourth-quarter/

Benu enhances its Virtual BNG with SASE and 5G WWC

Benu Networks has enhanced its Virtual Broadband Network Gateway (vBNG) with new Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and 5G Wireless Wireline Convergence (WWC) capabilities. Benu's VBNG runs on its SD-Edge Platform, which is currently being used by its customers to connect over 25 million WLAN access points and CPE gateways and to handle over 7 Petabytes of data daily. 

The software-defined SASE capabilities run inside the carrier network -- an industry first. This enables carriers to run enterprise-class security for both remote workers and business sites/branch offices.

The new support for 5G Access Gateway Function (AGF) enables service providers to bring the benefits of 5G network slicing and low-latency services to fixed networks and WiFi. The Benu 5G AGF is a natural evolution of the BNG, where 5G service providers can manage their fixed line subscribers with their 5G core. 

“Our customers are thrilled we are bringing a cloud-native solution that is not only disruptive in performance and economics, but also enables high-value security services and the option to manage their fixed network using their 5G core, ” says Mads Lillelund, CEO of Benu Networks. “With our solution, operators will have the flexibility and agility to protect customers from within their broadband networks and deliver a unified experience across fixed and mobile networks. This delivers on our commitment to help operators delight customers, drive new revenue and reduce costs.”

https://benunetworks.com/cloud-native-bng-integrates-sase-and-5g-agf/

3rd Virtual OIDA Technology Showcase slated for 27 – 29 April 2021

Innovators will demonstrate state-of-the-art products advancing the field of optics and photonics during the 3rd Virtual OSA Industry Development Associates (OIDA) Technology Showcase, 27 – 29 April 2021. The three-day program will feature 27 companies in a format comprised of five technology themes – Fiber Optics and Communications, Instrumentation and Metrology, Lasers, Precision Optics and Components and Services.

Industry experts will describe unique applications with compact ultrafast fiber lasers, customizable field optical connectors, space optics and photonics technology for planetary exploration, quantum information processing and more. Participating companies, OIDA members, will present their products to a global audience and engage with attendees in virtual networking rooms for demos and Q&A discussion. Event registration is free and open to the public.

“The OIDA technology showcase has proven to be an effective platform for companies to engage with customers and prospects in a virtual environment,” said Simin Cai, OIDA Council Chair and President and CEO, Go!Foton, USA. “The networking opportunities enable them to present their unique products to a global audience and establish new connections. With new technologies entering the marketplace, it is important for companies and attendees to exchange information on products and industry trends.”

The 27 participating companies include Toptica Photonics, G&H, Thorlabs, Hitachi High-Tech, Santec, Menlo Systems, Schott, EXFO and LIGENTEC. Each company will exhibit technologies and products in a live 15-minute presentation. Registrants will have access to the online content and product profiles before and after the event.

More info is here: https://www.osa.org/en-us/meetings/industry_events/oida_technology_showcase_2021_march/

Belgium's Proximus deploys ADVA synchronization for 5G

Proximus is leveraging ADVA's Oscilloquartz timing technology to synchronize Belgium’s largest open mobile network. The deployment enables Proximus to improve speed, coverage and reliability for millions of mobile users throughout Belgium, while also preparing its network for next-generation services. The deployment includes ADVA’s core grandmaster devices, access boundary clocks and its enhanced primary reference time clock (ePRTC) solution,. ADVA’s partner is Arcadiz Telecom, a leading provider of connectivity solutions across the Benelux region.

Proximus’s new nationwide synchronization network is built on the OSA 5440, an ultra-stable timing solution optimized for deployment in core networks and the OSA 5412 family of cost-effective, mid-scale synchronization devices engineered for deployment in a wide range of locations. It’s anchored by the robust and proven OSA 3230B ePRC cesium clock installed in two central sites. This supports high levels of frequency stability compliant with the strictest ITU-T standards and, combined with the OSA 5440, ensures long-term stability of UTC time. The extended stability performance of ADVA’s ePRC provides immunity against GNSS outages – a crucial requirement for mission-critical applications that should not rely on satellite-based timing alone.

“For major mobile network operators like Proximus, our PTP grandmaster and boundary clocks and our ePRTC solution are the perfect tools. They enhance overall performance and deliver the precision timing necessary for 5G use cases. Our technology also enables other services such as broadcast networks to migrate to IP-based timing,” commented Jörg Urban, senior director, business development, Oscilloquartz, ADVA. “The OSA 5412 Series and OSA 5440 support a smooth and cost-effective migration to next-generation phase and frequency synchronization. And with our ePRTC solution providing robust backup for GNSS, Proximus’ mobile customers can be sure of high-quality, uninterrupted services with no loss of performance.”

http://www.adva.com

Vodafone tests Edgecore’s DCSG with ADVA software

Vodafone Romania successfully completed a live network trial of open IP routing with Edgecore’s Disaggregated Cell Site Gateway (DCSG) and ADVA's Ensemble Activator software. The DCSG was deployed in seven of Vodafone Romania’s live network sites in a variety of topologies.

Edgecore said its DCSG was developed as a joint operator community effort within TIP’s Open Optical & Packet Transport (OOPT) Project Group and is one of the first projects to introduce open, standard-based disaggregated hardware and software for use in telecom transport networks. As an early and leading contributor to OOPT, Edgecore has developed a series of TIP accepted DCSG products that address numerous use cases for mobile operators in both greenfield and brownfield deployments.

The trial in Romania validates the feasibility of open IP routers able to serve 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G mobile traffic and the ability to interoperate with Vodafone’s current transport network providers. The combination of Edgecore’s DCSG coupled with ADVA’s Ensemble Activator software demonstrates the key capabilities of the solution, delivering transport services with IP routing, and with frequency and time synchronization.

George Tchaparian, CEO and President of Edgecore Networks, said, “As the leading provider of open network solutions to tier-one operators worldwide, and the leading contributor to OCP, ONF, and TIP open communities, Edgecore understands the requirement to accelerate the innovation of disaggregated open network deployments while moving toward a more consistent and open infrastructure across mobile broadband and transport networks. This successful live trial in Romania is yet another proof point that open networking is robust and deployable in the most demanding network environments.

“Edgecore has a comprehensive DCSG portfolio with multiple performance classes, CPU, thermal, and timing/synchronization options based on Broadcom DNX Qumran packet processors. Open Network solutions are ideal for high-volume cell site and aggregation routing applications. Disaggregated, open hardware and software reduces operator costs, increases choice, and quickens the pace of innovation.”

“Built on our Ensemble Activator carrier-grade NOS and Edgecore’s innovative DCSG open hardware design, Vodafone Romania trial proves that service providers and can easily harness the power of this open and best-of-breed solution,” commented James Buchanan, GM, Edge Cloud, ADVA.

“This is a major milestone in the path to developing a healthy and sustainable open ecosystem of cell site gateways to increase flexibility and efficiency. We validated the Edgecore and ADVA solution in our networks and look forward to our continued partnership in the future,” commented Nikos Plevris, Vodafone Head of Transmission and Transport Engineering.

SpaceX completes 25th Starlink launch mission

SpaceX launched a further 60 Starlink satellites on Wednesday, March 24 at 4:28 a.m. EDT fromCape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The booster was successfully recovered on a drone ship in the Atlantic.

The mission marked the sixth launch and landing of this Falcon 9 first stage booster, which previously supported the launch of GPS-III Space Vehicle 03, Turksat 5A, and three Starlink missions. 

II-VI maintains its existing bid for Coherent, Inc.

II-VI is maintaining its current proposal to acquire Coherent, which will expire at Noon Pacific Time on Thursday, March 25, 2021.  II-VI believes its proposal would create significant value for the shareholders of both companies and remains superior to Lumentum’s latest proposal.


Under the terms of the II-VI proposal, Coherent’s shareholders would receive $220.00 in cash and 0.91 of a share of II-VI common stock for each Coherent share, which implies a total per share value of $287.18 based on the 10-day volume weighted average price (VWAP) of II-VI common stock for the period ending March 16, 2021, the day prior to the date II-VI submitted its current proposal.

https://ii-vi.com/ii-vi-incorporated-maintains-its-current-proposal-for-coherent/

Lumentum again raises bid for Coherent Inc.

On March 22, Lumentum increased its bid to acquire Coherent.Under the terms of the revised proposal, Coherent stockholders would receive $230.00 per share in cash and 0.6724 shares of Lumentum common stock for each Coherent share they own. Based on Lumentum's closing stock price on March 22, 2021, this equates to a consideration of $287.50 per Coherent share.Lumentum intends to finance the cash portion of the transaction through a combination of...

II-VI again raises its bid for Coherent

II-VI increased its offer to acquire Coherent Inc. to top the revised proposal from Lumentum on March 17th.Under the terms of the revised II-VI proposal, Coherent’s shareholders would receive $220.00 in cash and 0.91 of a share of II-VI common stock for each Coherent share, which implies a total per share value of $287.18 based on the 10-day volume weighted average price (VWAP) of II-VI common stock, ending March 16, 2021. II-VI continues to expect...