euNetworks connects LSE with hollowcore fibre from Lumenisity

Lumenisity Limited, a start-up based in Romsey, United Kingdom, supplied its ultra low latency CoreSmart cable solution based on "NANF" hollowcore fibres, to euNetworks Fiber UK. The fibre route connects an Interxion data center with the London Stock Exchange.

Lumenisity Limited, which was formed in early 2017 as a spin out from the University of Southampton, said data travels 50% faster in hollowcore cable, reducing latency by 1/3, and providing a round trip saving of 3μs per km. These latency savings are very significant in financial trading applications. 

euNetworks offers a fibre-based, dedicated network platform supporting the bandwidth needs of the financial services community. 

“We’re very pleased to partner with euNetworks to enable them to provide the lowest latency performance to a major trading exchange using our CoreSmart cable,” said Tony Pearson, Business

Development Director at Lumenisity. “We are excited to be collaborating with such an established Carrier and to already have hollowcore deployed, carrying traffic as part of this development.”

“We continue to focus on delivering lowest latency services for our customers. We focus on identifying new and innovative technologies that can be deployed on our network to provide the best possible bandwidth solutions,” said Brady Rafuse, Chief Executive Officer of euNetworks. “We’re excited to be working with Lumenisity, helping to develop and deploy hollowcore fibre. We’re confident that with this technology we can achieve market leading fibre-based latencies much closer to radio frequency systems, without the constraints that are inherently present with those radio frequency solutions.”

https://lumenisity.com/

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U.S. Department of Defense funds spectrum research

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has issued two Requests for Prototype Proposal (RPPs) in support of electromagnetic spectrum research.

The Risk-Informed Spectrum Access (RISA) RPP calls for industry input to develop and demonstrate a set of prototype spectrum access planning, management and operational tools. These tools will provide the capability to identify, assess and reduce systemic risk to mission associated with current or projected spectrum availability to assist with both planning and during operations. The tools will have the potential to be employed in legacy systems as well as infrastructure-based (e.g., DoD test and training ranges) and infrastructure-free (e.g., tactical edge) spectrum access systems.

As a complementary piece of the automated spectrum ecosystem, the Multiband Control Channel Architecture (MICCA) effort will enable dynamic spectrum access for large force exercises and other spectrum-intensive scenarios. MICCA will leverage Machine-to-Machine (M2M) protocols and interfaces to enable near-real-time command, control, and communications.  The ultimate goal of MICCA is to enable flexible spectrum access and spectrum operations agility by developing a standardized method for distributing spectrum parameters, data products, and related control messages. This will allow for "closed-loop" spectrum operations in near real time.

Additionally, last year, DOD issued four 5G RPPs through the NSC focusing on smart warehouses, AR/VR for training, and dynamic spectrum sharing.  DOD announced in October that these projects had been awarded as part of $600 million of Tranche One funding.

https://www.nationalspectrumconsortium.org/

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China Mobile Cloud deploys Nokia Nuage

China Mobile Cloud will leverage Nuage Networks' end-to-end SDN solution for nationwide deployment of its public cloud service. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Markus Bochert, President of Nokia Greater China, said: “As China Mobile Cloud’s strategic partner, we’re very honored to be part of China Mobile Cloud’s public cloud deployment. With Nokia’s Nuage SDN portfolio and our customized service, we’re confident to support China Mobile Cloud to pursue its goal in the cloud era.”

Sunil Khandekar, CEO of Nokia’s Nuage Networks, said: “Contributing to this service for the region presents immense opportunity for Nokia with the rapid growth of China Mobile Cloud. We developed the network solution together with customers to ensure it was suitable for China Mobile Cloud’s expansion of its public cloud application. By deploying our SDN solution, China Mobile Cloud’s customers will have the ability to create highly secure and dynamic virtual networks.”

Nokia said it has worked closely with China Mobile Cloud since 2015 — with both China Mobile Cloud’s public and private cloud services running on Nuage’s SDN solution. 

Nuage's Virtualized Cloud Services (VCS) can support a massive number of virtual machines (VM) and bare metal services (BM) in the same network with full policy control. The flexible architecture also allows direct connectivity between the end points without going through gateways, which can quickly become bottlenecks in a cloud environment.

Nokia’s Nuage Networks Virtualized Cloud Services (VCS) solution includes an SDN controller, software switch, SDN gateway, firewall, load balancer and VPN, and will provide:

• Inter-virtual private cloud (VPC) connectivity in different data centers for fault tolerance and to locate applications closer to the end users
• Data Center Interconnection (DCI) that is fully automated by the Nuage platform
• Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) to secure the critical cloud workloads
• Bare Metal as a Service (BMaaS) for non-virtualized workloads and workloads needing access to physical hardware

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SK Telecom to spin off its semiconductor business

 SK Telecom will split into two companies: the surviving company (tentatively named “AI & Digital Infra Company”) and the spin-off company (tentatively named “ICT Investment Company”).

The company expects the spin-off to create an opportunity for the telecommunications, semiconductor and New ICT businesses to be properly valued in the market to deliver greater value to shareholders. 

SKT, which was established in 1984, has been sustaining its 5G market leadership with a 46.5% market share by attracting 6.35 million 5G subscribers as of February 2021.  The surviving company will strengthen its position as the leading telecommunications company with AI technology at its core. It will have subsidiaries including SK Broadband, the second largest broadband service provider in Korea. Based on a stable cash flow, the surviving company will continue to create new revenue streams in 5G, while investing in new and innovative technologies to boost the development of the ICT industry. In particular, it will expand digital business areas such as cloud, data center and sub_scription-based services.

With over KRW 100 trillion of market cap, SKT’s subsidiary SK Hynix is the second largest stock on the KOSPI by market cap (as of April 13, 2021). The spin-off company will actively carry out diverse investment activities. It plans to invest in both domestic and overseas semiconductor companies to accelerate the growth of the semiconductor industry. In the past, SK Hynix has acquired Kioxia Corporation (formerly Toshiba Memory Corporation) and Intel’s NAND business. Through the spin-off, the company’s investment activities will be proceeded in a swifter manner.

 

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Vector Photonics secures funding for PCSEL-based semiconductor laser

Vector Photonics, a spin-out from the University of Glasgow, announced a £1.6m equity investment to commercialise its PCSEL-based, semiconductor laser technology. 

The company’s PCSELs (Photonic Crystal Surface Emitting Lasers) is based on semiconductor research led by Professor Richard Hogg. The company said its technology has applications in data communications, additive manufacturing, including metal and plastic printing, LiDAR, and optical sensing.

Neil Martin, CEO of Vector Photonics, said, “We are pleased to announce the £1.6m equity investment for Vector Photonics, which comes from a consortium of three specialist funding companies – Foresight, the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S) and Equity Gap. This is in addition to three government grants worth £2.4m and takes our seed funding round to more than £4m – a fantastic achievement for a one-year-old, Covid era, University of Glasgow start-up.

“Each investment company adds its own unique value to our business and will have board representation. Foresight invests in high growth-potential companies with innovative and transformational technologies via the Foresight Scottish Growth Fund and Foresight Williams, a joint venture with Williams Advanced Engineering. UKI2S is a specialist deep-tech seed fund focused on spin outs from the UK’s research base. Equity Gap is an angel investment syndicate, investing early in new technology businesses throughout Scotland.”

https://www.vectorphotonics.co.uk/

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Verizon launches Hyper Precise Location service with centimeter accuracy

Verizon Business launched its Hyper Precise Location kinematics service with availability in more than 100 major U.S. markets. 

HPL is software as a service (SaaS) that provides a stream of real-time global navigation satellite system (GNSS) correction data to device receivers, enabling location accuracy within 1-2 centimeters, for users on 5G and 4G networks. 

When paired with Verizon’s 5G Edge capabilities, HPL provides the precise positioning data that emerging Cellular Vehicle to Everything (C-V2X) technology relies upon in certain safety applications. Verizon recently teamed with automakers to demonstrate vehicle-pedestrian safety scenarios made possible through HPL, 5G Edge and C-V2X.

“Hyper Precise Location stands to boost or enable next-gen technologies across industries, from intelligent-driving to drone delivery to highly automated operations within construction, agriculture, and much more,” said TJ Fox, SVP of Industrial IoT and Automotive for Verizon Business. “HPL’s fast expanding coverage area, API friendliness, privacy protection, and use of open-delivery standards make it ideal for developers and customers demanding precision and flexibility.”

In August, Verizon announced it is also developing HPL next-gen road safety and highly advanced driving solutions through partnerships with location and mapping expert HERE Technologies (HERE) and Renovo, the automotive software company. HPL can also support other emerging technologies that depend on high-level location accuracy, such as delivery drones, and advanced IoT applications, such as infrastructure monitoring, critical asset tracking, and high value shipping.

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IPI Partners raises $3.8 billion in second fund for data centers

IPI Partners (IPI), a global investment platform focused exclusively on data centers and other technology and connectivity-related real assets,  announced the final closing of IPI Partners II at $3.8 billion. IPI said its second fund attracted demand well in excess of its target, reflecting strong support from a global institutional investor base. 

IPI II acquires, develops, leases, and operates data centers and related assets that serve the digital capacity needs of large, high-quality technology companies globally. Over the last four and a half years, IPI has built one of the world’s largest privately held data center portfolios with 480 megawatts leased and capacity for more than 880 megawatts. IPI II began investing in 2020, and most recently closed on the acquisition of SUPERNAP Italia, a Milan-based data center platform.

“Fundraising for IPI II has been a resounding success, and we are extremely grateful that our recent achievements and established market presence have earned the trust and confidence of a wide range of high quality, sophisticated investors,” said Matt A’Hearn, Partner at IPI. “The fund’s close comes at a truly ideal time, aligning with the large and growing opportunity we see at the core of our investment strategy.”

http://www.ipipartners.com

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Verizon offers 10-year price lock on fixed 5G business service

Verizon Business is expanding its 5G fixed-wireless connectivity offering to 21 new U.S. cities this month. 

Offerings include 100, 200, and 400 Mbps plans serving large Enterprise and Small & Medium Business customers, with no data limits. Verizon is offering a 10 year price lock for new customers, no long-term contract required. 

The expansion includes parts of Anaheim, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City (MO), Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, St. Louis, and St. Paul, with parts of Riverside-Corona, CA becoming available on April 22. The service previously launched in parts of Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. Additional cities will be announced on a rolling basis.

https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-business-5g-business-internet-21-us-cities

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Keysight intros 5G satellite and aerospace channel emulation toolset

Keysight Technologies introduced a Satellite and Aerospace Channel Emulation Toolset to speed deployment of non-terrestrial networks (NTN) vital to many new 5G services.

3GPP has included 5G NTN in the release-17 specifications (Rel-17) which is expected to be complete by the spring of 2022. NTN supports 5G backhaul and provides improved coverage and data speeds in rural areas.

“Keysight’s new toolset, an application specific 5G NTN test solution, enables vendors and mobile operators, as well as providers of satellite equipment and networks, to verify complex systems consisting of both earthbound infrastructure and orbiting satellites,” said Janne Kolu, research and development director of Keysight’s channel emulator products. “We’re pleased to contribute with deep industry insight and solutions for both 5G and space. This will help the cellular industry bridge the knowledge gap and deliver on the complete vision of 5G new radio.”

Keysight’s S8825A Satellite and Aerospace Channel Emulation Toolset leverages PROPSIM FS16 and F64 channel emulator hardware and software platforms to provide real-world radio channel capabilities, including dynamic multipath propagation, wider bandwidths and up to 64 radio or aerospace channels. Offering comprehensive support for all 5G NTN system requirements, the new toolset enables customers to:

• Create end-to-end mixed terrestrial and space test networks in a laboratory environment for cost-effective end-user experience verification
• Emulate ground-to-satellite, satellite-to-ground as well as ground-to-ground satellite links to holistically verify the performance of both terrestrial and non-terrestrial infrastructure
• Achieve highly accurate measurements by addressing link verification complexity introduced by long delays, high mobility of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, Doppler Effect and mesh network topology.

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Frontier gains regulatory approvals to exit Chapter 11

The California Public Utilities Commission unanimously voted to approve Frontier Communications' emergence from Chapter 11. 

Frontier said it has now received all required state and federal approvals for it to emerge from Chapter 11. 

Frontier advances its Chapter 11 case

Monday, January 18, 2021  Chapter 11, Frontier  

Frontier Communicationssecured approval from the FCC for its Chapter 11 restructuring. Frontier now has regulatory approvals, or favorable determinations, for its required change-in-control applications related to its court-supervised restructuring from the FCC and 13 states: Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia.

Frontier expects to promptly consummate the transactions contemplated under its previously confirmed Plan of Reorganization and emerge from Chapter 11 in early 2021. Upon emergence, Frontier will have reduced its total outstanding indebtedness by more than $10 billion and will move forward with enhanced financial flexibility to support continued investment in an improved customer experience and long-term growth.

“We continue to make important progress in our constructive engagement with regulators across our service territories, and this approval from the FCC marks a major milestone,” said Bernie Han, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We continue to await approval in just four states and are working to expedite those approvals to enable the Company to emerge from Chapter 11. Our team remains focused on our transformative strategy to strengthen our financial foundation, improve our operations and enhance our customer experience throughout the U.S.”

Jonathan Spalter, President and CEO of USTelecom said, “We are pleased by the FCC’s affirmative decision for Frontier. More than ever, Frontier serves a vital function in providing essential telecommunications services. This decision is a major step toward successfully completing the Company’s restructuring, enabling it to move forward in delivering services to its customers and creating benefits for communities across the U.S.”

Frontier picks Nick Jeffery as new CEO

Tuesday, December 15, 2020  Frontier, People  

Frontier Communications named Nick Jeffery as the Company’s next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective March 1, 2021, following the expiration of his notice period with Vodafone UK. Jeffery will succeed Bernie Han, who will step down as President and Chief Executive Officer on March 1, 2021. Mr. Han will remain on the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) and guide the CEO transition until emergence from Chapter 11, at which point Mr. Jeffery will join the Board.

Jeffery was appointed CEO of Vodafone UK in September 2016 and has held numerous positions at Vodafone Group, the world’s second largest international cellular operator, the largest home broadband operator in Europe and the second largest TV distributor in Europe, since joining the company in 2004. Notably, Mr. Jeffery served on Vodafone Group’s Executive Committee since 2013, as CEO of Vodafone Group Enterprise from 2013 to 2016 and as CEO of Vodafone Group’s acquired Cable & Wireless Worldwide operations from 2012 to 2013.

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