Infinera releases metro-optimized 400G pluggable solutions

Infinera announced the availability of metro-optimized 400G pluggable optics-based solutions for its XTM Series and GX Series Compact Modular Platforms.

The new capabilities complement the company’s 600G/800G embedded optics technology, enabling network operators to cost-effectively scale their networks to meet the relentless growth of bandwidth with optimized optical networking solutions from the edge to the core.

The new XTM Series Enhanced 400G Flexponder module and GX Series CHM1R Open ROADM-compliant dual-400G sled will support a broad range of 400G pluggable optics, including 400G XR/ZR+ optics. In addition to point-to-point applications, the XTM and GX will leverage the point-to-multipoint capabilities of XR optics to substantially simplify networks and drive down costs. 

Infinera says the combination of 400G support across both platforms enables network operators to support optimized solutions across both 300 mm- and 600 mm-deep network infrastructure with industry-leading low power and high density.

“The move to 400G in metro/regional optimized DWDM platforms is a major step that we welcome,” said Dave Eddy, Chief Operating Officer at Neos Networks. “Our extensive U.K. network is built on the XTM Series, and 400G capabilities provide Neos Networks with another option for those segments in our network that see the highest demand. We look forward to capitalising on this technology in our network to enable the company to maintain its position of running one of the most advanced optical networks across the U.K.”

“Pluggable optics have always been at the heart of our metro strategy, and over the years we have achieved many industry firsts with the use of pluggable optics in transport platforms,” said Glenn Laxdal, Senior Vice President, Global Product Line Management at Infinera. “Expanding our capabilities to include the latest generation of 400G optics, combined with our industry-leading 600G/800G optics, provides customers with best-in-class solutions to address applications across their networks.”

https://www.infinera.com/press-release/infinera-expands-open-optical-portfolio-to-include-latest-generation-of-400g-pluggable-optics

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POST Luxembourg deploys ADVA's FSP 3000 TeraFlex

POST Luxembourg has deployed ADVA's FSP 3000 TeraFlex terminal to boost the capacity of its national core network to support 400GbE client services.  The low-power 1RU ADVA FSP 3000 TeraFlex leverages software-defined fractional QAM modulation and adaptive baud rate capabilities, determining the best possible capacity and spectral efficiency for each light path.

“ADVA’s compact, plug-and-play technology enables us to ensure high levels of speed and efficiency for our networks while meeting the connectivity needs of both our mobile and enterprise customers,” said Pierre Scholtes, head of telecom networks, POST Luxembourg. “The ADVA FSP 3000 TeraFlex maximizes the value of our network. It’s enabled us to affordably make the leap to 5G backhaul without adding complexity.”

“By utilizing our FSP 3000 TeraFlex™ to future-proof its backhaul architecture, POST Luxembourg is leading the way in the Benelux region. Our unique solution is now optimizing all optical paths in its network, improving port efficiency, enhancing performance and delivering major opex savings,” commented Hartmut Müller-Leitloff, SVP, sales, EMEA, ADVA. “The key advantage our TeraFlex™ brings is its ability to maximize the transmission capacity for any given fiber link. That enables POST Luxembourg to exploit untapped capacity in its existing infrastructure without the cost of a complete system upgrade. It provides a route to 5G capacity and flexibility without major effort or risk.”

http://www.adva.com

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Vodafone and Qualcomm collaborate on O-RAN blueprint

Vodafone and Qualcomm are collaborating on a technical blueprint for more equipment suppliers to adopt Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) technology. The goal is lower the entry barrier for many companies and drive diversification of network equipment vendors. 

The reference design will combine Vodafone’s engineering expertise at building high capacity, large-scale networks with Qualcomm Technologies’ leadership in developing high performance and low power Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) solutions for device and infrastructure products. The companies said the collaboration will help ensure Open RAN is ready for use in 5G networks.

The reference designs, powered by Qualcomm® Radio Unit Platform with Massive MIMO capabilities and Qualcomm® Distributed Unit Platform, is expected to be published this year with trials expected to start in the second half of 2022, following detailed software development.

Santiago Tenorio, head of network architecture, Vodafone, said, “Global supply chains need a diverse and vibrant vendor ecosystem to keep them moving in the event of a product shortage or a single supplier having difficulties. Open RAN provides greater supplier diversity by allowing many more small vendors to compete on the world stage. Following the recent launch of our new Open RAN Test and Validation Lab, combining the creativity of Vodafone Engineering with that of our partners, we’re delighted to be partnering with Qualcomm Technologies to give smaller suppliers the best start.”

“Virtualized and Open RAN offer a significant opportunity to make 5G networks more flexible and cost efficient, transforming them into a platform for innovation,” said Dino Flore, vice president, technology, QUALCOMM Europe, Inc. “The collaboration to develop comprehensive solutions from Open RAN RU with MaMIMO capabilities to high performance DU platforms provides an important step forward in speeding up the transition to open, virtualized and interoperable radio access networks.”

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T-Mobile US raises guidance as customer count tops 103.4 million

 Total Q1 2021 revenues for T-Mobile US increased year-over-year to $19.8 billion and total service revenues increased year-over-year to $14.2 billion in Q1 2021, driven by the Sprint merger and continued customer growth.

Net income was relatively flat year-over-year at $933 million in Q1 2021, as higher revenues were offset by expense increases as a result of the Sprint merger, including merger-related costs. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) decreased year-over-year to $0.74 in Q1 2021, primarily due to a higher number of outstanding shares as a result of the Sprint merger.

Some highlights for the quarter

• Net customer additions of 1.4 million. The total customer count increased to a record-high of 103.4 million.
• Postpaid net customer additions of 1.2 million, eclipsing  the 1 million mark for the 4th consecutive quarter.
• Postpaid phone net customer additions of 773 thousand. Postpaid phone churn was 0.98%.
• Postpaid other net customer additions of 437 thousand. 
• Prepaid net customer additions of 151 thousand in Q1 2021 were the highest in three years and record-low prepaid churn of 2.78% continued to lead the industry.

“T-Mobile puts customers at the center of everything we do by giving them the best network, value and experience all at once – and this quarter’s stellar, industry-leading results prove that they’re noticing,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “We just keep pushing further ahead of the competition. Our network leadership is fueling customer momentum, delivering merger synergies and expanding our addressable markets for growth. We have so much confidence that we are raising 2021 guidance just one quarter into the year. Our mission is to be the very best at connecting customers to their world and we’re delivering on it.”

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Arista Networks reported Q1 2021 revenue of $667.6 million, an increase of 2.9% compared to the fourth quarter of 2020, and an increase of 27.6% from the first quarter of 2020.

GAAP gross margin was 63.7%, compared to GAAP gross margin of 63.9% in the fourth quarter of 2020 and 64.7% in the first quarter of 2020. Non-GAAP net income of $198.8 million, or $2.50 per diluted share, compared to non-GAAP net income of $161.7 million, or $2.02 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2020.

“Arista begins the 2021 year with a flying start. Clearly, the focus on our cognitive cloud networking suite is resonating with customers across diverse data sets and applications,” stated Jayshree Ullal, President and CEO of Arista Networks.

https://investors.arista.com/Home/default.aspx

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Xilinx posts revenue of $851M, cites strength in wireless and data center

Citing strength in wireless and data center applications, Xilinx posted record revenues of $851 million for its fiscal fourth quarter, up 6% over the previous quarter and an increase of 13% year over year. Fiscal 2021 revenues were $3.15 billion, largely flat from the prior fiscal year.

GAAP net income for the fiscal fourth quarter was $188 million, or $0.75 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for the quarter was $204 million, or $0.82 per diluted share. GAAP net income for fiscal year 2021 was $647 million, or $2.62 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for fiscal year 2021 was $762 million, or $3.08 per diluted share.

“We are pleased with our fourth quarter results as we delivered record revenues and double-digit year-over-year growth in the midst of a challenging supply chain environment,” said Victor Peng, Xilinx president and CEO. “Xilinx saw further improvement in demand across a majority of our diversified end markets with key strength in our Wireless, Data Center and Automotive markets, the pillars of our growth strategy. Our teams have executed well and we remain focused on continuing to meet customers’ critical needs.

https://investor.xilinx.com/investor-relations

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Infinera reports Q1 sales of $330.9 million

Infinera reported GAAP revenue of $330.9 million for its first quarter ended March 27, 2021. This compares to $353.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2020 and $330.3 million in the first quarter of 2020.

GAAP gross margin for the quarter was 35.4% compared to 35.7% in the fourth quarter of 2020 and 23.3% in the first quarter of 2020. GAAP operating margin for the quarter was (7.0)% compared to (1.9)% in the fourth quarter of 2020 and (23.3)% in the first quarter of 2020.

Non-GAAP net loss for the quarter was $(5.5) million, or $(0.03) per share, compared to net income of $16.7 million, or $0.08 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2020, and a net loss of $(36.5) million, or $(0.20) per share, in the first quarter of 2020.

"The first quarter marked another quarter of strong performance. Non-GAAP revenue came in ahead of the mid-point of our outlook with both non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP operating margin above the high end of our outlook,” said David Heard, Infinera CEO. “I am encouraged by the positive start to 2021 with broad-based demand for our differentiated open optical solutions, and remain confident about the opportunities ahead of us as we continue to manage through the current industry-wide supply chain challenges and ongoing pandemic impact."

https://investors.infinera.com/home/default.aspx

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SpaceX completes 26th Starlink launch mission, its 10th for 2021

SpaceX successfully launched its next batch of 60 Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 booster from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The booster successfully landed on the drone ship in the Atlantic.

It was the 26th Starlink launch mission and the 10th Starlink mission of 2021 all of which used reflown boosters. It was also the 115th launch of a Falcon 9 booster.

The Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster used for this launch previously supported launch of Telstar 18 VANTAGE, Iridium-8, and six Starlink missions.

Starlink also confirmed that it has received over 500,000 orders and pre-orders so far.

https://www.spacex.com/launches/

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Windstream Enterprise Achieves MEF 3.0 SD-WAN Certification

Windstream Enterprise (WE) has achieved MEF 3.0 SD-WAN services certification for its Fortinet Secure-powered SD-WAN offering. Windstream Enterprise is the first managed service provider to complete multiple MEF SD-WAN certifications.

“Congratulations to Windstream Enterprise on its latest MEF 3.0 SD-WAN certification,” said Nan Chen, president of MEF. “Companies who purchase SD-WAN from a certified MEF 3.0 service provider can have confidence they will receive services that conform to MEF’s industry-leading global standards. Companies like Windstream Enterprise understand the value that certification provides—simplified, pre-validated functionality for buyers and simplified, frictionless implementation and partnering.”

“MEF 3.0 SD-WAN certification for Fortinet-powered SD-WAN indicates our commitment to delivering best-in-class SD-WAN and to improving the quality and management of Ethernet and IP services for our customers,” said Mike Frane, vice president of product management at Windstream Enterprise. “As demand for hybrid networking continues to grow, these MEF industry standards eliminate confusion regarding SD-WAN service components, core capabilities and concepts.”

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