OIF initiates 3 projects, including co-packaged optics external laser module

OIF initiated three new projects, including a Co-Packaged Optics external laser module, Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Enhanced Network Operations and CEI-112G-Linear, in addition to announcing a network operator survey for the 2022 Networking Demo.

External Laser Small Form Factor Pluggable (ELSFP) Module Project – companion project to support co-packaged optics applications

This project for a blind-mate pluggable external light source module will define a new form factor optimized to package lasers to support co-packaged optical modules. It also includes provisions for the longevity of this form factor beyond the initial scope of the Co-Packaged Optics Module project (i.e., more fibers, thermal, and optical power classes).

“The ELSFP project is an important step for enabling co-packaged optics deployments,” according to Gary Nicholl, Cisco and OIF board member. “And, the project objectives include the necessary technical considerations to ensure this project will be relevant for multiple generations.”

Application of Artificial Intelligence to Enhanced Network Operations Project

A healthy and high-performance network serves as the foundation for all 5G application scenarios. Traditional approaches face significant difficulties in automatically and efficiently analyzing network data, solving network faults, and optimizing network performance. This new project will result in a white paper identifying a collection of use cases for applying AI to construct intelligent, resilient and high-performance optical and packet networks.

CEI-112G-Linear Project

A linear Chip-to-Optical Engine interface is needed to enable low power, low cost, small form factor 112G serial optical modules in Co-Packaged Optics, Near Package Optics (NPO) and server/GPU applications. This new project will facilitate increased bandwidth and reduced power of switch ports using co-packaged and closely packaged optical modules.

Network Operator Survey – 2022 Transport SDN Interoperability Demonstration

The OIF Networking Interoperability Working Group is surveying operators worldwide for their input and interest in participating in a 2022 Transport SDN Interoperability Demonstration. As with past surveys, responses will be anonymized, tabulated and summarized. The deadline to complete the survey is Tuesday, June 15, 2021.  Link to the survey: https://www.oiforum.com/technical-work/request-download-oif-network-operator-survey/

https://www.oiforum.com/oif-reveals-three-innovative-projects-external-laser-small-form-factor-pluggable-module-for-co-packaged-optics-artificial-intelligence-for-enhanced-network-operations-and-cei-112g-linear/

Read More

OSA to host 5G Summit - 13 – 14 July,

The Optical Society (OSA) will host amd all virtual 5G Summit on July 13-14 to discuss optical access, aggregation networks, edge computing and the 5G ecosystem.

“Expanding upon the inaugural 2019 OSA 5G Summit, this year’s program will engage attendees with the developments critical to performance targets for 5G systems,” said co-chair Jörg-Peter Elbers, SVP Advanced Technology, Standards & IPR at ADVA, Germany.

Distinguished speakers will discuss technologies that are increasing network speeds, expanding interactivity on the network and more. The following companies will be represented: ADVA, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, ETSI-F5G, Futurewei, Lumentum, MobileEdgeX, NTT, NTT Docomo, Orange Labs, Rakuten Mobile, Telecom Italia, Qualcomm, VaporIO, Verizon and II-VI.

“Advancements in 5G networks are crucial to the photonics and fiber optics industry,” said co-chair Xiang Liu, VP Optical Transport and Access, Futurewei Technologies, US. “The 5G Summit is pivotal to information sharing among our global mobile and optical network community.”

Panel discussion topics include:

• 5G Vision, Use Cases & Deployment Status
• 5G Technologies, Open RAN & Edge Computing
• The 5th Generation Fixed Network (F5G), New Use Cases & Enabling Technologies
• Optical Transceivers and Photonic Devices for 5G

https://www.osa.org/en-us/meetings/member_events/osa_5g_summit/registration/

Read More

Proximus activates first 25G PON with Nokia

Proximus has activated the world's first 25G PON live network using equipment from Nokia.

The network connects the Havenhuis building in the Port of Antwerp with the Proximus central office in the middle of the city. Proximus has confirmed network speeds exceeding 20 Gbps across the PON.

Proximus is the leading provider of fixed broadband networks in Belgium with 45.9% market share. The operator is accelerating the move to fiber, adding 10% coverage each year and is on target to reach at least 70% of homes and business by 2028. As part of its inspire 2022 vision, it is creating a high capacity open network which will be available to all operators, eliminating the need for fiber overbuild.

Guillaume Boutin, CEO Proximus, said: “The activation of the first 25G PON network worldwide shapes our bold ambition to be a trendsetter, to become a reference operator in Europe and, why not, across the globe. Together with Nokia, we have achieved a technological leap forward that will become a key enabler of the digital and economy and society that we stand for. Today’s announcement is also an occasion to stand still and look at the pace at which we connect the citizens of Antwerp to the technology of the future. Thanks to huge investments, we are realizing an acceleration that is unseen in Europe, and I am convinced this will be crucial to remain competitive for us as a company, but also for Antwerp as a city and for our entire economy.”

Federico Guillén, President Network Infrastructure Nokia, said: “10 years ago our companies launched the technology which enabled a switch to HD TV. Today we make history again with a network that is 200x faster. We are proud to support Proximus in enabling the world’s first 25G PON network, powered by Nokia’s Quillion chipset, which supports three generations of PON technologies. Quillion has been adopted by more than 100 operators since its launch last year and all operators deploying the Quillion based GPON and XGS-PON solution today have the capabilities to easily evolve to 25G PON.”

Read More

T-Mobile Netherlands picks Nokia for managed security and optical upgrade

T-Mobile Netherlands selected Nokia to provide a wide range of managed services including automated network and security operations, as well as a service-centric optical network over the course of the five-year rollout.

T-Mobile Netherlands will make use of Nokia’s Managed Security Services – covering all network elements. The service will provide a wide spectrum of security capabilities while meeting the latest cyber security standards and regulations. Nokia said its state-of-the-art network and services operations centre will deliver these services on a 24/7 basis. Nokia will use its NetGuard Audit Compliance Manager to continuously audit and remediate the security configurations of T-Mobile Netherlands to improve compliance to regulations and minimize risks. The partnership will also ensure a superior user experience for clients through comprehensive managed multi-vendor network operation services. In addition, cognitive services based on the Nokia AVA AI-ML system will transform the overall efficiency of the network operation and guarantee the resilience required in the digital era.

Nokia will modernize the operator’s optical network by consolidating its existing DWDM networks into one new core and aggregation network. T-Mobile’s renewed DWDM network will cover the entire country, including 50+ strategic cities, offering its customers enhanced service quality and speeds reaching 400 Gbps and higher. 

The optical solutions being deployed are based on the Nokia WaveFabric service-ready platforms and Nokia WaveSuite software portfolio. The Nokia NSP (Network Services Platform) will provide network automation for faster delivery of transport services, optimized network utilization and traffic engineering, as well as dynamic assurance for operating the network with maximum performance and reliability.

Jeroen van Straten, Director Network Operations at T-Mobile, said: “T-Mobile wants its customers to enjoy our networks without any privacy concerns. That is why we continuously challenge ourselves to make our networks as stable and secure as possible. We selected Nokia based on their comprehensive set of sustainable and secure solutions. With Nokia’s years of experience in managed services and building robust optical networks, our team is even more able to concentrate on enabling new services for our customers with faster time to market and lower risks and costs.”

Read More

Nokia adds mmWave, micro RRH and AirScale indoor small cell radios

Nokia launched new additions to its AirScale small cells portfolio for premium indoor and outdoor 5G coverage, featuring support for the majority of frequency bands, including requirements for C-Band spectrum in the U.S.

Highlights:

Nokia’s new AirScale micro Remote Radio Heads (mRRH) deliver premium outdoor 5G coverage, enhancing both capacity and coverage in dense urban environments. Nokia’s mRRHs allow operators to cost-effectively densify their networks, especially where the deployment of a macro cell would not be appropriate. Micro RRH have small footprints and offer increased deployment options, as well as lower power consumption and so lower operational cost. In addition to the new U.S. C-Band (n77) product, Nokia’s enhanced mRRH portfolio also offers even broader mid-band capabilities with a new n79 product.

Nokia's new range of AirScale indoor Radio (ASiR) solutions include a new ASiR-pRRH (pico Remote Radio Head) supporting U.S. C-Band spectrum requirements and a new triple-band pRRH – the first integrated 4G/5G pRRH. Nokia has also released a new Smart HUB, which supports even greater throughput capacity for 5G and an associated Hybrid Fiber Converter that enables the use of hybrid fibers for interconnection to existing ASiR-pRRH.

Nokia has also announced the availability of its latest millimeter wave (mmWave) radio product line-up, designed for stadiums, airports or pedestrianized areas. These compact products support a wide range of deployment options to ease installation considerations in busy locations. Nokia’s mmWave portfolio supports all spectrum bands including 24/26 GHz, 28 GHz and 39 GHz.    

Nokia recently launched the Nokia Smart Node, a compact femtocell solution delivering high-quality 4G and 5G indoor mobile coverage for residential and small-medium enterprise use. The unique, ‘plug and play’ modular design can be readily deployed in any environment to support evolving consumer applications. It is future-proof, supporting 4G now and 5G as and when required.

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2021/05/26/nokia-introduces-new-additions-to-industry-leading-small-cells-portfolio/

Read More

SpaceX completes 29th Starlink mission

SpaceX launched 60 more Starlink satellites on Wednesday, May 26 from Launch Complex 40 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was the second launch and landing of this Falcon 9 first stage booster, which previously launched the Sentinel-6A mission.

In addition, SpaceX noted that Starlink has begun providing service in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Read More

Snowflake reports sales of $229 million, up 110% yoy

Snowflake, which offers a cloud service for uniting siloed data and executing diverse analytic workloads, reported quarterly revenue of $228.9 million, representing 110% year-over-year growth. 

Product revenue for the quarter was $213.8 million, representing 110% year-over-year growth. Remaining performance obligations were $1.4 billion, representing 206% year-over-year growth. Net revenue retention rate was 168% as of April 30, 2021. 

Snowflake now has 4,532 total customers and 104 customers with trailing 12-month product revenue greater than $1 million.

“Snowflake reported strong Q1 results with triple-digit growth in product revenue, reflecting strength in customer consumption,” said Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman. “Remaining performance obligations showed a robust increase year-on-year, indicating strength in sales across the board.”

Read More

OPPO introduces eSIM for 5G SA networks

OPPO introduced the first 5G SA-Compatible eSIM on its newly launched flagship 5G smartphone, the OPPO Find X3 Pro, developed in collaboration with Thales. The eSIM, or embedded SIM, is directly built into the device. 

"As a leading global technology company, OPPO has been spurring the development of 5G technology since the very beginning. We are committed to providing innovative 5G experiences for users and we see eSIM as an exciting prospect in delivering these experiences,” said Xia Yang, Senior Director of Carrier Product, OPPO. “Through our technical collaboration with Thales, we have made the Find X3 Pro one of the first devices in the world to be equipped with 5G SA-Compatible eSIM. As 5G SA networks are being deployed around the world, the addition of 5G SA-Compatible eSIM brings more possibilities for Find X3 Pro users worldwide."

Thales is a leading provider in both hardware-based eSIM and eSIM connectivity management with more than 200 eSIM management platforms awarded by mobile operators, operator alliances, MVNOs, and OEMs across all continents. As OPPO's key eSIM solutions partner, Thales eSIM solutions have already been included in the OPPO Watch, OPPO’s first smartwatch with built-in cellular connectivity.

Read More