2Africa will be longest subsea cable system in the world

The 2Africa cable system will add an extension to the Arabian Gulf, India, and Pakistan, bringing its total length to over 45,000 kilometers, making it the longest subsea cable system ever deployed.  

The 2Africa consortium includes China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC.

Now connecting three continents, Africa, Europe and Asia terrestrially through Egypt, 2Africa creates unique connectivity by adding vital landing locations in Oman (Barka), UAE (Abu Dhabi and Kalba), Qatar (Doha), Bahrain (Manama), Kuwait (Kuwait), Iraq (Al-Faw), Pakistan (Karachi), India (Mumbai), and a fourth landing in Saudi Arabia (Al Khobar). The new 2Africa branch joins recently announced extensions to the Canary Islands, the Seychelles, Comoros Islands, Angola, and a new landing to south-east Nigeria.

As with other 2Africa cable landings, capacity will be available in PEARLS landings at carrier-neutral facilities or open-access cable landing stations on a fair and equitable basis, encouraging and supporting the development of a healthy internet ecosystem. 

Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) will deploy the new system utilizing new technologies such as SDM that allow the deployment of up to 16 fiber pairs.

2Africa subsea cable boasts design capacity up to 180 Tbps

Thursday, May 14, 2020  Africa, ASN, Egypt, Facebook, Submarine Cable, Subsea, Telecom Egypt  

2Africa, a new subsea cable to serve the African continent and Middle East region, promises to deliver more than the total combined capacity of all subsea cables serving Africa today, with a design capacity of up to 180Tbps on key parts of the system.

Consortium partners include China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC.

Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) has been selected to build the fully-funded cable. The project will leverage SDM1 (space division multiplexing) technology from ASN, allowing deployment of up to 16 fiber pairs instead of the eight fiber pairs supported by older technologies. The cable will incorporate optical switching technology to enable flexible management of bandwidth. Cable burial depth has also been increased by 50% compared to older systems, and cable routing will avoid locations of known subsea disturbance, all helping to ensure the highest levels of availability.

The 2Africa subsea cable will span 37,000km long, interconnect Europe (eastward via Egypt), the Middle East (via Saudi Arabia), and 21 landings in 16 countries in Africa. The system is expected to go live in 2023/4. Each of the cable landing sites will offer carrier-neutral data centers or open-access cable landing stations on a fair and equitable basis.

In addition, the 2Africa parties and Airtel have signed an agreement with Telecom Egypt to provide a completely new crossing linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, the first in over a decade. This includes new cable landing stations and deployment of next-generation fiber on two new, diverse terrestrial routes parallel to the Suez Canal from Ras Ghareb to Port Said, and a new subsea link that will provide a third path between Ras Ghareb and Suez. 

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AMITIE transatlantic cable lands in France

Orange announced the landing of the AMITIE submarine telecommunications cable on a beach in the commune of Le Porge, near Bordeaux (Gironde).

Orange is a partner in this 6,800 km state-of-the-art cable project, which will connect the state of Massachusetts (USA), Le Porge (France) and Bude (UK). Orange will benefit from two pairs of fiber optic cables as part of this new system, offering capacity up to 23 Tbp/s each. Commissioning is scheduled for early 2022.

The beach landing in Le Porge used an innovative horizontal directional drilling technique to protect the environment.

“With this new agreement, we are yet again demonstrating our skills and expertise in transatlantic submarine cables. Against the backdrop of a boom in international traffic, the arrival of these increasingly efficient cutting-edge submarine cables, and in view of the strategic and national sovereignty issues linked to submarine cables, Orange must continue to play a leading role in the global market and develop infrastructure to connect France to other continents,” explains Jean-Luc Vuillemin, head of International Networks and Services at Orange.

https://www.orange.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021/orange-announces-landing-new-transatlantic-submarine-cable-gironde

Orange expands transatlantic capacity with 2 new cables

Tuesday, January 19, 2021  France, Orange, Subsea  

Orange announced ready-for-service status on the new Dunant cable system linking France and the United States and also unveiled for another new transatlantic cable system that could be ready as early as next year.

The Dunant cable, which is a joint project with Google, is now ready for service for its wholesale and business customers. Dunant boasts 12 fibre pairs with over 30 Tbps of capacity each.

The next submarine cable, called AMITIÉ, will take a more northerly route, linking Massachusetts to le Porge near Bordeaux. AMITIÉ will offer 16 fiber pairs of up to 23 Tbps of capacity each. Orange believes this new cable will make Bordeaux a regional connectivity hub. The French operator will supply land links for both systems from the landing station to Bordeaux and then to Paris and Lyon for one, and will offer capacity between Ashburn, the Datacentre alley and Paris, will the latest Point-to-Point optical transmission technology.

Orange will benefit from two fibre pairs on both transatlantic systems, with a total capacity of up to 100 Tbps. Orange is responsible for the French part of these two cables, as the “landing provider”, and is in charge of the operation and maintenance of the landing stations.

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Corning's $150m expansion of fiber manufacturing follows AT&T commitment

Corning will invest $150 million in optical cable manufacturing in North Carolina, initially adding 200 jobs, based on AT&T's long-term commitment to its network buildout.

Corning said the manufacturing expansion reflects its ambition to capture new growth opportunities through strategic investments in innovation and technology – de-risking these investments with strong customer commitments.

AT&T has previously announced plans to significantly expand its fiber footprint.

“We see expansion of our fiber infrastructure as central to the growth of our broadband reach, for consumers as well as business customers,” said Mo Katibeh, senior vice president, AT&T Network Infrastructure & Build. “By extending our collaboration with Corning, we’ll create American jobs through manufacturing investments, and also through the economic benefits that broadband brings to our communities.”

“The need for ubiquitous connectivity has pushed demand on networks to record levels, and Corning is strategically investing to support network buildouts,” said Michael A. Bell, senior vice president and general manager, Corning Optical Communications. “This capacity expansion in particular supports the growth plans of AT&T, who we’ve valued for more than three decades. We’re turning once again to the highly skilled local workforce in North Carolina to help us meet the demand. We deeply appreciate the support of local and state officials, particularly Governor Roy Cooper, Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders, and state lawmakers.”

 https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/news-events/news-releases/2021/09/corning-and-att-expand-collaboration-as-corning-works-to-meet-record-broadband-demand-and-support-growth-of-us-manufacturing.html

AT&T to refocus investment on fiber and 5G post WarnerMedia deal

Monday, May 17, 2021  AT&T  

AT&T will combine WarnerMedia’s entertainment, sports and news assets with Discovery's entertainment and sports businesses to create a premier, standalone global entertainment company.

The deal provides AT&T with $43 billion (subject to adjustment) in a combination of cash, debt securities, and WarnerMedia’s retention of certain debt. AT&T’s shareholders will receive stock representing 71% of the new company. Discovery shareholders would own 29% of the new company.

AT&T said the transaction provides an opportunity to unlock value in its media assets, allowing the company to better capitalize on the longer-term demand for connectivity:.

AT&T's John Stankey states: “This agreement unites two entertainment leaders with complementary content strengths and positions the new company to be one of the leading global direct-to-consumer streaming platforms. It will support the fantastic growth and international launch of HBO Max with Discovery’s global footprint and create efficiencies which can be re-invested in producing more great content to give consumers what they want. For AT&T shareholders, this is an opportunity to unlock value and be one of the best capitalized broadband companies, focused on investing in 5G and fiber to meet substantial, long-term demand for connectivity. AT&T shareholders will retain their stake in our leading communications company that comes with an attractive dividend. Plus, they will get a stake in the new company, a global media leader that can build one of the top streaming platforms in the world.” 

https://investors.att.com/

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CityFibre looks to Bechtel to accelerate FTTH rollout across UK

CityFibre has expanded its partnership with Bechtel, one of the world's leading engineering, construction, and project management companies, to accelerate its Full Fibre broadband rollout to approximately one third of the UK market by 2025.

Bechtel's teams have been fully integrated into CityFibre's organizational structure since September 2020, enabling CityFibre to accelerate the mobilization of its 25 network construction partners and manage more than 60 parallel full town and city builds. Bechtel has also helped to strengthen project controls to enhance operational management, establish controls around risk and change, and increase productivity.

The new agreement formalizes a five-year extension to the partnership and will fully leverage Bechtel's mega-project expertise in project controls, construction management, contracts management, and environment, safety and health. Bechtel will focus its leadership and construction management efforts in CityFibre's north and southeast regions, areas with the greatest density of parallel builds. It will also continue to provide functional support across all regions as well as developing resource models to ensure thousands more operatives are trained and available to build partners to help construct the network.

"It's a pleasure to be extending our alliance with Bechtel after a hugely successful year as partners," Greg Mesch, CEO at CityFibre said. "Over the last twelve months, they have worked in lockstep with our teams to deliver an extraordinary acceleration of our rollout. This pace will only increase as we commence new projects and maximise the productivity of each build. We're delighted that Bechtel, with their unparalleled experience of complex, scaled construction projects, will be working alongside us in the years ahead as we continue to build the UK's finest Full Fibre infrastructure platform."

"We're really proud of what we have achieved with CityFibre in only a year," John Williams, Bechtel's UK & Ireland Infrastructure Managing Director said. "This new alliance will deepen our partnership, help sustain CityFibre's incredible growth trajectory, and help future-proof the nation's digital infrastructure for communities across the UK."

• CityFibre notes that it recently concluded the UK's largest ever capital raise for Full Fibre deployment of £1.125bn. The investment round has been secured new investors Mubadala and Interogo Holding.
• CityFibre has appointed 25 network construction partners across the UK. Network build is underway in 60 UK cities and towns.
• CityFibre's services are now live in 46 cities and towns.

https://www.cityfibre.com/

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Terran Orbital to build satellite manufacturing site in Florida

Terran Orbital announced plans to build "the world’s largest and most advanced Industry 4.0 space vehicle manufacturing facility. 

The 660,000 square foot factory will be constructed at the Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) on Merritt Island, Florida and will consist of ten automated and augmented hangers capable of producing thousands of different types of space vehicles per year.

Terran Orbital said its facility will also boast 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies to permit rapid space vehicle delivery to market, as well as capabilities to produce and fabricate the highest quality, technologically advanced, printed circuit board assembly with extensive electronic storage vaults.  

“We are pleased to partner with Space Florida to build a facility that we view as a national asset: a commercially funded contribution to our nation’s space industrial base.” said Marc Bell, co-founder and chief executive officer of Terran Orbital.  “Not only will we be able to expand our production capabilities to meet the growing demand for our products, but we will also bring valuable space vehicle manufacturing opportunities and capabilities to the State of Florida, investing over $300 million in new construction and equipment. By the end of 2025, we’re going to create approximately 2,100 new jobs with an average wage of $84,000.” 

https://www.terranorbital.com/

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HPE adds analytics and data protection to GreenLake Edge-to-Cloud

Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced new analytics and data protection capabilities for its GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform.

The new offerings include the following:

• HPE GreenLake for analytics – open and unified analytics cloud services to modernize all data and applications everywhere – on-premises, at the edge, and in the cloud
• HPE GreenLake for data protection – disaster recovery and backup cloud services to help customers take ransomware head-on and secure data from edge-to-cloud
• HPE Edge-to-Cloud Adoption Framework and automation tools to accelerate and de-risk the path to a cloud experience everywhere

“The big data and analytics software market, which IDC predicts will reach $110 billion by 20231, is ripe for disruption, as customers seek a hybrid solution for enterprise datasets on-premises and at the edge,” said Antonio Neri, president and CEO, at HPE. “Data is at the heart of every modernization initiative in every industry, and yet organizations have been forced to settle for legacy analytics platforms that lack cloud-native capabilities, or force complex migrations to the public cloud that require customers to adapt new processes and risk vendor lock-in. ”

The HPE GreenLake platform now has more than 1,200 customers and $5.2 billion in total contract value. In HPE’s most recent quarter, Q3 2021, HPE announced that the company’s Annualized Revenue Run Rate was up 33 percent year-over-year, and as-a-service orders up 46 percent year-over-year3. Most recently, HPE announced HPE GreenLake platform wins with Woolworths Group, Australia and New Zealand’s largest retailer, and the United States National Security Agency.

 https://www.hpe.com/us/en/newsroom/press-release/2021/09/hpe-greenlake-edge-to-cloud-platform-powers-data-modernization-with-breakthrough-analytics-and-data-protection-cloud-services.html

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NTT DOCOMO commits to carbon neutrality by 2030

NTT DOCOMO announced a commitment to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions arising from its business activities effectively to zero by 2030.

DOCOMO said it will achieve carbon neutrality by applying cutting-edge technology to improve energy efficiency and by procuring clean energy from renewable sources. It will also make efforts to directly procure renewable energy from solar power plants dedicated to supplying DOCOMO, and from other sources. Across its value chain, the company will promote the use of renewable energy through initiatives such as the installation of solar panels with the aim of becoming an environmentally-friendly telecom carrier.

DOCOMO also stated that its 5G networks are powered effectively with 100% renewable energy from this October. DOCOMO also plans to commence the sale of electricity generated from renewable sources as "docomo Denki Green" in the retail market directly to customers from March 2022 in its "docomo Denki" electricity service lineup. In collaboration with partner companies, the company will also consider delivering environmentally-friendly products and services, and in conjunction with our customers who will use these products and services, will promote carbon neutrality for the benefit of the whole of society.

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Telefónica to migrate its Oracle databases to Oracle Exadata

Telefonica España will migrate the bulk of its Oracle Database systems to Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer, building a dedicated cloud platform on-premises to support provisioning and delivery of new services, as well as Telefonica’s mission-critical operational and commercial systems including its BSS and OSS platforms and applications, business intelligence systems, CRM, billing and revenue management.

The collaboration is part of a multi-year initiative by Telefonica to consolidate the technology infrastructure that underpins its communications network into a shared, open-standard platform designed to support its growing digital services portfolio, including new services around Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G, and services co-hosted with ISVs and network partners.

Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer is an on-premises deployment option of Oracle Exadata Cloud Service that is delivered as a managed cloud service in Telefonica’s own data centers, enabling Telefonica to consolidate mission-critical systems in a single platform while complying with data residency regulations, meeting latency requirements, and helping to significantly reduce operational costs.

“Digitalization and connectivity are reshaping how we work and live, and Telefonica is transforming its business to support our customers in this new world. As we tap into these new opportunities, we need to consolidate and simplify our technology infrastructure to make us nimbler, more agile and more adaptable, and this is where our collaboration with Oracle comes in,” said Fidel Jesús Fernández, Director, Technologies and IT Transformation, Telefonica España. “Oracle Cloud@Customer provides us with the flexibility we need to build a robust, extensible cloud platform in our own data centers that is scalable and elastic to meet the changing needs of our business.”

https://www.oracle.com/news/announcement/telefonica-and-oracle-announce-collaboration-to-accelerate-cloud-adoption-2021-09-27/

Telefónica chooses IBM, Red Hat, Juniper for UNICA Next 5G core

Thursday, September 23, 2021  IBM, Juniper, Telefonica  

Telefónica will use IBM intelligent automation software and services to implement UNICA Next – Telefónica's first-ever, cloud-native, 5G core network platform.Specifically, Telefónica has engaged IBM Global Business Services, a leading systems integrator and the digital transformation services and consultancy arm of IBM, Red Hat and Juniper networking to deploy the cloud-native platform. The platform is planned to be a new open-standard open-networking...

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Colt implements Ciena's Blue Planet for Service Assurance

Colt Technology Services' IQ Network is using Ciena's Blue Planet fault management software to proactively anticipate – and even act upon – potential network issues before they occur. Blue Planet Route Optimization and Analysis (ROA) provides visibility and control of Colt's multi-layer network to correct service delivery issues, accelerating time to market for new services. 

Colt's 100Gbps-optimised, high-bandwidth and low-latency IQ Network connects over 900 data centres and more than 29,000 on-net buildings globally. 

“Deploying UAA for fault management enables us to leverage automation and AI to rapidly analyse and resolve network issues, as well as to proactively identify opportunities to enhance the reliability of our network,” said Shane Sura, Colt’s Vice President of Network Operations. “This is a key enabler in providing the fastest detection and resolution of network issues for exceptional customer service.”

“Networks today are incredibly complex and require automation so network providers can deliver the best digital experiences possible,” said Rick Hamilton, Senior Vice President, Blue Planet. “With Blue Planet, Colt is creating a network that can adapt to support the next wave of connectivity demands while further reinforcing its goal of putting customers first.” 

https://www.ciena.com/about/newsroom/press-releases/colt-technology-services-enriches-customer-digital-experiences-with-blue-planet.html

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