10/31/21 ~ Converge! Network Digest

Sunday, October 31, 2021

UPC Poland picks Juniper for PTX10008 core router

Sunday, October 31, 2021 Core, Juniper, Poland, Router

UPC Poland, Liberty Global’s largest revenue-generating operation in Central and Eastern Europe and Poland’s largest cable TV operator, selected Juniper to provide a new, 400G-ready network to power its UPC Poland’s international core infrastructure. UPC Poland’s network provides broadband internet, digital television, mobile and digital telephony (VoIP) services to millions of consumers and a range of 1 Gbps business voice and data services.

The deployment features Juniper's latest generation PTX10008 Series Router. The first network node has already been successfully deployed in Poznan, with another in Warsaw to follow. A further three nodes will then be rolled out to create a nationwide infrastructure to underpin UPC Poland’s digital transformation.

“Increasingly, service providers need to balance cost, capacity and performance with sustainability factors in their networks. UPC Poland’s deployment demonstrates that less can be more with intelligent solutions that combine physical and virtual innovations to deliver the dynamic, responsible network of the future,” stated Brendan Gibbs, Vice-President Automated WAN Solutions, Juniper Networks.

Credo announces 800G HiWire Active Electrical Cables

Sunday, October 31, 2021 800G, AEC, Credo

Credo announced its new 800G HiWire LP CLOS Active Electrical Cable (AEC) for distributed, disaggregated chassis (DDCs) used in hyperscale infrastructure.

The new 8 x 112G per lane copper cable interconnect is the first member of Credo’s 800G AEC family.

At just 32AWG, 800G AECs are about as thick as standard Cat6e cabling. This narrower gauge reduces cabling volume by up to 75% versus passive copper DACs. LP CLOS AECs are available in lengths up to 2.5m. Credo’s new AECs consume half as much power as optical cabling solutions and feature superior reliability with up to 100 million hours of Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF).

The LP CLOS AEC 800 PAM4 cables come in QSFP-DD800 (Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Multi-Source Agreement Group) and OSFP (Octal Small Form Factor Pluggable) types. Integrated Credo retimers enable the cable to achieve high performance without needing additional external components, simplifying the design and lowering system cost and power. The new 800G AECs are identified by their distinctive HiWire purple color sheath.

Credo is sampling the LP CLOS AEC 800 now with general availability expected in early 2022.

Credo says that at 400G and higher, AECs offer greater signal integrity and break through the physical weight, bend radius, and range limits of passive copper Direct Attached Cables (DACs).

“Credo sees 800G as the point where passive DACs hit the wall – they are far too thick and rigid for many customer applications and impose a high cost and engineering burden on switch manufacturers,” said Don Barnetson, Vice President of Product at Credo. “Credo’s new 800G LP CLOS AECs route like Cat6 cables and offer up to 100 times better reliability and half the power of optical cabling solutions. The future of connectivity is clearly purple.”

https://www.credosemi.com/credo-hiwire-lp-clos-aec-active-electrical-cable

Windstream Wholesale brings DWDM to U.S. military bases

Sunday, October 31, 2021 Windstream Wholesale

Windstream Wholesale Federal will bring diverse, high-bandwidth DWDM services to a number of U.S. military installations. The builds will be lit by the company’s Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON).

The new fiber connections include pathways to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, completed earlier this year, as well as to the Defense Logistics Agency in Columbus, Ohio, and the Philadelphia Navy Yard, both of which are scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2022. Windstream Wholesale Federal currently provides fiber network connections to a number of U.S military installations, including Scott Air Force Base, Mechanicsburg Naval Depot, Fort Knox, and Fort Campbell.

“The Windstream Wholesale network continues to expand to meet the growing data transport needs of our government customers,” said Joe Scattareggia, executive vice president of Windstream Wholesale. “These new fiber builds to U.S. military bases will provide the federal government with vendor diversity, more competitive bids, and customized solutions featuring significantly greater bandwidth, including our market-leading 400 Gigabit services. We are bringing the Windstream Wholesale Fast and Flexible approach to our government agencies.”

Vertical Systems: Worldwide Carrier Ethernet port demand recovers

Sunday, October 31, 2021 Carrier Ethernet, Research, Vertical Systems

A new research report from Vertical Systems Group finds that demand for Ethernet services is recovering as customers focus on network transformations to accommodate future bandwidth and application requirements. Installations of retail Ethernet services are projected to reach more than four million ports worldwide by 2025.

However, the outlook for revenue growth during this time period is restrained by price compression, delayed customer payments, and supply chain issues.

Currently, the primary challenges to Ethernet growth are market maturity and competition from alternative technologies. The most potentially disruptive alternatives are Managed SD-WAN solutions, Wavelength services, and dark fiber.